What this lesson covers
1 · Who is speaking #
A driver has lost his way to the university and asks a traffic man.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| السَّائِق | the driver |
| رَجُلُ المُرُور | the traffic man, the one who directs the traffic. Also called شُرْطِيُّ المُرُور, the traffic police |
2 · The ḥiwār in full #
The traffic man gives each direction, and the driver repeats it back. That is how you check you have understood a route.
| السَّائِق | لَوْ سَمَحْتَ، أَيْنَ تَقَعُ الجَامِعَةُ؟ |
| رَجُلُ المُرُور | تَقَعُ الجَامِعَةُ غَرْبَ المَدِينَةِ. |
| السَّائِق | كَيْفَ أَصِلُ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ فَضْلِكَ؟ |
| رَجُلُ المُرُور | اِتَّجِهْ غَرْبًا فِي شَارِعِ طَارِقِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ. |
| السَّائِق | أَتَّجِهُ غَرْبًا فِي شَارِعِ طَارِقِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ. |
| رَجُلُ المُرُور | عِنْدَ الإِشَارَةِ الضَّوْئِيَّةِ الثَّالِثَةِ، انْعَطِفْ يَسَارًا فِي طَرِيقِ خَالِدِ بْنِ الوَلِيدِ. |
| السَّائِق | أَنْعَطِفُ يَسَارًا فِي طَرِيقِ خَالِدِ بْنِ الوَلِيدِ. |
| رَجُلُ المُرُور | عِنْدَ الدَّوَّارِ الأَوَّلِ، ارْجِعْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ نَفْسِهِ. |
| السَّائِق | عِنْدَ الدَّوَّارِ الأَوَّلِ، أَرْجِعُ فِي الطَّرِيقِ نَفْسِهِ. |
| رَجُلُ المُرُور | عِنْدَ أَوَّلِ شَارِعٍ، اتَّجِهْ يَمِينًا. |
| السَّائِق | عِنْدَ أَوَّلِ شَارِعٍ، أَتَّجِهُ يَمِينًا. |
| رَجُلُ المُرُور | تَجِدُ صَيْدَلِيَّةً عِنْدَ الزَّاوِيَةِ. |
| السَّائِق | أَجِدُ صَيْدَلِيَّةً عِنْدَ الزَّاوِيَةِ. |
| رَجُلُ المُرُور | اِسْتَمِرَّ، وَبَعْدَ ٢٠٠ مِتْرٍ تَجِدُ المُسْتَشْفَى الجَامِعِيَّ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ. |
| السَّائِق | أَسْتَمِرُّ، وَبَعْدَ ٢٠٠ مِتْرٍ أَجِدُ المُسْتَشْفَى الجَامِعِيَّ عَنْ يَمِينِي. |
| رَجُلُ المُرُور | الجَامِعَةُ مُقَابِلَ المُسْتَشْفَى. |
| السَّائِق | شُكْرًا. |
| رَجُلُ المُرُور | عَفْوًا. |
The route, in English. Go west along Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād Street. At the third traffic light, turn left into Khālid ibn al-Walīd Road. At the first roundabout, go round and come back along the same road. At the first street, turn right. There is a pharmacy on the corner. Keep going, and after 200 metres the university hospital is on your right. The university is opposite the hospital.
The two street names are named after Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād and Khālid ibn al-Walīd. In the ḥiwār they are only street names.
3 · Asking the way #
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| لَوْ سَمَحْتَ | please, excuse me |
| مِنْ فَضْلِكَ | please. لَوْ سَمَحْتَ and مِنْ فَضْلِكَ mean the same thing |
| أَيْنَ تَقَعُ الجَامِعَةُ؟ | where is the university located? تَقَعُ = it is situated |
| كَيْفَ أَصِلُ إِلَيْهَا؟ | how do I get to it? أَصِلُ = I arrive, I reach |
| شُكْرًا · عَفْوًا | thank you · you are welcome |
مَوْقِع is a location, the place where something is. It is the same word your phone uses when you share your location: مُشَارَكَةُ المَوْقِع. تَقَعُ and مَوْقِع come from one root.
4 · The directions #
تَقَعُ الجَامِعَةُ غَرْبَ المَدِينَةِ — the university is west of the city.
| Direction | Arabic |
|---|---|
| north | شَمَال |
| south | جَنُوب |
| east | شَرْق |
| west | غَرْب |
Each one goes straight in front of the place: شَرْقَ المَدِينَةِ · جَنُوبَ المَدِينَةِ · شَمَالَ المَدِينَةِ.
The in-between directions join two of them. The second word becomes an adjective:
| Direction | Arabic |
|---|---|
| north-east | الشَّمَالُ الشَّرْقِيّ |
| north-west | الشَّمَالُ الغَرْبِيّ |
With these, there are eight directions in all.
5 · The four route verbs #
The traffic man gives commands. Every direction in the ḥiwār uses one of four verbs:
| Command | Meaning | From |
|---|---|---|
| اِتَّجِهْ | go (straight) towards, head | اِتَّجَهَ |
| اِنْعَطِفْ | turn | اِنْعَطَفَ |
| اِرْجِعْ | come back, go back | رَجَعَ — to return |
| اِسْتَمِرَّ | keep going, continue | اِسْتَمَرَّ |
اِتَّجِهْ is to go straight on in a direction; اِنْعَطِفْ is to turn off it. Add the side with يَمِين (right) and يَسَار (left):
- اِتَّجِهْ يَمِينًا — go to the right · اِتَّجِهْ غَرْبًا — head west
- اِنْعَطِفْ يَسَارًا — turn left · اِنْعَطِفْ يَمِينًا — turn right
The same ending sits on the directions: غَرْبًا · شَرْقًا · شَمَالًا — westward, eastward, northward.
The command and the reply. The driver repeats each command as "I …". The command becomes the present tense with أَ:
| Traffic man (you, do it) | Driver (I do it) |
|---|---|
| اِتَّجِهْ | أَتَّجِهُ |
| اِنْعَطِفْ | أَنْعَطِفُ |
| اِرْجِعْ | أَرْجِعُ |
| اِسْتَمِرَّ | أَسْتَمِرُّ |
| تَجِدُ — you will find | أَجِدُ — I will find |
| عَنْ يَمِينِكَ — on your right | عَنْ يَمِينِي — on my right |
6 · The places on the route #
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| الإِشَارَةُ الضَّوْئِيَّة | the traffic light. الإِشَارَةُ الضَّوْئِيَّةُ الثَّالِثَة — the third traffic light |
| الدَّوَّار | the roundabout. الدَّوَّارُ الأَوَّل — the first roundabout |
| أَوَّلُ شَارِعٍ | the first street |
| الزَّاوِيَة | the corner |
| صَيْدَلِيَّة | a pharmacy |
| المُسْتَشْفَى الجَامِعِيّ | the university hospital. In Sri Lanka this is a teaching hospital: a hospital linked to a university |
| مِتْر | a metre. بَعْدَ ٢٠٠ مِتْرٍ — after 200 metres (مِئَتَيْ مِتْرٍ) |
| عَنْ يَمِينِكَ | on your right |
| مُقَابِل | opposite. الجَامِعَةُ مُقَابِلَ المُسْتَشْفَى — the university is opposite the hospital |
عِنْدَ marks the point where you act: عِنْدَ الإِشَارَةِ … · عِنْدَ الدَّوَّارِ … · عِنْدَ أَوَّلِ شَارِعٍ … — at the light, at the roundabout, at the first street.
7 · نَفْس — "the same" #
اِرْجِعْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ نَفْسِهِ — come back along the same road. At the roundabout you go round and come back the way you came.
You know نَفْس as the soul. After a noun it means the same, or itself. Here it must not be read as soul.
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| الطَّرِيقُ نَفْسُهُ | the same road |
| الرَّجُلُ نَفْسُهُ = نَفْسُ الرَّجُلِ | the same man |
| الطَّعَامُ نَفْسُهُ | the same food |
| الاِسْمُ نَفْسُهُ | the same name |
نَفْس can come after the noun, with a pronoun that points back to it (الطَّرِيقُ نَفْسُهُ). It can also come before the noun (نَفْسُ الرَّجُلِ). Both mean the same.
8 · Give the route yourself #
Use the map printed beside the ḥiwār. Someone is on Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād Street and wants the university. Say each step in Arabic, then check it against the ḥiwār:
- Head west on Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād Street — اِتَّجِهْ غَرْبًا فِي شَارِعِ طَارِقِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ
- At the third traffic light, turn left into Khālid ibn al-Walīd Road — عِنْدَ الإِشَارَةِ الضَّوْئِيَّةِ الثَّالِثَةِ، انْعَطِفْ يَسَارًا فِي طَرِيقِ خَالِدِ بْنِ الوَلِيدِ
- At the first roundabout, come back along the same road — عِنْدَ الدَّوَّارِ الأَوَّلِ، ارْجِعْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ نَفْسِهِ
- At the first street, go right — عِنْدَ أَوَّلِ شَارِعٍ، اتَّجِهْ يَمِينًا
- You will find a pharmacy on the corner — تَجِدُ صَيْدَلِيَّةً عِنْدَ الزَّاوِيَةِ
- Keep going; after 200 metres the university hospital is on your right — اِسْتَمِرَّ، وَبَعْدَ ٢٠٠ مِتْرٍ تَجِدُ المُسْتَشْفَى الجَامِعِيَّ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ
- The university is opposite the hospital — الجَامِعَةُ مُقَابِلَ المُسْتَشْفَى
If you know the four verbs, the directions, and a few words for the places, you can give any route.
9 · Drill 1 — صَحِيح or خَطَأ #
ضَعْ عَلَامَةَ (✓) أَوْ (✗)، ثُمَّ صَحِّحِ الخَطَأَ — mark each one, then correct the wrong ones. Check each statement against the ḥiwār.
| # | Statement | Verdict | The correction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | الجَامِعُ شَمَالَ المَدِينَةِ | خَطَأ | الجَامِعَةُ غَرْبَ المَدِينَةِ |
| 2 | سَيَتَّجِهُ السَّائِقُ غَرْبًا فِي شَارِعِ طَارِقِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ | صَحِيح | — the first direction the traffic man gives |
| 3 | الصَّيْدَلِيَّةُ فِي طَرِيقِ خَالِدِ بْنِ الوَلِيدِ | صَحِيح | — it is on the corner, where you turn off that road |
| 4 | المُسْتَشْفَى بَعْدَ ٢٠ مِتْرًا مِنَ الصَّيْدَلِيَّةِ | خَطَأ | المُسْتَشْفَى بَعْدَ ٢٠٠ مِتْرٍ مِنَ الصَّيْدَلِيَّةِ |
| 5 | المُسْتَشْفَى مُقَابِلَ الجَامِعَةِ | صَحِيح | — if the university is opposite the hospital, the hospital is opposite the university |
| 6 | السَّائِقُ يُرِيدُ حَيَّ الجَامِعَةِ | خَطَأ | السَّائِقُ يُرِيدُ الجَامِعَةَ |
Item 1 — جَامِع is not جَامِعَة. Read the word carefully. الجَامِع is the (congregational) mosque; الجَامِعَة is the university. One letter changes the place.
Item 6 — حَيّ is an area, a district. حَيُّ الجَامِعَة is the university area. The driver asks for the university itself: أَيْنَ تَقَعُ الجَامِعَةُ؟
10 · Drill 2 — answer briefly #
أَجِبْ بِاخْتِصَارٍ عَمَّا يَلِي — answer each in a short sentence of your own.
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | أَيْنَ الجَامِعَةُ؟ | الجَامِعَةُ غَرْبَ المَدِينَةِ. |
| 2 | إِلَى أَيْنَ سَيَتَّجِهُ السَّائِقُ؟ | إِلَى الإِشَارَةِ الضَّوْئِيَّةِ الثَّالِثَةِ — he heads west, as far as the third traffic light |
| 3 | إِلَى أَيْنَ سَيَنْعَطِفُ عِنْدَ طَرِيقِ خَالِدِ بْنِ الوَلِيدِ؟ | يَسَارًا — to the left |
| 4 | مَاذَا سَيَجِدُ السَّائِقُ عِنْدَ الزَّاوِيَةِ؟ | يَجِدُ صَيْدَلِيَّةً. |
| 5 | أَيْنَ المُسْتَشْفَى الجَامِعِيُّ؟ | المُسْتَشْفَى الجَامِعِيُّ بَعْدَ مِئَتَيْ مِتْرٍ مِنَ الصَّيْدَلِيَّةِ. |
إِلَى أَيْنَ asks to where?, meaning the end-point you are heading for. This is the same إِلَى of a limit that you met in Lesson 16.
The سَـ of the future. The questions ask what the driver will do: سَيَتَّجِهُ · سَيَنْعَطِفُ · سَيَجِدُ. He has not driven the route yet.
Asking the way #
| لَوْ سَمَحْتَ · مِنْ فَضْلِكَ | please — the two mean the same |
| أَيْنَ تَقَعُ الجَامِعَةُ؟ | where is the university located? |
| كَيْفَ أَصِلُ إِلَيْهَا؟ | how do I get to it? |
| مَوْقِع | location (مُشَارَكَةُ المَوْقِع — sharing your location) |
| السَّائِق · رَجُلُ المُرُور | the driver · the traffic man (شُرْطِيُّ المُرُور) |
The directions #
| شَمَال · جَنُوب · شَرْق · غَرْب | north · south · east · west |
| الشَّمَالُ الشَّرْقِيّ · الشَّمَالُ الغَرْبِيّ | north-east · north-west |
| غَرْبَ المَدِينَةِ | west of the city |
| يَمِين · يَسَار | right · left |
The four route verbs #
| Command | Meaning | The driver's reply |
|---|---|---|
| اِتَّجِهْ | go straight, head | أَتَّجِهُ |
| اِنْعَطِفْ | turn | أَنْعَطِفُ |
| اِرْجِعْ (← رَجَعَ) | come back | أَرْجِعُ |
| اِسْتَمِرَّ | keep going | أَسْتَمِرُّ |
The places #
| الإِشَارَةُ الضَّوْئِيَّة | traffic light |
| الدَّوَّار | roundabout |
| أَوَّلُ شَارِعٍ | the first street |
| الزَّاوِيَة | the corner |
| صَيْدَلِيَّة | pharmacy |
| المُسْتَشْفَى الجَامِعِيّ | university (teaching) hospital |
| مُقَابِل | opposite |
| عَنْ يَمِينِكَ | on your right |
| حَيّ | area, district |
- نَفْس after a noun = the same: الطَّرِيقُ نَفْسُهُ = the same road; نَفْسُ الرَّجُلِ = the same man. Not soul here.
- الجَامِع = the mosque · الجَامِعَة = the university.
The route #
- اِتَّجِهْ غَرْبًا فِي شَارِعِ طَارِقِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ
- عِنْدَ الإِشَارَةِ الضَّوْئِيَّةِ الثَّالِثَةِ، انْعَطِفْ يَسَارًا فِي طَرِيقِ خَالِدِ بْنِ الوَلِيدِ
- عِنْدَ الدَّوَّارِ الأَوَّلِ، ارْجِعْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ نَفْسِهِ
- عِنْدَ أَوَّلِ شَارِعٍ، اتَّجِهْ يَمِينًا
- تَجِدُ صَيْدَلِيَّةً عِنْدَ الزَّاوِيَةِ
- اِسْتَمِرَّ، وَبَعْدَ ٢٠٠ مِتْرٍ تَجِدُ المُسْتَشْفَى الجَامِعِيَّ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ
- الجَامِعَةُ مُقَابِلَ المُسْتَشْفَى
Drill answers #
| صَحِيح / خَطَأ | |
|---|---|
| 1 الجَامِعُ شَمَالَ المَدِينَةِ | ✗ → الجَامِعَةُ غَرْبَ المَدِينَةِ |
| 2 سَيَتَّجِهُ السَّائِقُ غَرْبًا … | ✓ |
| 3 الصَّيْدَلِيَّةُ فِي طَرِيقِ خَالِدِ بْنِ الوَلِيدِ | ✓ |
| 4 المُسْتَشْفَى بَعْدَ ٢٠ مِتْرًا … | ✗ → بَعْدَ ٢٠٠ مِتْرٍ |
| 5 المُسْتَشْفَى مُقَابِلَ الجَامِعَةِ | ✓ |
| 6 السَّائِقُ يُرِيدُ حَيَّ الجَامِعَةِ | ✗ → يُرِيدُ الجَامِعَةَ |
| Short answers | |
|---|---|
| أَيْنَ الجَامِعَةُ؟ | غَرْبَ المَدِينَةِ |
| إِلَى أَيْنَ سَيَتَّجِهُ السَّائِقُ؟ | إِلَى الإِشَارَةِ الضَّوْئِيَّةِ الثَّالِثَةِ |
| إِلَى أَيْنَ سَيَنْعَطِفُ؟ | يَسَارًا |
| مَاذَا سَيَجِدُ عِنْدَ الزَّاوِيَةِ؟ | صَيْدَلِيَّةً |
| أَيْنَ المُسْتَشْفَى الجَامِعِيُّ؟ | بَعْدَ مِئَتَيْ مِتْرٍ مِنَ الصَّيْدَلِيَّةِ |