Mariam wants to visit her aunt and return for an evening class. She compares train times and checks both journeys before buying her ticket.
01Read the Arabic story
تَذْكِرَةُ ذَهَابٍ وَعَوْدَةٍ
أَرَادَتْ مَرْيَمُ أَنْ تَزُورَ خَالَتَهَا فِي مَدِينَةٍ قَرِيبَةٍ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ. كَانَتِ الرِّحْلَةُ بِالْقِطَارِ تَسْتَغْرِقُ سَاعَةً وَاحِدَةً. ذَهَبَتْ إِلَى الْمَحَطَّةِ فِي الثَّامِنَةِ وَالنِّصْفِ صَبَاحًا، وَمَعَهَا هَدِيَّةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ لِخَالَتِهَا. نَظَرَتْ إِلَى لَوْحَةِ الْمَوَاعِيدِ، ثُمَّ وَقَفَتْ أَمَامَ شُبَّاكِ التَّذَاكِرِ.
قَالَتْ لِلْمُوَظَّفِ: «أُرِيدُ تَذْكِرَةَ ذَهَابٍ وَعَوْدَةٍ، مِنْ فَضْلِكَ». سَأَلَتْ عَنْ مَوْعِدِ الْقِطَارِ، فَقَالَ: «هُنَاكَ قِطَارٌ فِي التَّاسِعَةِ وَآخَرُ فِي الْعَاشِرَةِ». اِخْتَارَتْ مَرْيَمُ قِطَارَ التَّاسِعَةِ لِأَنَّهَا تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَقْضِيَ وَقْتًا أَطْوَلَ مَعَ خَالَتِهَا. ثُمَّ سَأَلَتْ عَنْ رِحْلَةِ الْعَوْدَةِ.
قَالَ الْمُوَظَّفُ: «يُمْكِنُكِ الْعَوْدَةُ فِي الرَّابِعَةِ أَوِ السَّادِسَةِ مَسَاءً». قَالَتْ مَرْيَمُ: «سَأَخْتَارُ الرَّابِعَةَ. عِنْدِي دَرْسُ عَرَبِيَّةٍ فِي السَّابِعَةِ، وَأُرِيدُ أَنْ أَسْتَرِيحَ قَبْلَهُ». كَتَبَ الْمُوَظَّفُ الْمَوْعِدَيْنِ عَلَى التَّذْكِرَةِ. قَرَأَتْهُمَا مَرْيَمُ بِعِنَايَةٍ، ثُمَّ دَفَعَتِ الثَّمَنَ وَوَضَعَتِ التَّذْكِرَةَ فِي حَقِيبَتِهَا.
اِتَّصَلَتْ مَرْيَمُ بِخَالَتِهَا وَقَالَتْ: «سَأَصِلُ فِي الْعَاشِرَةِ». بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، ذَهَبَتْ إِلَى الرَّصِيفِ الْمَكْتُوبِ رَقْمُهُ عَلَى التَّذْكِرَةِ. رَكِبَتِ الْقِطَارَ فِي مَوْعِدِهِ، وَقَضَتْ يَوْمًا جَمِيلًا مَعَ خَالَتِهَا. وَفِي الْعَوْدَةِ، رَكِبَتْ قِطَارَ الرَّابِعَةِ، وَوَصَلَتْ إِلَى مَدِينَتِهَا فِي الْخَامِسَةِ، قَبْلَ دَرْسِهَا بِسَاعَتَيْنِ.
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Mariam wanted to visit her aunt in a nearby city on Saturday. The train journey took one hour. She went to the station at half past eight in the morning, with a small gift for her aunt. She looked at the timetable board, then stood in front of the ticket window.
She said to the employee, “I would like a return ticket, please.” She asked about the train time, and he said, “There is a train at nine and another at ten.” Mariam chose the nine o’clock train because she wanted to spend longer with her aunt. Then she asked about the return journey.
The employee said, “You can return at four or six in the evening.” Mariam said, “I will choose four. I have an Arabic lesson at seven, and I want to rest before it.” The employee wrote both times on the ticket. Mariam read them carefully, then paid and put the ticket in her bag.
Mariam called her aunt and said, “I will arrive at ten.” After that, she went to the platform whose number was written on the ticket. She boarded the train on time and spent a lovely day with her aunt. On the return journey, she took the four o’clock train and arrived in her own city at five, two hours before her lesson.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| خَالَتَهَا | her maternal aunt |
| تَسْتَغْرِقُ | takes; lasts |
| لَوْحَةِ الْمَوَاعِيدِ | the timetable board |
| شُبَّاكِ التَّذَاكِرِ | the ticket window |
| ذَهَابٍ وَعَوْدَةٍ | outward and return travel |
| بِعِنَايَةٍ | carefully |
| الثَّمَنَ | the price |
| الرَّصِيفِ | the platform |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story when you need a clue. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- Mariam chooses an early outward train for a longer visit and an earlier return to leave time before her lesson.
- Keep departure and arrival times separate: her one-hour return journey begins at four and ends at five.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Telling the Time in Arabic: Hours, Half Past and Quarter Past
فِي الثَّامِنَةِ وَالنِّصْفِ صَبَاحًا
Compare the departure times and work out which time belongs to the return arrival.
Transport in Arabic: 8 Words for Getting Around
رَكِبَتِ الْقِطَارَ فِي مَوْعِدِهِ
Connect the ticket, train and platform in a short journey.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّهَا تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَقْضِيَ وَقْتًا أَطْوَلَ مَعَ خَالَتِهَا
Understand Mariam’s reason for choosing the earlier outward train.
