A university student looks after her little brother while finishing a homework page. A snack, a drawing and a small spill come before their promised story time.
01Read the Arabic story
أَعْتَنِي بِأَخِي الصَّغِيرِ
بَعْدَ ظُهْرِ السَّبْتِ، ذَهَبَتْ أُمِّي إِلَى السُّوقِ لِسَاعَةٍ، وَطَلَبَتْ مِنِّي أَنْ أَبْقَى مَعَ أَخِي الصَّغِيرِ عُمَرَ. أَنَا أُخْتُهُ الْكُبْرَى، وَنُحِبُّ الْقِرَاءَةَ مَعًا. كَانَ عَلَيَّ أَنْ أُكْمِلَ وَاجِبِي لِلْجَامِعَةِ، لَكِنَّنِي وَعَدْتُ عُمَرَ بِقِرَاءَةِ قِصَّةٍ مَعَهُ. وَضَعْتُ دَفْتَرِي عَلَى طَاوِلَةِ غُرْفَةِ الْجُلُوسِ، وَجَلَسَ أَخِي بِجَانِبِي.
قَالَ عُمَرُ: «أُرِيدُ أَنْ نَقْرَأَ الْقِصَّةَ الْآنَ». أَجَبْتُهُ: «بَقِيَتْ لِي صَفْحَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ، ثُمَّ أَقْرَأُ مَعَكَ». قَالَ إِنَّهُ جَائِعٌ، فَأَعْدَدْتُ لَهُ شَطِيرَةَ جُبْنٍ وَكَوْبَ مَاءٍ. بَعْدَ أَنْ أَكَلَ، اِخْتَارَ وَرَقَةً وَأَقْلَامًا مُلَوَّنَةً، وَبَدَأَ يَرْسُمُ بَيْتًا بَيْنَمَا أَكْتُبُ.
أَرَادَ عُمَرُ أَنْ يُرِيَنِي رَسْمَهُ، فَحَرَّكَ يَدَهُ وَسَقَطَ الْكُوبُ عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ. أَبْعَدْتُ دَفْتَرِي بِسُرْعَةٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَصِلَ إِلَيْهِ الْمَاءُ. بَدَا عُمَرُ حَزِينًا، فَقُلْتُ: «لَا بَأْسَ، نُنَظِّفُ الطَّاوِلَةَ مَعًا». أَحْضَرَ مِنْشَفَةً صَغِيرَةً، وَمَسَحْنَا الْمَاءَ. ثُمَّ وَضَعَ الْكُوبَ الْفَارِغَ فِي الْمَطْبَخِ.
أَكْمَلْتُ الصَّفْحَةَ الْأَخِيرَةَ، وَأَغْلَقْتُ دَفْتَرِي. جَلَسْنَا عَلَى الْأَرِيكَةِ وَفَتَحْنَا الْقِصَّةَ الَّتِي اِخْتَارَهَا عُمَرُ. قَرَأْتُ لَهُ، وَسَأَلَنِي عَنْ كَلِمَةٍ جَدِيدَةٍ، فَشَرَحْتُهَا بِمِثَالٍ بَسِيطٍ. عَادَتْ أُمِّي قَبْلَ نِهَايَةِ الْقِصَّةِ بِقَلِيلٍ. أَرَاهَا عُمَرُ رَسْمَهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي: «هَيَّا، أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَعْرِفَ النِّهَايَةَ!»
Show English translationHide English translation
On Saturday afternoon, my mother went to the market for an hour and asked me to stay with my little brother Omar. I am his older sister, and we enjoy reading together. I needed to finish my university homework, but I had promised Omar that I would read a story with him. I put my notebook on the living-room table, and my brother sat beside me.
Omar said, “I want us to read the story now.” I answered, “I have one page left, then I will read with you.” He said he was hungry, so I prepared a cheese sandwich and a glass of water for him. After eating, he chose a sheet of paper and coloured pencils and began drawing a house while I wrote.
Omar wanted to show me his drawing, so he moved his hand and the glass fell over on the table. I quickly moved my notebook away before the water reached it. Omar looked sad, so I said, “It is all right; we will clean the table together.” He brought a small towel, and we wiped up the water. Then he put the empty glass in the kitchen.
I finished the last page and closed my notebook. We sat on the sofa and opened the story Omar had chosen. I read to him, and he asked about a new word, so I explained it with a simple example. My mother returned shortly before the end of the story. Omar showed her his drawing, then said to me, “Come on, I want to know the ending!”
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| وَاجِبِي لِلْجَامِعَةِ | my university homework |
| وَعَدْتُ | I promised |
| شَطِيرَةَ جُبْنٍ | a cheese sandwich |
| أَقْلَامًا مُلَوَّنَةً | coloured pencils |
| أَبْعَدْتُ دَفْتَرِي | I moved my notebook away |
| مِنْشَفَةً صَغِيرَةً | a small towel |
| الْأَرِيكَةِ | the sofa |
| النِّهَايَةَ | the ending |
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
- Omar’s sister makes him a snack and finishes her last homework page before keeping her promise to read with him.
- When water spills, they clean the table together and then return to their activities.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Family Members in Arabic: 12 Useful Words
أَخِي الصَّغِيرِ عُمَرَ
Follow the narrator’s references to her mother and little brother.
Food and Drinks in Arabic: 15 Words for Everyday Meals
شَطِيرَةَ جُبْنٍ وَكَوْبَ مَاءٍ
Read the snack words when Omar says he is hungry.
How to Say “I Want To” in Arabic: Uridu An
أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَعْرِفَ النِّهَايَةَ
Notice how Omar expresses what he wants to do at the start and end of the story.
