Khalid takes a taxi to a language centre in an unfamiliar city. The driver finds the building, but they need more information to locate the correct entrance.
01Read the Arabic story
بِسَيَّارَةِ أُجْرَةٍ فِي مَدِينَةٍ جَدِيدَةٍ
وَصَلَ خَالِدٌ إِلَى مَدِينَةٍ جَدِيدَةٍ مَسَاءَ الْأَمْسِ. وَفِي الصَّبَاحِ، رَكِبَ سَيَّارَةَ أُجْرَةٍ لِلذَّهَابِ إِلَى مَرْكَزِ اللُّغَاتِ. كَانَ عِنْدَهُ دَرْسٌ فِي التَّاسِعَةِ. أَرَى السَّائِقَ الْعُنْوَانَ عَلَى هَاتِفِهِ وَقَالَ: «أُرِيدُ الذَّهَابَ إِلَى هَذَا الْمَرْكَزِ فِي شَارِعِ النُّورِ».
سَارَتِ السَّيَّارَةُ فِي شَارِعٍ وَاسِعٍ، ثُمَّ عَبَرَتْ جِسْرًا صَغِيرًا. نَظَرَ خَالِدٌ مِنَ النَّافِذَةِ وَرَأَى مَحَلَّاتٍ كَثِيرَةً. بَعْدَ قَلِيلٍ، تَوَقَّفَ السَّائِقُ أَمَامَ الْمَرْكَزِ. كَانَ الْبَابُ الْكَبِيرُ مُغْلَقًا، وَعَلَيْهِ لَافِتَةٌ تَقُولُ: «مَدْخَلُ الْمُوَظَّفِينَ». قَالَ خَالِدٌ: «أَظُنُّ أَنَّ لِلطُّلَّابِ مَدْخَلًا آخَرَ».
اِتَّصَلَ خَالِدٌ بِالْمَرْكَزِ وَسَأَلَ عَنْ مَدْخَلِ الطُّلَّابِ. قَالَتِ الْمُوَظَّفَةُ: «هُوَ خَلْفَ الْمَبْنَى، بِجَانِبِ مَكْتَبَةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ. اِبْحَثْ عَنْ بَابٍ أَزْرَقَ». أَخْبَرَ خَالِدٌ السَّائِقَ، فَانْعَطَفَ يَمِينًا فِي الشَّارِعِ التَّالِي. رَأَيَا الْمَكْتَبَةَ، ثُمَّ ظَهَرَ الْبَابُ الْأَزْرَقُ وَفَوْقَهُ اِسْمُ الْمَرْكَزِ.
قَالَ خَالِدٌ: «هَذَا هُوَ الْمَدْخَلُ الصَّحِيحُ. مِنْ فَضْلِكَ، تَوَقَّفْ هُنَا». دَفَعَ الْأُجْرَةَ وَشَكَرَ السَّائِقَ عَلَى مُسَاعَدَتِهِ. نَزَلَ مِنَ السَّيَّارَةِ وَدَخَلَ الْمَرْكَزَ قَبْلَ الدَّرْسِ بِرُبْعِ سَاعَةٍ. وَكَتَبَ فِي هَاتِفِهِ: «مَدْخَلُ الطُّلَّابِ بِجَانِبِ الْمَكْتَبَةِ»، لِكَيْ يَجِدَهُ بِسُهُولَةٍ فِي الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي.
Show English translationHide English translation
Khalid arrived in a new city yesterday evening. In the morning, he took a taxi to the language centre. He had a lesson at nine. He showed the driver the address on his phone and said, “I would like to go to this centre on Al-Nour Street.”
The taxi travelled along a wide street, then crossed a small bridge. Khalid looked out of the window and saw many shops. A little later, the driver stopped in front of the centre. The large door was closed, and a sign on it said, “Staff entrance.” Khalid said, “I think there is another entrance for students.”
Khalid called the centre and asked about the student entrance. The employee said, “It is behind the building, beside a small bookshop. Look for a blue door.” Khalid told the driver, who turned right into the next street. They saw the bookshop, then the blue door came into view with the centre’s name above it.
Khalid said, “This is the correct entrance. Please stop here.” He paid the fare and thanked the driver for his help. He got out of the taxi and entered the centre fifteen minutes before the lesson. He wrote on his phone, “The student entrance is beside the bookshop,” so that he could find it easily the next day.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| سَيَّارَةَ أُجْرَةٍ | a taxi |
| الْعُنْوَانَ | the address |
| لَافِتَةٌ | a sign |
| مَدْخَلُ الْمُوَظَّفِينَ | the staff entrance |
| خَلْفَ الْمَبْنَى | behind the building |
| فَانْعَطَفَ يَمِينًا | so he turned right |
| الْأُجْرَةَ | the fare |
| بِرُبْعِ سَاعَةٍ | by a quarter of an hour; fifteen minutes |
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
- Khalid checks the sign at the first entrance and calls the centre to find the student entrance.
- The location خَلْفَ الْمَبْنَى and the blue door help him explain where the taxi should stop.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Directions in Arabic: Left, Right and Straight Ahead
فَانْعَطَفَ يَمِينًا فِي الشَّارِعِ التَّالِي
Follow the right turn and the instruction to stop at the correct entrance.
Arabic Time and Place Adverbs: Before, After, In Front and Behind
خَلْفَ الْمَبْنَى
Understand the entrance behind the building and Khalid’s arrival before class.
How to Say “I Want To” in Arabic: Uridu An
أُرِيدُ الذَّهَابَ إِلَى هَذَا الْمَرْكَزِ
Use Khalid’s request as a model for saying where you want to go.
