Yasmin follows an old message to a meeting room and finds it empty. She checks the new information and helps a colleague who has made the same mistake.
01Read the Arabic story
الْبَحْثُ عَنْ غُرْفَةِ الْاِجْتِمَاعِ
كَانَ عِنْدَ يَاسَمِينَ اِجْتِمَاعٌ فِي الْعَاشِرَةِ صَبَاحًا. قَبْلَ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ مِنْ بَيْتِهَا، قَرَأَتْ رِسَالَةً وَصَلَتْهَا مَسَاءَ الْأَمْسِ. كَانَ مَكْتُوبًا فِيهَا: «الْاِجْتِمَاعُ فِي الْغُرْفَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ، فِي الطَّابِقِ الْأَوَّلِ». أَخَذَتْ دَفْتَرَهَا وَقَلَمَهَا، وَذَهَبَتْ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبِ مُبَكِّرَةً كَعَادَتِهَا.
عِنْدَمَا وَصَلَتْ إِلَى الْغُرْفَةِ، وَجَدَتْهَا فَارِغَةً. نَظَرَتْ إِلَى سَاعَتِهَا؛ بَقِيَتْ عَشْرُ دَقَائِقَ عَلَى الْمَوْعِدِ. اِنْتَظَرَتْ قَلِيلًا، ثُمَّ رَأَتْ وَرَقَةً صَغِيرَةً عَلَى الْبَابِ. قَرَأَتْ: «اِنْتَقَلَ الْاِجْتِمَاعُ إِلَى الْغُرْفَةِ الثَّامِنَةِ، فِي الطَّابِقِ الثَّانِي». فَتَحَتْ بَرِيدَهَا وَوَجَدَتْ رِسَالَةً جَدِيدَةً أُرْسِلَتْ هَذَا الصَّبَاحَ.
شَرَحَتِ الرِّسَالَةُ أَنَّ جِهَازَ الْعَرْضِ فِي الْغُرْفَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ لَا يَعْمَلُ. خَرَجَتْ يَاسَمِينُ، فَرَأَتْ زَمِيلَهَا حَسَنًا يَقْتَرِبُ مِنَ الْبَابِ. قَالَتْ لَهُ: «تَغَيَّرَ مَكَانُ الْاِجْتِمَاعِ. هَلْ قَرَأْتَ رِسَالَةَ الصَّبَاحِ؟» قَالَ: «لَا، قَرَأْتُ رِسَالَةَ الْأَمْسِ فَقَطْ». أَرَتْهُ الرِّسَالَةَ الْجَدِيدَةَ، وَصَعِدَا مَعًا إِلَى الطَّابِقِ الثَّانِي.
فِي أَعْلَى السُّلَّمِ، سَأَلَا مُوَظَّفًا عَنِ الْغُرْفَةِ الثَّامِنَةِ. قَالَ: «هِيَ عَلَى الْيَسَارِ، بِجَانِبِ الْمَطْبَخِ». وَجَدَا الْبَابَ مَفْتُوحًا وَالزُّمَلَاءَ فِي الدَّاخِلِ. دَخَلَا قَبْلَ بِدَايَةِ الْاِجْتِمَاعِ، وَجَلَسَا فِي مَكَانَيْنِ فَارِغَيْنِ. شَكَرَ حَسَنٌ يَاسَمِينَ عَلَى مُسَاعَدَتِهَا، وَحَفِظَتْ هِيَ رَقْمَ الْغُرْفَةِ الْجَدِيدَةِ فِي تَقْوِيمِهَا.
Show English translationHide English translation
Yasmin had a meeting at ten in the morning. Before leaving home, she read a message that had arrived the previous evening. It said, “The meeting is in room three, on the first floor.” She took her notebook and pen and went to the office early, as usual.
When she reached the room, she found it empty. She looked at her watch; there were ten minutes until the meeting. She waited a little, then saw a small note on the door. She read, “The meeting has moved to room eight, on the second floor.” She opened her email and found a new message sent that morning.
The message explained that the projector in room three was not working. Yasmin went out and saw her colleague Hasan approaching the door. She said to him, “The meeting location has changed. Have you read this morning’s message?” He said, “No, I only read yesterday’s message.” She showed him the new message, and they went up to the second floor together.
At the top of the stairs, they asked an employee about room eight. He said, “It is on the left, beside the kitchen.” They found the door open and their colleagues inside. They entered before the meeting began and sat in two empty seats. Hasan thanked Yasmin for her help, and she saved the new room number in her calendar.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| مَسَاءَ الْأَمْسِ | yesterday evening |
| فَارِغَةً | empty |
| اِنْتَقَلَ الْاِجْتِمَاعُ | the meeting moved |
| بَرِيدَهَا | her email |
| جِهَازَ الْعَرْضِ | the projector |
| يَقْتَرِبُ | approaches; is approaching |
| أَعْلَى السُّلَّمِ | the top of the stairs |
| تَقْوِيمِهَا | her calendar |
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
- Yasmin discovers that a new message moved the meeting because the original room’s projector was not working.
- She shares the update with Hasan, and they follow the directions to arrive before the meeting begins.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Ordinal Numbers: First to Tenth with Simple Examples
فِي الْغُرْفَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ، فِي الطَّابِقِ الْأَوَّلِ
Follow the change from the third room to the eighth and from the first floor to the second.
Directions in Arabic: Left, Right and Straight Ahead
هِيَ عَلَى الْيَسَارِ، بِجَانِبِ الْمَطْبَخِ
Read the employee’s directions from the stairs to the meeting room.
Past-Tense Arabic for Two People: They Both and You Both
وَصَعِدَا مَعًا إِلَى الطَّابِقِ الثَّانِي
Notice the forms for two people when Yasmin and Hasan go upstairs and enter together.
