Nabil and his neighbours turn an unused yard into a shared garden. They divide the work, solve a small watering problem and create a place to meet.
01Read the Arabic story
تَحْوِيلُ سَاحَةٍ فَارِغَةٍ إِلَى حَدِيقَةٍ
خَلْفَ الْمَبْنَى الَّذِي يَسْكُنُ فِيهِ نَبِيلٌ سَاحَةٌ فَارِغَةٌ لَا يَسْتَخْدِمُهَا أَحَدٌ. فِي أَحَدِ الْأَيَّامِ، قَالَ لِجِيرَانِهِ: «مَا رَأْيُكُمْ فِي أَنْ نَجْعَلَ هَذَا الْمَكَانَ حَدِيقَةً صَغِيرَةً؟» أَعْجَبَتْهُمُ الْفِكْرَةُ، فَاجْتَمَعُوا مَسَاءً وَرَسَمُوا خُطَّةً بَسِيطَةً. اِخْتَارُوا يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ لِلْعَمَلِ، وَقَسَّمُوا الْمَهَامَّ بَيْنَهُمْ.
فِي الصَّبَاحِ، أَحْضَرَ نَبِيلٌ التُّرَابَ، وَجَاءَتْ لَيْلَى بِنَبَاتَاتٍ صَغِيرَةٍ وَأَزْهَارٍ. حَدَّدَ سَامِي مَمَرًّا فِي وَسَطِ السَّاحَةِ، وَوَضَعَ الْجِيرَانُ النَّبَاتَاتِ عَلَى جَانِبَيْهِ. تَرَكُوا مَكَانًا لِمَقْعَدٍ قُرْبَ الْحَائِطِ. قَالَتْ لَيْلَى: «نَمْشِي فِي الْمَمَرِّ، فَلَا نَدُوسُ عَلَى النَّبَاتَاتِ». ثُمَّ بَدَؤُوا الزِّرَاعَةَ مَعًا.
عِنْدَمَا جَاءَ وَقْتُ الرَّيِّ، ظَهَرَتْ مُشْكِلَةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ. كَانَ خُرْطُومُ الْمَاءِ قَصِيرًا، فَلَمْ يَصِلْ إِلَى آخِرِ الْحَدِيقَةِ. أَحْضَرَتْ لَيْلَى إِبْرِيقَيْنِ لِلرَّيِّ مِنْ بَيْتِهَا، وَمَلَأَهُمَا نَبِيلٌ بِالْمَاءِ. سَقَوْا بِهِمَا النَّبَاتَاتِ الْبَعِيدَةَ عَنِ الصُّنْبُورِ. بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، كَتَبُوا جَدْوَلًا بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ، لِيَعْرِفَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ يَوْمَهُ لِلرَّيِّ.
بَعْدَ أَسَابِيعَ قَلِيلَةٍ، نَمَتِ النَّبَاتَاتُ وَظَهَرَتْ أَوْرَاقٌ جَدِيدَةٌ. أَصْبَحَ الْجِيرَانُ يَجْلِسُونَ عَلَى الْمَقْعَدِ وَيَتَحَدَّثُونَ فِي الْمَسَاءِ. أَحْضَرَ سَامِي صُورَةً لِلسَّاحَةِ قَبْلَ الزِّرَاعَةِ، وَوَضَعَهَا بِجَانِبِ صُورَةٍ جَدِيدَةٍ. نَظَرَ الْجَمِيعُ إِلَيْهِمَا بِسَعَادَةٍ. قَالَ نَبِيلٌ: «كَانَتْ هُنَا أَرْضٌ فَارِغَةٌ، وَالْآنَ عِنْدَنَا مَكَانٌ جَمِيلٌ نَلْتَقِي فِيهِ».
Show English translationHide English translation
Behind the building where Nabil lives is an empty yard that nobody uses. One day, he said to his neighbours, “What do you think about making this place into a small garden?” They liked the idea, so they met in the evening and drew a simple plan. They chose Saturday for the work and divided the tasks among themselves.
In the morning, Nabil brought soil, and Layla came with small plants and flowers. Sami marked out a path in the middle of the yard, and the neighbours placed plants on either side. They left space for a bench near the wall. Layla said, “We will walk on the path so that we do not step on the plants.” Then they began planting together.
When it was time to water the plants, a small problem appeared. The hose was short, so it did not reach the far end of the garden. Layla brought two watering cans from her home, and Nabil filled them with water. They used them to water the plants far from the tap. After that, they wrote a schedule with their names so that everyone would know their watering day.
A few weeks later, the plants had grown and new leaves had appeared. The neighbours began sitting on the bench and talking in the evening. Sami brought a photo of the yard before planting and put it beside a new photo. Everyone looked at the two photos happily. Nabil said, “There used to be empty ground here, and now we have a beautiful place where we meet.”
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| سَاحَةٌ فَارِغَةٌ | an empty yard |
| الْمَهَامَّ | the tasks |
| التُّرَابَ | the soil |
| مَمَرًّا | a path |
| الزِّرَاعَةَ | planting |
| خُرْطُومُ الْمَاءِ | the water hose |
| إِبْرِيقَيْنِ لِلرَّيِّ | two watering cans |
| الصُّنْبُورِ | the tap |
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
- The neighbours divide the planting work and leave a path and bench space in their new garden.
- Two watering cans solve the hose problem, and a named schedule shares the ongoing watering work.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Prepositions: In, On, Under and Next To
خَلْفَ الْمَبْنَى
Follow the garden layout behind the building and beside the path and wall.
Days of the Week in Arabic: Names and Everyday Examples
يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ لِلْعَمَلِ
Read the day chosen for the work before the neighbours make their watering schedule.
Arabic Object Pronouns: Groups and Pairs
وَمَلَأَهُمَا نَبِيلٌ بِالْمَاءِ
See how the ending هُمَا refers to the two watering cans that Nabil fills.
