Layla wants a weekend job to pay for a computer repair, but two approaching exams need more preparation than she expected. She must decide how much work she can realistically accept.
01Read the Arabic story
عَمَلٌ فِي عُطْلَةِ نِهَايَةِ الْأُسْبُوعِ خِلَالَ الِامْتِحَانَاتِ
فِي أُسْبُوعِ الِامْتِحَانَاتِ، عَرَضَ صَاحِبُ مَكْتَبَةٍ عَلَى لَيْلَى عَمَلًا مُؤَقَّتًا فِي عُطْلَةِ نِهَايَةِ الْأُسْبُوعِ. كَانَ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مَنْ يُرَتِّبُ الْكُتُبَ سِتَّ سَاعَاتٍ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ وَسِتَّ سَاعَاتٍ يَوْمَ الْأَحَدِ. أَرَادَتْ لَيْلَى قَبُولَ الْعَرْضِ لِتَدْفَعَ تَكْلِفَةَ إِصْلَاحِ حَاسُوبِهَا. قَالَتْ فِي نَفْسِهَا: «سَأَدْرُسُ بَعْدَ الْعَمَلِ، وَسَيَكُونُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ بِخَيْرٍ».
كَانَ امْتِحَانُ الرِّيَاضِيَّاتِ يَوْمَ الِاثْنَيْنِ، وَامْتِحَانُ اللُّغَةِ يَوْمَ الثُّلَاثَاءِ. عِنْدَمَا كَتَبَتْ لَيْلَى قَائِمَةً بِالدُّرُوسِ، وَجَدَتْ أَنَّهَا لَمْ تَفْهَمْ دَرْسَيْنِ فِي الرِّيَاضِيَّاتِ بَعْدُ. ظَنَّتْ أَنَّ قِرَاءَتَهُمَا سَتَسْتَغْرِقُ سَاعَةً، وَلَكِنَّهَا لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ حَلَّ أَوَّلِ تَمْرِينٍ دُونَ مُسَاعَدَةٍ. أَدْرَكَتْ أَنَّ الْقِرَاءَةَ وَحْدَهَا لَا تَكْفِي.
اِتَّصَلَتْ بِصَدِيقَتِهَا هُدَى، فَاتَّفَقَتَا عَلَى مُرَاجَعَةِ التَّمَارِينِ صَبَاحَ الْأَحَدِ. ثُمَّ زَارَتْ صَاحِبَ الْمَكْتَبَةِ وَشَرَحَتْ لَهُ الْمَوْقِفَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُؤَكِّدَ قَبُولَهَا. قَالَتْ: «أَسْتَطِيعُ الْعَمَلَ أَرْبَعَ سَاعَاتٍ صَبَاحَ السَّبْتِ فَقَطْ. هَلْ يُنَاسِبُكَ ذَلِكَ؟» فَكَّرَ قَلِيلًا، ثُمَّ وَافَقَ، لِأَنَّ مُوَظَّفًا آخَرَ كَانَ مُتَاحًا يَوْمَ الْأَحَدِ.
أَخْبَرَهَا صَاحِبُ الْمَكْتَبَةِ بِأَنَّ أُجْرَتَهَا سَتَكُونُ أَقَلَّ، فَقَبِلَتْ ذَلِكَ وَعَرَفَتْ أَنَّ إِصْلَاحَ الْحَاسُوبِ سَيَنْتَظِرُ حَتَّى الشَّهْرِ الْقَادِمِ. اِسْتَعَارَتْ كِتَابَ تَمَارِينٍ مِنَ الْمَكْتَبَةِ الْعَامَّةِ، وَقَسَّمَتْ وَقْتَ الدِّرَاسَةِ إِلَى فَتَرَاتٍ قَصِيرَةٍ. تَرَكَتْ بَيْنَهَا وَقْتًا لِلرَّاحَةِ، وَلَمْ تَعْتَمِدْ عَلَى السَّهَرِ لَيْلَةَ الِامْتِحَانِ.
بَعْدَ الْعَمَلِ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ، كَانَتْ أَكْثَرَ تَعَبًا مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَتْ. اِسْتَرَاحَتْ قَلِيلًا قَبْلَ أَنْ تَفْتَحَ كِتَابَهَا. وَفِي صَبَاحِ الْأَحَدِ، حَلَّتْ مَعَ هُدَى تَمَارِينَ مُخْتَلِفَةً، ثُمَّ أَعَادَتْ حَلَّ بَعْضِهَا وَحْدَهَا. كُلَّمَا أَخْطَأَتْ، كَتَبَتْ سَبَبَ الْخَطَإِ بِجَانِبِ الْإِجَابَةِ، حَتَّى تَتَذَكَّرَهُ عِنْدَ الْمُرَاجَعَةِ.
فِي الِامْتِحَانِ، تَرَكَتْ سُؤَالًا صَعْبًا وَعَادَتْ إِلَيْهِ فِي النِّهَايَةِ. لَمْ تُجِبْ عَنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، لَكِنَّهَا فَهِمَتْ مُعْظَمَ الْأَسْئِلَةِ. بَعْدَ الِامْتِحَانَيْنِ، وَضَعَتْ أُجْرَتَهَا فِي ظَرْفٍ لِإِصْلَاحِ الْحَاسُوبِ. كَتَبَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْمَبْلَغَ الْبَاقِيَ، ثُمَّ فَتَحَتْ جَدْوَلَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ تَسْأَلَ عَنْ عَمَلٍ جَدِيدٍ.
Show English translationHide English translation
During exam week, the owner of a bookshop offered Layla temporary weekend work. He needed someone to organise books for six hours on Saturday and six hours on Sunday. Layla wanted to accept the offer to pay for her computer repair. She told herself, “I will study after work, and everything will be fine.”
The mathematics exam was on Monday, and the language exam was on Tuesday. When Layla wrote a list of lessons, she found that she still did not understand two mathematics lessons. She thought reading them would take an hour, but she could not solve the first exercise without help. She realised that reading alone was not enough.
She called her friend Huda, and they agreed to review the exercises on Sunday morning. Then she visited the bookshop owner and explained the situation before confirming her acceptance. She said, “I can work for only four hours on Saturday morning. Would that suit you?” He thought for a moment and agreed, because another employee was available on Sunday.
The owner told her that her pay would be lower. She accepted this and knew that repairing the computer would have to wait until the following month. She borrowed an exercise book from the public library and divided her study time into short periods. She left time for rest between them and did not rely on staying up late the night before the exam.
After work on Saturday, she was more tired than she had expected. She rested briefly before opening her book. On Sunday morning, she solved different exercises with Huda, then solved some of them again on her own. Whenever she made a mistake, she wrote its cause beside the answer so that she would remember it when reviewing.
In the exam, she left a difficult question and returned to it at the end. She did not answer everything, but she understood most of the questions. After both exams, she put her pay in an envelope for the computer repair. She wrote the remaining amount on it, then opened her schedule before asking about more work.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| عَمَلًا مُؤَقَّتًا | temporary work |
| تَكْلِفَةَ إِصْلَاحِ حَاسُوبِهَا | the cost of repairing her computer |
| سَتَسْتَغْرِقُ | it would take; it will take |
| أَدْرَكَتْ | she realised |
| تُؤَكِّدَ قَبُولَهَا | confirm her acceptance |
| مُتَاحًا | available |
| أُجْرَتَهَا | her pay |
| السَّهَرِ | staying up late |
| تَوَقَّعَتْ | she expected |
| الْمَبْلَغَ الْبَاقِيَ | the remaining amount |
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
- Distinguish the twelve-hour offer from the four-hour agreement, and connect lower earnings with the postponed computer repair.
- Follow the move from simply reading lessons to practising exercises, and use Layla’s final schedule check to infer what she has learned about planning.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Future Tense for Beginners: Talk About Tomorrow
سَأَدْرُسُ بَعْدَ الْعَمَلِ
Recognise future forms in Layla’s first plan for her weekend.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّ مُوَظَّفًا آخَرَ كَانَ مُتَاحًا يَوْمَ الْأَحَدِ
Identify the reason the owner accepts the shorter arrangement.
Arabic Time and Place Adverbs: Before, After, In Front and Behind
قَبْلَ أَنْ تَسْأَلَ عَنْ عَمَلٍ جَدِيدٍ
Use time expressions to track work, preparation and exams.
