A book exchange and a teacher’s celebration fit on the booking sheet, but preparing the hall needs time too. Two organisers work out what happens between the events.
01Read the Arabic story
تَقَاسُمُ قَاعَةِ الْقَرْيَةِ فِي عُطْلَةٍ مُزْدَحِمَةٍ
كَانَتْ قَاعَةُ قَرْيَتِنَا مَحْجُوزَةً لِنَشَاطَيْنِ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ. فِي الصَّبَاحِ، سَيُبَادِلُ الْأَطْفَالُ كُتُبَهُمُ الْمُسْتَعْمَلَةَ، وَبَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ سَنَحْتَفِلُ بِمُعَلِّمٍ تَقَاعَدَ بَعْدَ سَنَوَاتٍ طَوِيلَةٍ. كُنْتُ أُسَاعِدُ فِي تَنْظِيمِ الْحَفْلِ. يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ، رَاجَعْتُ الْجَدْوَلَ مَعَ هَنَاءَ، الْمَسْؤُولَةِ عَنْ نَشَاطِ الْكُتُبِ. كَانَ نَشَاطُهَا يَنْتَهِي عِنْدَ الثَّانِيَةَ عَشْرَةَ، فِي اللَّحْظَةِ الَّتِي يَبْدَأُ فِيهَا حَفْلُنَا.
نَظَرْتُ إِلَى الطَّاوِلَاتِ وَالْكَرَاسِيِّ، وَسَأَلْتُ: «مَتَى سَنُعِدُّ الْقَاعَةَ لِلضُّيُوفِ؟» قَالَتْ هَنَاءُ إِنَّ جَمْعَ الْكُتُبِ وَتَنْظِيفَ الْأَرْضِ يَحْتَاجَانِ إِلَى نِصْفِ سَاعَةٍ عَلَى الْأَقَلِّ. كُنْتُ قَدْ حَسَبْتُ وَقْتَ الْخُطَبِ وَتَوْزِيعِ الْهَدَايَا، لَكِنَّنِي نَسِيتُ وَقْتَ التَّجْهِيزِ. لَمْ يَكُنِ الْجَدْوَلُ يَتْرُكُ حَتَّى دَقِيقَةً لِنَقْلِ الطَّاوِلَاتِ أَوْ صَفِّ الْكَرَاسِيِّ أَمَامَ الْمِنَصَّةِ.
اِتَّفَقْنَا عَلَى إِنْهَاءِ تَبَادُلِ الْكُتُبِ فِي الْحَادِيَةَ عَشْرَةَ، وَبِدَايَةِ الْحَفْلِ فِي الْوَاحِدَةِ. سَيُنَظِّفُ فَرِيقُ هَنَاءَ الْمَكَانَ حَتَّى الْحَادِيَةَ عَشْرَةَ وَالنِّصْفِ، ثُمَّ يَبْدَأُ فَرِيقُنَا التَّجْهِيزَ. حَدَّثْنَا الْإِعْلَانَاتِ وَاتَّصَلْنَا بِالْمَدْعُوِّينَ. وَكَتَبْنَا أَسْمَاءَ الْمُتَطَوِّعِينَ بِجَانِبِ مَهَامِّهِمْ، لِكَيْ يَعْرِفَ كُلُّ شَخْصٍ مَاذَا يَفْعَلُ وَمَتَى يَحْضُرُ. خَصَّصْنَا أَيْضًا وَقْتًا لِلتَّنْظِيفِ بَعْدَ الْحَفْلِ.
مَسَاءَ الْجُمُعَةِ، جَرَّبْنَا نَقْلَ طَاوِلَةٍ وَصَفَّ بَعْضِ الْكَرَاسِيِّ. وَجَدْنَا أَنَّ صَنَادِيقَ الْكُتُبِ سَتَمْنَعُ الْمُرُورَ إِذَا تَرَكْنَاهَا عِنْدَ الْبَابِ. لِذَلِكَ خَصَّصْنَا لَهَا غُرْفَةً جَانِبِيَّةً، وَأَضَفْنَا اسْمَيْنِ إِلَى فَرِيقِ النَّقْلِ. وَضَعْتُ نُسْخَةً مِنَ الْخُطَّةِ عَلَى الْحَائِطِ، وَأَشَرْتُ بِأَلْوَانٍ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ إِلَى أَوْقَاتِ النَّشَاطِ وَالتَّجْهِيزِ وَالتَّنْظِيفِ.
يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ، خَرَجَ آخِرُ طِفْلٍ بِكِتَابِهِ قَبْلَ بَدْءِ التَّنْظِيفِ. وَعِنْدَمَا وَصَلَ الْمُعَلِّمُ، كَانَتِ الْكَرَاسِيُّ جَاهِزَةً وَالْمَمَرَّاتُ خَالِيَةً. بَعْدَ الْحَفْلِ، رَأَيْتُ هَنَاءَ تَحْمِلُ مِكْنَسَةً، رَغْمَ أَنَّ عَمَلَ فَرِيقِهَا كَانَ قَدِ انْتَهَى. أَخَذْتُ مِنْهَا كِيسَ الْقُمَامَةِ، وَأَكْمَلْنَا التَّنْظِيفَ مَعًا. عِنْدَ إِغْلَاقِ الْبَابِ، تَرَكْنَا الْجَدْوَلَ الْمُلَوَّنَ لِمُنَظِّمِي نَشَاطِ الْأُسْبُوعِ التَّالِي.
Show English translationHide English translation
Our village hall was booked for two activities on Saturday. In the morning, children would exchange their used books, and in the afternoon we would celebrate a teacher who had retired after many years. I was helping to organise the celebration. On Thursday, I reviewed the schedule with Hanaa, who was responsible for the book activity. Her activity was scheduled to end at twelve, at the very moment our celebration was due to begin.
I looked at the tables and chairs and asked, “When will we prepare the hall for the guests?” Hanaa said that collecting the books and cleaning the floor needed at least half an hour. I had calculated the time for speeches and handing out gifts, but had forgotten the preparation time. The schedule did not leave even a minute to move tables or arrange chairs in front of the stage.
We agreed to finish the book exchange at eleven and start the celebration at one. Hanaa’s team would clean the space until half past eleven, then our team would begin preparing it. We updated the notices and called the invited guests. We wrote the volunteers’ names beside their tasks so that each person would know what to do and when to arrive. We also reserved time for cleaning after the celebration.
On Friday evening, we tried moving a table and arranging some chairs. We found that the book boxes would block the way if we left them by the door. We therefore set aside a side room for them and added two names to the moving team. I put a copy of the plan on the wall and marked the activity, preparation and cleaning times in different colours.
On Saturday, the last child left with a book before the cleaning began. When the teacher arrived, the chairs were ready and the aisles were clear. After the celebration, I saw Hanaa carrying a broom, although her team’s work had already finished. I took the rubbish bag from her, and we finished cleaning together. When we closed the door, we left the coloured schedule for the organisers of the following week’s activity.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| مَحْجُوزَةً | booked; reserved |
| تَقَاعَدَ | retired |
| الْجَدْوَلَ | the schedule |
| عَلَى الْأَقَلِّ | at least |
| التَّجْهِيزِ | preparation; setting up |
| بِالْمَدْعُوِّينَ | with the invited guests |
| الْمُتَطَوِّعِينَ | the volunteers |
| مَهَامِّهِمْ | their tasks |
| غُرْفَةً جَانِبِيَّةً | a side room |
| مِكْنَسَةً | a broom |
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
- A usable schedule includes setting up and cleaning, as well as the events themselves.
- Compare the planned responsibilities with Hanaa’s extra help at the end to infer her attitude toward the shared hall.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Time and Place Adverbs: Before, After, In Front and Behind
أَمَامَ الْمِنَصَّةِ
Use a time phrase to locate cleaning after the celebration and a place phrase to locate chairs in front of the stage.
Telling the Time in Arabic: Hours, Half Past and Quarter Past
الْحَادِيَةَ عَشْرَةَ وَالنِّصْفِ
Read the half-hour time that marks the change from cleaning to preparation.
