Mazin damages his neighbour’s garden fence while moving a cupboard. His apology is sincere, but the gap is still there two days later.
01Read the Arabic story
اِعْتِذَارٌ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى أَكْثَرَ مِنْ كَلِمَاتٍ
كَانَ مَازِنٌ يَنْقُلُ خِزَانَةً قَدِيمَةً مِنْ مَنْزِلِهِ إِلَى سَيَّارَةِ أَخِيهِ. وَعِنْدَمَا دَارَ بِهَا فِي الْمَمَرِّ الضَّيِّقِ، دَفَعَ سِيَاجَ حَدِيقَةِ جَارَتِهِ حَنَانَ، فَانْكَسَرَ لَوْحَانِ مِنْهُ. خَرَجَتْ حَنَانُ عَلَى الصَّوْتِ وَنَظَرَتْ إِلَى الْفَتْحَةِ. قَالَ مَازِنٌ: «أَنَا آسِفٌ جِدًّا». ثُمَّ أَكْمَلَ نَقْلَ الْخِزَانَةِ، لِأَنَّ أَخَاهُ كَانَ يَنْتَظِرُهُ.
بَعْدَ يَوْمَيْنِ، رَأَى حَنَانَ تَضَعُ صُنْدُوقًا أَمَامَ الْفَتْحَةِ. كَانَتْ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مَنْعِ الْقِطَطِ مِنَ الدُّخُولِ إِلَى الْحَدِيقَةِ، حَيْثُ زَرَعَتْ شَتَلَاتٍ صَغِيرَةً. سَلَّمَ عَلَيْهَا وَاعْتَذَرَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى. أَجَابَتْ: «أَعْرِفُ أَنَّكَ لَمْ تَقْصِدْ ذَلِكَ، لَكِنَّ السِّيَاجَ مَا زَالَ مَكْسُورًا». لَمْ يَجِدْ مَازِنٌ جَوَابًا، وَنَظَرَ إِلَى اللَّوْحَيْنِ الْمُلْقَيَيْنِ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ.
فِي الْمَسَاءِ، طَرَقَ بَابَهَا وَعَرَضَ إِصْلَاحَ السِّيَاجِ صَبَاحَ السَّبْتِ. سَأَلَهَا عَنْ نَوْعِ الْخَشَبِ وَلَوْنِ الطِّلَاءِ، ثُمَّ قَاسَ اللَّوْحَيْنِ بِإِذْنِهَا. قَالَ: «سَأَشْتَرِي الْمَوَادَّ غَدًا، وَسَأَجْلِبُ أَدَوَاتِي». وَافَقَتْ حَنَانُ عَلَى الْمَوْعِدِ، وَطَلَبَتْ مِنْهُ أَلَّا يَضَعَ أَيَّ شَيْءٍ فَوْقَ الشَّتَلَاتِ. كَتَبَ الْقِيَاسَاتِ فِي دَفْتَرٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُغَادِرَ.
وَصَلَ مَازِنٌ فِي الْمَوْعِدِ وَمَعَهُ لَوْحَانِ جَدِيدَانِ وَعُلْبَةُ طِلَاءٍ أَبْيَضَ. أَزَالَ الْخَشَبَ الْمَكْسُورَ بِحَذَرٍ، وَثَبَّتَ اللَّوْحَيْنِ الْجَدِيدَيْنِ فِي مَكَانِهِمَا. ثُمَّ طَلَاهُمَا وَجَمَعَ الْمَسَامِيرَ الْقَدِيمَةَ فِي كِيسٍ. اِسْتَغْرَقَ الْعَمَلُ سَاعَتَيْنِ، وَهِيَ مُدَّةٌ أَطْوَلُ مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ. وَعِنْدَمَا انْتَهَى، دَعَا حَنَانَ لِتَفْحَصَ السِّيَاجَ، وَانْتَظَرَ حَتَّى تَأَكَّدَتْ مِنْ ثَبَاتِ اللَّوْحَيْنِ.
بَعْدَ أُسْبُوعٍ، كَانَتْ حَنَانُ تَسْتَعِدُّ لِزِيَارَةِ أُخْتِهَا لِيَوْمَيْنِ. وَقَفَتْ عِنْدَ بَابِ مَازِنٍ وَمَعَهَا مِفْتَاحُ الْحَدِيقَةِ. سَأَلَتْهُ إِنْ كَانَ يَسْتَطِيعُ سَقْيَ الشَّتَلَاتِ فِي غِيَابِهَا. وَافَقَ، ثُمَّ سَأَلَ عَنْ كَمِّيَّةِ الْمَاءِ وَوَقْتِ السَّقْيِ. أَعْطَتْهُ الْمِفْتَاحَ، وَأَرَتْهُ مَكَانَ إِنَاءِ السَّقْيِ. وَقَبْلَ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ، لَمَسَتِ اللَّوْحَيْنِ الْجَدِيدَيْنِ وَابْتَسَمَتْ لَهُ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Mazin was moving an old cupboard from his house to his brother’s car. As he turned with it in the narrow passage, he pushed against his neighbour Hanan’s garden fence and broke two boards. Hanan came out at the sound and looked at the gap. Mazin said, “I am very sorry.” Then he finished moving the cupboard because his brother was waiting for him.
Two days later, he saw Hanan placing a box in front of the gap. She needed to keep cats out of the garden, where she had planted small seedlings. He greeted her and apologised again. She answered, “I know you did not mean to do it, but the fence is still broken.” Mazin could find no reply and looked at the two boards lying on the ground.
That evening, he knocked on her door and offered to repair the fence on Saturday morning. He asked about the type of wood and the paint colour, then measured the two boards with her permission. He said, “I will buy the materials tomorrow and bring my tools.” Hanan agreed to the time and asked him not to put anything on the seedlings. He wrote the measurements in a notebook before leaving.
Mazin arrived on time with two new boards and a tin of white paint. He carefully removed the broken wood and secured the two new boards in place. Then he painted them and collected the old nails in a bag. The work took two hours, longer than he had expected. When he finished, he invited Hanan to inspect the fence and waited until she had checked that the boards were secure.
A week later, Hanan was preparing to visit her sister for two days. She stood at Mazin’s door with the garden key. She asked whether he could water the seedlings while she was away. He agreed, then asked how much water to use and when to water them. She gave him the key and showed him where the watering can was. Before leaving, she touched the two new boards and smiled at him.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| خِزَانَةً | a cupboard |
| سِيَاجَ | the fence of |
| لَوْحَانِ | two boards |
| الْفَتْحَةِ | the gap |
| شَتَلَاتٍ | seedlings |
| بِإِذْنِهَا | with her permission |
| الْقِيَاسَاتِ | the measurements |
| بِحَذَرٍ | carefully |
| الْمَسَامِيرَ | the nails |
| فِي غِيَابِهَا | while she was away |
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
- Notice how the remaining damage gives Mazin a concrete responsibility after his apology.
- The garden key at the end offers a clue about Hanan’s response to his completed work.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Future Tense for Beginners: Talk About Tomorrow
سَأَشْتَرِي الْمَوَادَّ غَدًا
Read Mazin’s promise using sa attached to a present-tense verb.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّ أَخَاهُ كَانَ يَنْتَظِرُهُ
See how lianna introduces the reason Mazin initially leaves the repair undone.
