Two science-exhibition tickets seem to offer an easy Saturday plan—until a visiting cousin assumes the second ticket is his. A careful look at the schedule reveals another possibility.
01Read the Arabic story
التَّذْكِرَةُ الزَّائِدَةُ وَوَعْدٌ لِصَدِيقٍ
حَصَلْتُ يَوْمَ الثُّلَاثَاءِ عَلَى تَذْكِرَتَيْنِ لِوَرْشَةٍ فِي مَعْرِضِ الْعُلُومِ صَبَاحَ السَّبْتِ. دَعَوْتُ صَدِيقِي سَامِرًا لِأَنَّهُ يُحِبُّ صُنْعَ النَّمَاذِجِ الصَّغِيرَةِ. قَبِلَ الدَّعْوَةَ، وَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ سَيُحْضِرُ دَفْتَرَهُ لِيَكْتُبَ الْأَفْكَارَ الْجَدِيدَةَ. وَعَدْتُهُ بِأَنْ أَنْتَظِرَهُ عِنْدَ بَابِ الْمَعْرِضِ فِي التَّاسِعَةِ وَالنِّصْفِ، قَبْلَ بَدْءِ الْوَرْشَةِ بِنِصْفِ سَاعَةٍ.
مَسَاءَ الْجُمُعَةِ، وَصَلَ ابْنُ خَالِي يُوسُفُ لِزِيَارَةٍ قَصِيرَةٍ. رَأَى التَّذْكِرَتَيْنِ عَلَى مَكْتَبِي، فَقَالَ: «مَا أَجْمَلَ هَذِهِ الْمُفَاجَأَةَ! سَنَذْهَبُ مَعًا غَدًا». لَمْ أُجِبْ فَوْرًا. كُنْتُ سَعِيدًا بِزِيَارَتِهِ، لَكِنَّنِي وَعَدْتُ سَامِرًا بِالتَّذْكِرَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ. وَعِنْدَمَا بَحَثْتُ عَنْ تَذْكِرَةٍ ثَالِثَةٍ، وَجَدْتُ أَنَّ جَمِيعَ أَمَاكِنِ الْوَرْشَةِ مَحْجُوزَةٌ.
فَتَحْتُ جَدْوَلَ الْمَعْرِضِ وَقَرَأْتُهُ حَتَّى النِّهَايَةِ. كَانَتِ الْوَرْشَةُ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى تَذْكِرَةٍ، أَمَّا قَاعَةُ الْآلَاتِ فَتَفْتَحُ أَبْوَابَهَا لِلْجَمِيعِ مَجَّانًا بَعْدَ الثَّانِيَةِ ظُهْرًا. سَأَلْتُ يُوسُفَ عَمَّا يُرِيدُ رُؤْيَتَهُ، فَأَشَارَ إِلَى صُورَةِ آلَةٍ تَرْفَعُ الْأَشْيَاءَ بِالْمَاءِ. قَالَ: «أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَعْرِفَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُ هَذِهِ».
شَرَحْتُ لَهُ وَعْدِي لِسَامِرٍ، وَاقْتَرَحْتُ أَنْ أَلْتَقِيَ بِهِ بَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ أَمَامَ الْقَاعَةِ. قَالَ بِارْتِيَاحٍ: «ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّكَ لَا تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ مَعِي». أَرَيْتُهُ الْجَدْوَلَ، فَوَافَقَ عَلَى الْخُطَّةِ. كُنْتُ أَنْوِي رُكُوبَ الدَّرَّاجَةِ بَعْدَ الْوَرْشَةِ، وَلَكِنَّنِي أَجَّلْتُ ذَلِكَ إِلَى يَوْمٍ آخَرَ.
صَبَاحَ السَّبْتِ، حَضَرْتُ الْوَرْشَةَ مَعَ سَامِرٍ. صَنَعْنَا جِسْرًا مِنَ الْوَرَقِ، وَجَرَّبْنَا قُوَّتَهُ بِقِطَعٍ صَغِيرَةٍ. بَعْدَ أَنْ وَدَّعْتُ صَدِيقِي، تَنَاوَلْتُ طَعَامًا خَفِيفًا، ثُمَّ انْتَظَرْتُ يُوسُفَ عِنْدَ الْقَاعَةِ. قَضَيْنَا سَاعَةً نُجَرِّبُ الْآلَاتِ، وَعُدْنَا إِلَى الْبَيْتِ نَتَحَدَّثُ عَنِ الْآلَةِ الَّتِي رَفَعَتْ صُنْدُوقًا ثَقِيلًا.
فِي الْمَسَاءِ، كُنْتُ مُتْعَبًا، لَكِنَّنِي شَعَرْتُ بِالرَّاحَةِ. لَمْ أَحْتَجْ إِلَى الْكَذِبِ عَلَى سَامِرٍ، وَلَمْ يَقْضِ يُوسُفُ يَوْمَهُ وَحْدَهُ. نَظَرْتُ إِلَى تَذْكِرَتِي الْمُسْتَعْمَلَةِ وَفَكَّرْتُ: التَّذْكِرَةُ الْأُخْرَى لَمْ تَكُنْ زَائِدَةً بَعْدَ أَنْ وَعَدْتُ بِهَا صَدِيقِي.
Show English translationHide English translation
On Tuesday, I received two tickets for a workshop at the science exhibition on Saturday morning. I invited my friend Samir because he likes making small models. He accepted the invitation and told me he would bring his notebook to write down new ideas. I promised to wait for him at the exhibition entrance at half past nine, half an hour before the workshop began.
On Friday evening, my cousin Yusuf arrived for a short visit. He saw the two tickets on my desk and said, “What a lovely surprise! We will go together tomorrow.” I did not answer immediately. I was happy about his visit, but I had promised Samir the second ticket. When I looked for a third ticket, I found that all the workshop places were booked.
I opened the exhibition schedule and read it to the end. The workshop required a ticket, but the machine hall opened its doors to everyone for free after two in the afternoon. I asked Yusuf what he wanted to see, and he pointed to a picture of a machine that lifts things using water. He said, “I want to know how this works.”
I explained my promise to Samir and suggested meeting Yusuf outside the hall in the afternoon. He said with relief, “I thought you did not want to go out with me.” I showed him the schedule, and he agreed to the plan. I had intended to go cycling after the workshop, but I postponed that until another day.
On Saturday morning, I attended the workshop with Samir. We made a paper bridge and tested its strength with small pieces. After saying goodbye to my friend, I had a light meal and then waited for Yusuf at the hall. We spent an hour trying the machines and returned home talking about the machine that had lifted a heavy box.
That evening, I was tired, but I felt relieved. I had not needed to lie to Samir, and Yusuf had not spent his day alone. I looked at my used ticket and thought: the other ticket was no longer spare after I had promised it to my friend.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| لِوَرْشَةٍ | for a workshop |
| النَّمَاذِجِ الصَّغِيرَةِ | small models |
| مَحْجُوزَةٌ | booked; reserved |
| جَدْوَلَ الْمَعْرِضِ | the exhibition schedule |
| مَجَّانًا | for free |
| بِارْتِيَاحٍ | with relief |
| أَجَّلْتُ | I postponed |
| جِسْرًا | a bridge |
| طَعَامًا خَفِيفًا | a light meal |
| زَائِدَةً | spare; extra |
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
- Separate the ticketed morning workshop from the free afternoon machine hall to understand how the narrator includes both people.
- Use the postponed cycling plan to recognise that keeping a promise and welcoming a visitor requires an adjustment to the narrator’s own day.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Future Tense for Beginners: Talk About Tomorrow
سَيُحْضِرُ دَفْتَرَهُ
Recognise the future prefix in Samir’s plan to bring his notebook.
Telling the Time in Arabic: Hours, Half Past and Quarter Past
فِي التَّاسِعَةِ وَالنِّصْفِ
Read the meeting time and compare it with the afternoon opening.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّنِي وَعَدْتُ سَامِرًا بِالتَّذْكِرَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ
Follow the contrast between welcoming Yusuf and the earlier promise.
