Karim buys notebooks for his reading club, but the price at the till is different from the one he expected. Spending shared money makes his next decision important.
01Read the Arabic story
السِّعْرُ الَّذِي نَسِيتُ أَنْ أَتَأَكَّدَ مِنْهُ
جَمَعَ أَعْضَاءُ نَادِي الْقِرَاءَةِ مِئَةً وَخَمْسِينَ رِيَالًا لِشِرَاءِ أَدَوَاتٍ لِلْقَاءَاتِنَا. وَطَلَبُوا مِنِّي أَنْ أَشْتَرِيَ سِتَّةَ دَفَاتِرَ وَبَعْضَ الْوَرَقِ الْمُلَوَّنِ. كَتَبْتُ قَائِمَةً قَصِيرَةً، ثُمَّ ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبَةِ بَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ. كُنْتُ سَعِيدًا لِأَنَّهُمْ وَثِقُوا بِي، وَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَخْتَارَ أَدَوَاتٍ جَمِيلَةً تَكْفِي الْجَمِيعَ طَوَالَ الشَّهْرِ. وَكَانَ هَذَا أَوَّلَ عَمَلٍ أَقُومُ بِهِ مَسْؤُولًا عَنْ مَالِ الْمَجْمُوعَةِ.
عَلَى رَفٍّ قُرْبَ الْبَابِ، رَأَيْتُ دَفَاتِرَ زَرْقَاءَ مَعَ أَقْلَامٍ فِي أَغْلِفَةٍ شَفَّافَةٍ. وَكَانَتْ بِطَاقَةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ عَلَى الرَّفِّ تَحْمِلُ عِبَارَةَ «عِشْرُونَ رِيَالًا». حَسَبْتُ الثَّمَنَ بِسُرْعَةٍ: سِتَّةُ دَفَاتِرَ بِمِئَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ رِيَالًا، وَيَبْقَى ثَلَاثُونَ لِلْوَرَقِ. أَخَذْتُهَا إِلَى الْبَائِعِ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ الْكِتَابَةَ الصَّغِيرَةَ تَحْتَ السِّعْرِ.
قَالَ الْبَائِعُ: «ثَمَنُ هَذِهِ الدَّفَاتِرِ مِئَتَانِ وَعَشَرَةُ رِيَالَاتٍ». تَوَقَّفْتُ وَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْبِطَاقَةِ. فَأَرَانِي أَنَّهَا تَخُصُّ دَفَاتِرَ أَصْغَرَ بِلَا أَقْلَامٍ، أَمَّا الْمَجْمُوعَةُ الَّتِي اخْتَرْتُهَا فَثَمَنُ الْوَاحِدَةِ مِنْهَا خَمْسَةٌ وَثَلَاثُونَ رِيَالًا. شَعَرْتُ بِالْحَرَجِ، خُصُوصًا أَنَّ زَبُونًا كَانَ يَنْتَظِرُ خَلْفِي. كِدْتُ أَدْفَعُ مِنْ مَالِي الْخَاصِّ لِأُنْهِيَ الْمَوْقِفَ.
لَكِنَّنِي تَذَكَّرْتُ أَنَّ الْمَالَ لَيْسَ لِي وَحْدِي، وَأَنَّ النَّادِي يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى الْوَرَقِ أَيْضًا. طَلَبْتُ مِنَ الْبَائِعِ أَنْ يَخْدِمَ الزَّبُونَ الْآخَرَ أَوَّلًا، ثُمَّ عُدْتُ إِلَى الرُّفُوفِ. وَجَدْتُ دَفَاتِرَ بَسِيطَةً، وَثَمَنُ الْوَاحِدِ خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ رِيَالًا. كَانَتْ صَفَحَاتُهَا كَافِيَةً، وَتَذَكَّرْتُ أَنَّ لَدَيْنَا أَقْلَامًا فِي النَّادِي.
هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةَ، سَأَلْتُ عَنِ السِّعْرِ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَضَعَ الدَّفَاتِرَ فِي السَّلَّةِ. دَفَعْتُ تِسْعِينَ رِيَالًا لَهَا وَعِشْرِينَ لِلْوَرَقِ، وَاحْتَفَظْتُ بِالْإِيصَالِ وَالْمَالِ الْبَاقِي. فِي اللِّقَاءِ، شَرَحْتُ لِأَصْدِقَائِي مَا حَدَثَ، فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ: «نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى الصَّفَحَاتِ، لَا إِلَى الْغِلَافِ الْجَمِيلِ». فَتَحْنَا الدَّفَاتِرَ، وَبَدَأْنَا نَكْتُبُ أَفْكَارَنَا عَنِ الْكِتَابِ الْجَدِيدِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
The members of our reading club collected one hundred and fifty riyals to buy supplies for our meetings. They asked me to buy six notebooks and some coloured paper. I wrote a short list, then went to the stationery shop in the afternoon. I was happy because they trusted me, and I wanted to choose attractive supplies that would be enough for everyone throughout the month. This was my first task in charge of the group’s money.
On a shelf near the door, I saw blue notebooks with pens in transparent packaging. A small card on the shelf said “twenty riyals.” I quickly calculated the cost: six notebooks for one hundred and twenty riyals, leaving thirty for the paper. I took them to the shopkeeper without reading the small writing beneath the price.
The shopkeeper said, “These notebooks cost two hundred and ten riyals.” I stopped and asked him about the card. He showed me that it referred to smaller notebooks without pens, while each notebook-and-pen set I had chosen cost thirty-five riyals. I felt embarrassed, especially because a customer was waiting behind me. I almost paid from my own money to bring the situation to an end.
But I remembered that the money was not mine alone and that the club needed paper too. I asked the shopkeeper to serve the other customer first, then returned to the shelves. I found plain notebooks, each costing fifteen riyals. They had enough pages, and I remembered that we already had pens at the club.
This time, I asked about the price before putting the notebooks in the basket. I paid ninety riyals for them and twenty for the paper, and kept the receipt and the remaining money. At the meeting, I explained to my friends what had happened. One of them said, “We need the pages, not the beautiful cover.” We opened the notebooks and began writing our thoughts about the new book.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| وَثِقُوا بِي | they trusted me |
| أَغْلِفَةٍ شَفَّافَةٍ | transparent packaging |
| حَسَبْتُ الثَّمَنَ | I calculated the cost |
| تَخُصُّ | refers to / applies to |
| شَعَرْتُ بِالْحَرَجِ | I felt embarrassed |
| مَالِي الْخَاصِّ | my own money |
| الرُّفُوفِ | the shelves |
| كَافِيَةً | sufficient / enough |
| بِالْإِيصَالِ | the receipt (after “kept”) |
| الْمَالِ الْبَاقِي | the remaining money |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story for evidence. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- Distinguish the advertised price Karim assumes from the price of the particular notebook-and-pen set he selects.
- Follow the change from embarrassment to a practical decision: the club gets the supplies it needs, with money left over.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Shopping in Arabic: Ask Prices and Choose What You Need
سَأَلْتُ عَنِ السِّعْرِ
Practise asking about a price before completing a purchase.
Arabic Numbers 0–100: Words, Digits, and Practice
مِئَةً وَخَمْسِينَ رِيَالًا
Read prices and compare the original budget with the final spending.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّهُمْ وَثِقُوا بِي
Notice how lianna introduces the reason for the narrator’s happiness.
