Three friends separate a confirmed return time from an unconfirmed request about a borrowed projector.
01Read the Arabic conversation
الْوَسَاطَةُ فِي خِلَافٍ بَيْنَ صَدِيقَيْنِ
نَبِيلٌ: أَنْتُمَا صَدِيقَايَ، وَلَا أُرِيدُ الْحُكْمَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ. هَلْ نَفْهَمُ أَوَّلًا مَا حَدَثَ بِشَأْنِ جِهَازِ الْعَرْضِ؟
سَامِي: طَلَبْتُ مِنْ رَامِي إِعَادَتَهُ صَبَاحَ الْجُمُعَةِ، وَلَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَأْتِ. اِحْتَجْتُ إِلَيْهِ لِعَرْضٍ وَاضْطُرِرْتُ إِلَى اسْتِعَارَةِ آخَرَ.
رَامِي: الْمَوْعِدُ الَّذِي اتَّفَقْنَا عَلَيْهِ كَانَ صَبَاحَ السَّبْتِ. لَمْ أَعِدْكَ بِإِعَادَتِهِ الْجُمُعَةَ، وَفَاجَأَنِي غَضَبُكَ مِنِّي.
نَبِيلٌ: إِذَنْ هُنَاكَ مَوْعِدٌ مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ وَطَلَبٌ لِتَغْيِيرِهِ. يَا سَامِي، مَتَى أَرْسَلْتَ الطَّلَبَ، وَهَلْ تَلَقَّيْتَ تَأْكِيدًا؟
سَامِي: أَرْسَلْتُ الرِّسَالَةَ مَسَاءَ الْخَمِيسِ. لَمْ يَصِلْنِي رَدٌّ، لَكِنَّنِي افْتَرَضْتُ أَنَّهُ رَآهَا، لِأَنَّنَا نَتَرَاسَلُ يَوْمِيًّا عَادَةً.
رَامِي: كُنْتُ مَشْغُولًا بِالْعَمَلِ، وَلَمْ أَقْرَأِ الرِّسَالَةَ إِلَّا بَعْدَ ظُهْرِ الْجُمُعَةِ. عِنْدَهَا كَانَ مَوْعِدُ عَرْضِكَ قَدْ انْتَهَى.
نَبِيلٌ: أَفْهَمُ ضِيقَكَ يَا سَامِي، لَكِنَّ غِيَابَ الرَّدِّ لَا يَعْنِي الْمُوَافَقَةَ. وَطَلَبُ التَّغْيِيرِ لَا يُلْغِي الِاتِّفَاقَ السَّابِقَ وَحْدَهُ.
سَامِي: هَذَا صَحِيحٌ، مَعَ أَنَّنِي شَعَرْتُ بِأَنَّ حَاجَتِي لَمْ تَكُنْ مُهِمَّةً عِنْدَهُ. كَانَ عَلَيَّ طَلَبُ تَأْكِيدٍ وَاضِحٍ.
رَامِي: لَمْ أَقْصِدْ تَجَاهُلَكَ. رُبَّمَا كَانَ فَحْصُ الرَّسَائِلِ أَفْضَلَ، لَكِنْ لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ ضَمَانَ قِرَاءَتِهَا فَوْرًا أَثْنَاءَ الْعَمَلِ.
نَبِيلٌ: لَا نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى وَعْدٍ بِرَدٍّ فَوْرِيٍّ دَائِمٍ. نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى وَسِيلَةٍ تَحْمِي التَّرْتِيبَاتِ وَتَمْنَعُ تَفْسِيرَ الصَّمْتِ خَطَأً.
سَامِي: أَنْتَ مُحِقٌّ؛ تَدْبِيرُ الْجِهَازِ الْبَدِيلِ أَتْعَبَنِي، لَكِنَّ الْعَرْضَ لَمْ يَتَأَخَّرْ. لَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُضَخِّمَ مَا حَدَثَ.
رَامِي: آسِفٌ لِلْإِرْبَاكِ الَّذِي وَاجَهْتَهُ. لَكِنَّ تَعَاطُفِي لَا يَعْنِي أَنَّنِي أَخْلَفْتُ وَعْدًا أَعْطَيْتُكَ إِيَّاهُ.
نَبِيلٌ: هَلْ يُلَخِّصُ كُلٌّ مِنْكُمَا مَوْقِفَ الْآخَرِ؟ الْمَطْلُوبُ التَّأَكُّدُ مِنْ فَهْمِهِ، لَا تَبَنِّيهِ بِالضَّرُورَةِ.
سَامِي: رَامِي تَمَسَّكَ بِمَوْعِدِ السَّبْتِ، وَلَمْ يُوَافِقْ عَلَى تَقْدِيمِهِ. اِفْتَرَضْتُ مُوَافَقَتَهُ ثُمَّ لُمْتُهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، وَأَنَا آسِفٌ.
رَامِي: وَسَامِي احْتَاجَ الْجِهَازَ مُبَكِّرًا وَشَعَرَ بِالْقَلَقِ عِنْدَ غِيَابِهِ. أَفْهَمُ ضِيقَهُ، حَتَّى لَوْ اخْتَلَفْتُ مَعَ لَوْمِهِ لِي.
نَبِيلٌ: هَذَا أَوْضَحُ مِنْ تَبَادُلِ الِاتِّهَامَاتِ. لِنُحَدِّدْ مَوْعِدَ الْإِعَادَةِ وَمَكَانَهَا الْآنَ، ثُمَّ نَتَّفِقُ عَلَى طَرِيقَةِ أَيِّ تَغْيِيرٍ.
سَامِي: أُفَضِّلُ السَّاعَةَ الْحَادِيَةَ عَشْرَةَ صَبَاحَ السَّبْتِ فِي بَيْتِي. هَلْ يُنَاسِبُكَ ذَلِكَ، أَمْ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مَوْعِدٍ آخَرَ؟
رَامِي: أَنْتَهِي مِنْ عَمَلِي فِي الْعَاشِرَةِ، فَيُنَاسِبُنِي مَوْعِدُكَ. أُؤَكِّدُ أَنَّنِي سَأُعِيدُهُ إِلَى بَيْتِكَ فِي الْحَادِيَةَ عَشْرَةَ صَبَاحًا.
نَبِيلٌ: وَإِذَا ظَهَرَ طَلَبٌ عَاجِلٌ، فَلْيَتَّصِلْ صَاحِبُهُ هَاتِفِيًّا. وَيَبْقَى الْمَوْعِدُ الْمَكْتُوبُ قَائِمًا حَتَّى يُؤَكِّدَ الطَّرَفَانِ تَغْيِيرَهُ صَرَاحَةً.
سَامِي: أُوَافِقُ. وَإِذَا لَمْ أَحْصُلْ عَلَى تَأْكِيدٍ، فَسَأَبْحَثُ عَنْ بَدِيلٍ بِنَفْسِي، بَدَلَ بِنَاءِ خُطَّتِي عَلَى افْتِرَاضٍ.
رَامِي: وَأَنَا أُوَافِقُ عَلَى هَذِهِ الطَّرِيقَةِ. سَأَرُدُّ عِنْدَمَا أَسْتَطِيعُ، دُونَ أَنْ نَتَوَقَّعَ مِنْ بَعْضِنَا التَّوَفُّرَ طَوَالَ الْيَوْمِ.
نَبِيلٌ: إِذَنْ نَكْتُبُ الْمَوْعِدَ الْمُؤَكَّدَ، وَنَتْرُكُ التَّخْمِينَ. اِخْتِلَافُ رِوَايَتَيْكُمَا أَخْفَى حِرْصَكُمَا الْمُشْتَرَكَ عَلَى الثِّقَةِ وَالْوَفَاءِ بِالِاتِّفَاقَاتِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Nabil: You are both my friends; I am judging neither. Shall we understand what happened with the projector?
Sami: I asked Rami to return it Friday morning, but he never came. I needed it for a presentation and borrowed another.
Rami: We agreed on Saturday morning. I never promised a Friday return, and your anger surprised me.
Nabil: There was an agreement and a change request. Sami, when did you send it? Was it confirmed?
Sami: I messaged Thursday evening. No reply came, but I assumed he saw it because we usually message daily.
Rami: I was busy working and only read it Friday afternoon. By then your presentation was over.
Nabil: I understand your frustration, Sami, but silence does not mean agreement. A request alone cannot cancel the previous agreement.
Sami: True, although I felt my need was unimportant. I should have requested clear confirmation.
Rami: I never meant to ignore you. Checking messages might have helped, but I cannot guarantee reading them immediately at work.
Nabil: We need no promise of instant replies, but a way to protect arrangements and avoid misreading silence.
Sami: You are right; arranging another projector was tiring, but the presentation was on time. I do not want to exaggerate.
Rami: I am sorry for your disruption. But my sympathy does not mean I broke a promise.
Nabil: Can each summarise the other’s position? Understand it without necessarily adopting it.
Sami: Rami kept to Saturday and never agreed to an earlier return. I assumed agreement, then blamed him. I am sorry.
Rami: Sami needed it early and felt anxious without it. I understand his frustration, even though I disagree with blaming me.
Nabil: This is clearer than accusations. Let us set the return time, place, and how changes work.
Sami: I prefer Saturday at eleven in the morning at my home. Does that work, or do you need another time?
Rami: I finish work at ten; that works. I confirm its return to your home at eleven in the morning.
Nabil: For an urgent request, the requester should call. The written time remains in place until both explicitly confirm a change.
Sami: Agreed. Without confirmation, I will find an alternative myself instead of planning on an assumption.
Rami: I agree too. I will reply when possible, without expecting constant availability from each other.
Nabil: Then we write the confirmed time, leaving guesses behind. Your differing accounts hid shared concerns: trust and keeping agreements.
02Useful words and expressions
| Arabic in the conversation | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| جِهَازِ الْعَرْضِ | the projector |
| مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ | agreed upon |
| افْتَرَضْتُ | I assumed |
| تَأْكِيدٍ وَاضِحٍ | clear confirmation |
| تَفْسِيرَ الصَّمْتِ | interpreting silence |
| أُضَخِّمَ | exaggerate |
| تَبَنِّيهِ | adopting it |
| تَقْدِيمِهِ | moving it earlier |
| تَبَادُلِ الِاتِّهَامَاتِ | exchanging accusations |
| قَائِمًا | still in place |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic conversation for evidence. Open the English question support or a hint when you need help.
What to remember
- Separate agreed facts from assumptions while acknowledging how each person felt.
- Summarise each perspective fairly and require explicit confirmation for future changes.
Explore the Arabic in this conversation
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this conversation.
Kana in Arabic: Was and Were
كُنْتُ مَشْغُولًا بِالْعَمَلِ
Read kuntu with an accusative adjective describing Rami’s past state.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّ غِيَابَ الرَّدِّ لَا يَعْنِي الْمُوَافَقَةَ
Notice lakinna introducing a qualification about what silence means.
Arabic Future Tense for Beginners: Talk About Tomorrow
سَأَرُدُّ عِنْدَمَا أَسْتَطِيعُ
Review attached sa in a first-person commitment to reply when possible.
