Najla values her neighbourhood market, but the school passage is becoming crowded. Protecting that route means asking both parents and traders to make room.
01Read the Arabic story
سُوقٌ فِي طَرِيقِ الْمَدْرَسَةِ
كُلَّ صَبَاحٍ، كَانَتْ نَجْلَاءُ تَشْتَرِي تُفَّاحًا مِنْ بَسْطَةِ عَادِلٍ فِي حَيِّهَا وَهِيَ تُرَافِقُ ابْنَتَهَا إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ. أَحَبَّتْ حَيَوِيَّةَ السُّوقِ، لَكِنَّهَا لَاحَظَتْ أَنَّ الصَّنَادِيقَ تَتَقَدَّمُ نَحْوَ وَسَطِ الْمَمَرِّ كُلَّ أُسْبُوعٍ. ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ، تَوَقَّفَتِ ابْنَتُهَا خَلْفَ عَرَبَةٍ وَفَقَدَتْ صَدِيقَتَهَا بَيْنَ الْمُتَسَوِّقِينَ. لَمْ تَقَعْ إِصَابَةٌ، غَيْرَ أَنَّ نَجْلَاءَ عَادَتْ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ قَلِقَةً.
فِي الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي، طَلَبَتْ مِنْ عَادِلٍ إِبْعَادَ صَنَادِيقِهِ عَنِ الْمَمَرِّ. قَالَ إِنَّ عَرْضَ الْفَاكِهَةِ أَمَامَ الْبَسْطَةِ يَجْذِبُ الزَّبَائِنَ، وَإِنَّ السَّاعَةَ الَّتِي تَسْبِقُ الدِّرَاسَةَ أَهَمُّ سَاعَاتِ الْبَيْعِ. وَأَشَارَ إِلَى حَقِيبَةِ ابْنِهِ الْمَدْرَسِيَّةِ تَحْتَ الطَّاوِلَةِ. فَهِمَتْ نَجْلَاءُ أَنَّ الْحَدِيثَ عَنِ الْأَطْفَالِ لَا يَجْعَلُ الْآبَاءَ وَالتُّجَّارَ طَرَفَيْنِ مُتَعَارِضَيْنِ بِالضَّرُورَةِ.
اقْتَرَحَ بَعْضُ الْآبَاءِ نَقْلَ السُّوقِ إِلَى شَارِعٍ آخَرَ. اعْتَرَضَتْ نَجْلَاءُ، لِأَنَّ الْمَوْقِعَ الْبَدِيلَ أَبْعَدُ عَنْ بُيُوتِ السُّكَّانِ، وَنَقْلَ السُّوقِ قَدْ يَحْرِمُ التُّجَّارَ زَبَائِنَهُمُ الْمُعْتَادِينَ. بَدَلًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ، مَشَتْ مَعَ عَادِلٍ خِلَالَ الزِّحَامِ. عِنْدَ بَسْطَتِهِ، اضْطُرَّا إِلَى الْمُرُورِ وَاحِدًا بَعْدَ الْآخَرِ، فَسَحَبَ صُنْدُوقًا إِلَى الْخَلْفِ دُونَ أَنْ تَطْلُبَ مِنْهُ.
رَسَمَ التُّجَّارُ خَطًّا يُحَدِّدُ مَمَرًّا خَالِيًا، وَأَخَّرُوا إِنْزَالَ الْبَضَائِعِ حَتَّى دُخُولِ الْأَطْفَالِ الْمَدْرَسَةَ. تَعَهَّدَ الْآبَاءُ بِأَلَّا يَقِفُوا لِلْحَدِيثِ دَاخِلَ الْمَمَرِّ. لَمْ يَكُنِ الِاتِّفَاقُ مُرِيحًا لِلْجَمِيعِ؛ فَعَادِلٌ فَقَدَ مَسَاحَةَ عَرْضٍ، وَاضْطُرَّ مُوَرِّدُهُ إِلَى تَغْيِيرِ تَرْتِيبِ جَوْلَتِهِ. وَعِنْدَمَا تَرَكَ أَحَدُ الْآبَاءِ دَرَّاجَتَهُ عَلَى الْخَطِّ، طَلَبَتْ نَجْلَاءُ مِنْهُ نَقْلَهَا عَلَى مَسْمَعٍ مِنَ الْبَاعَةِ.
بَعْدَ أُسْبُوعٍ، مَرَّتِ الْبِنْتَانِ جَنْبًا إِلَى جَنْبٍ. قَالَ عَادِلٌ إِنَّ بَيْعَهُ الصَّبَاحِيَّ انْخَفَضَ قَلِيلًا، فَلَمْ تُسَارِعْ نَجْلَاءُ إِلَى وَصْفِ الْخُطَّةِ بِالنَّجَاحِ الْكَامِلِ. اشْتَرَتْ تُفَّاحَهَا كَالْعَادَةِ، ثُمَّ سَأَلَتْهُ عَنْ رَفٍّ ضَيِّقٍ قَدْ يُعَوِّضُ الْمَسَاحَةَ الْمَفْقُودَةَ. أَجَابَ أَنَّهُ سَيَقِيسُ الْمَكَانَ مَسَاءً. أَمَّا الْخَطُّ فَبَقِيَ وَاضِحًا، وَبَقِيَتْ إِلَى جَانِبِهِ أَسْئِلَةٌ لَمْ تُحْسَمْ بَعْدُ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Every morning, Najla bought apples from Adil’s stall in her neighbourhood while accompanying her daughter to school. She loved the market’s liveliness, but noticed that the crates moved further towards the middle of the passage each week. One day, her daughter stopped behind a cart and lost sight of her friend among the shoppers. No injury occurred, but Najla returned home worried.
The following day, she asked Adil to move his crates away from the passage. He said that displaying fruit in front of the stall attracted customers, and that the hour before school was his most important selling time. He pointed to his son’s schoolbag beneath the table. Najla understood that talking about children did not necessarily make parents and traders opposing sides.
Some parents suggested moving the market to another street. Najla objected because the alternative location was further from residents’ homes, and moving the market might deprive traders of their regular customers. Instead, she walked with Adil through the crowd. At his stall, they had to pass one behind the other, so he pulled a crate back without her asking him to.
The traders painted a line marking a clear passage and delayed unloading goods until the children had entered school. Parents promised not to stand chatting in the passage. The agreement was not convenient for everyone: Adil lost display space, and his supplier had to change the order of his rounds. When a parent left his bicycle on the line, Najla asked him, within earshot of the sellers, to move it.
A week later, the two girls passed side by side. Adil said his morning sales had fallen slightly, so Najla did not rush to call the plan a complete success. She bought her apples as usual, then asked him about a narrow shelf that might replace the lost space. He replied that he would measure the space that evening. The line remained clear, and questions beside it remained unresolved.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| حَيَوِيَّةَ | the liveliness of |
| الْمَمَرِّ | the passage |
| الْمُتَسَوِّقِينَ | the shoppers |
| يَجْذِبُ | attracts |
| مُتَعَارِضَيْنِ | opposing |
| زَبَائِنَهُمُ الْمُعْتَادِينَ | their regular customers |
| مُوَرِّدُهُ | his supplier |
| جَوْلَتِهِ | his rounds |
| يُعَوِّضُ | compensates for; replaces |
| لَمْ تُحْسَمْ | have not been settled |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use the Arabic text to distinguish facts, motives and supported inferences. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- A clear school passage depends on parents keeping their promise as well as traders moving their goods.
- Adil’s smaller sales remain part of the outcome; easier passage does not make that loss disappear.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّ الْمَوْقِعَ الْبَدِيلَ أَبْعَدُ
Follow the reason Najla gives for keeping the market in its present location.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
لَمْ تَقَعْ إِصَابَةٌ
Notice lam denying a completed event without suggesting the crowded route was acceptable.
