At school
Seven school words. Five of them are spelled like a word you already know, and the school setting tells you which one is meant.
| you know | the new word |
|---|---|
| فَصْل season | فَصْل classroom; school term |
| مَادَّة material | مَادَّة school subject |
| عِلْم science | عَلَّمَ to teach |
| دَيْن debt | دِين religion |
| مُتْعَب tired | مُتْعِب tiring |
Two are new: حِصَّة a class (one slot on the school timetable) and عَكْس the opposite.
One word, a school meaning
فصل and مادة keep their spelling and their sound; school gives them a new meaning. A فصل divides: the year into seasons, the school year into terms, the school into classrooms.
| The teacher came into the classroom and wrote on the board. | دخلت المعلمة الفصل وكتبت على السبورة. |
| How many subjects are you studying this term? | كم مادة تدرسين هذا الفصل؟ |
مادة here is a subject, and الفصل after هذا is this term: the school decides both.
Vowels you hear but do not see
عَلَّمَ doubles its middle letter and takes two objects: who learns, and what. Add تَـ and it becomes تَعَلَّمَ to learn.
| My grandfather taught me chess when I was a child. | علمني جدي الشطرنج عندما كنت طفلا. |
مُتْعَب describes the person who is worn out; مُتْعِب describes the thing that wears you out. One sentence has both:
| The students are tired after a tiring class. | الطلاب متعبون بعد حصة متعبة. |
دَيْن debt and دِين religion differ in one vowel. Respect points to religion:
| People in our country respect all religions. | يحترم الناس في بلدنا كل الأديان. |
