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Whether you are building furniture or fixing things around the house, knowing the names of basic tools is incredibly useful. This lesson introduces essential DIY vocabulary.

### The Workshop and Basic Tools

Many DIY projects take place in the workshop (ورشة). The most common tools you will reach for first are a hammer (مطرقة) and a saw (منشار).

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To describe the tool you used to perform an action, attach the preposition بـ (with / by means of) directly to the noun. For example, to say "with the hammer," write بالمطرقة.

Let's see this preposition in action alongside the words for nail (مسمار) and paint (طلاء).

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### Screws and Drills

Not everything can be hammered. Often, you will need to place a screw (برغي) into a hole (ثقب) using a screwdriver (مفك).

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If you need to make a hole in a wall or a piece of wood, you will use a drill (مثقاب).

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### Pliers and Making Lists

When dealing with old hardware, you might need pliers (كماشة) to grip or extract it.

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Notice how easily these new vocabulary words integrate into standard sentence structures, such as listing options using the conjunction أو (or).

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In the Toolbox

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

interrogative

noun

numeral

particle

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The definite article and locatives (الـ)

Basic noun gender (ة)

Sun and moon letters

Singular subject pronouns (أنا، أنت، هو، هي)

Indefinite nouns and nominal sentences (ـٌ)

Demonstrative pronouns for 'this' (هذا / هذه)

Separate prepositions (في، من، إلى، على)

Attributive adjectives

Predicative adjectives

Yes/No questions (هل، أ)

Basic questions (من، ما، أين)

Singular possessive pronouns (ـي، ـك، ـه، ـها)

Plural subject pronouns (نحن، أنتم، هم)

Plural possessive pronouns (ـنا، ـكم، ـهم)

Noun possession

Attached prepositions (بـ، لـ، كـ)

Pronouns with prepositions

Having and possessing (عند، لـ، مع)

Regular plural nouns (ـون، ـين، ـات)

Broken plurals

Dual nouns (ـان / ـين)

Plural and distant demonstratives (هؤلاء، ذلك، تلك)

Non-human plural agreement

Present tense singular verbs

Verbal sentences (VSO)

Present tense plural verbs

Topicalized sentences (SVO)

The indefinite accusative case (ـاً)

Verb object pronouns (-ني، -ك، -ه)

Present tense negation (لا)

Question words with verbs (متى، كيف...)

Adverbs of time and place

The future tense (سـ / سوف)

Intentions and desires (أن)

Negating states and possession (ليس)

Past tense singular suffixes

Past tense plural suffixes

Negating past events (ما)

Singular commands

Numbers 1 to 10

Number agreement for 1 and 2 (واحد، اثنان)

Asking how many (كم)

Numbers 3 to 10 (ثلاثة إلى عشرة)

Ordinal numbers 1 to 10 (الأول، الثاني)

Basic conjunctions (فـ، أو، لكن)

Ordering at a café (واحد، اثنان)

Food and drink with conjunctions (و، ف، أو، لكن)

There is and there are (هناك / ليس هناك)

Direct address (يا)

Giving reasons (لأنّ)

Relative pronouns (الذي / التي)

Quantifiers (كل / بعض)

The past tense of 'to be' (كان)

Past possession

Numbers 11 to 19 and tens to 80

Telling time (الساعة)

This book vs this is a book (هذا الكتاب، هذا كتاب)

Greetings (مرحبا، السلام عليكم)

How are you? and goodbye (كيف حالك، مع السلامة)

Nationalities (مصري، مصرية)

Roots and patterns (كتب، كتاب، مكتب)

Politeness (من فضلك، آسف)

Complex possession chains

Colors and traits (أفعل / فعلاء)

Plural colors and traits (فُعْل)

Comparative adjectives (أفعل من)

Superlative adjectives (أفعل)

Adverbs of manner (ـاً)

The nominative case (ـُ)

The genitive case (ـِ)

The accusative case (ـَ)

Dual noun cases (ـان / ـين)

Masculine plurals and 'the best of' (أفضل النجارين)

Emphasizing sentences (إنّ)

Connecting clauses (أنّ)

Reporting speech (قال إنّ)

Expressing contrast (لكنّ)

Comparison and probability (كأنّ, لعلّ)

Distant plural pointing (أولئك)

Plural relative pronouns (الذين, اللواتي)

Past habits (كان + present)

Ongoing actions (ما زال)

Masculine plurals online (مبرمجون، مؤثرون)

Perfective past (قد)

Probability (قد)

The subjunctive mood (أن)

Question	Answer
workshop	ورشةwarsha
hammer	مطرقةmitraqa
saw	منشارminshâr
The boys entered the workshop and took a hammer and a saw.	دخل الأولاد الورشة وأخذوا مطرقة ومنشارا.dakhala al-awlâdu al-warshata wa-akhadhû mitraqatan wa-minshâran.
nail	مسمارmismâr
paint	طلاءtilâ'
I hit the nail with the hammer before painting the wood.	ضربت المسمار بالمطرقة قبل طلاء الخشب.darabtu al-mismâra bil-mitraqati qabla tilâ'i al-khashab
screw	برغيburghiyy
hole (puncture, opening)	ثقبthuqb
screwdriver	مفكmifakk
The engineer put the screw in the hole, then used the screwdriver.	وضع المهندس البرغي في الثقب، ثم استخدم المفك.wada'a al-muhandisu al-burghiyya fi ath-thaqbi, thumma istakhdama al-mifakka
drill	مثقابmithqâb
I was going to use the drill to make a hole in the wall.	كنت سأستخدم المثقاب لصنع ثقب في الجدار.kuntu sa'astakhdimu al-mithqâba lisun'i thuqbin fil-jidâri
pliers	كماشةkammâsha
The nail was old, but she pulled it with the pliers.	كان المسمار قديما، لكنها سحبته بالكماشة.kâna al-mismâru qadîman, lâkinnahâ sahabat-hu bil-kammâshah
Did you find the paint, the saw, or the screwdriver?	هل وجدت الطلاء، أو المنشار، أو المفك؟hal wajadta at-tilâ'a, awi al-minshâra, awi al-mifakka?
I liked these pliers, but I need a new screw.	أعجبتني هذه الكماشة، لكني أحتاج إلى برغي جديد.a'jabatnee hâdhihi alkammâshatu, lakinnee ahtâju ilâ burghiyyin jadeedin.
The workers cleaned the workshop after they bought the drill and the paint.	نظفت العاملات الورشة بعد أن اشترين المثقاب والطلاء.nazzafati al'âmilâtu alwarshata bada ani ishtarayna almithqâba wattilâ'a
I went to the workshop to search for a screw and a screwdriver.	ذهبت إلى الورشة لأبحث عن برغي ومفك.dhahabtu ilâ al-warshati li'abhatha 'an burghiyyin wa mifakkin
Did the carpenters buy a saw, a hammer, or a drill?	هل اشترى النجارون منشارا، أو مطرقة، أو مثقابا؟hali ishtarâ an-najjârûna minshâran, aw mitraqatan, aw mithqâban?

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