Arabic A2, Unit 16: School subjects

School subjects

Arabic A2 · Unit 16

GoalName school subjects and say which ones you like, and which are easy or difficult.

New words

مَادَّة (mādda) · school subjectرِيَاضِيَّات (riyāḍiyyāt) · mathematicsعُلُوم (ʿulūm) · science, sciencesجُغْرَافِيَا (jughrāfiyā) · geographyحَاسُوب (ḥāsūb) · computer, computingمُوسِيقَى (mūsīqā) · musicسَهْل (sahl) · easyصَعْب (ṣaʿb) · difficult

Explanation

A school subject is مَادَّة. To ask, say مَا مَادَّتُك الْمُفَضَّلَة؟ and answer مَادَّتِي الْمُفَضَّلَة هِيَ الْعُلُوم. To say what you like, use أُحِبّ and give the reason with لِأَنَّ. Names such as رِيَاضِيَّات and عُلُوم are plurals of things, so the describing word is feminine singular, as in Unit 5: الرِّيَاضِيَّات سَهْلَة. The word تَارِيخ means “history” as well as “date”. Two more describing words are مُمْتِع “fun” and مُفِيد “useful”. To say what you have today, use عِنْدَنَا: الْيَوْم عِنْدَنَا عُلُوم.

Say	Meaning
الرِّيَاضِيَّات سَهْلَة	maths is easy
الْعُلُوم مُمْتِعَة	science is fun
التَّارِيخ صَعْب	history is difficult
الْحَاسُوب مُفِيد	computing is useful
الْمُوسِيقَى جَمِيلَة	music is beautiful
مَادَّتِي الْمُفَضَّلَة	my favourite subject

Worked examples

Layla

مَا مَادَّتُك الْمُفَضَّلَة يَا كَرِيم؟

Karim

مَادَّتِي الْمُفَضَّلَة هِيَ الْعُلُوم، لِأَنَّ الْعُلُوم مُمْتِعَة.

Layla

أَنَا أُحِبّ الْمُوسِيقَى، لَكِن الْجُغْرَافِيَا صَعْبَة.

Karim

غَدًا عِنْدَنَا رِيَاضِيَّات!

Layla and Karim talk about school subjects. Press each line.

Opinions about subjects. Listen and repeat.

This subject, that subject.

Class activity

Write three sentences about tomorrow's timetable with غَدًا عِنْدَنَا … Then write your opinion of each subject with سَهْل / سَهْلَة, صَعْب / صَعْبَة or مُمْتِع / مُمْتِعَة, and give a reason with لِأَنَّ.

Practice

Press Listen. Which subject do you hear: art, music or maths?

Write: “My favourite subject is science.”

The picture shows a computer. Write: “Computing is fun.”

The picture shows an abacus. Write: “Maths is difficult.”

Write: “Today we have geography.”

School, study and work

School subjects