Arabic A2, Unit 16: The classroom and the university

The classroom and the university

Arabic A2 · Unit 16

GoalTalk about lessons, exams and university with the construct.

New words

جَامِعَة (jāmiʿa) · universityكُلِّيَّة (kulliyya) · faculty, collegeأُسْتَاذ (ʾustādh) · teacher, professorمُحَاضَرَة (muḥāḍara) · lectureاِمْتِحَان (imtiḥān) · examسَبُّورَة (sabbūra) · boardوَاجِب (wājib) · homeworkحِصَّة (ḥiṣṣa) · lesson, period

Explanation

A lesson at school is حِصَّة, and a lecture at university is مُحَاضَرَة. To name the subject, use the construct from Unit 4: the first noun has no الْ, the second has it. So “the science lesson” is حِصَّة الْعُلُوم. A woman teacher is أُسْتَاذَة. We say فِي الْجَامِعَة “at university” and فِي كُلِّيَّة الْهَنْدَسَة “in the faculty of engineering”. For a time, use فِي السَّاعَة and an ordinal from Unit 12: فِي السَّاعَة التَّاسِعَة. To say you have an exam or a lesson, use عِنْدِي.

Construct	Meaning
حِصَّة الْعُلُوم	the science lesson
كُلِّيَّة الطِّبّ	the faculty of medicine
وَاجِب الرِّيَاضِيَّات	the maths homework
اِمْتِحَان الْعُلُوم	the science exam
سَبُّورَة الصَّفّ	the board of the classroom

Worked examples

Exams and homework. Listen and repeat.

Fatima

فِي أَيّ كُلِّيَّة تَدْرُس يَا أَحْمَد؟

Ahmad

أَدْرُس فِي كُلِّيَّة الْهَنْدَسَة. وَأَنْتِ؟

Fatima

أَنَا فِي كُلِّيَّة الطِّبّ. عِنْدِي مُحَاضَرَة الْآن.

Ahmad

إِذًا إِلَى اللِّقَاء!

Fatima and Ahmad meet at university. Press each line.

The construct at university.

Class activity

Write your own week at school or university: three lessons or lectures with their time, using حِصَّة / مُحَاضَرَة + the subject and فِي السَّاعَة + an ordinal. Then write one sentence with عِنْدِي اِمْتِحَان.

Practice

Press Listen. What is difficult: the lesson, the exam or the homework?

Write: “the history exam”.

The picture shows a teacher. Write: “the university professor”.

The picture shows a notebook. Write: “I wrote my homework.”

Write: “I have the science lesson at ten o'clock.”

School, study and work

The classroom and the university