Lesson 101: A Bedouin Upbringing

Step 1 of 5: Learn

Town Arabs long believed that the desert made better children: cleaner air, harder bodies, and above all a purer Arabic than the mixed speech of the markets. Noble families therefore sent their infants and small boys to Bedouin tribes, often to a wet-nurse's family, and brought them back at eight or ten. The reading tells such a story about an invented boy, Khālid of al-Ṭāʾif; lesson 104 will tell the real one. As you read, notice how often the narrator uses Form X to say what Khālid thought of things, and how ages and periods of time are expressed.

Rule 1: 1. Form X verbs of judgement

A large group of Form X verbs means to consider something to be …, made from an adjective: اِسْتَحْسَنَ to consider good from حَسَنٌ, اِسْتَصْعَبَ to find difficult from صَعْبٌ, اِسْتَسْهَلَ to find easy from سَهْلٌ, اِسْتَغْرَبَ to find strange from غَرِيبٌ, اِسْتَكْبَرَ to consider oneself great, be arrogant from كَبِيرٌ. The thing judged is the direct object. Beside them stand the ordinary transitive verbs of the pattern: اِسْتَقْبَلَ to receive, welcome, اِسْتَخْدَمَ to employ, use, اِسْتَمْتَعَ بِـ to enjoy.

اِسْتَغْرَبَ الْوَلَدُ النَّوْمَ عَلَى الرَّمْلِ.
istaghraba l-waladu n-nawma ʿalā r-ramli
The boy found sleeping on the sand strange.
اِسْتَصْعَبْتُ رُكُوبَ الْجِمَالِ ثُمَّ اسْتَسْهَلْتُهُ.
istaṣʿabtu rukūba l-jimāli thumma stashaltuhu
I found riding camels difficult, then I found it easy.
First person perfect: ـْتُ added to the Form X stem.
اِسْتَقْبَلَهُ خَالُهُ اسْتِقْبَالًا حَسَنًا.
istaqbalahu khāluhu stiqbālan ḥasanan
His uncle gave him a warm welcome.
The verbal noun اِسْتِقْبَالٌ repeated after its verb, with an adjective: 'he received him a good receiving'.
يَسْتَخْدِمُ الْبَدْوُ الْجِمَالَ فِي السَّفَرِ.
yastakhdimu l-badwu l-jimāla fi s-safari
The Bedouin use camels for travelling.
كُنَّا نَسْتَمْتِعُ بِاللَّيَالِي الصَّافِيَةِ تَحْتَ النُّجُومِ.
kunnā nastamtiʿu bi-l-layāli ṣ-ṣāfiyati taḥta n-nujūmi
We used to enjoy the clear nights under the stars.
كَانَ + imperfect for a habit in the past.

Rule 2: 2. Saying how old and how long

Age is given with an ordinal: فِي السَّادِسَةِ مِنْ عُمْرِهِ in the sixth (year) of his life, at six; بَلَغَ الثَّامِنَةَ he reached eight. The feminine ordinal agrees with an understood سَنَةٌ. Length of time is an accusative: مُدَّةَ سَنَتَيْنِ for a period of two years, عَشْرَ سَنَوَاتٍ for ten years, شَهْرَيْنِ for two months, مُدَّةً طَوِيلَةً for a long time. The verb for staying is سَكَنَ or أَقَامَ (imperfect يُقِيمُ).

أَرْسَلَهُ أَبُوهُ إِلَى الْبَادِيَةِ فِي السَّادِسَةِ مِنْ عُمْرِهِ.
arsalahu abūhu ilā l-bādiyati fi s-sādisati min ʿumrihi
His father sent him to the desert when he was six.
سَكَنَ عِنْدَ أَخْوَالِهِ مُدَّةَ سَنَتَيْنِ.
sakana ʿinda akhwālihi muddata sanatayni
He lived with his maternal uncles for two years.
مُدَّةَ in the accusative of time, followed by the genitive dual.
رَجَعَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ وَقَدْ بَلَغَ الثَّامِنَةَ.
rajaʿa ilā ahlihi wa-qad balagha th-thāminata
He returned to his family having reached the age of eight.
وَقَدْ + perfect: a circumstantial clause, 'having already…'.
كَمْ سَنَةً سَكَنْتَ فِي الْبَادِيَةِ؟ سَكَنْتُ فِيهَا عَشْرَ سَنَوَاتٍ.
kam sanatan sakanta fi l-bādiyati? sakantu fīhā ʿashra sanawātin
How many years did you live in the desert? I lived there ten years.
كَمْ with accusative singular; the answer is a number phrase in the accusative of time.

Vocabulary

Why do words end with “-un”?

The -un ending is called tanween (nunation). It marks indefinite nouns — similar to “a/an” in English.

كِتَابٌ (kitaabun) = a bookvsكِتَاب (kitaab) = book (base word)

To find the base word, simply remove the final “-un” sound (the double-stacked damma بٌ on the last letter).

بَادِيَةٌ

bādiyatun

desert, steppe (where nomads live)

بَدَوِيٌّ

badawiyyun

Bedouin, nomad

خَيْمَةٌ

khaymatun

tent

نَاقَةٌ

nāqatun

she-camel

غَنَمٌ

ghanamun

sheep and goats (collective)

خَالٌ

khālun

maternal uncle

شَرِيفٌ

sharīfun

noble

فَصِيحٌ

faṣīḥun

eloquent, pure (of speech)

شَجَاعَةٌ

shajāʿatun

courage

عُمْرٌ

ʿumrun

age, lifetime

مُدَّةٌ

muddatun

period, length of time

رَكِبَ يَرْكَبُ

rakiba, yarkabu

to ride, mount

اِسْتَقْبَلَ يَسْتَقْبِلُ

istaqbala, yastaqbilu

to receive, welcome

اِسْتَغْرَبَ يَسْتَغْرِبُ

istaghraba, yastaghribu

to find strange, be surprised at

اِسْتَصْعَبَ يَسْتَصْعِبُ

istaṣʿaba, yastaṣʿibu

to find difficult

اِسْتَسْهَلَ يَسْتَسْهِلُ

istashala, yastashilu

to find easy

اِسْتَمْتَعَ يَسْتَمْتِعُ بِـ

istamtaʿa, yastamtiʿu bi-

to enjoy

اِسْتَخْدَمَ يَسْتَخْدِمُ

istakhdama, yastakhdimu

to employ, use

Step 2 of 5: Read

An upbringing in the desert

تَرْبِيَةٌ فِي الْبَادِيَةِ

Tap any word to look it up.

Notes

Comprehension

1.Give two reasons the nobles sent their sons to the desert.
2.How old was Khālid when he was sent, and how long did he stay?
3.Name one thing Khālid found strange at first.
4.What did he learn from his uncle?
5.What did his father say when he returned?

In the Quran

قَالَتْ إِحْدَىٰهُمَا يَـٰٓأَبَتِ ٱسْتَـْٔجِرْهُ ۖ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ ٱسْتَـْٔجَرْتَ ٱلْقَوِىُّ ٱلْأَمِينُ
Surah Al-Qasas · 28:26
اسْتَأْجِرْهُ … اسْتَأْجَرْتَ: Form X 'to hire' as imperative and perfect, with the praise الْقَوِيُّ الْأَمِينُ, 'the strong, the trustworthy'; the ayah also opens with the vocative يَا أَبَتِ.
Read in context
يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةًۭ ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
Surah Al-A'raf · 7:34
لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ: two Form X imperfects with سَاعَةً as an accusative of time, 'they cannot delay it an hour nor bring it forward'.
- يَسْتَأْخِرُونَyastakhirūnaseek to delay
- سَاعَةًۭ ۖsāʿatanan hour
- وَلَاwalāand not
- يَسْتَقْدِمُونَyastaqdimūnaseek to advance (it)
Read in context
ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ
Surah Nuh · 71:10
اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ: the Form X imperative of seeking, 'ask forgiveness of your Lord'.
- ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟is'taghfirūAsk forgiveness
- رَبَّكُمْrabbakum(from) your Lord
Read in context

Step 3 of 5: Practice

Exercises

Strict harakat

Exercise 1 of 60/0 correct

Fill in the blank

Complete with the ordinal for 'eighth' in the age expression:

Step 4 of 5: Quiz

Translate from Arabic to English

Type your translation, then check it. Spelling and vowel marks are graded leniently.

1.

كَانَ أَشْرَافُ الْعَرَبِ يُرْسِلُونَ أَوْلَادَهُمْ إِلَى الْبَادِيَةِ وَهُمْ صِغَارٌ.

2.

اِسْتَغْرَبَ خَالِدٌ شُرْبَ لَبَنِ النُّوقِ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْأُولَى.

3.

سَكَنَ عِنْدَ أَخْوَالِهِ مُدَّةَ سَنَتَيْنِ وَرَجَعَ فِي الثَّامِنَةِ مِنْ عُمْرِهِ.

4.

اِسْتَقْبَلَ شَيْخُ الْقَبِيلَةِ الضُّيُوفَ أَمَامَ خَيْمَتِهِ.

5.

لَا أَسْتَصْعِبُ رُكُوبَ النَّاقَةِ الْآنَ، بَلْ أَسْتَسْهِلُهُ.

6.

يَسْتَخْدِمُ الْبَدْوُ الْغَنَمَ لِلَّبَنِ وَاللَّحْمِ وَالصُّوفِ.

Translate from English to Arabic

Type your translation, then check it. Spelling and vowel marks are graded leniently.

1.

My father found this idea strange, but my mother approved of it.

2.

How many months did your brother stay in the desert? He stayed there two months.

3.

The boy learned courage and eloquent speech from the Bedouin.

4.

We enjoyed the clean air and the clear nights.

5.

Receive your guests well and do not use harsh words.

6.

The noble's son rode the camel at the age of seven.

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

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