Lesson 161: World News

Step 1 of 5: Learn

Each item below begins with the name of the city it was sent from, أَثِينَا, بُوَيْنُس آيْرِس, بَرْلِين, مُوسْكُو, بَغْدَاد, followed by a dash. Foreign names ending in a long vowel or a consonant cluster are left undeclined (فِي بَرْلِين, مِنْ مُوسْكُو), while an arabised name like بَغْدَادُ is a diptote: عَلَى بَغْدَادَ. After the dateline the item states its source, then its facts in descending order of importance, and finally what is understood (وَالْمَفْهُومُ أَنَّ) or expected (وَمِنَ الْمُتَوَقَّعِ أَنْ). Revise the large numbers of lesson 139 before you read, and keep an eye on the quadriliteral بَرْمَجَ، يُبَرْمِجُ to program with its verbal noun بَرْمَجَةٌ, formed like تَرْجَمَةٌ.

Rule 1: 1. Opening a news item: verbs of announcing and the impersonal passive

A report rests on its source, so it opens with a verb of announcing and a clause introduced by أَنَّ or بِأَنَّ: أَعْلَنَتِ الْوِزَارَةُ أَنَّ the ministry announced that, صَرَّحَ الرَّئِيسُ بِأَنَّ the president stated that, أَذَاعَتْ مَحَطَّةُ الْإِذَاعَةِ أَنَّ the broadcasting station announced that, أَفَادَتِ الْأَنْبَاءُ أَنَّ reports indicate that, أَخْطَرَتِ السُّلْطَاتُ الْمُسْتَشْفَيَاتِ بِأَنَّ the authorities notified the hospitals that. After قَالَ the clause takes إِنَّ, not أَنَّ: قَالَ نَاطِقٌ بِاسْمِ الْوِزَارَةِ إِنَّ. Where the agent is unknown or unimportant the passive is used without one: أُغْلِقَ الْمَطَارُ the airport was closed, أُلْغِيَتْ عِشْرُونَ رِحْلَةً twenty flights were cancelled, تُقَدَّرُ الْخَسَائِرُ بِمَلَايِينِ الْيُورُو the losses are estimated at millions of euros, تَقَرَّرَ إِدْخَالُ دُرُوسٍ جَدِيدَةٍ it has been decided to introduce new lessons (Form V used impersonally with a verbal-noun subject).

أَعْلَنَتْ وِزَارَةُ الدَّاخِلِيَّةِ أَنَّ هَزَّةً أَرْضِيَّةً ضَرَبَتِ الْجَزِيرَةَ فَجْرَ الْيَوْمِ.
aʿlanat wizāratu d-dākhiliyyati anna hazzatan arḍiyyatan ḍarabati l-jazīrata fajra l-yawmi
The Ministry of the Interior announced that an earth tremor struck the island at dawn today.
صَرَّحَ الرَّئِيسُ لِلْمُرَاسِلِينَ بِأَنَّ الْحُكُومَةَ لَنْ تَرْفَعَ الضَّرَائِبَ هٰذِهِ السَّنَةَ.
ṣarraḥa r-raʾīsu li-l-murāsilīna bi-anna l-ḥukūmata lan tarfaʿa ḍ-ḍarāʾiba hādhihi s-sanata
The president stated to the correspondents that the government would not raise taxes this year.
صَرَّحَ بِأَنَّ.
قَالَ نَاطِقٌ بِاسْمِ الْمَطَارِ إِنَّ الرِّحْلَاتِ سَتُسْتَأْنَفُ بَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ.
qāla nāṭiqun bi-smi l-maṭāri inna r-riḥlāti sa-tustaʾnafu baʿda ẓ-ẓuhri
A spokesman for the airport said that flights would be resumed in the afternoon.
إِنَّ after قَالَ.
أُلْغِيَتْ عِشْرُونَ رِحْلَةً جَوِّيَّةً بِسَبَبِ الْعَاصِفَةِ.
ulghiyat ʿishrūna riḥlatan jawwiyyatan bi-sababi l-ʿāṣifati
Twenty flights were cancelled because of the storm.
Passive without an agent.
تُقَدَّرُ خَسَائِرُ الزِّلْزَالِ بِثَلَاثِينَ مِلْيُونَ يُورُو.
tuqaddaru khasāʾiru z-zilzāli bi-thalāthīna milyūna yūrū
The losses from the earthquake are estimated at thirty million euros.
قَدَّرَ بِـ 'to estimate at'.
تَقَرَّرَ تَدْرِيبُ عَشَرَةِ آلَافِ مُعَلِّمٍ قَبْلَ بِدَايَةِ السَّنَةِ الدِّرَاسِيَّةِ.
taqarrara tadrību ʿasharati ālāfi muʿallimin qabla bidāyati s-sanati d-dirāsiyyati
It has been decided to train ten thousand teachers before the beginning of the school year.

Rule 2: 2. Restriction: إِنَّمَا and بِحَالٍ مِنَ الْأَحْوَالِ

إِنَّمَا is إِنَّ with the مَا that cancels its grammatical force (compare كَأَنَّمَا, lesson 125). It no longer puts the following noun in the accusative; instead it restricts the whole sentence, only, merely, it is just that: إِنَّمَا تَرْفَعُ الْحُكُومَةُ الضَّرَائِبَ لِحِمَايَةِ الصِّنَاعَةِ the government is raising taxes only to protect industry. The restriction falls on the last part of the sentence, and فَقَطْ may be added at the end for emphasis. The negative counterpart is لَا ... بِحَالٍ مِنَ الْأَحْوَالِ not in any case, by no means, literally not in a state of the states: لَا تَسْعَى الْحُكُومَةُ بِحَالٍ مِنَ الْأَحْوَالِ إِلَى الْحَرْبِ. Both expressions belong to the language of official denial.

إِنَّمَا تَرْفَعُ الْحُكُومَةُ الضَّرَائِبَ عَلَى الْوَارِدَاتِ لِحِمَايَةِ الصِّنَاعَةِ الْوَطَنِيَّةِ فَقَطْ.
innamā tarfaʿu l-ḥukūmatu ḍ-ḍarāʾiba ʿala l-wāridāti li-ḥimāyati ṣ-ṣināʿati l-waṭaniyyati faqaṭ
The government is raising the taxes on imports only to protect national industry.
إِنَّمَا does not govern the accusative: الْحُكُومَةُ stays nominative.
إِنَّمَا يَتَعَلَّمُ التَّلَامِيذُ الْبَرْمَجَةَ لِأَنَّهُمْ لَنْ يَجِدُوا عَمَلًا بِدُونِهَا.
innamā yataʿallamu t-talāmīdhu l-barmajata li-annahum lan yajidū ʿamalan bi-dūnihā
The pupils are learning programming simply because they will not find work without it.
لَا تُرِيدُ بِلَادُنَا بِحَالٍ مِنَ الْأَحْوَالِ مُنَافَسَةَ جِيرَانِهَا.
lā turīdu bilādunā bi-ḥālin mina l-aḥwāli munāfasata jīrānihā
Our country by no means wants to compete with its neighbours.
لَنْ تُغْلَقَ الْمَدَارِسُ بِحَالٍ مِنَ الْأَحْوَالِ قَبْلَ نِهَايَةِ الْأُسْبُوعِ.
lan tughlaqa l-madārisu bi-ḥālin mina l-aḥwāli qabla nihāyati l-usbūʿi
The schools will under no circumstances be closed before the end of the week.

Rule 3: 3. اِضْطُرَّ إِلَى 'to be forced to' and أَمَّا ... فَـ

اِضْطَرَّ is Form VIII of the doubled root ض-ر-ر, and like اِصْطَافَ (lesson 139) it has turned the ت of the form into ط after the emphatic ض. Its active sense to compel is rare; news Arabic uses the passive اُضْطُرَّ، يُضْطَرُّ إِلَى to be compelled to, which is translated actively, to have to: اُضْطُرَّتِ السُّلْطَاتُ إِلَى إِجْلَاءِ السُّكَّانِ the authorities had to evacuate the inhabitants, سَيُضْطَرُّ الْمُسَافِرُونَ إِلَى الِانْتِظَارِ the travellers will have to wait. The thing one is forced to do is a verbal noun after إِلَى or a clause with أَنْ. The connective أَمَّا ... فَـ as for ..., (then) moves the report to a new point; the فَ is obligatory, and it may introduce a negative sentence: أَمَّا الْوَفَيَاتُ فَلَمْ تُسَجَّلْ وَاحِدَةٌ as for deaths, not one was recorded.

اُضْطُرَّتِ السُّلْطَاتُ إِلَى إِجْلَاءِ ثَلَاثِمِئَةِ شَخْصٍ مِنْ بُيُوتِهِمْ.
uḍṭurrati s-suluṭātu ilā ijlāʾi thalāthi-miʾati shakhṣin min buyūtihim
The authorities were forced to evacuate three hundred people from their homes.
Passive perfect; the ت of Form VIII has become ط.
اُضْطُرَّ آلَافُ السُّكَّانِ إِلَى الْبَقَاءِ فِي بُيُوتِهِمْ طُولَ النَّهَارِ.
uḍṭurra ālāfu s-sukkāni ila l-baqāʾi fī buyūtihim ṭūla n-nahāri
Thousands of inhabitants had to stay in their homes all day.
سَيُضْطَرُّ الْمَطَارُ إِلَى أَنْ يُلْغِيَ رِحْلَاتِ الْمَسَاءِ.
sa-yuḍṭarru l-maṭāru ilā an yulghiya riḥlāti l-masāʾi
The airport will be forced to cancel the evening flights.
إِلَى أَنْ with the subjunctive.
لَمْ تَحْدُثْ خَسَائِرُ فِي الْأَرْوَاحِ، أَمَّا الْأَضْرَارُ فِي الْأَبْنِيَةِ فَكَبِيرَةٌ.
lam taḥduth khasāʾiru fi l-arwāḥi, amma l-aḍrāru fi l-abniyati fa-kabīratun
There was no loss of life; as for the damage to buildings, it is great.
أَمَّا دُرُوسُ الْمَنْطِقِ فَلَنْ تَكُونَ إِجْبَارِيَّةً.
ammā durūsu l-manṭiqi fa-lan takūna ijbāriyyatan
As for the logic lessons, they will not be compulsory.

Rule 4: 4. Percentages and comparison

A percentage is so many in the hundred: ثَلَاثُونَ فِي الْمِئَةِ thirty per cent, بِنِسْبَةِ أَرْبَعِينَ فِي الْمِئَةِ by forty per cent, where نِسْبَةٌ proportion, rate is in construct with the figure. The verbs of movement in figures are اِرْتَفَعَ، يَرْتَفِعُ to rise, اِنْخَفَضَ، يَنْخَفِضُ to fall, بَلَغَ، يَبْلُغُ to reach, زَادَ عَلَى to exceed; the amount of change follows بِـ. Comparison with an earlier period uses بِالْمُقَارَنَةِ مَعَ or بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى compared with: بِالْمُقَارَنَةِ مَعَ الْعَقْدِ الْمَاضِي compared with the last decade. Note also the dual in construct, مِئَتَا مَدْرَسَةٍ two hundred schools (genitive and accusative مِئَتَيْ مَدْرَسَةٍ), on the model of أَلْفَا عَامِلٍ.

بَلَغَتْ نِسْبَةُ الَّذِينَ أَدْلَوْا بِأَصْوَاتِهِمْ حَتَّى الظُّهْرِ ثَلَاثِينَ فِي الْمِئَةِ.
balaghat nisbatu lladhīna adlaw bi-aṣwātihim ḥatta ẓ-ẓuhri thalāthīna fi l-miʾati
The proportion of those who had cast their votes by noon reached thirty per cent.
أَدْلَى بِصَوْتِهِ 'to cast one's vote'; أَدْلَوْا is the defective plural.
اِرْتَفَعَ عَدَدُ الْعَوَاصِفِ الرَّمْلِيَّةِ بِنِسْبَةِ أَرْبَعِينَ فِي الْمِئَةِ.
irtafaʿa ʿadadu l-ʿawāṣifi r-ramliyyati bi-nisbati arbaʿīna fi l-miʾati
The number of sandstorms has risen by forty per cent.
اِنْخَفَضَتِ الْوَارِدَاتُ هٰذِهِ السَّنَةَ بِالْمُقَارَنَةِ مَعَ السَّنَةِ الْمَاضِيَةِ.
inkhafaḍati l-wāridātu hādhihi s-sanata bi-l-muqāranati maʿa s-sanati l-māḍiyati
Imports have fallen this year compared with last year.
سَيَبْدَأُ التَّدْرِيسُ فِي مِئَتَيْ مَدْرَسَةٍ ثَانَوِيَّةٍ.
sa-yabdaʾu t-tadrīsu fī miʾatay madrasatin thānawiyyatin
Teaching will begin in two hundred secondary schools.
Dual of مِئَة in construct.

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).

خَسَارَةٌ

khasāratun

loss; pl. خَسَائِرُ losses, casualties

ضَرَرٌ

ḍararun

damage, harm

أَنْقَاضٌ

anqāḍun

rubble, ruins

أَجْلَى يُجْلِي

ajlā yujlī

to evacuate (people)

مُرَاسِلٌ

murāsilun

correspondent, reporter

ضَرِيبَةٌ

ḍarībatun

tax

وَارِدَاتٌ

wāridātun

imports

مُنَافَسَةٌ

munāfasatun

competition, rivalry

نَاخِبٌ

nākhibun

voter

صُنْدُوقُ الِاقْتِرَاعِ

ṣundūqu l-iqtirāʿi

ballot box

مَنْهَجٌ

manhajun

curriculum, syllabus; method

بَرْمَجَةٌ

barmajatun

programming (computers)

حَاسُوبٌ

ḥāsūbun

computer

عَاصِفَةٌ

ʿāṣifatun

storm; عَاصِفَةٌ رَمْلِيَّةٌ sandstorm

أَلْغَى يُلْغِي

alghā yulghī

to cancel, to abolish

اُضْطُرَّ يُضْطَرُّ إِلَى

uḍṭurra yuḍṭarru ilā

to be forced to, to have to

أَخْطَرَ يُخْطِرُ بِـ

akhṭara yukhṭiru bi-

to notify, to warn (someone of)

فِي الْمِئَةِ

fi l-miʾati

per cent

Step 2 of 5: Read

World news (1): Athens, Buenos Aires, Berlin

أَخْبَارُ الْعَالَمِ (١): أَثِينَا · بُوَيْنُس آيْرِس · بَرْلِين

Tap any word to look it up.

Notes

Comprehension

1.How strong was the tremor, and were there any deaths?
2.Why, according to the president, is Argentina raising taxes on imports?
3.What proportion of Berlin voters had voted by noon?
4.When will the first results be broadcast?

World news (2): Moscow, Baghdad

أَخْبَارُ الْعَالَمِ (٢): مُوسْكُو · بَغْدَاد

Tap any word to look it up.

Notes

Comprehension

1.Which two new subjects are being introduced in Russian secondary schools?
2.Will logic lessons be compulsory?
3.For how long was Baghdad airport closed, and how many flights were cancelled?
4.By what percentage have sandstorms increased compared with the last decade?
5.What has the government begun doing to protect the capital?

In the Quran

إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ
Surah Al-Hujurat · 49:10
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ 'the believers are but brothers': the restrictive إِنَّمَا leaves الْمُؤْمِنُونَ in the nominative.
- إِنَّمَاinnamāOnly
- ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَl-mu'minūnathe believers
Read in context
فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ
Surah Al-Baqarah · 2:173
فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ 'but whoever is forced (by necessity), not desiring ...': the passive اُضْطُرَّ of Form VIII with ط for ت, the verb of the Baghdad item. The ayah itself opens with إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ.
- فَمَنِfamaniSo whoever
- ٱضْطُرَّuḍ'ṭurra(is) forced by necessity
Read in context

Step 3 of 5: Practice

Exercises

Strict harakat

Exercise 1 of 60/0 correct

Fill in the blank

Complete with the restrictive particle meaning 'only':

Step 4 of 5: Quiz

Translate from Arabic to English

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

1.

أَعْلَنَتِ الْحُكُومَةُ أَنَّ خَسَائِرَ الزِّلْزَالِ تُقَدَّرُ بِعِشْرِينَ مِلْيُونَ دُولَارٍ.

2.

اُضْطُرَّ الْمُسَافِرُونَ إِلَى الِانْتِظَارِ فِي الْمَطَارِ سِتَّ سَاعَاتٍ.

3.

إِنَّمَا تَرْفَعُ الْحُكُومَةُ الضَّرَائِبَ لِتَبْنِيَ الْمَدَارِسَ.

4.

تَدَفَّقَ النَّاخِبُونَ عَلَى صَنَادِيقِ الِاقْتِرَاعِ مُنْذُ الصَّبَاحِ.

5.

أَمَّا الْمُصَابُونَ فَقَدْ نُقِلُوا إِلَى الْمُسْتَشْفَى الْقَرِيبِ.

6.

اِرْتَفَعَ عَدَدُ الْحَوَاسِيبِ فِي الْمَدَارِسِ بِنِسْبَةِ خَمْسِينَ فِي الْمِئَةِ.

Translate from English to Arabic

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

1.

A spokesman for the ministry said that no one had died.

2.

The airport was closed and twenty flights were cancelled.

3.

Our country does not want war under any circumstances.

4.

It has been decided to introduce programming lessons into the curricula of the secondary schools.

5.

The rescue teams are still searching under the rubble.

6.

Imports fell this year compared with last year.

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

How many questions would you like?

5 questions available • Questions and answers will be randomized

Step 1 of 5: Learn

Rule 1: 1. Opening a news item: verbs of announcing and the impersonal passive

Rule 2: 2. Restriction: إِنَّمَا and بِحَالٍ مِنَ الْأَحْوَالِ

Rule 3: 3. اِضْطُرَّ إِلَى 'to be forced to' and أَمَّا ... فَـ

Rule 4: 4. Percentages and comparison

Vocabulary

Step 2 of 5: Read

World news (1): Athens, Buenos Aires, Berlin

Notes

Comprehension

World news (2): Moscow, Baghdad

Notes

Comprehension

In the Quran

Step 3 of 5: Practice

Exercises

Step 4 of 5: Quiz

Translate from Arabic to English

Translate from English to Arabic

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

How many questions would you like?

Step 5 of 5: Finish