السَّكَن وَالمُشْكِلَات اليَوْمِيَّةHousing and Daily Problems
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe common housing problems using accurate vocabulary for rooms, fixtures, and repairs.
- Make polite requests and report problems using the imperative and softened request patterns.
- Explain a housing complaint clearly, using a content clause to report what is wrong and a contrast clause to explain what should be happening instead.
- Recognize the passive voice when it appears in short housing notices, repair signs, and building announcements, without being required to produce it independently.
- Read and listen to short housing-related notices and messages, and answer questions that focus on the problem, the request, and the outcome.
- Write a short, polite complaint or repair-request message to a landlord or building manager.
Communication Scenario
Something in your apartment has stopped working — the water heater, the kitchen sink, the building's front door — and you need to report the problem to your landlord or building manager clearly enough that it actually gets fixed. At the same time, you keep noticing small printed notices posted in the stairwell and lobby: "the elevator has been repaired," "quiet hours are observed after ten," "visitors are asked to sign in." These notices are written in a slightly different style than the conversational Arabic you have used so far — and this chapter shows you how to recognize that style without needing to produce it yourself yet.
- You will learn how to describe what is broken and ask for a repair politely.
- You will learn how to complain clearly by combining a content clause ("that the heater is broken") with a contrast ("but no one has come").
- You will learn to recognize — but not yet produce — the passive voice, so that housing notices like "the door has been fixed" or "visitors are asked to..." become understandable.
- You will write and speak your own repair request, drawing on all three of these tools together.
What This Chapter Builds On
Chapter 6 opens Unit II and introduces its first new grammar systems since Chapter 4. It recycles the connected-profile skills from Unit I while adding a small, carefully bounded set of new tools.
The passive voice is introduced here for recognition in housing notices. You are not expected to produce passive sentences independently until later chapters authorize it.
Core Vocabulary
The following vocabulary supports describing housing, common problems, and requests for repair.
| Arabic | Meaning | Gender / Plural |
|---|---|---|
| شَقَّة | apartment | f. — plural شُقَق |
| صَاحِب البَيْت | landlord | m. — plural أَصْحَاب البَيْت |
| مُدِير المَبْنَى | building manager | m. — plural مُدِيرُو المَبْنَى |
| سَخَّان المَاء | water heater | m. — plural سَخَّانَات |
| مَغْسَلَة | sink | f. — plural مَغَاسِل |
| مِصْعَد | elevator | m. — plural مَصَاعِد |
| مِفْتَاح الكَهْرَبَاء | light switch / electrical switch | m. — plural مَفَاتِيح الكَهْرَبَاء |
| تَسَرُّب المَاء | water leak | m. |
| عُطْل / عُطْل فِي... | malfunction / breakdown in... | m. — plural أَعْطَال |
| إِصْلَاح | repair (noun) | m. |
| شَكْوَى | complaint | f. — plural شَكَاوَى |
| طَلَب | request | m. — plural طَلَبَات |
| Arabic | Meaning | Form / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| تَعَطَّلَ / يَتَعَطَّل | to break down, stop working | Form V; geminate final radical (ل) |
| أَصْلَحَ / يُصْلِح | to repair | Form IV; hamzated initial radical |
| اِشْتَكَى / يَشْتَكِي | to complain | defective (weak) final radical |
| طَلَبَ / يَطْلُب | to request, ask for | sound root; takes a direct object |
| اِنْتَظَرَ / يَنْتَظِر | to wait | Form VIII; sound root |
تَعَطَّلَ is a geminate verb: its second and third root letters are identical (ع-ط-ل → عَطَّلَ), which is why the middle consonant doubles rather than behaving like a weak letter.
Requests and Polite Commands
This section reuses the imperative you already know and adds softened, polite request patterns appropriate for addressing a landlord or manager.
هَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن تُرْسِل شَخْصًا لِإِصْلَاح السَّخَّان؟ أَرْجُو أَن يَتِمّ ذَلِك قَرِيبًا.
Would it be possible for you to send someone to repair the water heater? I hope that happens soon.
أَرْجُو أَن and هَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن both introduce a verb in the subjunctive, a system you began recognizing in Chapter 3 and will continue to develop through this unit. Here they function as fixed polite frames — you do not need to analyze every subjunctive ending to use them accurately.
- مِن فَضْلِك، هَل يُمْكِن أَن تُصْلِح المِفْتَاح؟Please, could you fix the switch?polite request frame + Form IV verb
- أَرْجُو الرَّدّ فِي أَقْرَب وَقْت مُمْكِن.I hope for a reply as soon as possible.formulaic closing request
Complaints and Problem Description
This section introduces two new clause types: the content clause (reporting what is wrong) and the contrast clause (explaining what should be true instead).
أُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ المِصْعَد مُتَعَطِّل مُنْذُ يَوْمَيْن.
I am informing you that the elevator has been out of order for two days.
بِأَنَّ introduces a content clause — a clause that reports what something is, rather than describing an action directly. This is the first time content clauses are activated for independent use; earlier chapters used them only in supported reading.
اِتَّصَلْت بِكُم الأُسْبُوع المَاضِي، لَكِنْ لَم يَأْتِ أَحَد لِلْإِصْلَاح حَتَّى الآن. مَع أَنَّكُم وَعَدْتُم بِإِرْسَال فَنِّيّ، مَا زَال العُطْل كَمَا هُوَ.
I called you last week, but no one has come to make the repair until now. Even though you promised to send a technician, the problem is still the same.
لَكِنْ contrasts two statements directly; مَع أَنَّ introduces a concessive clause — something that should have prevented the problem but did not. Together, these let you move from a simple complaint to a clearly reasoned one.
- أُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ هُنَاك تَسَرُّبًا لِلْمَاء تَحْت المَغْسَلَة.I am informing you that there is a water leak under the sink.content clause reporting a problem
- طَلَبْت الإِصْلَاح مَرَّتَيْن، لَكِنَّ أَحَدًا لَم يَرُدّ.I requested the repair twice, but no one replied.contrast clause with لَكِنَّ
Recognizing the Passive Voice
This section introduces the passive voice for recognition only. You will learn to understand passive sentences in notices and announcements; you are not asked to produce them independently in this chapter.
In an active sentence, the subject performs the action: أَصْلَحَ الفَنِّيّ البَاب ("the technician repaired the door"). In a passive sentence, the focus shifts to what happened to something, and the person who did it may be left unstated: أُصْلِحَ البَاب ("the door was repaired"). Notices and public signs often prefer this second pattern because the identity of the repair person is not the point — the state of the door is.
- أُصْلِحَ المِصْعَد أَمْس.The elevator was repaired yesterday.passive perfect — recognition only
- يُطْلَب مِن السُّكَّان عَدَم اسْتِخْدَام المِصْعَد.Residents are asked not to use the elevator.passive imperfect — recognition only
- تَمّ إِصْلَاح البَاب الرَّئِيسِيّ.The main door has been repaired.تَمَّ + verbal noun — a very common formulaic alternative to the passive in notices
Notice the two ways Arabic notices avoid naming who did the repair: the true passive (أُصْلِحَ) and the formulaic تَمَّ + verbal noun (تَمَّ الإِصْلَاح). Both appear frequently in real housing notices, and recognizing either is the goal of this chapter.
Model Dialogue
Setting: مَرْيَم calls the building manager, أُسْتَاذ خَالِد, to report a broken water heater.
السِّيَاق: تَتَّصِل مَرْيَم بِمُدِير المَبْنَى، الأُسْتَاذ خَالِد، لِتُبْلِغ عَن عُطْل فِي السَّخَّان.
أَسْئِلَة الفَهْم — Comprehension questions:
- What content clause does Maryam use to report her problem, and what does it report?
- What contrast clause does Maryam use, and what two things does it contrast?
- Find both passive-recognition sentences in Khalid's last line. What does each communicate without naming who performed the action?
Listening Station
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short building announcement aloud twice at a moderate pace. Listen without reading along the first time, then answer the questions below.
إِعْلَان لِسُكَّان المَبْنَى: تَمّ إِصْلَاح مِصْعَد المَبْنَى الرَّئِيسِيّ، وَهُوَ يَعْمَل الآن بِشَكْل طَبِيعِيّ. أَمَّا مِصْعَد الخِدْمَة، فَمَا زَال مُتَعَطِّلًا، وَيُطْلَب مِن السُّكَّان عَدَم اسْتِخْدَامِه حَتَّى إِشْعَار آخَر. كَمَا نُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ هُنَاك تَسَرُّبًا لِلْمَاء فِي القَبْو، وَقَد أُرْسِل فَنِّيّ لِفَحْصِه هَذَا الأُسْبُوع.
مُهِمَّة الاسْتِمَاع — Listening task
Answer the following questions based on what you hear:
- Which elevator has been repaired, and which one is still broken?
- What are residents asked to do about the service elevator?
- What content clause is used to report the water leak, and where is it located?
Speaking Station
تَدْرِيب مُوَجَّه — Controlled practice: Report and request
With a partner, take turns building a two-part statement: (1) report a housing problem using أُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ, and (2) make a polite request for repair using هَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن or أَرْجُو أَن.
مُهِمَّة تَوَاصُل — Communicative task: Calling the manager
In pairs, role-play a phone call to a building manager. One partner reports a problem and adds a contrast clause explaining why it is urgent (لَكِنْ / مَع أَنَّ); the other partner responds, promises action, and mentions one thing that "has been repaired" using تَمَّ + verbal noun or a simple passive form.
لِلْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ المُسْتَقِلِّينَ — Solo alternative
Record yourself leaving a voicemail message reporting a housing problem: describe what is wrong, contrast it with what should be happening, and close with a polite request for repair.
Reading Station
Read the short notice below, then answer the questions that follow. As in earlier chapters, some predictable short vowels on familiar words are left unmarked.
A Building Notice — Sample Text
إعلان مهم: بسبب تسرب للماء في الطابق الثالث، تم إغلاق المصعد الرئيسي مؤقتا. يرجى من السكان استخدام السلم حتى يتم إصلاح العطل. نخبركم بأن فنيا سيأتي غدا صباحا، ومع أننا حاولنا حل المشكلة اليوم، لم يكن ذلك ممكنا بسبب حجم العطل. شكرا لتفهمكم.
أَسْئِلَة الفَهْم — Comprehension questions:
- What passive-voice phrase describes what happened to the elevator, and why?
- What are residents asked (يُرْجَى) to do until the repair is complete?
- Identify the content clause that reports what will happen tomorrow.
- What contrast clause explains why the problem could not be solved today?
Writing Station
In this station, you will draft a short, polite repair-request message of six to eight sentences to a landlord or building manager.
- Open politely. One greeting sentence appropriate to a landlord or manager.
- Report the problem. One sentence using أُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ to state clearly what is broken and since when.
- Add contrast. One sentence using لَكِنْ or مَع أَنَّ to explain why the situation is inconvenient or urgent.
- Make your request. One sentence using هَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن or أَرْجُو أَن to ask for a repair.
- Reference the building, if useful. One optional sentence recognizing a passive notice you have seen (for example, mentioning something that تَمَّ إِصْلَاحُه).
- Close politely and revise. One closing sentence, then check your draft against the editing checklist below.
قَائِمَة المُرَاجَعَة — Editing checklist:
- I greeted the landlord or manager appropriately.
- I reported my problem clearly using a content clause with بِأَنَّ.
- I included a contrast or concessive clause explaining why the problem matters.
- I made a polite request using an authorized request pattern.
- I did not attempt to produce a full independent passive sentence on my own; I only recognized passive or تَمَّ-based phrasing where useful.
- My message reads as one polite, connected request rather than a list of separate complaints.
Culture and Communication
In many Arabic-speaking communities, a housing complaint is expected to open with a polite greeting and closing rather than moving directly to the problem, even when the situation is urgent. Softened request patterns such as هَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن and أَرْجُو أَن are common tools for keeping a complaint firm but courteous. Expectations vary by country, building type, and relationship with the landlord, so the model dialogue and notices in this chapter should be read as illustrative rather than as a single fixed script.
The passive constructions and تَمَّ + verbal noun phrasing shown in this chapter's notices are widely used across formal written Arabic in public signage, but everyday spoken reporting of the same event often prefers an active sentence with an unspecified subject, such as "they fixed it" (أَصْلَحُوهُ) rather than "it was fixed." Both patterns are correct; which one you meet will depend on whether you are reading a formal notice or hearing an informal spoken account.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: attempting to build new passive sentences from scratch for situations not modeled in this chapter, such as passive descriptions of routine daily actions.
Correction: this chapter authorizes passive recognition only. Recognize أُصْلِحَ, يُطْلَب, and تَمَّ + verbal noun when you meet them in notices; for your own writing and speaking, prefer the active sentences and request patterns taught in this chapter.
Error: أُخْبِرُكُم السَّخَّان مُتَعَطِّل. (missing the connector that introduces the content clause)
Correction: أُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ السَّخَّان مُتَعَطِّل. — بِأَنَّ is required to link the reporting verb to the clause that states the problem.
Error: using مَع أَنَّ where a simple contrast is intended, producing an overly complex sentence.
Correction: use لَكِنْ for a straightforward contrast between two statements, and reserve مَع أَنَّ for situations where something should have prevented the problem but did not — for example, a promise that was not kept.
Chapter Review
Section A — الطَّلَبَات (Requests)
1. Write one polite request to a landlord using هَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن or أَرْجُو أَن.
Section B — الشَّكَاوَى (Complaints)
1. Write one sentence reporting a housing problem with بِأَنَّ, and one contrast sentence using لَكِنْ or مَع أَنَّ.
Section C — التَّعَرُّف عَلَى المَبْنِيّ لِلْمَجْهُول (Recognizing the Passive)
1. Read the sentence أُغْلِق البَاب الرَّئِيسِيّ فِي السَّاعَة العَاشِرَة مَسَاءً. What happened, and who performed the action according to the sentence?
مُرَاجَعَة تَرَاكُمِيَّة — Cumulative review
Complete the short exchange below, drawing on this chapter and on Unit I.
أ: مَا المُشْكِلَة الَّتِي تُوَاجِهُهَا فِي شَقَّتِك هَذِه الأَيَّام؟
ب: ______________________________________ (report the problem with بِأَنَّ, then add a contrast with لَكِنْ or مَع أَنَّ)
أ: وَهَل رَأَيْت أَيّ إِعْلَان فِي المَبْنَى هَذَا الأُسْبُوع؟
ب: ______________________________________ (mention one thing that "was repaired" or that residents "are asked" to do, using recognized passive phrasing)
Practical Performance Task
مُهِمَّة الأَدَاء العَمَلِيَّة
طَلَب إِصْلَاح — A Repair Request
Complete both parts below.
- Written: Write a polite message of six to eight sentences to a landlord or building manager that reports a housing problem with a content clause, adds a contrast or concessive clause, makes a clear and polite request for repair, and optionally recognizes one passive-voice or تَمَّ-based notice you have seen in the building.
- Spoken: Present the same message aloud as a short phone call, without reading it word for word, including a greeting, the problem report, the contrast, and the request.
Assessment focus: accurate housing vocabulary; correctly formed content clauses with بِأَنَّ; appropriate use of لَكِنْ or مَع أَنَّ for contrast; polite, accurately formed request patterns; and evidence that passive-voice notices are understood in reading and listening, without any requirement to produce the passive independently.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Maryam uses أُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ سَخَّان المَاء ... تَعَطَّل to report that her water heater stopped working that morning.
- She uses مَع أَنِّي حَاوَلْت إِعَادَة تَشْغِيلِه, contrasting her attempt to fix it herself with the fact that the problem remained unchanged.
- أُصْلِح البَاب أَمْس ("the door was repaired yesterday") and يُطْلَب مِن الجَمِيع إِغْلَاقُه ("everyone is asked to close it") both describe an action or expectation without naming who performed or enforces it.
Listening Station
- The main elevator has been repaired and works normally; the service elevator is still broken.
- Residents are asked not to use the service elevator until further notice.
- نُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ هُنَاك تَسَرُّبًا لِلْمَاء فِي القَبْو reports a water leak located in the basement.
Reading Station — Comprehension
- تَمّ إِغْلَاق المِصْعَد الرَّئِيسِيّ مُؤَقَّتًا — the main elevator was temporarily closed because of a water leak on the third floor.
- Residents are asked (يُرْجَى) to use the stairs until the malfunction is repaired.
- نُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ فَنِّيًّا سَيَأْتِي غَدًا صَبَاحًا reports that a technician will come tomorrow morning.
- مَع أَنَّنَا حَاوَلْنَا حَلّ المُشْكِلَة اليَوْم, لَم يَكُن ذَلِك مُمْكِنًا بِسَبَب حَجْم العُطْل — explains that the size of the malfunction prevented a same-day repair despite the attempt.
Chapter Review — Model responses
Section A: هَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن تُرْسِلُوا فَنِّيًّا لِإِصْلَاح المَغْسَلَة؟
Section B: أُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ مِفْتَاح الكَهْرَبَاء فِي غُرْفَتِي مُتَعَطِّل، لَكِنَّ أَحَدًا لَم يَأْتِ لِإِصْلَاحِه بَعْد.
Section C: The sentence reports that the main door was closed at ten in the evening; no specific person is named as having closed it, since the passive shifts attention to the door itself.
Other well-formed, accurate answers combining the required systems are equally acceptable throughout this section.
Cumulative Review — Model responses for Speaker B
ب: أُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ سَخَّان المَاء تَعَطَّل مُنْذُ أَمْس، وَمَع أَنِّي اتَّصَلْت مَرَّتَيْن، لَم يَأْتِ أَحَد بَعْد.
ب: نَعَم، رَأَيْت إِعْلَانًا يَقُول إِنَّه تَمَّ إِصْلَاح المِصْعَد الرَّئِيسِيّ هَذَا الأُسْبُوع.
Exact wording will vary. Check that a content clause with بِأَنَّ, a contrast or concessive clause, and one recognized passive or تَمَّ-based reference are all present and accurately formed.
Looking Ahead
مَا الَّذِي تَسْتَطِيعُ فِعْلَهُ الآن — What you can do now
You can now describe a housing problem clearly, make a polite repair request, explain a complaint using contrast and concessive clauses, and recognize passive-voice phrasing in housing notices and building announcements. These tools carry forward into the rest of Unit II, where you will keep managing everyday transactions and services independently.