المَال وَالمُعَامَلَاتMoney and Transactions
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Use numbers in the hundreds and thousands accurately when discussing prices, totals, and quantities.
- Describe quantities of money and goods using appropriate counted-noun forms.
- Make formal requests appropriate to banks, shops, and other transactional settings.
- Form a basic condition frame with إِذَا to describe what will happen under a stated condition, such as a discount or a required document.
- Read and listen to short transactional exchanges — at a bank counter, in a shop, or on a receipt — and answer questions about prices, totals, and conditions.
- Write a short, organized message describing a transaction, including price, quantity, and at least one condition.
Communication Scenario
You need to open a small savings account, buy several items at a shop, and understand a receipt that lists a total in the hundreds. Numbers beyond one hundred appear constantly in daily transactions — prices, phone numbers, account balances — but Arabic handles these numbers differently from the numbers you have used so far, and the noun that follows them changes depending on the number itself. You also want to ask, politely and formally, whether a discount is available, and to understand a clerk who tells you: "if you pay in cash, you get a discount."
- You will learn how hundreds and thousands work in Arabic, and what happens to the counted noun that follows them.
- You will learn formal request patterns suited to banks, shops, and official transactions.
- You will learn your first condition frame: إِذَا + a stated condition, followed by a result — for example, "if you pay in cash, you get a discount."
- You will use all three tools together to describe or complete a real transaction.
What This Chapter Builds On
Chapter 7 continues Unit II by extending the polite request patterns and content/contrast clauses introduced in Chapter 6 into a new domain — money and transactions — while adding a carefully bounded set of new tools.
Passive-voice recognition from Chapter 6 continues in this chapter's receipts and notices; you are not yet expected to produce the passive independently.
Core Vocabulary
The following vocabulary supports describing money, prices, quantities, and simple banking or shopping transactions.
| Arabic | Meaning | Gender / Plural |
|---|---|---|
| مَال | money | m. — plural أَمْوَال |
| حِسَاب | account / bill | m. — plural حِسَابَات |
| مَصْرِف / بَنْك | bank | m. — plural مَصَارِف / بُنُوك |
| سِعْر | price | m. — plural أَسْعَار |
| مَجْمُوع | total | m. |
| خَصْم | discount | m. — plural خُصُومَات |
| إِيصَال | receipt | m. — plural إِيصَالَات |
| بِطَاقَة اِئْتِمَان | credit card | f. — plural بِطَاقَات اِئْتِمَان |
| نَقْد | cash | m. |
| كَمِّيَّة | quantity | f. — plural كَمِّيَّات |
| Arabic | Meaning | Form / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| دَفَعَ / يَدْفَع | to pay | sound root; takes a direct object |
| اِشْتَرَى / يَشْتَرِي | to buy | Form VIII; defective (weak) final radical |
| وَافَقَ / يُوَافِق | to agree, approve | Form III; often followed by عَلَى |
| أَرَادَ / يُرِيد | to want | Form IV; hollow (weak) middle radical |
| حَصَلَ / يَحْصُل عَلَى | to obtain, get | sound root; takes عَلَى |
اِشْتَرَى and أَرَادَ are weak verbs recycled from earlier chapters; their irregular stems are reinforced here in a new communicative context rather than reintroduced from scratch.
Numbers Beyond One Hundred
This section introduces hundreds and thousands, and shows how the noun being counted behaves differently than it did with the smaller numbers you have already studied.
دَفَعْت مِئَتَي دِينَار ثَمَنًا لِلْكِتَاب.
I paid two hundred dinars as the price of the book.
مِئَة and أَلْف behave like singular nouns and are followed by a singular counted noun, unlike the plural counted nouns used with the numbers three through ten. مِئَتَان and أَلْفَان follow the same dual pattern you already know from other dual nouns. From three hundred upward, the number word combines with مِئَة/مِئُون or أَلْف/آلَاف according to the same agreement rules you learned for smaller numbers.
- المَجْمُوع خَمْسمِئَة دِرْهَم.The total is five hundred dirhams.مِئَة + singular counted noun
- فِي حِسَابِي أَلْفَا دُولَار.In my account there are two thousand dollars.dual of أَلْف + singular counted noun
- اِشْتَرَيْت ثَلَاثَة كُتُب بِمِئَة وَخَمْسِين رِيَالًا.I bought three books for one hundred fifty riyals.compound hundred + tens
Full productive control of case endings on numbers is not required at this stage; focus on choosing the correct number word and the correct form of the counted noun.
Formal Requests in Transactions
This section extends the polite request patterns from Chapter 6 into banking and shopping contexts, and adds a new formal frame appropriate for addressing a clerk or bank employee.
أَوَدُّ أَن أَفْتَح حِسَابًا جَدِيدًا فِي هَذَا المَصْرِف.
I would like to open a new account at this bank.
أَوَدُّ أَن is a common, polished way to begin a formal request, similar in function to أَرْجُو أَن but slightly more common in spoken banking and retail interactions. It also introduces a subjunctive verb, continuing the system you began recognizing in Chapter 3.
- أَوَدُّ أَن أَعْرِف السِّعْر النِّهَائِيّ مَع الضَّرِيبَة.I would like to know the final price with tax.formal request frame
- هَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن تُقَدِّم لِي إِيصَالًا؟Would it be possible for you to give me a receipt?recycled request frame from Chapter 6
Condition Frames with إِذَا
This section introduces your first productive condition frame: a stated condition followed by its result, most often used here for prices, discounts, and required documents.
إِذَا دَفَعْت نَقْدًا، حَصَلْت عَلَى خَصْم.
If you pay in cash, you get a discount.
إِذَا introduces a condition that is expected to be real or likely, not hypothetical or contrary to fact. The verb after إِذَا is normally in the perfect, even when the meaning refers to the present or future; the result clause may use either the perfect or the imperfect. At this stage, you are expected to produce this simple pattern accurately; more advanced conditional structures are reserved for later chapters.
- إِذَا وَافَقْتُم عَلَى السِّعْر، سَنُوقِّع العَقْد اليَوْم.If you agree to the price, we will sign the contract today.condition (perfect) + result (imperfect/future)
- إِذَا أَحْضَرْت بِطَاقَتِي، أَسْتَطِيع فَتْح الحِسَاب اليَوْم.If I bring my card, I can open the account today.condition + result, both perfect/present ability
Model Dialogue
Setting: سَامِي visits a bank to open a savings account and asks the clerk, الأُسْتَاذَة لَيْلَى, about fees and requirements.
السِّيَاق: يَزُور سَامِي المَصْرِف لِفَتْح حِسَاب تَوْفِير وَيَسْأَل المُوَظَّفَة، الأُسْتَاذَة لَيْلَى، عَن الرُّسُوم وَالمُتَطَلَّبَات.
أَسْئِلَة الفَهْم — Comprehension questions:
- What is the minimum amount needed to open the account, and how is that number expressed in Arabic?
- What condition frame does Sami use, and what result does he ask about?
- What condition does Layla state for there being no fees?
Listening Station
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short shop announcement aloud twice at a moderate pace. Listen without reading along the first time, then answer the questions below.
إِعْلَان لِلزَّبَائِن: أَسْعَار جَمِيع المُنْتَجَات هَذَا الأُسْبُوع بَيْن مِئَة وَخَمْسمِئَة دِرْهَم. إِذَا اشْتَرَيْتُم بِأَكْثَر مِن أَلْف دِرْهَم، تَحْصُلُون عَلَى خَصْم عِشْرِين بِالمِئَة. أَمَّا الدَّفْع بِبِطَاقَة الاِئْتِمَان فَمُتَاح دُون رُسُوم إِضَافِيَّة. نَشْكُرُكُم عَلَى تَعَامُلِكُم مَعَنَا.
مُهِمَّة الاسْتِمَاع — Listening task
Answer the following questions based on what you hear:
- What price range is given for this week's products?
- What condition earns a customer a twenty percent discount?
- Is there an extra fee for paying by credit card?
Speaking Station
تَدْرِيب مُوَجَّه — Controlled practice: Prices and totals
With a partner, take turns stating a price for an everyday item using a number in the hundreds, then asking the other partner to state the total for several items using a number in the thousands.
مُهِمَّة تَوَاصُل — Communicative task: At the bank counter
In pairs, role-play a short bank visit. One partner plays the customer, making a formal request with أَوَدُّ أَن or هَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن and describing an amount of money; the other partner plays the clerk, stating a condition with إِذَا and its result (a fee, a discount, or a requirement).
لِلْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ المُسْتَقِلِّينَ — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing a recent purchase: state the price, the quantity, and one condition under which you would have paid a different amount (for example, a discount for paying in cash).
Reading Station
Read the short receipt notice below, then answer the questions that follow. As in earlier chapters, some predictable short vowels on familiar words are left unmarked.
A Shop Receipt Note — Sample Text
إيصال شراء: ثلاث قطع بسعر مئة وخمسين درهما للقطعة، والمجموع أربعمئة وخمسون درهما. إذا أعدتم المنتج خلال أسبوع مع الإيصال، يمكن استرجاع كامل المبلغ. الدفع تم ببطاقة الائتمان، ولا رسوم إضافية على هذه الطريقة. شكرا لتسوقكم معنا.
أَسْئِلَة الفَهْم — Comprehension questions:
- How many items were purchased, and what is the total?
- What condition allows a full refund, and what result does it lead to?
- How was the payment made, and is there an extra fee for that method?
Writing Station
In this station, you will draft a short message of six to eight sentences describing a transaction to a friend or colleague.
- Open naturally. One sentence introducing what you bought, paid, or arranged.
- State the price or amount. One or two sentences using a number in the hundreds or thousands.
- Add a condition. One sentence using إِذَا to describe a condition and its result — a discount, a fee, or a requirement.
- Make a request, if useful. One optional sentence using أَوَدُّ أَن or هَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن.
- Reference a receipt or notice, if useful. One optional sentence recognizing a passive or تَمَّ-based phrase, such as something that تَمَّ دَفْعُه.
- Close and revise. One closing sentence, then check your draft against the editing checklist below.
قَائِمَة المُرَاجَعَة — Editing checklist:
- I used at least one number in the hundreds or thousands correctly, with the correct form of the counted noun.
- I included one condition frame with إِذَا and a matching result.
- I used a polite or formal request pattern where appropriate.
- I did not attempt an advanced or hypothetical conditional beyond the pattern taught in this chapter.
- My message reads as one connected account of a transaction rather than a list of unrelated facts.
Culture and Communication
Expectations around negotiating price vary widely across Arabic-speaking regions and settings. In many traditional markets, a degree of polite bargaining is expected and even valued as a social exchange, while in banks, large retail stores, and most government transactions, prices and fees are fixed and bargaining would be out of place. Reading the setting — market stall, shop counter, or bank window — matters as much as knowing the vocabulary for money.
This chapter uses دِرْهَم, دِينَار, رِيَال, and دُولَار as example currencies, but the specific currency name and its grammatical behavior depend on the country in question. Learners preparing for a specific region should confirm the correct currency name and its plural or dual forms for that country rather than assuming one currency name applies everywhere.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: مِئَة دَرَاهِم (using a plural counted noun after مِئَة)
Correction: مِئَة دِرْهَم — مِئَة and أَلْف are followed by a singular counted noun, unlike the numbers three through ten.
Error: using إِذَا for situations that are clearly imaginary, impossible, or contrary to fact.
Correction: reserve إِذَا, as taught in this chapter, for conditions that are real or likely — prices, discounts, and requirements you might actually encounter. More advanced hypothetical conditionals are introduced in a later chapter.
Error: using أَوَدُّ أَن with a close friend or in a very informal exchange, producing an unnaturally stiff tone.
Correction: reserve أَوَدُّ أَن for formal settings such as banks, offices, and official transactions; simpler request forms are more natural among friends.
Chapter Review
Section A — الأَعْدَاد (Numbers)
1. Write one sentence stating a total using a number in the hundreds, and one sentence using a number in the thousands.
Section B — الطَّلَبَات الرَّسْمِيَّة (Formal Requests)
1. Write one formal request using أَوَدُّ أَن, appropriate to a bank or shop setting.
Section C — جُمَل الشَّرْط (Condition Frames)
1. Complete the sentence: إِذَا دَفَعْت نَقْدًا، ______________________.
مُرَاجَعَة تَرَاكُمِيَّة — Cumulative review
Complete the short exchange below, drawing on this chapter and on Chapter 6.
أ: كَم سِعْر هَذَا المُنْتَج، وَهَل تُوجَد شُرُوط لِلْخَصْم؟
ب: ______________________________________ (state a price with a number in the hundreds or thousands, then add a condition with إِذَا)
أ: وَهَل يُمْكِنُك أَن تُخْبِرَنِي إِذَا كَان هُنَاك أَيّ مُشْكِلَة فِي الإِيصَال؟
ب: ______________________________________ (report a problem with بِأَنَّ, as in Chapter 6, then add a polite request)
Practical Performance Task
مُهِمَّة الأَدَاء العَمَلِيَّة
مُعَامَلَة مَالِيَّة — A Financial Transaction
Complete both parts below.
- Written: Write a message of six to eight sentences describing a transaction — a purchase, a bank deposit, or a payment — that includes at least one number in the hundreds or thousands, one condition frame with إِذَا, and one formal or polite request.
- Spoken: Present the same transaction aloud as a short conversation at a counter, including a greeting, the price or amount, the condition, and the request.
Assessment focus: accurate numbers in the hundreds and thousands with correctly formed counted nouns; a clearly formed condition frame with إِذَا and a matching result; an appropriately formal request pattern; and accurate recycling of content and contrast clauses from Chapter 6 where relevant.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- The minimum is خَمْسمِئَة دِرْهَم ("five hundred dirhams"), using مِئَة with a singular counted noun.
- Sami uses إِذَا أَوْدَعْت أَلْف دِرْهَم كَامِلَة to ask whether depositing the full one thousand dirhams results in any fees.
- Layla states that there are no fees if (إِذَا كَان) the amount is more than two hundred dirhams.
Listening Station
- Prices this week range from one hundred to five hundred dirhams.
- Spending more than one thousand dirhams earns a twenty percent discount.
- No, paying by credit card is available without an additional fee.
Reading Station — Comprehension
- Three items were purchased at one hundred fifty dirhams each, for a total of four hundred fifty dirhams.
- Returning the product within a week with the receipt allows a full refund of the amount.
- Payment was made by credit card, and there is no additional fee for that method.
Chapter Review — Model responses
Section A: المَجْمُوع سِتّمِئَة دِرْهَم. فِي حِسَابِي أَلْفَا دُولَار.
Section B: أَوَدُّ أَن أَعْرِف إِذَا كَانَت هُنَاك رُسُوم إِضَافِيَّة عَلَى الدَّفْع بِالبِطَاقَة.
Section C: إِذَا دَفَعْت نَقْدًا، حَصَلْت عَلَى خَصْم عَشَرَة بِالمِئَة.
Other well-formed, accurate answers combining the required systems are equally acceptable throughout this section.
Cumulative Review — Model responses for Speaker B
ب: سِعْر المُنْتَج ثَلَاثمِئَة دِرْهَم، وَإِذَا اشْتَرَيْت قِطْعَتَيْن، تَحْصُل عَلَى خَصْم عَشَرَة بِالمِئَة.
ب: أُخْبِرُكُم بِأَنَّ الإِيصَال لَا يُظْهِر تَارِيخ الشِّرَاء، فَهَل مِن المُمْكِن أَن تُصْدِرُوا إِيصَالًا جَدِيدًا؟
Exact wording will vary. Check that a number in the hundreds or thousands, a condition frame with إِذَا, and a content clause or request pattern from Chapter 6 are all present and accurately formed.
Looking Ahead
مَا الَّذِي تَسْتَطِيعُ فِعْلَهُ الآن — What you can do now
You can now use numbers in the hundreds and thousands accurately, make formal requests appropriate to banks and shops, and state a simple real condition and its result. These tools carry forward into the rest of Unit II, where you will keep managing everyday transactions and services independently.