خُطَط وَأَهْدَافPlans and Goals
Chapter Overview
Chapter 19 turns from opinion to the future. You have already used the future marker and simple intentions since Volume I, practiced conditional frames in Chapters 7 through 9, and expressed ability with يَسْتَطِيع since early in this volume. This chapter does not introduce a new tense, mood, or clause type. Instead, it consolidates that future and conditional language into fuller, more independent statements about plans and goals, adds a small set of intention and project verbs, and gives you the vocabulary to talk about steps, deadlines, and outcomes. You will discuss short-term and long-term plans, read a short paragraph about someone's goals, and write your own project plan that states an intention, a condition, an ability, and a timeline.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- State future plans using سَ / سَوْفَ and the imperfect, recycled and expanded from Volume I and earlier Volume II chapters.
- Express intention using أَنْوِي أَنْ and أُخَطِّط لِـ / أُخَطِّط لِأَنْ.
- State a condition and its result using إِذَا + perfect ... فَـ / سَـ, recycled and expanded from Chapters 7 through 9.
- Express ability and inability using أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ and لا أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ, and possibility using يُمْكِن أَنْ.
- Use project vocabulary such as هَدَف، خُطْوَة، مَوْعِد نِهَائِيّ، and نَجَح فِي to describe the stages of a plan.
- Read a short paragraph describing someone's goals and identify the plan, the condition, and the ability involved.
- Write a short project plan of five to seven sentences that states a goal, a condition, an ability, at least one step, and a timeline.
Opening Communication Scenario
Imagine a friend, classmate, or colleague asks about your plans for the coming year — a course you want to finish, a trip you want to take, or a skill you want to develop. You want to describe not only what you intend to do, but also what has to happen first, what you are and are not able to do, and by when you expect to reach your goal. This chapter gives you the frames to move from a single future sentence to a short, organized statement of a plan.
- You will learn vocabulary and frames for stating intentions and goals.
- You will practice stating a condition and its result.
- You will learn to express ability, inability, and possibility.
- You will read, discuss, and write a short project plan.
Core Vocabulary
The vocabulary below supports stating intentions, conditions, abilities, and project stages. All items are productive for this chapter.
| Arabic | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| هَدَف | goal, aim | masculine; sound plural أَهْدَاف |
| خُطَّة | plan | feminine; sound plural خُطَط |
| خُطْوَة | step | feminine; sound plural خُطُوَات |
| نَوَى | to intend | Form I, defective root؛ imperfect يَنْوِي؛ followed by أَنْ |
| خَطَّطَ لِـ | to plan for/to | Form II؛ imperfect يُخَطِّط؛ followed by لِـ + noun or لِأَنْ + verb |
| اِسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ | to be able to | Form X، hollow root؛ imperfect يَسْتَطِيع؛ followed by أَنْ |
| نَجَحَ فِي | to succeed in | Form I؛ imperfect يَنْجَح؛ followed by فِي + noun/verbal noun |
| حَقَّقَ | to achieve, realize | Form II؛ imperfect يُحَقِّق؛ often followed by هَدَف |
| مَوْعِد نِهَائِيّ | deadline | masculine phrase; plural مَوَاعِيد نِهَائِيَّة |
| عَلَى المَدَى الطَّوِيل / القَصِير | in the long term / short term | fixed prepositional phrase |
Recycled ability and possibility verbs:
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| يَسْتَطِيع أَنْ | to be able to (recycled from earlier chapters) |
| يُمْكِن أَنْ | it is possible to; can (impersonal) |
| مِن المُمْكِن أَنْ | it is possible that |
يَسْتَطِيع and يُمْكِن were both introduced earlier in the volume for simple statements of ability and possibility. This chapter recycles them inside fuller project language rather than introducing new ability structures.
Pronunciation Focus
When you say a full إِذَا-conditional sentence, keep the condition clause and the result clause linked as one breath group whenever the sentence is short enough, with only a very brief pause at the boundary marked by فَـ or سَـ. This keeps the condition and its result sounding connected rather than like two separate statements. Continue applying hamzat al-waṣl linking across word boundaries and natural pause-form pronunciation at the end of each full sentence, exactly as practiced since Volume I.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter does not introduce a new tense, mood, or clause type. It consolidates the future marker from Volume I, expands the conditional pattern from Chapters 7 through 9 into fuller plans, and adds two new intention verbs and a small set of project vocabulary built on familiar patterns.
سَأَفْعَل and سَوْفَ أَفْعَل work exactly as they have since Volume I: the prefix سَ or the separate particle سَوْفَ attaches to the imperfect verb to mark a future action. What is new in this chapter is combining that future statement with a stated goal, a step, or a timeline, so that a single future verb becomes part of an organized plan rather than an isolated sentence.
- سَأَدْرُس اللُّغَة العَرَبِيَّة عَلَى المَدَى الطَّوِيل.I will study the Arabic language over the long term.سَ + imperfect, recycled from Vol. I
- أَنْوِي أَنْ أُغَيِّر عَمَلِي فِي السَّنَة القَادِمَة.I intend to change my job next year.أَنْوِي + أَنْ, new intention verb
- أُخَطِّط لِرِحْلَة طَوِيلَة بَعْد التَّخَرُّج.I am planning a long trip after graduation.أُخَطِّط لِـ + noun phrase
The condition clause after إِذَا normally uses the perfect verb even when the meaning is future, exactly as practiced in Chapters 7 through 9. The result clause may open with فَـ before a nominal sentence or command, or may use سَـ / سَوْفَ before an imperfect verb when the result is itself a future action.
إِذَا نَجَحْتُ فِي الاِمْتِحَان، سَأَبْدَأ المَشْرُوع الجَدِيد فِي الصَّيْف.
If I pass the exam, I will begin the new project in the summer.
أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ and لا أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ describe personal ability or inability, while يُمْكِن أَنْ and مِن المُمْكِن أَنْ describe possibility more generally, without attributing the ability to a specific person. Both patterns were introduced earlier in the volume; here they are used together with future and conditional language to build a fuller plan.
- أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ أُنْهِي الخُطْوَة الأُولَى هَذَا الأُسْبُوع.I am able to finish the first step this week.
- لا أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ أُحَقِّق هَذَا الهَدَف بِدُون مُسَاعَدَة.I am not able to achieve this goal without help.
- مِن المُمْكِن أَنْ نُغَيِّر المَوْعِد النِّهَائِيّ إِذَا كَانَ ضَرُورِيًّا.It is possible that we could change the deadline if it is necessary.
Project language such as هَدَف، خُطْوَة، and مَوْعِد نِهَائِيّ appears in both everyday and academic contexts. In a report or academic project proposal, these words often combine with the academic connectors introduced in Chapter 18, such as بِنَاءً عَلَى ذَلِكَ. At this stage, you only need to recognize this more formal combination; producing a full academic project proposal is developed later in the series.
Model Dialogue
Context: two friends, on informal terms, talking about their plans for the coming year.
Guided Practice
- Complete the sentence with a future verb: فِي السَّنَة القَادِمَة، ___ (سافر) إِلَى مِصْر.
- Rewrite this sentence using أَنْوِي أَنْ: سَأَبْدَأ مَشْرُوعًا جَدِيدًا.
- Complete the condition with an appropriate result: إِذَا اِنْتَهَيْتُ مِن الخُطْوَة الأُولَى، ___.
- Rewrite this sentence to express inability instead of ability: أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ أُحَقِّق هَذَا الهَدَف هَذِه السَّنَة.
- Combine these two ideas into one sentence using إِذَا ... فَـ: أَجِد وَقْتًا كَافِيًا. / أُنْهِي المَشْرُوع قَبْل المَوْعِد النِّهَائِيّ.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short passage aloud twice at a moderate pace. Listen without reading along the first time, then answer the questions below.
هَدَفِي عَلَى المَدَى الطَّوِيل هُوَ فَتْح مَشْرُوعِي الخَاصّ. أَوَّل خُطْوَة هِيَ اِدِّخَار المَال، وَالخُطْوَة الثَّانِيَة هِيَ كِتَابَة خُطَّة عَمَل وَاضِحَة. إِذَا اِدَّخَرْتُ مَا يَكْفِي بِحُلُول نِهَايَة السَّنَة، سَأَبْدَأ المَشْرُوع فِي الرَّبِيع القَادِم. أَعْرِف أَنَّنِي أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ أُخَطِّط جَيِّدًا، لَكِنّ لا أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ أَضْمَن النَّجَاح بِمُفْرَدِي، لِذَلِكَ أَنْوِي أَنْ أَطْلُب مُسَاعَدَة صَدِيق يَعْمَل فِي هَذَا المَجَال.
مُهِمَّة الاسْتِمَاع — Listening task
- What is the speaker's long-term goal?
- What are the two steps the speaker mentions?
- What condition does the speaker state, and what result follows it?
- What does the speaker say they are and are not able to do alone?
Speaking Practice
تَدْرِيب مُوَجَّه — Controlled practice: Stating an intention and a step
With a partner, take turns naming a personal goal and stating one step toward it, using أَنْوِي أَنْ or أُخَطِّط لِـ followed by a sentence with أَوَّل خُطْوَة.
مُهِمَّة تَوَاصُل — Communicative task: Conditions and abilities
In pairs, discuss a shared plan (a trip, a project, a class). One partner proposes a condition with إِذَا and a result; the other responds by stating what they are or are not able to do, using أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ or لا أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ. Continue the exchange for at least four turns.
لِلْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ المُسْتَقِلِّينَ — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing a personal goal in four to six connected sentences, including an intention, a condition with its result, a statement of ability, and a timeline using عَلَى المَدَى الطَّوِيل or عَلَى المَدَى القَصِير.
Reading Practice
Read the short paragraph below, then answer the questions that follow. As in earlier chapters, some predictable short vowels on familiar words are left unmarked.
A Personal Goal — Sample Text
تَنْوِي سَارَة أَنْ تُغَيِّر مِهْنَتَهَا خِلَال السَّنَتَيْن القَادِمَتَيْن. هَدَفُهَا هُوَ العَمَل فِي مَجَال التَّصْمِيم، وَأَوَّل خُطْوَة فِي خُطَّتِهَا هِيَ التَّسْجِيل فِي دَوْرَة تَدْرِيبِيَّة مَسَائِيَّة. تَسْتَطِيع سَارَة أَنْ تَحْضُر الدَّوْرَة مَرَّتَيْن فِي الأُسْبُوع، لَكِنَّهَا لا تَسْتَطِيع أَنْ تَتْرُك عَمَلَهَا الحَالِيّ قَبْل أَنْ تَجِد فُرْصَة جَدِيدَة. إِذَا أَنْهَت الدَّوْرَة بِنَجَاح بِحُلُول نِهَايَة العَام، فَسَتَبْدَأ بِالتَّقَدُّم لِلْوَظَائِف فِي مَجَال التَّصْمِيم. مِن المُمْكِن أَنْ تَحْتَاج إِلَى وَقْت إِضَافِيّ، لَكِنَّهَا وَاثِقَة مِن أَنَّهَا سَتُحَقِّق هَدَفَهَا فِي النِّهَايَة.
أَسْئِلَة الفَهْم — Comprehension questions:
- What is Sarah's long-term goal, and by when does she hope to reach it?
- What is the first step in her plan?
- What is Sarah able to do, and what is she not able to do yet?
- What condition and result does the passage describe near the end?
Writing Workshop
In this workshop, you will write a short project plan of five to seven sentences that states a goal, a condition, an ability, at least one step, and a timeline.
- State your goal. One sentence using أَنْوِي أَنْ or أُخَطِّط لِـ.
- Name a first step. One sentence using أَوَّل خُطْوَة or خُطْوَتِي الأُولَى.
- State a condition and result. One sentence using إِذَا ... فَـ / سَـ.
- State an ability or inability. One sentence using أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ or لا أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ.
- Give a timeline. One sentence using عَلَى المَدَى الطَّوِيل، عَلَى المَدَى القَصِير, or a specific date.
- Review your draft against the editing checklist below.
قَائِمَة المُرَاجَعَة — Editing checklist:
- I stated a clear goal using أَنْوِي أَنْ or أُخَطِّط لِـ.
- I named at least one concrete step in my plan.
- I included a condition and its result using إِذَا.
- I stated an ability or inability using أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ or لا أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ.
- I gave a timeline for my goal.
- My paragraph reads as one connected plan rather than a list of unrelated sentences.
- I did not attempt spontaneous full case-ending production beyond the fixed accusative expressions already practiced.
Culture and Communication
Across many Arabic-speaking communities, a statement about the future is commonly followed by إِن شَاء الله (God willing), which acknowledges that outcomes are not entirely within human control. This expression appears across religious and secular speakers alike as a widely used conversational habit and does not necessarily signal uncertainty about a plan's seriousness. Learners should recognize it as a natural part of talking about the future rather than as a sign of hesitation.
Everyday conversation about personal plans, like conversation about opinions in the previous chapter, often shifts into regional spoken Arabic, even among speakers who write in MSA. A written plan, project proposal, or classroom presentation, however, generally remains in MSA. Recognizing this shift without treating it as an error continues to be a useful part of listening comprehension.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: writing إِذَا أَنْجَح فِي الاِمْتِحَان، سَأَبْدَأ المَشْرُوع., using the imperfect after إِذَا.
Correction: use the perfect verb in the condition clause, even for a future meaning: إِذَا نَجَحْتُ فِي الاِمْتِحَان، سَأَبْدَأ المَشْرُوع.
Error: writing أُمْكِن أَنْ أُنْهِي المَشْرُوع., treating يُمْكِن as if it agreed with a personal subject.
Correction: يُمْكِن is impersonal and does not change for person: يُمْكِن أَنْ أُنْهِي المَشْرُوع. Use أَسْتَطِيع when you want to name your own personal ability directly: أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ أُنْهِي المَشْرُوع.
Error: writing أَنْوِي أُغَيِّر عَمَلِي., omitting أَنْ before the second verb.
Correction: أَنْوِي، أَسْتَطِيع، and يُمْكِن all require أَنْ before the following verb: أَنْوِي أَنْ أُغَيِّر عَمَلِي.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter, you learned to state intentions and goals, describe the steps of a plan, express a condition and its result, and state ability, inability, and possibility in Contemporary MSA. You expanded the future marker from Volume I and the conditional pattern from Chapters 7 through 9 into fuller project language, and you added two new intention verbs along with a set of goal-and-timeline vocabulary. No new tense, mood, or clause type was introduced; the underlying grammar remains what you consolidated earlier in the volume.
Chapter Review
Section A — Vocabulary and Forms
1. Give the plural of هَدَف and خُطْوَة.
2. Explain in one or two sentences the difference between أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ and يُمْكِن أَنْ.
Section B — Plans, Conditions, and Ability
1. Write one sentence stating a goal using أَنْوِي أَنْ and one step using أَوَّل خُطْوَة.
2. Write one sentence with إِذَا stating a condition and its result, and one sentence stating an ability with أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ.
مُرَاجَعَة تَرَاكُمِيَّة — Cumulative review
Complete the short plan below, drawing on Chapters 7, 9, 13, 18, and 19.
أَنْوِي أَنْ ______________________________________ (state a goal)
وَأَوَّل خُطْوَة هِيَ ______________________________________ (name a step)
إِذَا ______________________________________، فَـ ______________________________________ (state a condition and result)
وَأَسْتَطِيع أَنْ ______________________________________ (state an ability)
Practical Performance Task
مُهِمَّة الأَدَاء العَمَلِيَّة
خُطَّتِي القَادِمَة — My Upcoming Plan
Complete both parts below.
- Written: Write a paragraph of five to seven sentences describing a personal or academic plan. Include a goal, at least one step, a condition and its result, a statement of ability, and a timeline.
- Spoken: Present the same plan aloud to a partner or record it. Your partner should ask at least one question about your plan using هَل تَسْتَطِيع أَنْ or إِذَا.
Assessment focus: a clearly stated goal using the chapter's intention frames; an accurate condition and result; ability or inability correctly formed with أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ; a stated timeline; and a connected, organized paragraph. No new grammar, vocabulary domain, or productive register beyond the recognition-level academic combination is assessed.
Answer Key
Guided Practice
- Model: فِي السَّنَة القَادِمَة، سَأُسَافِر إِلَى مِصْر.
- أَنْوِي أَنْ أَبْدَأ مَشْرُوعًا جَدِيدًا.
- Model: إِذَا اِنْتَهَيْتُ مِن الخُطْوَة الأُولَى، سَأَبْدَأ الخُطْوَة الثَّانِيَة فَوْرًا.
- لا أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ أُحَقِّق هَذَا الهَدَف هَذِه السَّنَة.
- Model: إِذَا وَجَدْتُ وَقْتًا كَافِيًا، فَسَأُنْهِي المَشْرُوع قَبْل المَوْعِد النِّهَائِيّ.
Listening Practice
- The speaker's long-term goal is opening their own project or business.
- The two steps are saving money and writing a clear business plan.
- The condition is saving enough by the end of the year; the result is beginning the project the following spring.
- The speaker can plan well but cannot guarantee success alone, so they intend to ask a friend for help.
Reading Practice — Comprehension
- Sarah's long-term goal is to work in the field of design, which she hopes to reach within the next two years.
- The first step in her plan is enrolling in an evening training course.
- Sarah is able to attend the course twice a week, but she is not yet able to leave her current job before finding a new opportunity.
- Near the end, the passage states that if she finishes the course successfully by the end of the year, she will start applying for jobs in design.
Chapter Review — Model responses
Section A.1: أَهْدَاف; خُطُوَات.
Section A.2: أَسْتَطِيع أَنْ names a specific person's personal ability, while يُمْكِن أَنْ is impersonal and states that something is generally possible, without necessarily identifying who is able to do it.
Section B: أَنْوِي أَنْ أَتَعَلَّم مَهَارَة جَدِيدَة هَذِه السَّنَة. وَأَوَّل خُطْوَة هِيَ التَّسْجِيل فِي دَوْرَة. إِذَا اِلْتَزَمْتُ بِالخُطَّة، فَسَأَنْجَح فِي تَحْقِيق هَدَفِي. وَأَسْتَطِيع أَنْ أُخَصِّص سَاعَة كُلّ يَوْم لِلتَّدْرِيب.
Other well-formed, accurate answers combining the required systems are equally acceptable throughout this section.
Looking Ahead
مَا الَّذِي تَسْتَطِيعُ فِعْلَهُ الآن — What you can do now
You can now state intentions and goals, describe the steps of a plan, express a condition and its result, and talk about ability and possibility in Contemporary MSA. You have recycled and connected future, conditional, and ability language from across the volume into a single organized plan. Chapter 20 brings together everything from Unit IV and the whole volume into your final B1 portfolio and presentation.