الأَرْقَام وَالبَيَانَاتChapter 13: Numbers and Data
Chapter Overview
In Chapter 12, you learned to compare two options, classify a set of items into groups, draw a contrast, and interpret what a comparison shows. This chapter extends that interpretive skill into the world of numbers: percentages, statistics, and simple charts. You will learn how to state a percentage, describe a rate that rises or falls, cite a figure as evidence, and comment on what a set of numbers demonstrates. No new clause type is introduced; instead, the interpretive expressions from Chapter 12 — يَدُلّ هَذَا عَلَى أَنَّ and تُظْهِر هَذِه المُقَارَنَة أَنَّ — are extended to work with figures instead of qualitative contrasts. By the end of the chapter, you will be able to read a short passage containing statistics, discuss a simple chart with a partner, and write a short paragraph of data commentary.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- State and read percentages in Arabic, including expressions such as فِي المِئَة and بِالمِئَة.
- Describe a figure using بَلَغَ (يَبْلُغ) and شَكَّلَ (يُشَكِّل) to state what a number reached or represented.
- Describe a rate rising or falling using اِرْتَفَعَ (يَرْتَفِع) and اِنْخَفَضَ (يَنْخَفِض), with مِن ... إِلَى to mark the starting and ending point.
- Cite a source of data using وَفْقًا لِـ and حَسَب.
- Comment on what a set of figures shows using تُشِير البَيَانَات إِلَى أَنَّ and يَدُلّ هَذَا الرَّقْم عَلَى أَنَّ.
- Read a short passage containing statistics and identify the figures, their source, and the writer's interpretation.
- Write a short, organized paragraph of data commentary that states a figure, cites its source, and interprets what it shows.
Opening Communication Scenario
Your discussion group from Chapter 12 has now received a short report with actual figures on the volunteer-work programs you compared and classified earlier: participation rates, satisfaction percentages, and year-over-year change. Your instructor asks you to summarize the key figures, cite where they came from, and explain what the numbers show about which approach is working better — supporting your earlier qualitative comparison with concrete data.
- You will learn how to state percentages and describe rates that rise or fall.
- You will practice citing a data source and commenting on what figures demonstrate.
- You will read a short passage with statistics, discuss a simple chart with a partner, and write your own data-commentary paragraph.
Core Vocabulary
These items are new to this chapter and are productive from this point forward. Vocabulary from Chapter 12 — مُقَارَنَة, تَصْنِيف, فَرْق — recurs below in data-linked contexts.
| Arabic | Meaning | Gender / Plural / Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| نِسْبَة، نِسَب | percentage, rate, proportion | fem., broken pl. | core noun; used with فِي المِئَة |
| إِحْصَاء، إِحْصَاءَات | statistic | masc., sound fem. pl. | often used in the plural |
| بَيَانَات | data | fem. pl. (no productive singular in this use) | collective plural noun; treated as plural in agreement |
| رَسْم بَيَانِيّ، رُسُوم بَيَانِيَّة | chart, graph | masc., broken pl. | construct phrase; بَيَانِيّ is an adjective from بَيَانَات |
| مُعَدَّل، مُعَدَّلَات | average, rate | masc., sound fem. pl. | passive participle of Form II عَدَّلَ, lexicalized as a noun |
| بَلَغَ (يَبْلُغ) | to reach, to amount to | Form I hollow verb | governs a following number or percentage directly |
| شَكَّلَ (يُشَكِّل) | to constitute, to represent (a share) | Form II verb, sound root | often followed by a percentage |
| اِرْتَفَعَ (يَرْتَفِع) | to rise, to increase | Form VIII verb, sound root | takes مِن ... إِلَى for start and end points |
| اِنْخَفَضَ (يَنْخَفِض) | to fall, to decrease | Form VII verb, sound root | takes مِن ... إِلَى for start and end points |
| وَفْقًا لِـ / حَسَب | according to | fixed expressions | introduce the source of a figure |
Nouns are listed with gender and plural; verbs with form, root type, and government pattern, consistent with this volume's noun and verb policy.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns: Percentages, Statistics, Data Commentary
This chapter introduces percentages, statistical expressions, and data commentary for the first time, and extends the interpretive pattern from Chapter 12 to work with figures. No new clause type is introduced: the أَنَّ-content clause recycled since Chapter 3 continues to carry the interpretation, now attached to a number rather than a qualitative contrast.
Recycled structures used in this chapter: content clauses with أَنَّ (Ch. 3-4, 11-12), source attribution (Ch. 4, 6), and the interpretive pattern from Chapter 12, now applied to numerical data rather than qualitative contrast alone.
أَمْثِلَة إِضَافِيَّة — Additional examples:
- حَسَب الإِحْصَاءَات الأَخِيرَة، يَبْلُغ مُعَدَّل التَّسْجِيل فِي البَرَامِج الإِجْبَارِيَّة تِسْعِين فِي المِئَة تَقْرِيبًا.According to the latest statistics, the registration rate in mandatory programs reaches almost ninety percent.
- اِنْخَفَضَت نِسْبَة الطُّلَّاب الَّذِين يَخْتَارُون العَمَل التَّطَوُّعِيّ فِي الخَارِج مِن ثَلَاثِين إِلَى خَمْسَة عَشَر فِي المِئَة.The percentage of students choosing volunteer work abroad dropped from thirty to fifteen percent.
Model Dialogue
صَبَاح and كَرِيم now review the actual figures behind the report they discussed in Chapter 12.
Guided Practice
تَمْرِين ١ — State the percentage. Complete each sentence with a correctly formed percentage expression.
- بَلَغَت نِسْبَة الطُّلَّاب الَّذِين يَدْرُسُون عَن بُعْد ______ (40) فِي المِئَة هَذَا العَام.
- شَكَّلَ العَمَل التَّطَوُّعِيّ المَحَلِّيّ ______ (65) فِي المِئَة مِن مَجْمُوع السَّاعَات.
- حَسَب الإِحْصَاءَات، يَبْلُغ مُعَدَّل الحُضُور ______ (90) فِي المِئَة تَقْرِيبًا.
تَمْرِين ٢ — Describe the change. Use اِرْتَفَعَ or اِنْخَفَضَ with مِن ... إِلَى to describe each change.
- نِسْبَة اِسْتِخْدَام وَسَائِل النَّقْل العَامّ: مِن 25% إِلَى 45%.
- نِسْبَة الطُّلَّاب الَّذِين يَخْتَارُون الدِّرَاسَة الفَرْدِيَّة: مِن 55% إِلَى 30%.
تَمْرِين ٣ — Interpret the figures. For each pair of statistics below, write one sentence beginning with تُشِير البَيَانَات إِلَى أَنَّ or يَدُلّ هَذَا الرَّقْم عَلَى أَنَّ.
- نِسْبَة التَّسْجِيل فِي الدَّوْرَات الإِلِكْتْرُونِيَّة اِرْتَفَعَت مِن 20% إِلَى 55%، لَكِنَّ نِسْبَة إِكْمَال الدَّوْرَة لَم تَتَجَاوَز 35%.
- وَفْقًا لِلتَّقْرِير، شَكَّلَت الوَظَائِف عَن بُعْد 30% مِن الوَظَائِف الجَدِيدَة، بَعْد أَن كَانَت 10% قَبْل خَمْس سَنَوَات.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short data-commentary statement aloud twice at a moderate pace. Listen without reading along the first time, then answer the questions below.
وَفْقًا لِدِرَاسَة حَدِيثَة، بَلَغَت نِسْبَة الشَّبَاب الَّذِين يَسْتَخْدِمُون الهَاتِف الذَّكِيّ يَوْمِيًّا تِسْعِين فِي المِئَة تَقْرِيبًا. وَقَد اِرْتَفَعَت هَذِه النِّسْبَة مِن سَبْعِين فِي المِئَة خِلَال خَمْس سَنَوَات فَقَط. بِالمُقَابِل، اِنْخَفَضَت نِسْبَة الَّذِين يَقْرَؤُون الكُتُب الوَرَقِيَّة بِاِنْتِظَام مِن أَرْبَعِين إِلَى خَمْسَة وَعِشْرِين فِي المِئَة فِي الفَتْرَة نَفْسهَا. تُشِير البَيَانَات إِلَى أَنَّ اِسْتِخْدَام الهَاتِف الذَّكِيّ قَد يُؤَثِّر عَلَى عَادَات القِرَاءَة التَّقْلِيدِيَّة.
مُهِمَّة الاسْتِمَاع — Listening task
- What percentage of young people use a smartphone daily, and how has that rate changed?
- What percentage of young people read paper books regularly, and how has that rate changed?
- What conclusion does the speaker draw from these two figures?
Speaking Practice
تَدْرِيب مُوَجَّه — Controlled practice: State and describe a rate
Choose one topic from the list below and state a percentage, then describe whether it has risen or fallen: smartphone use among students; participation in online classes; interest in remote work; use of public transportation in your city.
مُهِمَّة تَوَاصُل — Communicative task: Chart discussion
With a partner, look at a simple chart (drawn by hand or described aloud) showing two changing percentages over three years. One partner states the figures using بَلَغَ and اِرْتَفَعَ/اِنْخَفَضَ; the other partner offers an interpretation using تُشِير البَيَانَات إِلَى أَنَّ.
لِلْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ المُسْتَقِلِّينَ — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing a real or invented statistic about a topic you know well, citing a source, and interpreting what the figure shows.
Reading Practice
Read the short passage below, then answer the comprehension questions. Predictable short vowels on familiar words remain unmarked, consistent with the reading level established across this unit.
التَّعَلُّم عَن بُعْد فِي أَرْقَام
وَفْقًا لِتَقْرِير وِزَارَة التَّعْلِيم، بَلَغَت نِسْبَة الطُّلَّاب المُسَجَّلِين فِي بَرَامِج التَّعَلُّم عَن بُعْد خَمْسَة وَثَلَاثِين فِي المِئَة مِن مَجْمُوع الطُّلَّاب هَذَا العَام، بَعْد أَن كَانَت هَذِه النِّسْبَة لَا تَتَجَاوَز عَشَرَة فِي المِئَة قَبْل خَمْس سَنَوَات. وَقَد اِرْتَفَعَت نِسْبَة الرِّضَا عَن هَذِه البَرَامِج أَيْضًا، مِن خَمْسِين إِلَى سَبْعِين فِي المِئَة، بَيْنَمَا اِنْخَفَضَت نِسْبَة الطُّلَّاب الَّذِين يَذْكُرُون مُشْكِلَات تِقْنِيَّة مِن ثَلَاثِين إِلَى خَمْسَة عَشَر فِي المِئَة. تُشِير هَذِه الأَرْقَام إِلَى أَنَّ تَحَسُّن جَوْدَة البَرَامِج قَد يَكُون سَبَبًا رَئِيسِيًّا فِي اِرْتِفَاع كُلٍّ مِن نِسْبَة التَّسْجِيل وَنِسْبَة الرِّضَا مَعًا.
أَسْئِلَة الفَهْم — Comprehension questions:
- What is the source of the figures in this passage?
- How has the registration percentage changed over five years?
- How have the satisfaction percentage and the technical-problems percentage changed?
- What does the writer conclude from these figures together?
Writing Workshop — A Data Commentary Paragraph
In this workshop, you will write a short, organized paragraph that states a figure, cites its source, describes a change, and interprets what the data show, using the structures taught in this chapter.
- Step 1 — Cite your source. Begin with وَفْقًا لِـ or حَسَب plus the source of your figures, real or invented for practice.
- Step 2 — State the key figure. Use بَلَغَت النِّسْبَة or شَكَّلَ to give a specific percentage.
- Step 3 — Describe the change. Add one sentence using اِرْتَفَعَت or اِنْخَفَضَت with مِن ... إِلَى.
- Step 4 — Interpret the data. Close with one sentence beginning with تُشِير البَيَانَات إِلَى أَنَّ or يَدُلّ هَذَا الرَّقْم عَلَى أَنَّ.
- Step 5 — Connect to Chapter 12 if useful. If relevant, add a contrast sentence with بَيْنَمَا from the previous chapter to compare two figures.
- Review your draft against the checklist below.
قَائِمَة المُرَاجَعَة — Editing checklist:
- My paragraph cites a source for the figures.
- I state at least one clear percentage using بَلَغَ or شَكَّلَ.
- I describe at least one change using اِرْتَفَعَ or اِنْخَفَضَ with مِن ... إِلَى.
- I interpret the data with تُشِير البَيَانَات إِلَى أَنَّ or a similar expression.
- I did not introduce any system beyond what this chapter and prior chapters authorized.
Culture and Communication
Arabic-language news and public-information sources frequently open a report with a key statistic before providing context, similar to the pattern practiced in this chapter. Citing a source with وَفْقًا لِـ or حَسَب is standard practice in formal MSA reporting and signals to the reader or listener where the figure comes from.
Printed numerals vary by region: many Levantine and North African publications use Western Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3), while numerous Gulf and some other publications use Eastern Arabic numerals (١، ٢، ٣). Both are correct within their respective regional conventions, and learners should expect to encounter either form when reading authentic Arabic media.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: stating a bare number as if it were already understood as a percentage, such as بَلَغَت النِّسْبَة خَمْسِين without فِي المِئَة.
Correction: always include فِي المِئَة after the number when stating a percentage, as in بَلَغَت النِّسْبَة خَمْسِين فِي المِئَة.
Error: writing اِرْتَفَعَت النِّسْبَة إِلَى سَبْعِين فِي المِئَة without stating the starting figure, leaving the size of the change unclear.
Correction: include both points with مِن ... إِلَى, as in اِرْتَفَعَت النِّسْبَة مِن خَمْسِين إِلَى سَبْعِين فِي المِئَة.
Error: stating a series of figures and stopping there, without saying what they show, as this volume's interpretation policy from Chapter 12 requires.
Correction: close with an interpretive sentence such as تُشِير هَذِه الأَرْقَام إِلَى أَنَّ ..., so the data lead to a conclusion rather than standing alone.
Chapter Summary
This chapter introduced percentages with فِي المِئَة, rate description with بَلَغَ and شَكَّلَ, change description with اِرْتَفَعَ/اِنْخَفَضَ ... مِن ... إِلَى, and source citation with وَفْقًا لِـ and حَسَب. No new clause type was introduced; the chapter extends the interpretive أَنَّ-clause pattern from Chapter 12 so that it now follows from numerical evidence. Chapter 14 builds on this foundation by introducing passive production and formal process description, so that reports and processes can be described without naming an agent.
Chapter Review
Section A — Structure Recognition
1. In the Model Dialogue, identify one sentence that states a figure, one that describes a change, and one that interprets the data.
2. In the Reading Practice passage, identify the source of the figures and the writer's final interpretation.
Section B — Self-Assessment
1. Which part of the state-cite-describe-interpret structure do you find most difficult to produce naturally?
2. Compare your Writing Workshop paragraph with the checklist. Did you include all four required elements?
مُرَاجَعَة تَرَاكُمِيَّة — Cumulative review
Before moving to Chapter 14, confirm that you can comfortably combine: source attribution (Ch. 4, 6); content clauses with أَنَّ (Ch. 3-4, 11-12); and the comparison, classification, and contrast structures from Chapter 12 with the new percentage, rate, and data-interpretation expressions from this chapter. These systems will continue to recur throughout Unit III.
Practical Performance Task
مُهِمَّة عَمَلِيَّة — Practical Task
أَرْقَامِي وَتَفْسِيرِي — My Figures and My Interpretation
Complete both parts below.
- Written: Submit the data-commentary paragraph drafted in the Writing Workshop, revised against the editing checklist.
- Spoken: Present your figures to a partner, instructor, or recording in under two minutes, including a cited source, at least one percentage, a description of change, and an interpretation.
Assessment focus: a clearly cited source; at least one correctly formed percentage; at least one correctly formed rise/fall description with both endpoints; a controlled interpretive statement; comprehensible, level-appropriate delivery.
Answer Key
Guided Practice
Exercise 1: أَرْبَعِين; خَمْسَة وَسِتِّين; تِسْعِين.
Exercise 2 (model answers): اِرْتَفَعَت نِسْبَة اِسْتِخْدَام وَسَائِل النَّقْل العَامّ مِن خَمْسَة وَعِشْرِين إِلَى خَمْسَة وَأَرْبَعِين فِي المِئَة. / اِنْخَفَضَت نِسْبَة الطُّلَّاب الَّذِين يَخْتَارُون الدِّرَاسَة الفَرْدِيَّة مِن خَمْسَة وَخَمْسِين إِلَى ثَلَاثِين فِي المِئَة.
Exercise 3: Open-ended; any response that draws a coherent interpretive conclusion from the two figures given is acceptable, for example: تُشِير البَيَانَات إِلَى أَنَّ اِرْتِفَاع نِسْبَة التَّسْجِيل لَم يُقَابِلهُ اِرْتِفَاع مُمَاثِل فِي نِسْبَة الإِكْمَال.
Reading Practice — Comprehension
- The figures come from a report by the Ministry of Education.
- The registration percentage rose from ten percent to thirty-five percent over five years.
- The satisfaction percentage rose from fifty to seventy percent, while the percentage reporting technical problems fell from thirty to fifteen percent.
- The writer concludes that improved program quality may be a main reason for the rise in both the registration rate and the satisfaction rate together.
Listening Practice
- About ninety percent of young people use a smartphone daily, up from seventy percent five years ago.
- The percentage reading paper books regularly fell from forty to twenty-five percent in the same period.
- The speaker concludes that smartphone use may be affecting traditional reading habits.
Chapter Review — Model responses
Section A.1: Figure: بَلَغَت نِسْبَة المُشَارَكَة فِي البَرَامِج الإِجْبَارِيَّة خَمْسَة وَثَمَانِين فِي المِئَة هَذَا العَام. Change: هَذِه النِّسْبَة اِرْتَفَعَت مِن سِتِّين فِي المِئَة قَبْل ثَلَاث سَنَوَات. Interpretation: تُشِير البَيَانَات إِذَن إِلَى أَنَّ اِرْتِفَاع المُشَارَكَة لَم يُقَابِلهُ اِرْتِفَاع مُمَاثِل فِي الرِّضَا.
Section A.2: The source is the Ministry of Education's report; the writer's final interpretation is that improved program quality may explain the joint rise in registration and satisfaction.
Section B: Open-ended self-assessment; any honest, specific response identifying one part of the structure and a concrete plan to strengthen it is acceptable.
Looking Ahead
مَا الَّذِي تَسْتَطِيعُ فِعْلَهُ الآن — What you can do now
You can now state a percentage, describe a rate rising or falling, cite the source of a figure, and interpret what data show. Chapter 14 builds directly on this foundation by introducing passive production, process sequence, and participles, so that you can describe processes and reports formally without naming who performed the action.