Ambitions

Talking about the future

This module teaches the Arabic words for ambitions, dreams and jobs. Every word comes with three things: the Arabic script, a transliteration in brackets to help you say it, and the English meaning. Remember that Arabic is read right to left. You will not have to type in Arabic here - you will recognise the words and their meanings. (A native speaker should review the script before launch.)

Dreams and plans

Start with the words for wanting things in the future:

Match each Arabic word to its English meaning

The Arabic word for dream

Which Arabic word means 'dream'?

• حلم (hulm)
• طموح (tumuh)
• وظيفة (wazifa)
• توظيف (tawzif)

Jobs and professions

Now some words for real jobs people might dream of doing: - مهندس (muhandis) = engineer - صحافي (sahafi) = journalist - مزارع (muzari) = farmer - موظف (muwazzaf) = employee Read each Arabic word right to left, and use the transliteration to practise saying it aloud.

Match each job to its English meaning

Spot the jobs

Select the TWO words that are names of jobs (professions).

• مهندس (muhandis)
• صحافي (sahafi)
• حلم (hulm)
• طموح (tumuh)

Two sides of work

Two important words look similar in meaning but are opposites in the workplace.

Who is the boss?

Which Arabic phrase means 'employer'?

• صاحب العمل (sahib al-amal)
• موظف (muwazzaf)
• مزارع (muzari)
• صحافي (sahafi)

Fill in the Arabic

In Arabic, an ambition is _____, a dream is _____, and a job is _____. An engineer is _____ and a journalist is _____.

A path to a career

Put these steps of working towards a career into a sensible order.

• You have a dream or ambition (حلم / طموح)
• You study hard at school
• You do an apprenticeship or training (فترة تدريب)
• You get a job (وظيفة)

Arabic needs no word for is or am

The ambition words become sentences once you join them with هذا (hadha - this). Arabic needs no word for "is" or "am": - أنا مهندس وهذا حلمي = "I am an engineer and this is my dream". Two side-by-side sentences joined by و. Neither half has a word for "is" or "am". - ليس هذا حلمي = "this is not my dream". To make a sentence like this negative, put ليس (laysa) at the front. The ـي on حلمي (hulmi) is what makes it "my" dream.

Arabic has no word for "is"

Arabic has no word for "is". Which of these says "this is not my dream"?

• ليس هذا حلمي (laysa hadha hulmi)
• هذا حلمي ليس (hadha hulmi laysa)
• هذا حلمي (hadha hulmi)
• أنا مهندس وهذا حلمي (ana muhandis wa-hadha hulmi)

Choose the right word

Three situations. Pick the Arabic word that fits each one.

• You want to say your AMBITION for the future. Which word do you use?
• Your friend wants to become an engineer. Which word describes that job?
• Someone is training for a profession instead of studying at university. What are they doing?

Your turn: your ambition, in Arabic

Write about your ambition IN ARABIC. Write in Arabic script - the transliteration in brackets is a reading aid only.

• Name the idea: حلم (hulm - a dream) or طموح (tumuh - ambition)
• Use the whole pattern from step 12, not the halves: أنا مهندس وهذا حلمي (ana muhandis wa-hadha hulmi - I am an engineer and this is my dream), swapping in صحافي (sahafi - journalist) or مزارع (muzari - farmer)
• Say what is NOT your dream with ليس (laysa): ليس هذا حلمي (laysa hadha hulmi - this is not my dream)
• Name what you want: وظيفة (wazifa - a job) or فترة تدريب (fatrat tadrib - an internship)
• You may add توظيف (tawzif - employment)

Learn all three Arabic forms

To master this vocabulary, link every word to all three of its forms: the Arabic script, the transliteration so you can say it, and the English meaning. Keep the pairs that are easy to confuse clearly apart - موظف (muwazzaf) the employee versus صاحب العمل (sahib al-amal) the employer - and remember the difference between a حلم (hulm), a dream, and a وظيفة (wazifa), an actual job. Reading right to left, sounding out each word, and testing yourself both ways is what builds real recall.