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Modern Articles & Essays · Lesson 1 · Youth Matters
تَأثيرُ الأَصدِقاءِ في حَياةِ المُراهِقِ
Taʾthīr al-Aṣdiqāʾ fī Ḥayāt al-Murāhiq
The Influence of Friends in a Teenager's Life
Feature article with embedded dialogue·Pearson IGCSE 4AA1 — Topic 1 (Youth Matters)·~285 words
📄 Source, license & editorial notes

Source

Original passage written for the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Arabic (4AA1) mock practice materials (Paper 1 Mock 2, Reading, Summary & Grammar — May 2026). Used here in the Aravoca reader with permission. No third-party adaptation.

Text type and topic

A contemporary feature article in modern MSA, written in the house style of Pearson's published 4AA1 reading passages. Includes embedded reported dialogue (the student Lina, the sociologist Dr Fawzi) — the same multi-voice structure Pearson used in its Sample Assessment Materials Text 2. Topic: Youth Matters (Topic 1 of 10 in the 4AA1 spec); the article touches on peer relationships, identity formation, and decision-making.

How this lesson is designed

The body of the Arabic text below is shown without tashkīl by default — the same way the actual exam paper presents reading passages. A Show Vowels button (top right) reveals the fully vocalised version for L2 study, and each card also has its own per-line vowels toggle.

License

The text is © its author and is included in this reader with permission for non-commercial educational use. Please do not re-host or re-publish without permission.

Editorial notes

The passage is reproduced in full (five paragraphs, ~285 words) and broken into 17 numbered cards for line-by-line study at clause boundaries. No words have been added, removed, or reordered within the excerpt.

0 of 0 lines expanded Tap any Arabic line to reveal translation, vocabulary, and a language insight.

مُلاحَظَة نَحوِيَّة· Grammar Notes

المَبنيُّ لِلمَجهول· the passive voice (and the nāʾib fāʿil)
Spec: passive voice · complex structure (spec p. 17, Appendix 5) · examiner-flagged weak area
المُصطَلَحُ الَّذي يُطلَقُ على التَّأثيرِ الَّذي يُمارِسُهُ الصَّديقُ على صَديقِهِ— Line 10 — "the term that is given (passive) to the influence that a friend exercises on his friend"

How it works. Arabic builds the passive voice by changing the vowels of the verb. The active yuṭliqu (يُطلِقُ — "he gives / applies (a name)") becomes the passive yuṭlaqu (يُطلَقُ — "is given / is applied"). The doer disappears from the sentence, and the thing acted upon takes the role of subject. Arabic calls this new subject the nāʾib fāʿil ("deputy subject"), and it goes in the nominative case.

Another example in this passage:

  • Line 14: al-khayru yuktasabu mina l-ṣuḥba (الخَيرُ يُكتَسَبُ من الصُّحبَة) — "good things are acquired from companionship". Active form would be yaktasibu ("he acquires"); the passive flips the vowels: yuktasabu ("is acquired").

Notice the typical vowel pattern in the present-tense passive: the first vowel becomes ḍamma (ـُ), the middle vowel becomes fatḥa (ـَ). For the past tense the pattern is even clearer: active kataba (he wrote) → passive kutiba (it was written).

Why writers use it. Two reasons that matter for analysis:

  • The doer is unknown, general, or unimportant — "the term is given" doesn't tell you who gives it.
  • The writer wants to focus on the thing affected, not on who did the action.
Watch out. Examiners flag the passive as one of the weakest areas year after year. In grammar questions (Q11–14), you're often asked to turn an active sentence into a passive one. Two things: (1) change the vowel pattern of the verb, (2) the original object becomes the new nāʾib fāʿil in the nominative — don't leave it in the accusative.
لم + المُضارِع المَجزوم· lam + jussive (the negative past)
Spec: negative past with lam · basic structure (spec p. 17) · regularly tested in Q11–14 grammar
وَلَمْ يَصِلْ بَعدُ إلى تَفسيرٍ كامِلٍ لَها— Line 5 — "and it has not yet arrived at a complete explanation of it"

How it works. Arabic has two ways to negate a past action:

  • mā + past verb: mā waṣala (ما وَصَلَ) — "he did not arrive". Older, literary register.
  • lam + present-form verb in the jussive: lam yaṣil (لم يَصِل) — "he did not arrive". Modern, exam-standard.

The trick is the verb form. Even though the meaning is past, the verb you put after lam looks like the present (yafʿalu family) — but with its ending shortened. This shortened ending is called the jussive (al-majzūm).

What the jussive looks like:

  • Singular: yaktubu → yaktub— (sukūn / no vowel). So: lam yaktub.
  • Plural: yaktubūna → yaktubū (drop the final nūn). So: lam yaktubū.
  • Feminine plural: yaktubna → unchanged. So: lam yaktubna.
  • Dual: yaktubāni → yaktubā (drop the final nūn). So: lam yaktubā.

Two more examples in this passage:

  • Line 13: lam yaqtaṣir hādhā l-taʾthīru ʿalā l-jānibi l-salbiyy (لم يَقتَصِر هذا التَّأثيرُ على الجانِبِ السَّلبيِّ) — "this influence has not been limited to the negative side". Verb: iqtaṣara ("to be limited") → jussive yaqtaṣir.
  • Line 12: man lam yastaṭiʿ an yaqūla lā (مَن لَم يَستَطِع أن يَقولَ لا) — "whoever was not able to say no". Note the elided final ʿ — the jussive of yastaṭīʿu is yastaṭiʿ.
Watch out. Two common Paper 2 traps: (1) writing lam yaktubūna with the final nūn — wrong, it must drop. The jussive of plurals always loses that nūn. (2) Using lā + present instead of lam + jussive for a past negation. lā yaktub means "he does not write" (habitual / present). lam yaktub means "he did not write" (past). Different times.

أَسْئِلَة· Comprehension Questions

ماذا تَقولُ الدِّراساتُ الحَديثَةُ عن أَهَمِّيَّةِ الأَصدِقاءِ في حَياةِ المُراهِقِ؟What do recent studies say about the importance of friends in a teenager's life?

الإجابَة النَّموذَجِيَّة

تُؤَكِّدُ الدِّراساتُ الحَديثَةُ — كَما يَذكُرُ النَّصُّ — أنَّ نَحوَ سَبعينَ بِالمِئَةِ من قَراراتِ المُراهِقِ اليَومِيَّةِ تَتَأَثَّرُ تَأثُّرًا مُباشِرًا بِآراءِ أصدِقائِهِ، سَواءٌ في اختِيارِ المَلابِسِ، أو في نَوعِ المُوسيقى، أو في المِهنَةِ الَّتي يَحلُمُ بِها. ويُشيرُ الكاتِبُ إلى أنَّ عِلمَ النَّفسِ لم يَصِل بَعدُ إلى تَفسيرٍ كامِلٍ لِهذِهِ الظّاهِرَةِ، رَغمَ كَثرَةِ ما كُتِبَ عَنها.

الشَّواهد: الأَسطُر ٢–٥

اِذكُر فائِدَتَينِ ومَشكِلَتَينِ لِلصَّداقَةِ كَما وَرَدا في النَّصِّ.Mention two benefits and two problems of friendship, as set out in the text.

الإجابَة النَّموذَجِيَّة

الفَوائِدُ:

الأُولى: أنَّ الصَّديقَ يَفهَمُ صاحِبَهُ في وَقتِ الحُزنِ، حتى لَيُخَفِّفَ عنه ثِقَلَ ما يَحمِلُهُ في صَدرِهِ، كَما قالَت لينا: «حينَ أكونُ حَزينَةً، يَكفي أن أَتَّصِلَ بِإِحداهُنَّ فَأَشعُرَ أنَّ الحِملَ قد رُفِعَ عن صَدري». والثَّانِيَةُ: أنَّ الصُّحبَةَ الصّالِحَةَ تَزرَعُ في صاحِبِها فَضائِلَ كَثيرَةً كَاللُّطفِ والكَرَمِ وحُبِّ القِراءَةِ والإقدامِ على ما كانَ يَظُنُّهُ فَوقَ طاقَتِهِ.

المَشاكِل:

الأُولى: «ضَغطُ الأَقرانِ»، وهو المُصطَلَحُ الَّذي يُطلَقُ على التَّأثيرِ السَّلبيِّ الَّذي يَجُرُّ المُراهِقَ إلى التَّدخينِ والسَّهَرِ وإهمالِ الدِّراسَةِ، كَما حَذَّرَ الدُّكتورُ فَوزي. والثَّانِيَةُ: ضَياعُ الوَقتِ والجُهدِ في الصُّحبَةِ غَيرِ المُفيدَةِ، كَما اعتَرَفَت لينا حينَ قالَت: «الصَّديقَةُ قد تَكونُ أيضًا سَبَبًا لِخَسارَةِ المَرءِ أعَزَّ ما يَملِكُ من وَقتٍ وجُهدٍ».

الشَّواهد: الفَوائِدُ في السَّطرَينِ ٧ و ١٥ · المَشاكِلُ في السَّطرَينِ ١١ و ٨

ما الَّذي قَصَدَهُ الدُّكتورُ فَوزي بِعِبارَةِ «ضَغطُ الأَقرانِ»؟What did Dr Fawzi mean by the expression "peer pressure"?

الإجابَة النَّموذَجِيَّة

قَصَدَ الدُّكتورُ فَوزي بِعِبارَةِ «ضَغطُ الأَقرانِ» ذلِكَ التَّأثيرَ الخَفِيَّ الَّذي يُمارِسُهُ الصَّديقُ على صاحِبِهِ دونَ أن يَشعُرَ أيُّهُما بِذلِكَ، فَيَدفَعُهُ إلى تَجرِبَةِ ما لم يَكُن لِيُجَرِّبَهُ لَو كانَ وَحدَهُ. ولِذلِكَ ضَرَبَ مَثَلًا بِجُملَةٍ صَغيرَةٍ يَقولُها صَديقٌ لِصَديقِهِ — «لِمَ لا تُجَرِّبُ؟ لَقد جَرَّبنا كُلُّنا» — لِيُبَيِّنَ كَيفَ يَبدَأُ التَّدخينُ والسَّهَرُ وإهمالُ الدِّراسَةِ بِكَلِمَةٍ واحِدَةٍ يَعجَزُ المُراهِقُ عن رَفضِها.

الشَّواهد: السَّطران ١٠–١٢

ما السُّؤالُ الَّذي يَطرَحُهُ الكاتِبُ في النِّهايَةِ، وما إجابَتُهُ؟What question does the writer pose at the end, and what is his answer?

الإجابَة النَّموذَجِيَّة

يَطرَحُ الكاتِبُ في خاتِمَةِ النَّصِّ سُؤالًا واحِدًا حاسِمًا: لَيسَ «هل أتَأَثَّرُ بِأَصدِقائي؟» — لِأنَّ التَّأثُّرَ، في رَأيِهِ، أمرٌ لا مَفَرَّ منه — بَل «مَن أَختارُ أَصدِقاءَ؟». ويُجيبُ بِأنَّ الاختِيارَ الذَّكِيَّ لِلرُّفقَةِ هو نِصفُ الطَّريقِ إلى النَّجاحِ، ويَستَشهِدُ بِقَولِ الإمامِ عَلِيٍّ — رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنه — «الصّاحِبُ ساحِبٌ»، أي أنَّ الصَّديقَ يَجُرُّ صاحِبَهُ — بِغَيرِ شُعورٍ — إلى ما هو عَلَيه، خَيرًا كانَ أم شَرًّا.

الشَّواهد: السَّطران ١٦–١٧ (الخاتِمَة)

تَحليلُ الكاتِب· Writer's Craft

Two voices in the article. The writer doesn't just give his own opinion. He lets two people speak inside the article: Lina, a tenth-grade student, in the second paragraph; and Dr Fawzi, a social researcher, in the third. Both voices appear in direct speech, between «…» marks.

Pick the two quoted voices (Lina's and Dr Fawzi's). What does each voice add to the article? Why do you think the writer used real people's voices, instead of just giving us his own opinion or a list of facts?

📝 Marker notes (reveal after attempting)

The best answers don't just say "the writer uses quotes". They explain what the two voices do in the article:

  • Lina represents the teenager herself. Her quote ("when I am sad, it's enough to call one of them and I feel the weight has been lifted from my chest") shows the emotional reality of friendship — how it works from the inside. Her later sentence ("the friend can also be a reason to lose the most precious thing one has — time and effort") adds balance: she acknowledges the downside, in her own words.
  • Dr Fawzi represents the expert outside view. His quote ("many of the big problems start with a simple word from a friend: why don't you try? we've all tried") puts a scientific name on what Lina described — peer pressure — and gives the article authority.
  • Together, the two voices give the article balance: the lived experience (Lina) and the expert frame (Dr Fawzi). The writer doesn't have to push his own opinion — the voices do the work for him. This is the same technique Pearson SAM Text 2 used (interviews with mothers + an academic).
  • Using real people's voices makes the writing feel like journalism, not just opinion. It also raises the article's credibility — a reader is more likely to accept a claim about teenagers when a teenager and an expert both back it up.

This kind of question appears as Paper 1 Questions 4 & 8 in the GCSE — worth 10 marks each (20 of the 49 reading marks). Spotting embedded voices and explaining their effect is a textbook top-band move.

💬سُؤال لِلنِّقاش· Discussion Question

The writer ends with the wisdom-saying of Imām ʿAlī: «الصاحب ساحب» — "the companion is one who pulls" (i.e. a friend drags you, without you noticing, towards what they themselves are).

Do you think this old saying is still true today? Think of a time when a friend pulled you towards something good, or towards something you later regretted. How would you describe what happened?

Try writing two short Arabic sentences in answer: one starting with قد ساعَدَني صَديقي (a friend of mine helped me…), one starting with لم أَكُن لِأَفعَلَ هذا لَولا (I would not have done this if not for…). Notice that the second uses lam + jussive — see the grammar note above.

👩‍🏫 Teacher / Self-study notes

Estimated time

35–50 minutes for a self-study learner. Can be split into two sessions (read text + vocab + translation in session 1; grammar + questions + craft in session 2).

What to know before this lesson

The learner should already know: the nominal sentence (al-jumla al-ismiyya), the verbal sentence (al-jumla al-fiʿliyya), past and present tense forms, and the basic difference between nominative, accusative, and genitive. Knowing the family of kāna (with aṣbaḥa, laysa, etc.) helps — they appear in lines 1, 9 and 15.

How this lesson maps to the exam

This text is written in the same house style as the Pearson Sample Assessment Materials Text 2. Anonymous-byline modern MSA article, ~285 words, with embedded direct speech from two named people (a student and an expert). If the learner can read this lesson confidently, they can read any of the SAM or past-paper Text 2 passages on Topic 1 (Youth Matters).

Grammar notes target two of the structures examiners flag every year: the passive voice (nāʾib fāʿil, complex structure, weak area) and lam + jussive (basic structure, frequently tested in Q11–14 grammar). Both appear at least twice in the passage so the learner can spot them in context.

Link to the next lesson

Lesson 2 (also Topic 1, Youth Matters) takes a youth ambitions angle — the choices young people make about their future — and shifts the grammar focus to the cognate accusative (al-mafʿūl al-muṭlaq) and the conditional in + jussive.