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Modern Articles & Essays · Lesson 12 · Technology
الذَّكاءُ الاصطِناعيُّ في حَياتِنا اليَومِيَّةِ
al-Dhakāʾ al-Iṣṭināʿī fī Ḥayātinā al-Yawmiyya
Artificial Intelligence in Our Daily Lives
Feature article with embedded dialogue·Pearson IGCSE 4AA1 — Topic 10 (Technology)·~290 words
📄 Source, license & editorial notes

Source

Original passage written for the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Arabic (4AA1) mock practice materials (Paper 1 Mock 10, June 2026).

Text type and topic

Contemporary feature article in modern MSA, Pearson 4AA1 house style. Two named voices: an AI engineer (Yūsuf) + a sceptical secondary-school teacher (Ustādha Hudā). Topic: Technology (Topic 10 of 10) — historically the most-used topic in real Pearson 4AA1 reading papers.

How this lesson is designed

Body shown without tashkīl by default. Show-vowels toggle reveals the vocalised version.

License

© Aravoca — non-commercial educational use only.

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

مُلاحَظَة نَحوِيَّة· Grammar Notes

المَبني للمَجهول — مُراجَعَة· passive voice — reinforcement across forms
Spec: passive voice · complex structure (spec p. 17, Appendix 5) · examiner-flagged weak area
يُستَعمَلُ في تَعليمِ الأَطفالِ، ويُستَخدَمُ في تَشخيصِ الأَمراضِ، ويُكتَبُ بِواسِطَتِهِ آلافُ المَقالاتِ— Lines 2–3 — three passives in a row: \"is used\", \"is used\", \"is written\"

Recap from Lessons 1, 3, 4. The passive is built by flipping the vowels of the active verb. The doer disappears; the thing acted upon becomes the new subject (the نائب الفاعِل — deputy subject).

This lesson stacks passives from THREE different verb forms, so the learner sees the pattern hold across the system:

  • Form I: active kataba (\"wrote\") → passive kutiba (\"was written\"). Present: yaktubu → yuktabu (\"is written\") — Line 3.
  • Form X: active istakhdama (\"used\") → passive ustukhdima (\"was used\"). Present: yastakhdimu → yustakhdamu (\"is used\") — Line 2.
  • Form X variant: active istaʿmala (\"used\") → present passive yustaʿmalu (\"is used\") — Line 2.

One simple vowel rule. For the PRESENT-tense passive in every form:

  • The first vowel of the verb becomes الضَّمة (ḍamma — the \"u\" mark): YU-ktabu, YU-staʿmalu.
  • The second-to-last vowel becomes الفَتحة (fatḥa — the \"a\" mark): yu-ktAbu, yu-staʿmAlu.

That's the whole rule: u … a for the present passive.

Watch for: the active and passive forms can look ALMOST identical without tashkīl — yaktub (active) vs yuktab (passive) differ only in the small marks. In Q11–14 you may be asked to turn an active sentence into a passive — flip the vowels (u … a), drop the doer, and put the original object into الرَّفع (nominative — it's now the deputy subject).
لَو + الماضي + لَـ + الماضي· counterfactual conditional
Spec: conditional sentences with لَو · basic structure (spec p. 17) · examiner-tested
لَو سَأَلتَ والِدَكَ قَبلَ عَشرِ سَنَواتٍ عَن هذا، لَضَحِكَ مِنكَ— Line 4 — "if you had asked your father ten years ago about this, he would have laughed at you"

What لَو does. Arabic uses three different particles for \"if\". لَو is the one for impossible / hypothetical / didn't-happen situations — what English calls the counterfactual (\"if X had happened, Y would have happened\").

The shape is fixed:

لَو + past verb (condition) + لَـ + past verb (result)

  • Line 4: law saʾalta… la-ḍaḥika (لَو سَأَلتَ… لَضَحِكَ) = \"if you had asked… he would have laughed\".
  • Line 7: law wulidtu… la-mā kāna (لَو وُلِدتُ… لَما كانَ) = \"if I had been born… there would not have been\".
  • Line 10: law sallamnā… la-faqadnā (لَو سَلَّمنا… لَفَقَدنا) = \"if we had surrendered… we would have lost\".

How لَو differs from إذا and إنْ:

  • إذا = real future condition (probably will happen). idhā darasta, najaḥta = \"if you study, you'll succeed\".
  • إنْ = open / possible. + jussive (see Lesson 2).
  • لَو = unreal / didn't happen / hypothetical. + past + لَـ + past.

Use لَو in Paper 2 when you want to imagine a different past or argue a what-if. It instantly raises your register.

Watch for: the لَـ at the start of the result clause is essential. law saʾalta ḍaḥika (without لَـ) is wrong. The full pattern is لَو + past + لَـ + past. For a NEGATIVE result, use لَما + past — law wulidtu fī jīli wālidī, la-mā kāna fī yadī (\"if I had been born in my father's generation, there would NOT have been in my hand…\").

أَسْئِلَة· Comprehension Questions

في أَيِّ مَجالاتٍ يُستَخدَمُ الذَّكاءُ الاصطِناعيُّ في حَياتِنا اليَومِيَّةِ، كَما يَذكُرُ الكاتِبُ؟In what areas is AI used in our daily lives, according to the writer?

الإجابَة النَّموذَجِيَّة

يَذكُرُ الكاتِبُ في مُقَدِّمَةِ المَقالِ ثَلاثَةَ مَجالاتٍ رَئيسيَّةٍ يُستَخدَمُ فيها الذَّكاءُ الاصطِناعيُّ في حَياتِنا اليَومِيَّةِ. الأَوَّلُ هو تَعليمُ الأَطفالِ، إذ تُستَعمَلُ تَطبيقاتُهُ في المَدارِسِ والبُيوتِ. والثَّاني هو تَشخيصُ الأَمراضِ، حَيثُ بَدَأَت المُستَشفَياتُ تَعتَمِدُ علَيهِ في قِراءَةِ الصُّوَرِ الطِّبِّيَّةِ. أمّا الثَّالِثُ فَهو الكِتابَةُ، إذ يُكتَبُ بِواسِطَتِهِ آلافُ المَقالاتِ كُلَّ يَومٍ — وهي ظاهِرَةٌ لَم تَكُن مَوجودَةً قَبلَ عَشرِ سَنَواتٍ.

الشَّواهد: الأَسطُر ٢–٤

ما الَّذي قَصَدَهُ المُهَندِسُ يوسف بِقَولِهِ «لَو وُلِدتُ في جيلِ والِدي، لَما كانَ في يَدي ما هو في يَدي الآنَ»؟What did Engineer Yūsuf mean by saying \"if I had been born in my father's generation, there would not be in my hand what is in my hand now\"?

الإجابَة النَّموذَجِيَّة

قَصَدَ المُهَندِسُ يوسف بِجُملَتِهِ هذِهِ أنَّ التِّكنولوجيا تَطَوَّرَت بِسُرعَةٍ مُذهِلَةٍ خِلالَ جيلٍ واحِدٍ فَقَط. فَالأَدَواتُ الَّتي تَجِدُها اليَومَ في يَدِ أَيِّ مُهَندِسٍ شابٍّ — مِن حاسوبٍ شَخصيٍّ، إلى هاتِفٍ ذَكيٍّ، إلى بَرامِجِ الذَّكاءِ الاصطِناعيِّ — لَم تَكُن مَوجودَةً أَصلًا في عَصرِ والِدِهِ، أَي قَبلَ نَحوِ ثَلاثينَ سَنَةً. ولَو كانَ هو نَفسُهُ مِن ذلِكَ الجيلِ، لَفاتَتهُ كُلُّ هذِهِ الفُرَصِ، ولَما تَمَكَّنَ مِن دُخولِ هذا المَجالِ الَّذي يُحِبُّهُ.

الشَّواهد: الأَسطُر ٦–٧

ما الخَطَرُ الرَّئيسيُّ الَّذي حَذَّرَت مِنهُ الأُستاذَةُ هُدى؟What is the main danger Ustādha Hudā warned of?

الإجابَة النَّموذَجِيَّة

حَذَّرَت الأُستاذَةُ هُدى مِن خَطَرٍ تَربَوِيٍّ دَقيقٍ: أنَّ الطّالِبَ الَّذي يَطلُبُ مِن الذَّكاءِ الاصطِناعيِّ أن يَكتُبَ لَهُ بَحثَهُ بِنَفسِهِ، يَخسَرُ — مِن دونَ أن يَشعُرَ — أهَمَّ مَهارَةٍ يُمكِنُ أن يَكتَسِبَها في المَدرَسَةِ، وهي مَهارَةُ التَّفكيرِ المُستَقِلِّ. ولَو سَلَّمَ الإنسانُ كُلَّ شَيءٍ لِلآلَةِ، لَفَقَدَ ما يُمَيِّزُهُ عَنها أَصلًا — وهو القُدرَةُ على التَّحليلِ والاختِيارِ والإبداعِ. أَي أنَّ الذَّكاءَ الاصطِناعيَّ — إن استُخدِمَ بِطَريقَةٍ خاطِئَةٍ — قد يُحَوِّلُ الطّالِبَ مِن مُفَكِّرٍ إلى مُنَفِّذٍ.

الشَّواهد: الأَسطُر ٩–١٠

اِذكُر القَواعِدَ الثَّلاثَ الَّتي اقتَرَحَتها الأُستاذَةُ هُدى لِلتَّعامُلِ السَّليمِ مع الذَّكاءِ الاصطِناعيِّ.List the three rules Ustādha Hudā proposed for healthy use of AI.

الإجابَة النَّموذَجِيَّة

اقتَرَحَت الأُستاذَةُ هُدى ثَلاثَ قَواعِدَ بَسيطَةٍ لِلتَّعامُلِ السَّليمِ مع الذَّكاءِ الاصطِناعيِّ:

الأُولى: أن يَستَخدِمَ الطّالِبُ الذَّكاءَ الاصطِناعيَّ لِكَي يُساعِدَهُ على الفَهمِ، لا لِكَي يُفَكِّرَ بَدَلَهُ — أَي أن يَبقى الإنسانُ هو السَّيِّدَ والآلَةُ هي الخادِمَ.

الثَّانِيَةُ: أن يَتَأَكَّدَ دائِمًا مِن المَعلومَةِ قَبلَ تَصديقِها، لِأنَّ الذَّكاءَ الاصطِناعيَّ يُخطِئُ كَثيرًا — وأَخطاؤُهُ تَبدو أحيانًا مُقنِعَةً تَمامًا.

الثَّالِثَةُ: أن لا يَنسى أبَدًا أنَّ ما يُمَيِّزُ الإنسانَ هو القَلَمُ في يَدِهِ — أَي قُدرَتُهُ على الكِتابَةِ والتَّفكيرِ بِنَفسِهِ — لا الآلَةُ في يَدِ الآلَةِ.

الشَّواهد: الأَسطُر ١١–١٤

تَحليلُ الكاتِب· Writer's Craft

Two voices, two opinions. The writer uses two named people to build a balanced argument: the engineer (Yūsuf), who is enthusiastic about AI, and the teacher (Ustādha Hudā), who is cautious. Both are credible experts in their own fields. The writer never tells the reader which one to believe — instead they hand the reader the tools to decide.

Pick a line from each voice (one from Yūsuf, one from Ustādha Hudā). What does EACH voice contribute to the article? Why might the writer have chosen to set up a debate, instead of just stating their own opinion?

📝 Marker notes (reveal after attempting)

Top-band answers explain what the two-voice structure does to the reader:

  • Yūsuf brings the builder's view — someone who works inside the technology and feels its potential. His counterfactual (\"if I had been born in my father's generation, my hand would be empty\") makes the reader feel the GAP between generations.
  • Ustādha Hudā brings the educator's view — someone who sees the human cost in the classroom. Her warning (\"if we surrender everything to the machine, we lose what makes us different from it\") names what's at stake.
  • By placing the two voices side by side, the writer turns the article from a one-sided opinion into a real DEBATE. The reader is now expected to think — not just to nod.
  • This is exactly the Pearson Reading-paper Text 2 model: TWO experts disagreeing, both credible. Q4 / Q8 reward you when you can name the technique AND say what it does — \"the writer uses two voices to balance the argument and force the reader to weigh both sides themselves\".

Spotting two opposing voices and explaining their effect on the reader is exactly what Paper 1 Q4 / Q8 rewards. The technique appears on the mark scheme's list of \"linguistic and structural techniques\".

💬سُؤال لِلنِّقاش· Discussion Question

Ustādha Hudā closes with: «الذَّكاءُ الاصطِناعيُّ أَداةٌ، ومَن يَفهَمُ كَيفَ يَستَخدِمُ الأَدَواتِ، يَحكُمُ. ومَن لا يَفهَمُ، يُحكَمُ بِها» — \"AI is a tool. Whoever understands how to use tools, rules. Whoever does not understand, is ruled by them.\"

Do you use AI for your schoolwork? Where is the line between getting HELP and outsourcing your THINKING?

Write two short Arabic sentences in answer:

👩‍🏫 Teacher / Self-study notes

Estimated time

40–55 minutes for a self-study learner.

What to know before this lesson

Lessons 1, 3, 4 introduced the passive voice; this lesson reinforces it across multiple verb forms (Form I, X). Conditionals with إنْ (Lesson 2) and إذا (Lesson 5) are the prerequisite for understanding how لَو differs from them. Knowing the past tense and the dropping-final-u rule will help.

How this lesson maps to the exam

Both grammar focuses are spec-named: passive voice (complex structure, examiner-flagged weak area — see Pearson examiner reports) and conditionals with لَو (basic structure, regularly tested in Q11–14). Tech is statistically the MOST-USED topic in real 4AA1 reading papers, so this lesson directly mirrors what candidates will face.

Closing the missing-topics loop

This is the final lesson of the missing-topics backfill. The reader now has at least one lesson for each of the 10 spec topics: Youth (L1–3), Education (L4), Media (L7), Culture (L8), Sport & Leisure (L9), Travel & Tourism (L10), Business / Work (L11), Environment (L5), Health (L6), Technology (L12).

Exam justification

Topic 10 (Technology) is on the spec AND over-represented in real exams. Both grammar focuses target spec-named structures with examiner-flagged traps (u-a vowel flip; لَـ in the result clause). Every section maps to a Paper 1 or Paper 2 task.