Vocabulary Cards — Session 32: At the Park

Print this page. Cut along the dotted lines. Each card is index-card sized. Carry them to the park. Pull one out on the swing, by the slide, under a tree.

Card 1

Say it: ha-DEE-qah Means: Park / garden

🎨 Picture: A green park with a path, a bench, and tall trees. Kids running in the distance.

Use it when: You're heading to the park after school. You see a garden from the car window. You're packing a snack for an afternoon outside.

Card 2

Say it: mar-JOO-ha Means: Swing

🎨 Picture: A child mid-swing, hair flying back, sky behind them.

Use it when: You run to the swings first thing. You ask for a push. You're waiting your turn behind a friend.

Card 3

Say it: zah-LAY-qah Means: Slide (Levantine)

🎨 Picture: A bright red slide. A small kid at the top, ready to go.

Use it when: You climb up the ladder. You go down for the tenth time. You tell your little brother, "yalla, your turn!"

This is a fun word to say. It actually comes from the verb zahlat — "to slip." A slide is "the slipping thing." Makes sense, right?

Card 4

Say it: SHA-ja-ra Means: Tree

🎨 Picture: A big olive tree with a kid sitting under it, eating an apple.

Use it when: You sit in the shade on a hot day. You point to a tree with bird nests. You climb up — carefully — and call down to mama.

Card 5

Say it: KOO-ra Means: Ball

🎨 Picture: A soccer ball rolling across grass. A kid running after it.

Use it when: You kick a ball at the park. You ask a friend to throw it back. You pack one in the trunk before going out.

Card 6

Say it: sa-DEEQ Means: Friend (boy)

🎨 Picture: Two boys high-fiving by the swings.

Use it when: Your friend from school is at the park too. You introduce a boy to your cousin. You tell baba, "this is my friend."

Card 7

Say it: sa-DEE-qa Means: Friend (girl)

🎨 Picture: Two girls sharing a slide, laughing.

Use it when: Your friend from the neighborhood comes over. You tell teta about a girl in your class. You wave to a girl at the playground you've seen before.

Notice: sadeeq for a boy, sadeeqa for a girl. Just add the little -a at the end. Arabic does this a lot — you'll start to hear the pattern.

A bonus card — for the family

Card 8 (bonus)

Say it: ta-‘AA-la Means: Come here! / Come on!

🎨 Picture: A kid at the top of the slide, calling down to a friend, waving them over.

Use it when: You want a friend to come see something. You call your little sister over to the swings. You're ready to go and you want everyone to follow.

For a girl, you say ta-‘AA-lee (تَعالي). One tiny change. You'll hear both at every park in Beirut, Amman, and Damascus.

How to use these cards

1. Take them to the park. Really. Pull one out at the swings. Say the word out loud.
2. One card per visit. You don't need all seven at once. Pick marjuha today. Shajara tomorrow.
3. Let your kid be the teacher. Hand them a card. Ask, "what's this one again?" Kids love being the expert.
4. Mix Arabic into English. "Yalla, let's go to the حَديقة!" "Push me on the مَرجوحة!" This is how heritage families really talk.

A note on Levantine vs. MSA

You might hear different words for "slide" in different countries — Egyptians say zahlaqa, some say zalaqa. We're teaching zahleeqa — the way kids say it in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan.

For "swing" and "park" and "tree" and "ball" — these words are the same across the Arab world. Beautiful. Use them anywhere.

Yalla Arabic · Vocabulary Cards · Session 32