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Chapter 4.6: Weekend Assignment

Learning Objectives

In this chapter, you will:

  • Learn about matchmaking traditions in Arabic culture.
  • Reflect on the topic of friendship in Arabic society.

Culture: Matchmaking in Arabic Traditions

امرأة عراقية، ٤٥ سنة، مقيمة في ألمانيا، محجبة، هادئة الشخصية وطيبة الأخلاق، تعمل كموظفة حكومية. تبحث عن زوج مقبول الشكل، رياضي الجسم، يحترم الحياة الزوجية، ويفضّل أن يكون مغربياً أو تونسيّاً ومقيماً في أوروبا. لا يزيد عمره عن ٥٠ سنة. ترغب في الاستقرار وبناء أسرة.

شاب مغربي مسلم، ٣٢ سنة، مقبول الشكل، مقيم في فرنسا، يحب السفر ، يحترم الحياة الزوجية ويبحث عن شريكة حياة جميلة، مرحة، ومتفهّمة. يُفضّل أن تكون بيضاء البشرة وتشارك حب السفر والأنشطة الرياضية.

رجل سوري ، ٣٧ سنة، مقبول الشكل، موظف حكومي ويقيم في أمريكا، يحب الاستقرار و يبحث عن زوجة محجبة، طيبة الأخلاق، وشديدة الجمال، لا يتجاوز عمرها ٣٥ سنة. يفضّل أن تكون عراقية أو تونسية، وترغب في بناء أسرة سعيدة.

 

آنسة عربية، تونسية، بيضاء البشرة، ٢٨ سنة، أنيقة وذات شخصية اجتماعية، جذابة وتحبّ الثقافة والفن. تبحث عن رجل عربي مسلم مثقّف ويحترم الحياة الزوجية. ويبلغ من العمر بين ٣٠ و٤٥ سنة.

In Arabic culture, matchmaking has evolved significantly from past to present. Traditionally, family involvement was central to the matchmaking process, with parents or extended family members playing an active role in selecting potential partners. This approach emphasized shared values, family reputation, and compatibility within a similar social background. Often, a matchmaker known as “khattibah” would also facilitate connections between families, ensuring that choices aligned with cultural and societal expectations. In small communities, there used to be a person “a woman” who knows all the people in the village and works as a matchmaker. people contact her to seek marriage for their daughters and she does her search and takes information from men who seek marriage and knows their requirements. Sometimes she would hold pictures and share them with people. Nowadays, things are different and these practices do not exist except maybe in rural areas.

In recent years, matchmaking has adapted to include more individual autonomy and modern approaches. Young people today have greater freedom to choose their partners, sometimes meeting through social events, educational settings, or even online platforms. While family approval remains important, couples increasingly participate in the decision-making process, reflecting a blend of traditional values with contemporary perspectives on individual choice and compatibility.

The above sample is extracted from some old fashioned ads platform for people looking for marriage. They first talk about themselves then list some characteristics for the one who they are looking for.

I-Find the Words

Have fun skimming through and look for words that relate to the following:

  • الجنسية nationality
  • الإقامة residence
  • العمل work
  • الدين religion
  • العائلة family
  • الشخصية personality
  • الشكل the looks

II-How They Describe Themselves

Skim again and find adjectives and make a list with some examples:

  • How do women describe themselves? Just list few examples of whatever you could identify or understand from context or by looking them up,
  • How do men describe themselves? Just list few examples of whatever you could identify or understand from context or by looking them up.

III-What They Want

Skim more and find:

  • ماذا تريد النساء في الزوج؟ what do women want in a husband? List few examples with their English translations
  • ماذا يريد الرجال في الزوجة؟ what do men want in a wife? List few examples with their English translations

IV-Conclusion

Can you match some of them together?

قدوتي في الحياة

Key Takeaways

  • I understand the traditions of matchmaking and friendship in Arabic culture.

License

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Intermediate Arabic I Copyright © by Ayman Mohamed and Sadam Issa is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.