A story
Nuqta, Nuqta and the City of Taa Marbuta
In Ustadha Mariam's class, the teacher drew a small circle on the board. Suddenly... hop, hop! Nuqta jumped on top of it. Then... hop, hop! Another dot jumped beside her!
"Two dots?!" said the children.
"Meet my twin sister!" said Nuqta. "We sit together on top of this circle, and it becomes: ة. This is the Taa Marbuta (التاء المربوطة), the 'tied Taa'!"
"It lives only at the end of a word," said the teacher, "tied up like a little knot."
Shaikha raised her hand. "My name has a Taa Marbuta: شَيْخَة!"
"Well done!" said Nuqta. "Let's build a city where every house has a Taa Marbuta!"
The children brought cardboard boxes: rustle, rustle!
Hamad said, "This is a مَدْرَسَة (school)."
Alyaa said, "And this is a حَديقَة (garden) with a شَجَرَة (tree) and a وَرْدَة (rose)."
Mubarak said, "And this is a سَيّارَة (car), beep beep!"
Shaikha made a مَكْتَبَة (library) and put a قِصَّة (story) in it.
Can you find the Taa Marbuta in every word?
Suddenly... thump! Hamad's school fell down, because the cardboard was weak. Hamad was sad. "I won't play!"
"Don't be sad, I have an idea!" said Shaikha, and gave him a box. Alyaa brought sticky tape, and Mubarak helped.
The school stood up again, stronger than before!
The two dots said together: "مُساعَدَة (helping)! It has a Taa Marbuta! Helping ties hearts together, just as the Taa ties up the end of a word."
Then Nuqta whispered a secret: "When we stop on it, we say it like Haa: شَجَرَهْ, وَرْدَهْ. When we keep talking, we say it like Taa: شَجَرَةُ البَيْتِ (the tree of the house)."
And the children sang:
Madinah, madinah, with a hadiqah,
Shajarah, wardah, and a fancy sayyarah!
Two dots on top, the Taa is tied,
And our friendship's always side by side!
Let's practise (هيّا نتمرّن):
1. Circle the words with a Taa Marbuta: باب (door) — تُفّاحَة (apple) — قَلَم (pen) — طاوِلَة (table) — فَراشَة (butterfly)
2. Complete with a Taa Marbuta (ـة): وَرْدـ, شَجَرـ, مَدْرَسـ
3. How many dots are on the Taa Marbuta?
4. Read twice: «حَديقَهْ» (stopping), then «حَديقَةُ البَيْتِ» (joining).
Answers: 1) تُفّاحَة, طاوِلَة, فَراشَة. 2) وَرْدَة, شَجَرَة, مَدْرَسَة. 3) Two dots.
"Two dots?!" said the children.
"Meet my twin sister!" said Nuqta. "We sit together on top of this circle, and it becomes: ة. This is the Taa Marbuta (التاء المربوطة), the 'tied Taa'!"
"It lives only at the end of a word," said the teacher, "tied up like a little knot."
Shaikha raised her hand. "My name has a Taa Marbuta: شَيْخَة!"
"Well done!" said Nuqta. "Let's build a city where every house has a Taa Marbuta!"
The children brought cardboard boxes: rustle, rustle!
Hamad said, "This is a مَدْرَسَة (school)."
Alyaa said, "And this is a حَديقَة (garden) with a شَجَرَة (tree) and a وَرْدَة (rose)."
Mubarak said, "And this is a سَيّارَة (car), beep beep!"
Shaikha made a مَكْتَبَة (library) and put a قِصَّة (story) in it.
Can you find the Taa Marbuta in every word?
Suddenly... thump! Hamad's school fell down, because the cardboard was weak. Hamad was sad. "I won't play!"
"Don't be sad, I have an idea!" said Shaikha, and gave him a box. Alyaa brought sticky tape, and Mubarak helped.
The school stood up again, stronger than before!
The two dots said together: "مُساعَدَة (helping)! It has a Taa Marbuta! Helping ties hearts together, just as the Taa ties up the end of a word."
Then Nuqta whispered a secret: "When we stop on it, we say it like Haa: شَجَرَهْ, وَرْدَهْ. When we keep talking, we say it like Taa: شَجَرَةُ البَيْتِ (the tree of the house)."
And the children sang:
Madinah, madinah, with a hadiqah,
Shajarah, wardah, and a fancy sayyarah!
Two dots on top, the Taa is tied,
And our friendship's always side by side!
Let's practise (هيّا نتمرّن):
1. Circle the words with a Taa Marbuta: باب (door) — تُفّاحَة (apple) — قَلَم (pen) — طاوِلَة (table) — فَراشَة (butterfly)
2. Complete with a Taa Marbuta (ـة): وَرْدـ, شَجَرـ, مَدْرَسـ
3. How many dots are on the Taa Marbuta?
4. Read twice: «حَديقَهْ» (stopping), then «حَديقَةُ البَيْتِ» (joining).
Answers: 1) تُفّاحَة, طاوِلَة, فَراشَة. 2) وَرْدَة, شَجَرَة, مَدْرَسَة. 3) Two dots.
