A day of volunteering · Describing a background, problem and solution

Application goal: Describing a background, problem and solution.

Use the past continuous for an action in progress and the past simple for an event during it. When and while help connect the events.

Context: A day of volunteering. Identify the wording that achieves this goal, then adapt the details to a situation of your own.

Practical examples

When we arrived at the community garden, it was raining heavily.

عندما وصلنا إلى الحديقة المجتمعية، كانت الأمطار غزيرة.

Some volunteers were moving tools into a covered area.

كان بعض المتطوعين ينقلون الأدوات إلى مكان مغطى.

We could not plant anything, so the coordinator suggested another task.

لم نتمكن من زراعة أي شيء، لذا اقترح المنسق مهمة أخرى.

First, we cleaned the pots and sorted the seeds.

أولًا، نظفنا الأوعية ورتبنا البذور.

Later, the rain stopped and we went outside together.

لاحقًا، توقف المطر وخرجنا معًا.

Although our plans changed, we completed most of the work.

رغم تغير خططنا، أنجزنا معظم العمل.

Check your understanding

1. Choose the closest Arabic meaning of this expression: When we arrived at the community garden, it was raining heavily.إذا كان الهدف ببساطة تحسين التنسيق دون تأخير التسليم، فيمكن ذكر ذلك بوضوح.عندما وصلنا إلى الحديقة المجتمعية، كانت الأمطار غزيرة.أحتاج إلى بعض المعلومات.يجتمعون مرتين أسبوعيًا.

2. Choose the English expression that matches this meaning: رغم تغير خططنا، أنجزنا معظم العمل.Can I ask you something? Could you contact me by email instead of telephone?Describing a few complaints as "the tip of the iceberg" implies that a much larger problem remains unseen.A member of staff can help with heavy bags.Although our plans changed, we completed most of the work.