في المركز التجاري · Programme: Describing a shopping day · Grammar: Simple past (review)
By the end of this lesson, I can:
- I can name the shops and places in a mall.
- I can use try on, fit and suit.
- I can understand a story about a shopping day.
- I can write about my shopping day in the simple past.
🖼️ Picture dictionary قاموس مصوّر
tap 🔊 to listen📚 كلمات الدرس
12 كلمة من هذا الدرس في القاموس المدرسي: المعنى بالعربية والفرنسية، والنطق، ومثال.
📖 Read: Our day at the mall أقرأ
Last Saturday, my family and I went to the new mall near Tunis. It is very big: there are more than eighty shops on three floors!
First, we took the escalator to the first floor. Mum went into a perfume shop. She smelled a lot of perfumes and she chose one with jasmine. Then Dad tried on some black shoes. The first pair didn’t fit: they were too small. The second pair was perfect.
I visited the sports shop. I tried on a red football shirt. My sister said: “Red really suits you!” So I bought it.
At one o’clock, we were hungry. We had pizza at the food court and then a big ice cream. We paid at the cash desk and went home at six o’clock with a lot of bags. We were tired but very happy!
Do you understand? أفهم
Answer in your copybook first, then check.
- Where did the family go last Saturday?
Answer
To the new mall near Tunis.
- How many shops are there in the mall?
Answer
More than eighty shops.
- Why didn’t Dad buy the first pair of shoes?
Answer
Because they didn’t fit: they were too small.
- What did the writer buy?
Answer
A red football shirt.
- Where did they have lunch?
Answer
At the food court.
🧩 Grammar القواعد
1. Simple past: review
- Regular: verb + -ed: visit ➡️ visited, smell ➡️ smelled, try ➡️ tried (y ➡️ ied).
- Irregular: go ➡️ went, have ➡️ had, take ➡️ took, buy ➡️ bought, be ➡️ was / were.
- Negative: didn’t + base verb: The shoes didn’t fit.
- Question: Did + subject + base verb? Did you buy a shirt? — Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
2. Try on, fit, suit
- try on = put on clothes in the shop to see them.
- fit = it is the right size: The shoes fit me.
- suit = it looks nice on you: Red suits you.
الماضي البسيط: ed- للأفعال المنتظمة وشكل خاص لغير المنتظمة. النفي بـ didn’t والسؤال بـ Did مع الفعل في أصله. fit = يناسب المقاس، suit = يليق باللون أو الشكل.
The mall map
perfume shop
sports shop
phone shop
escalator
food court
shoe shop
cash desk
The sports shop is between the perfume shop and the phone shop. The shoe shop is opposite the sports shop. The food court is next to the shoe shop.
Our day: what happened?
| Base verb | Past | Base verb | Past |
|---|---|---|---|
| go | went | visit | visited |
| have | had | try | tried |
| take | took | smell | smelled |
| buy | bought | pay | paid |
| be | was / were | choose | chose |
Fit or suit?
| Sentence | Fit or suit? |
|---|---|
| The shoes are the right size. | They fit me. ✅ |
| The jacket is too big. | It doesn’t fit me. ❌ |
| Green is a nice colour for you. | Green suits you. 😍 |
| The hat looks funny on him. | It doesn’t suit him. 🙁 |
💬 Useful expressions عبارات مفيدة
Talking about a shopping day
Giving an opinion on clothes
🔊 Pronunciation النطق
Worked examples أمثلة محلولة
Try first, then read the solution.
Put in the past: We (take) the escalator and (visit) the sports shop.
Step-by-step solution
- take is irregular ➡️ took.
- visit is regular ➡️ visited.
✓ We took the escalator and visited the sports shop.
The shoes fitted me. ➡️ negative
Step-by-step solution
- Use didn’t + base verb.
- fitted ➡️ fit.
✓ The shoes didn’t fit me.
Complete: Pink really … you. It’s a nice colour on you!
Step-by-step solution
- The idea is colour / looks, not size.
- Looks nice ➡️ suit; she / it ➡️ suits.
✓ Pink really suits you.
⚠️ Common mistakes أخطاء شائعة
⭐ Remember أحفظ
- A mall is a big building with many shops, cafés and a food court.
- try on = put on clothes to see them; fit = the right size; suit = looks nice on you.
- Simple past: visited, tried, went, had, took, bought.
- Negative: didn’t + base verb; question: Did you…?
- all sounds /ɔːl/: mall, ball, tall, small.
Quick quiz اختبار سريع
4 questions · instant feedback1. The shoes are the right size. They … me.
2. What is the past of try?
3. Did you buy the watch? — No, I …
4. In the text, where did the family eat?
✍️ Write: My shopping day أكتب
Write a paragraph (60–90 words) about a day when you went shopping. Use the simple past.
Steps
- Say when and where you went, and with whom.
- Say what you did first (first, then…).
- Say what you tried on or bought, and the price.
- Say where you ate.
- Say how you felt at the end.
A model text to compare with (after writing mine)
Last month, I went to the mall in Sousse with my aunt and my cousin Ranya. First, we visited a clothes shop. I tried on a blue dress, but it didn’t fit: it was too long. Then Ranya found a yellow T-shirt. It really suited her and it was only fifteen dinars. My aunt bought a perfume for her sister. At noon, we had sandwiches at the food court and a chocolate ice cream. We went home at five o’clock. I was tired, but it was a great day!
One good example among many: compare, don’t copy.
😊 The lighter side استراحة
All that glitters is not gold.
I go up and down, but I never move. You find me in every big mall. What am I?
Answer
The stairs (or the escalator).
Dad: “Did you have fun at the mall?” — Son: “Yes! I tried on ten shirts.” — Dad: “And you bought…?” — Son: “Nothing. They all fit, so I couldn’t choose!”
✅ Exercises تمارين
All exercises →6 exercises on three levels, with new questions every time.
- Choose the right answerTo do
- ClassifyTo do
- Situation 1To do
- Situation 2To do
Practise: At the Mall
True or false, complete, choose, classify and situations: instant correction with explanations.
Got the lesson? Try it yourself
6 exercises · instant correction · new questions every time
Start the exercisesPictures: Twemoji (CC-BY 4.0). Texts, explanations and exercises: Scolaire.tn.