"أَفْتَح اَلْحَنَفِيّة."

Translation: I open the faucet.

[IbrahimMow2]

I think its important that you learn that in arabic the verb to open is used in cases like this. I visit family in the middle east and in pakistan and when they speak english they say "close/open the light/faucet" not turn on. Because in their language thats the literal translation.

[serenaschade]

While I think it's important to understand the literal translation, I think there is value in accepting "I turn on the faucet" with text either way describing the colloquial/literal translation. I seem to remember seeing this feature in my Spanish lessons and gaining a better understanding because of it. From the perspective of using the reverse course (English from Arabic) it might be more helpful as well.

[Julkon5]

We, Russians, also open a tap :))) but.. we turn on the water !!! (otkroy kran, vkluchi vodu)..crazy)) as for me, special features like these make any language even more attractive for learning.

[EileenKirkland]

I agree with the learners who are asking you to accept "I turn on the faucet/tap" or "I turn the faucet/tap on" as acceptable English translations. Even though we are here to learn Arabic it's not a great use of time to have to remember a literal, incorrect translation in English to progress. Thank you for considering our request.

[R5VY3]

من يحتاج تعلم اللغة العربية بالمحادثة انا مصري ويمكننى ان اعلمك العربية بدون مقابل
فقط لنتدارس اللغتين معا
راسلني على الايميل التالي على فيسبوك
https://www.facebook.com/mohamedelgammal47

[AryeLBenHa]

Native English we would say "I turn on the faucet " or "I turn on the tap"
Additionally: I turn the faucet, on. or I turn the tap on.

[mayateacher]

In Spanish, also, it is open and close the faucet, but the word for faucet is "llave" (key--like a key for the car or the front door) abrir la llave, cerrar la llave.

[jss.___]

Like in English with faucet and tap, in Spain we use the word grifo; llave sounds more technical (llave de paso, meaning stopcock). Maybe, llave is an American (Latin American) word.

[obado]

That's very clumsy English - how about "I turn the faucet on" (Am) or "I turn the tap on" (Gb)

[Christoph55835]

Hello. The problem is that فَتَحَ/يَفْتَحُ does not mean to "turn sth. on". It means "to open sth." (anything, like a door, a box, a book, the faucet). But you can't use فَتَحَ/يَفْتَحُ to say e.g. "I turn on the radio." ("to turn on" is a completely different verb). So as this course is about learning Arabic and not about learning English it makes more sense to teach the correct meaning of the Arabic word, even if often it does sound a bit weird to a native :-)

[obado]

So why - or how - would you "open" a faucet? It doesn't make sense to me

[TinoAriza]

Conceptually, in turning on a faucet, one opens a space through which pressurized water flows -- no ??

[BrianTice]

Right. One can open a spigot or spout, but not a faucet or tap.

[julie849194]

Sometimes the lessons prefer common English usage, such as "on the street" rather than "in the street", which would be the literal translation from Arabic.

[Away54]

أَفتحُ

[GeoffreyE.]

Isn't the imperative form written the same? That is, 'open the faucet'?

[Ahmad367547]

Where I in the sentence

[mayateacher]

The first letter of aftahu, the alif is the I. To say 'you open".. then you take off the alif and put the letter ta, so it will say taftahu. If you want to say "he opens' then the first letter will be ya, yaftahu.