The apartment with a yard
A short text in Arabic at level A2. The translation sits next to it: reading with a dictionary is still too early at this level, and without support it will not happen at all. We bought an old apartment with a yard. The ceiling is good, but the basement is very old. At first we swept the floor…
Text
- اشترينا شقة قديمة مع فناء. السقف جيد, لكن القبو قديم جدا. في البداية كنسنا الأرض وغسلنا الملابس. صندوق البريد أمام البيت, والسيارة في المرآب. في المساء نجلس في الفناء.иштарайна шаккатан кадиима маʿа финаاʾ. ас-сакф джейид, лякинн аль-кабу кадиим джиддан. фи аль-бидайя канасна аль-ард ва-гасальна аль-маляабيس. сундуук аль-бариид амаам аль-بейт, ва-с-саййаара фи аль-мирааб. фи ль-масаа наджлис фи аль-финааʾ.We bought an old apartment with a yard. The ceiling is good, but the basement is very old. At first we swept the floor and washed the clothes. The mailbox is in front of the house, and the car is in the garage. In the evening we sit in the yard.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- What did they buy?
- What is wrong in the apartment?
- What did they do at first?
- Where is the car?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Arabic?
A2. That means: you know the letters and have a stock of everyday words — about two or three hundred.
How to read a text in an unfamiliar language usefully?
First all the way through without peeking at the translation — just to catch the familiar words. Then with the translation. Then all the way through again: the second pass brings noticeably more, and that feeling matters more than any rule.