Dinner at the restaurant
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. On Saturday we booked a table for two at a restaurant close to the house. We took the menu from the waiter. The wife…
Text
- في السبت حجزنا طاولة لشخصين في مطعم قريب من البيت. أخذنا قائمة الطعام من النادل. طلبت زوجتي أكلة بدون لحم, وأنا حساء وخبز. الطعام ساخن ولذيذ, لكن الفلفل حارق قليلا. أكلنا حلوى مع القهوة, والحساب رخيص.фи ас-сабт хаджазна таавилят ли-шахсайн фи матʿам кариб мин аль-бейт. ахазна кааʾимат ат-таʿаам мин ан-надиль. талабат завджати уклятан бидуун ляхм, ва-ана хисаʾ ва-хубз. ат-таʿаам саахин ва-лазиз, лякин аль-фульфуль харраак кадыляан. акальна хальватан маʿа аль-кахва, ва-ль-хисааб рахис.On Saturday we booked a table for two at a restaurant close to the house. We took the menu from the waiter. The wife ordered a dish without meat, and I — soup and bread. The food is hot and tasty, but the pepper is a little sharp. We ate dessert with coffee, and the bill was not expensive.
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 book?
- What did the wife order?
- What was the food like?
- What was a little sharp?
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.