The new apartment
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. Next month we are moving to a new apartment. The apartment is on the third floor. It has two rooms, a kitchen, a…
Text
- في الشهر المقبل نذهب إلى شقة جديدة. الشقة في الطابق الثالث. في الشقة غرفتان ومطبخ وحمّام وشرفة كبيرة. المصعد قديم, لكن الدرج قريب. الإيجار كبير.фи аш-шахр аль-мукбиль назхабу иля шакка джадида. аш-шакка фи ат-таабик ас-саалис. фи аш-шакка гурфатан ва-матбах ва-хаммаам ва-шурфа кябира. аль-мисʿад кадим, лякин ад-дардж кариб. аль-ииджар кябир.Next month we are moving to a new apartment. The apartment is on the third floor. It has two rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a big balcony. The elevator is old, but the stairs are close. The rent is 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.
- On which floor is the apartment?
- What is in the apartment?
- What is the elevator like?
- What is the rent like?
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.