Grandfather's trunk
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. In the old house stands a trunk, and it is older than I. The wood is rough to the touch, and the color is faded by the…
Text
- في البيت القديم صندوق، وهو أقدم مني. الخشب خشن باللمس، واللون باهت من الشمس. المفتاح صدئ، والقفل لا يعمل، لكن الصندوق سليم. في الداخل طبقة من التراب وبقعة من الزيت على القاع. جدتي تقول إن الصندوق يحتفظ بلون باهت لكنه جميل. والآن في الصندوق بقايا من ملابس قديمة وأوراق مجعدة.фи аль-бейт аль-кадиим сандуук, ва-хува акдар минни. аль-хашааб хашин би-ль-лямс, ва-ль-лаун баахит мин аш-шамс. аль-мифтаах садʾий, ва-ль-кафль ля йаʿмаль, лякинн ас-сандуук салим. фи ад-даахиль табакат мин ат-турааб ва-бакʿат мин аз-зайт аля аль-кааʿ. джаддати такууль инн ас-сандуук йяхтафиз би-лаунин баахитин лякиннху джамиль. ва-ль-аан фи ас-сандуук бакайя мин малаабис кадима ва-авраак муджаʿʿада.In the old house stands a trunk, and it is older than I. The wood is rough to the touch, and the color is faded by the sun. The key is rusty, the lock does not work, but the trunk is intact. Inside there is a layer of dust and an oil stain on the bottom. Grandmother says the trunk kept a faded but beautiful color. And now in the trunk are the leftovers of old clothes and crumpled papers.
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 is the wood like to the touch?
- What happened to the lock?
- What lies at the bottom of the trunk?
- What did the trunk keep, by the grandmother's words?
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.