How the village changed
A text in Arabic at level B1. The translation sits next to it for checking, not for support: at this level the text is read whole, and an unknown word is usually guessed from the sentence. My grandmother was born in a small village that lived off the land since time immemorial. In those years the village…
Text
- ولدت جدتي في قرية صغيرة كانت تعيش من الأرض منذ القدم. في تلك السنوات كان في القرية عشرون بيتا، واليوم أكثر من مئة. نقطة التحول كانت حين بنوا الطريق إلى المدينة. الشباب ذهبوا إلى العمل في المدينة، ثم انتقلوا إلى هناك. المدرسة القديمة تقادمت، والبلدية أصلحتها قبل عشر سنوات. تقول جدتي إن الأمور تسير، وعلينا التكيّف مع التغيير.вульидат джаддати фи гарья сагиира кянат таʿиш мин ааль-ард минз аль-кадам. фи тилька ас-санауаат кян фи аль-гарья ʿишрун байтан, ва-ль-йаум актар мин миʾа. нуктат ат-тахаввуль кянат хиина банау ат-тариик иля аль-мадиина. аш-шабааб захабуу иля ааль-ʿамаль фи аль-мадиина, тумма интакалуу иля хунаака. аль-мадраса аль-кадиима такадамат, ва-ль-баладийя асляхаха габль ʿашр санауаат. такууль джаддати инн аль-умуур тасиир, ва-ʿалайна ат-такаййуф маʿа ат-тагйиир.My grandmother was born in a small village that lived off the land since time immemorial. In those years the village had twenty houses, and today more than a hundred. The turning point was when they built the road to the city. The young people left for work in the city, then moved there. The old school became outdated, and ten years ago the administration renovated it. Grandmother says things go on, and we need to adapt to changes.
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 the village live off since time immemorial?
- What became the turning point?
- What happened to the old school?
- What does the grandmother say?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Arabic?
B1. That means: everyday topics are behind you, you know about three thousand words, and an unknown word is more often guessed from the sentence than looked up.
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.