Our silent neighbor
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. Our neighbor is withdrawn; he does not talk much with anyone. At first we thought him vain; then we learned he is…
Text
- جارنا منعزل، لا يتكلم مع أحد كثيرا. أولا ظنناه مغرورا، ثم عرفنا أنه فقط خجول. عندما تعطل ماء بيتنا، كان عند الباب في الخامسة بأدواته. هو جاهز للمساعدة دائما، ولا ينتظر مدحا. الناس في البيت يمّعون عنه، واليوم يعرفونه رجلا يحافظ على وعده. انسجمنا معه ببطء، واليوم نتكلم معه على قدم المساواة.джааруна мунʿазиль, ля йятакаллям маʿа ахад кясиран. ауввалан зааннаху магрууран, тумма ʿарифна аннаху фагат хаджуль. ʿиндама таʿатталь мааʾ байтина, кян ʿинд аль-бааб фи аль-хаамиса би-адаатихи. хува джаахиз ли-ль-мусааʿада дааʾиман, ва-ля йянтазир мадихан. ан-нас фи аль-бейт йяммаʿуун ʿанху, ва-ль-йаум йяʿрифунаху раджулян йяхаафиз ʿаля ваʿдихи. инсаджамна маʿаху би-бутъ, ва-ль-йаум натакаллям маʿаху ʿаля гадам аль-мусауаат.Our neighbor is withdrawn; he does not talk much with anyone. At first we thought him vain; then we learned he is simply shy. When the water went bad in our building, he was at the door at five with his tools. He is always ready to help and does not wait for praise. The people in the building gossiped about him, and today they know him as a man who keeps his word. We hit it off with him slowly, and today we talk with him on equal footing.
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 neighbor seem like at first?
- What did he turn out to be?
- What did he do when the water went bad?
- What do they say about him now?
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.