The family budget
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. Every month we write the budget on a big sheet. First the income from work, then the expenses: rent, food and the…
Text
- كل شهر نكتب الميزانية على ورقة كبيرة. أول الدخل من العمل, وبعده المصاريف: الإيجار والطعام وفاتورة الكهرباء. هذا العام نوفر أكثر في المصاريف الصغيرة. ندخر قليلا كل شهر من الراتب. إذا ارتفعت الأسعار قليلا فقط, نشتري سيارة بعد سنتين.куль шахр нактубу аль-мизаанийя аля варака кябира. авваль ад-дахль мин аль-ʿамаль, ва-баʿда аль-масаарииф: аль-иджаар ва-ат-таʿаам ва-фаатуурат аль-кахрабааʾ. хаза аль-ʿаам нуффир акхар фи аль-масаарииф ас-сагиира. наддаххиру кадыляан куль шахр мин ар-раатиб. иза ртафаʿат аль-асʿаар кадыляан факат, наштари саййаара баʿд санатаин.Every month we write the budget on a big sheet. First the income from work, then the expenses: rent, food and the electricity bill. This year we are saving more on small expenses. We put aside a little every month from the salary. If prices grow only a little, we will buy a car in two years.
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 do they write on the big sheet?
- What comes first in the budget?
- What is not in the expenses?
- When will they buy the car?
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.