In the summer to the sea
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 summer we rented a car and drove to the sea. The speed limit on the road is ninety. Before every turn there is a…
Text
- في الصيف استأجرنا سيارة وذهبنا إلى البحر. حد السرعة على الطريق تسعون. قبل كل منعطف لافتة كبيرة, لذلك سرعتنا قليلة. أمامنا حادث صغير والشرطة هناك. في النهاية وصلنا إلى البحر قبل الغروب.фи ас-сайф истаджаарна саййаара ва-захабна иля аль-бахр. хадд ас-суурʿа аля ат-тариик тисуун. кябля куль мунʿатаф ляафита кябиира, лизаалик суурʿатуна кадыиля. амаамна хаадис сагиир ва-ш-шурта хунаака. фи ан-нихяая васаляна иля аль-бахр кябля аль-гурууб.In the summer we rented a car and drove to the sea. The speed limit on the road is ninety. Before every turn there is a big sign, so our speed was small. Ahead of us there was a small accident, and the police were there. In the end we reached the sea before sunset.
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 they do in the summer?
- What is the speed limit on the road?
- Why was the speed small?
- When did they reach the sea?
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.