The neighbor by the stairs
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 our house lives an elderly neighbor named Amin. The hair is white, the beard is long, the forehead is big. On the…
Text
- في بيتنا جار كبير في السن اسمه أمين. الشعر أبيض واللحية طويلة والجبين كبير. على وجهه تجاعيد كثيرة وشامة صغيرة. الجيران يقولون إنه بخيل لأنه لا يدخل المقهى. لكن هو كريم: يساعد الجيران ويحمل الحقيبة دائما. هو متواضع وصبور، وأنا أحبه كثيرا.фи байтина джяр кябиир фи ас-синн исмуху амин. аш-шаʿр абьяд ва-ль-лихья тавииля ва-ль-джабиин кябиир. аля виджхиху таджяаʿиид кясиира ва-шаама сагиира. аль-джираан йякулуун иннаху бахииль ли-аннаху ля йядхуль аль-макхаа. лякинн хува кариим: йюсааʿид аль-джираан ва-йяхмиль аль-хакииба даа-иман. хува мутаваадиʿ ва-сабуур, ва-ана ухиббуху кясииран.In our house lives an elderly neighbor named Amin. The hair is white, the beard is long, the forehead is big. On the face there are many wrinkles and a small birthmark. The neighbors say he is stingy, because he does not enter the cafe. But he is generous: he helps the neighbors and always carries the bag. He is modest and patient, and I love him very much.
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 neighbor like?
- What is on his face?
- Why do the neighbors think him stingy?
- What is he really like?
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.