A year of study
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. A year ago I enrolled in an Arabic course a complete beginner. In the first month I learned words every day, but…
Text
- قبل سنة سجلت في دورة اللغة العربية وأنا مبتدئ تماما. في الشهر الأول حفظت الكلمات كل يوم، لكن النحو كان صعبا علي. قال مدرّبي ملاحظة واحدة: أنت تتكلم قليلا وتكتب كثيرا. في الصيف فهمت فيلما كاملا بالاستماع، وقلت: نجحت! الآن أتكلم بطلاقة أكثر، لكن أحتاج إلى تدريب أكثر. وأنا لا أتوقف في منتصف الطريق.кябля сана саджжальту фи даврат аль-лугха аль-ʿарабийя ва-ана мубтадиʾ тамаман. фи аш-шахр аль-аувваль хафазту аль-калимаат куль йаум, лякинн ан-нахв кяна саʿбан ʿалеййя. кааля мударриби муляхаза ваахида: анта татакаллям галилян ва-тактуб кясиран. фи ас-сайф фахамту фильман камилян би-ль-истимаа, ва-культу: наджахту! аль-аан атаʿалламу би-тляака актар, лякинн ахтаадж иля тадрииб актар. ва-ана ля атаваффак фи мунтасаф ат-тариик.A year ago I enrolled in an Arabic course a complete beginner. In the first month I learned words every day, but grammar was hard for me. The coach made one remark: you speak little and write much. In the summer I understood a whole film by ear and said: I did it! Now I speak more fluently, but I need more practice. And I do not stop halfway.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- At what level did the narrator start?
- What remark did the coach make?
- What happened in the summer?
- What does the narrator do 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.