A summer thunderstorm
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. On a summer day the air was very stuffy. The sky closed over, and a big thunderstorm with thunder began. Rain poured…
Text
- في يوم صيفي كان الجو خانقا جدا. السماء غائمة وبدأت عاصفة كبيرة مع رعد. هطل المطر وسقط بَرَد على الحقول والشوارع. الأطفال جلسوا في البيوت وسمعوا الرعد. بعد نصف ساعة انتهت العاصفة وظهرت قوس قزح كبيرة. خرج الأطفال ورأوا قوس قزح في السماء النظيفة.фи йаум сайфи кяна аль-джавв ханикан джиддан. ас-самаа гааʾима ва-бадаат ʿаасифа кябира маʿа раʿд. хаталь аль-матар ва-сакат барад аля аль-хукууль ва-ш-шаваариʿ. аль-атфааль джальсу фи аль-буюут ва-самиʿу ар-раʿд. баʿд нисф сааʿа интахат аль-ʿаасифа ва-захарат каус кузах кябира. харадж аль-атфааль ва-раʾау каус кузах фи ас-самаа ан-назиифа.On a summer day the air was very stuffy. The sky closed over, and a big thunderstorm with thunder began. Rain poured, and hail fell on the fields and the streets. The children sat at home and listened to the thunder. In half an hour the storm ended, and a big rainbow appeared. The children came out and saw the rainbow in the clean sky.
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 was the weather at the start of the day?
- What began after the sky darkened?
- What fell on the fields and streets?
- What did the children see at the end?
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.