Grandmother's childhood
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. My grandmother was born in a small old village. In childhood she was with her mother in the field every day. The house…
Text
- وُلدت جدتي في قرية صغيرة قديمة. في الطفولة كانت مع أمها في الحقل كل يوم. كان البيت صغيرا والماء من جبل بعيد. في تلك الأيام لا هاتف ولا سيارة في القرية. وكل أسبوع ترسل رسالة إلى أمها في المدينة. الآن تجلس جدي في الحديقة وتقول: هذه ذكرياتي من الشباب.вулидат джаддатий фи гария сагиира гадима. фи ат-туфууля кянат маʿа уммиха фи аль-хауль куль йаум. кяна аль-байт сагииран ва-ль-мааʾ мин джабаль баʿиид. фи тилька аль-айяам ля хаатиф ва-ля саййаара фи аль-гария. ва-куль усбууʿ турсиль рисааля иля уммиха фи аль-мадиина. аль-аан таджлис джяддатий фи аль-хадиика ва-такууль: хаазихи зикраяати мин аш-шабааб.My grandmother was born in a small old village. In childhood she was with her mother in the field every day. The house was small, and the water came from a far mountain. In those times the village had neither a telephone nor a car. And every week she sent a letter to her mother in the city. Now grandmother sits in the garden and says: here are my memories of my youth.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Where was the grandmother born?
- What was in her house?
- How did she communicate with her mother in the city?
- What does the grandmother do now?
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.