A week on wheels
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. On Monday I bought a used car, and the technical inspection was on Tuesday. On Tuesday I stood in the rush hour before…
Text
- في الاثنين اشتريت سيارة مستعملة وكان الفحص الفني يوم الثلاثاء. في الثلاثاء وقفت في ساعة الذروة أمام إشارة المرور عشرين دقيقة. قال رجل في الورشة: الفرامل جيدة لكن الأنوار الأمامية قديمة. في الأربعاء انفجر إطار السيارة في الطريق واتصلت بشاحنة السحب. وفي الخميس كان المحرك لا يشتغل في الصباح البارد. وفي الجمعة يشتغل كل شيء، وأنا في الموعد أمام المكتب.фи аль-иснайн иштарайту саййаара мустаʿмала ва-кяна аль-фахс аль-фанний йаум ас-салясааʾ. фи ас-салясааʾ вакафту фи сааʿа аз-заруа амаам ишарат аль-муруур ʿишриин дакиика. кааля раджуль фи аль-варша: аль-фараамиль джаййида лякинн аль-анваар аль-аамамийя гадима. фи аль-арбиʿааʾ инфаджара итаар ас-саййаара фи ат-тариик ва-иттасальту би-шахинат ас-сахб. ва-фи аль-хамис кяна аль-мухаррик ля йяштагиль фи ас-сабаах аль-баарид. ва-фи аль-джумаа йяштагиль куль шай, ва-ана фи ль-мавиид амаам аль-мактаб.On Monday I bought a used car, and the technical inspection was on Tuesday. On Tuesday I stood in the rush hour before the traffic light for twenty minutes. The man at the workshop said: the brakes are good, but the headlights are old. On Wednesday a tire burst on the road, and I called a tow truck. And on Thursday the engine would not start in the morning cold. On Friday everything works, and I am on time at the office.
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 on Tuesday?
- What did the man at the workshop say?
- What happened on Wednesday?
- How did the week end?
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.