The first year of one's own business
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. Two years ago I was a worker at a factory, and then I became an entrepreneur. I opened a small office in the city, and…
Text
- قبل سنتين كنت عاملا في مصنع، ثم صرت رجل أعمال. فتحت مكتبا صغيرا في المدينة، وأول عميل جاء من الأصدقاء. في السنة الأولى كان عندي خسارة، لأنني استثمرت نقودا كثيرة في معدات. المنافس الأقرب خفّض الأسعار، ومدة طويلة كان الإقبال صغيرا. ثم وظّفت نجّارا وبدأت أعمل أيضا للمتجر الإلكتروني. الربح في هذه السنة كبير، وأستطيع أن أعال العائلة من عملي.габля сантайн кунту ʿаамилян фи матснаʿ, сумма сурту раджуль аʿмааль. фатахту мактабан сагииран фи аль-мадиина, ва-аувваль ʿамиль джяаʾа мин аль-асдигааʾ. фи ас-сана аль-ууля кян ʿиндий хасаара, ли-аннани стасмарту нукуудан кясира фи муʿджадаат. аль-мунаафис аль-аграб хаффада аль-асаар, ва-мудда тауииля кян аль-икбааль сагииран. сумма ваззафту наджжааран ва-бадаату аʿмаль айдан ли-ль-матджар аль-иликтруний. ар-рибх фи хазихи ас-сана кябир, ва-астатыʿ ан аʿааль аль-ʿааʾиля мин ʿамалии.Two years ago I was a worker at a factory, and then I became an entrepreneur. I opened a small office in the city, and the first client came through friends. In the first year I had a loss, because I put a lot of money into equipment. The nearest competitor lowered the prices, and for a long time the demand was small. Then I hired a carpenter and began working for an online store too. The profit this year is big, and I can support a family from my work.
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 he two years ago?
- Why was there a loss in the first year?
- What did the nearest competitor do?
- What changed this year?
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.