The first marathon
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 did no sports and stopped quickly. I began at the gym: first the warm-up, then an easy machine. After…
Text
- قبل سنة كنت لا أمارس الرياضة، وكنت أتوقف بسرعة. بدأت في قاعة رياضية: أولا الإحماء، ثم جهاز رياضي خفيف. بعد ثلاثة أشهر صار الجري الطويل ممكنا. سجلت في الماراثون وكان في الكاحل التواء قديم. على خط البداية كان ثلاثة آلاف رياضي، والمشجّعون كثيرون جدا. وصلت إلى خط النهاية في أربع ساعات، بدون ميدالية، لكن برقم جديد لي.габля сана кунту ля амаарис ар-риада, ва-кунту атаваккаф би-сурʿа. бадаату фи гааʿа риядийя: ауввалан аль-ихмааʾ, сумма джааз риядий хафииф. баʿд саляса ашхур сара аль-джарий ат-тауииль мумкинаан. саджжальту фи аль-маараасуун ва-кян фи аль-гакаиль ильтивааʾ гадиим. ʿаля хатт аль-бидайя кян саляса аляаф риядий, ва-ль-муджжиʿуун кясиируун джиддан. васальту иля хатт ан-нихая фи арбааʿ сааʿаат, бидуун мийдаалийя, лякин би-ракм джадиид лии.A year ago I did no sports and stopped quickly. I began at the gym: first the warm-up, then an easy machine. After three months a long run became possible. I enrolled in the marathon, and in my ankle there was an old sprain. At the start line there were three thousand athletes, and the fans were very many. I reached the finish line in four hours — without a medal, but with a new record for myself.
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 did he begin with at the gym?
- What did he have in his ankle?
- How many athletes were at the start?
- How did the marathon 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.