Our quarter
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. In our quarter there are five hundred residents, and the houses of the quarter are old. A year ago we wanted a…
Text
- في حيّنا خمسمئة ساكن، وبيوت الحيّ قديمة. قبل عام أردنا إصلاح ملعب الأطفال القديم في الحي. جمعنا نقودا شهرين، وتبرّع الحكم المحلي أيضا. نعمل نحن المتطوعون بالتناوب: مجموعة كل سبت. العمل جمع الجيران، وصاروا أصدقاء. والآن في الحيّ ملعب جديد، ونافورة، ومكان لإعادة تدوير النفايات.фи хаййунаа хамсумиʾа саакин, ва-буйуут аль-хайй гадиима. габля ʿаам арднаа исляах мальаб аль-атфааль аль-гадиим фи аль-хайй. джамаʿна нукуудан шахрайн, ва-табарраʿа аль-хукм аль-махаллий айдан. наʿмаль нахну аль-мутатаввиʿуун би-т-танауб: маджууʿа куль сабт. аль-ʿамаль джамаʿа аль-джииран, ва-саару асдигааʾ. ва-ль-аан фи аль-хайй мальаб джадиид, ва-нафуура, ва-макаан ли-иʿаада тадвиир ан-нафаяат.In our quarter there are five hundred residents, and the houses of the quarter are old. A year ago we wanted a renovation of the old playground in the quarter. We collected money for two months, and the local authority donated too. We, the volunteers, worked in turns: a group every Saturday. The work gathered the neighbors, and they became friends. And now in the quarter there is a new playground, a fountain and a place for recycling.
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 the residents decide to do?
- How long did they collect money?
- Who else donated besides the residents?
- How did the volunteers work?
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.