A measurement for the cupboard
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. We wanted a new cupboard for the bedroom. The length of the wall is three meters twenty centimeters. The height of the…
Text
- أردنا خزانة جديدة لغرفة النوم. امتداد الحائط ثلاثة أمتار وعشرون سنتيمترا. ارتفاع الغرفة متران ونصف، فالخزانة الكبيرة لا تصلح. في المتجر اقترحوا نموذجا اتساعه ثلاثة أمتار تقريبا. قال البائع إن الصندوق ثقيل جدا. في النهاية حملها العمال من الشارع وجمعوها في ساعتين.уридна хизаана джадида ли-гурфат ан-наум. имтидаад аль-хааʾит саляса амтаар ва-ʿишрун сантимитран. иртифааʿ аль-гурфа митраан ва-нисф, фа-ль-хизаана аль-кябира ля таслих. фи аль-матджар игтараху намузаджан иттисааʿуху саляса амтаар такриибан. кааля аль-бааиʿ инна ас-сундуг сакииль джиддан. фи ан-нихая хамаляха аль-ʿумааль мин аш-шаариʿ ва-джамаʿууха фи сааʿатайн.We wanted a new cupboard for the bedroom. The length of the wall is three meters twenty centimeters. The height of the room is two and a half meters, and a big cupboard does not fit. At the store they offered a model about three meters wide. The seller said the crate is very heavy. In the end the workers brought it from the street and assembled it in two hours.
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 is the length of the wall?
- Why did the big cupboard not fit?
- What did the seller say about the crate?
- How did the cupboard get into the apartment?
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.