A wedding in the village
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 the summer there was my sister's wedding in the village at my grandfather's and grandmother's. In the morning we set…
Text
- في الصيف كان زفاف أختي في القرية عند جدّي وجدّتي. في الصباح جهّزنا الطاولة الطويلة تحت الشجرة وزيّنا البيت. على أختي فستان زفاف أبيض وباقة زهور من الحديقة. بعد عقد القران جلس العروسان مع الضيوف، ووضع الضيوف نقودا كهدية. قال العم كلمة طويلة جدا، والجميع صمت. في المساء جلس الجميع عند نار المخيم، وكان المساء جميلا.фи ас-сайф кян зафааф ухтии фи аль-гарья ʿинд джаддий ва-джаддати. фи ас-сабаах дджяххазна ат-таавиля ат-тауииля тахт аш-шаджара ва-заййанна аль-бейт. ʿаля ухтии фустаан зафааф абьяд ва-баага зухуур мин аль-хадиика. баʿд ʿакд аль-кираан джалиса аль-ʿарусаан маʿа аз-зуйууф, ва-вадаʿа аз-зуйууф нукуудан ка-хадийя. кааля аль-ʿамм кальма тауииля джиддан, ва-ль-куль самат. фи аль-масааʾ джалиса аль-куль ʿинд наар аль-махийм, ва-кян аль-масааʾ джамилян.In the summer there was my sister's wedding in the village at my grandfather's and grandmother's. In the morning we set a long table under the tree and decorated the house. My sister wore a white wedding dress and a bouquet of flowers from the garden. After the marriage registration the newlyweds sat with the guests, and the guests put money as a gift. The uncle gave a very long speech, and everyone kept silent. In the evening everyone sat by the campfire, and the evening was beautiful.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Where was the wedding?
- Where was the bouquet from?
- What did the guests give?
- How did the evening end?
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.