The repair that dragged
A text in Persian 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. We planned the renovation of the bathroom for two weeks, and it dragged two months. First there was an outage with the…
Text
- تعمیر حمام را برای دو هفته گذاشتیم، دو ماه کش‌دار شد. اول اختلالی در آوردن کاشی بود و کار ایستاد. استادکار با جواب عقب انداخت و ما فکر می‌کردیم همه روی هوا می‌رود. وقتی کاشی بالاخره رسید، معلوم شد نصفش در راه شکسته بود. ایراد را در سه روز برطرف کردند و بعد مداوم تا آخر کار کردند. حالا حمام درست حسابی انجام شده، هرچند بیشتر از آن‌چه فکر می‌کردیم زحمت کشیدیم.tammire hâmmâm râ barâe dâ hâfte gâzâshtim, dâ mâh kesh-dâr shâd. avval ekhtelâli dar âvardane kâshi bud â kâr iystâd. âstâdkâr ba dzhâvâb âghâb ândâkht â mâ fekr mi-kardim hamme ru-yee hâva mi-ravad. vagti kâshi bâlâghare resid, ma'lum shâd nâsfesh dar râh shekâste bud. irâd râ dar se ruz bartâraf kardand â ba'd mâdavâm tâ âkhare kâr kardand. hâlâ hâmmâm dârâst hesâbi andzhâm shâde, harchand bishtar az ân-che fekr mi-kardim zahmat keshidim.We planned the renovation of the bathroom for two weeks, and it dragged two months. First there was an outage with the delivery of the tiles, and the work stopped. The master delayed the answer, and we thought it would all fall through. When the tiles finally came, it came to light that half had broken on the way. The fault was cleared in three days, and then we worked hard to the end. Now the bathroom is done properly, though we suffered more than we thought.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- How long did the renovation really last?
- Why did the work stop at the start?
- What came to light when the tiles came?
- How did it all end?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Persian?
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.