An old friend
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. Zahra is my old friend. A misunderstanding happened, and we cut off the relationship. She took offense, and I took…
Text
- دوست قدیمی من زهرا است. سوءتفاهمی بود و رابطهمان را قطع کردیم. او قهر کرد و من هم قهر کردم. من دلتنگ او بودم. دیروز حرف زدیم و آشتی کردیم. حالا دوباره دوست قدیمی هستیم.duste kadimi man Zahra ast. su-tafahâmi bud va râvâbemân râ gate kârdim. u gâr kârd va man ham gâr kârdam. man deltange u budam. diruz harf zadim va âshti kârdim. hâlâ dâbâre duste kadimi hastim.Zahra is my old friend. A misunderstanding happened, and we cut off the relationship. She took offense, and I took offense too. I missed her. Yesterday we talked and made up. Now we are old friends again.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Who is Zahra?
- Why did the friendship break off?
- What did the storyteller feel?
- 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.