A trail through the forest
A text in Hebrew 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. With my brother we went to visit a friend in a village on the mountain. At the fork we decided to go straight through…
Text
- אחי ואני הלכנו לבקר חבר בכפר על ההר. בצומת החלטנו ללכת ישירות דרך היער, כי זה קרוב יותר. אחרי חצי שעה הלכנו לאיבוד, כי פספסנו את נקודת הציון היחידה. במרחק ראינו גגות אדומים, ופנינו אליהם. השביל ירד לעומק העמק ונגמר במבוי סתום. חזרנו דרך הכביש הראשי, הלכנו בכוחות האחרונים והגענו רק בערב.ахи ве-ани халахну левекер хавер бе-кфар аль ха-хар. бе-цомэт хахлатну лалехет йеширот дерех ха-яар, ки зэ каров йотэр. ахарей хеци шаа халахну ле-ибуд, ки пасфасну эт некудат ха-цион ха-ихида. бе-мерхак раину гагот адумим, ве-панину алехем. ха-швиль ярад ле-омек ха-эмек ве-нигмер бе-мавой сатум. хазарну дерех ха-квиш ха-раши, халахну бе-кохот ха-ахароним ве-хигану рак бе-эрэв.With my brother we went to visit a friend in a village on the mountain. At the fork we decided to go straight through the forest, because it is closer. After half an hour we got lost, because we missed the only landmark. In the distance we saw red roofs and turned toward them. The trail went down into the depth of the valley and ended in a dead end. We returned by the main road, walked with the last of our strength and got there only in the evening.
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 were the brothers going?
- Why did they get lost?
- What did they see in the distance?
- How did the trail end in the valley?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Hebrew?
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.