The neighbor who keeps his word
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. Our neighbor is reserved and does not talk much. At first we thought he was vain, but he is simply shy. When the pipe…
Text
- השכן שלנו סגור בתוך עצמו ולא מדבר הרבה. בהתחלה חשבנו שהוא מרוכז בעצמו, אבל הוא פשוט ביישן. כשהצינור נשבר בחורף, הוא היה אצלנו בשש בבוקר עם הכלים. הוא אף פעם לא התפאר ולא ציפה לשבח. האנשים בבניין קודם רכלו עליו, היום הם יודעים שהוא מקיים הבטחות. אנחנו מצאנו איתו שפה משותפת, והיום מדברים איתו בגובה העיניים.ха-шахен шеляну сагур бе-тох ацмо ве-ло медабэр харбэ. ба-хатхала хашавну ше-ху мерухаз бе-ацмо, аваль ху пшут байшан. ке-ше-ха-цинор нишбар ба-хорэф, ху хайа эцэлану бэ-шеш ба-бокер им ха-клеим. ху аф паам ло хитфаэр ве-ло цифа ле-швах. ха-анашим ба-биньян кодэм рерхоль альав, ха-йом хем йодим ше-ху мекайем автахот. анахну мацану ито сафа мешутефет, ве-ха-йом медабрим ито бэ-гова ха-эйнаим.Our neighbor is reserved and does not talk much. At first we thought he was vain, but he is simply shy. When the pipe broke in winter, he was at our place at six in the morning with tools. He never boasted and never waited for praise. People in the house used to gossip about him; today they know he keeps his word. We found a common language with him, and now people talk to him as an equal.
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 did the neighbor seem like at first?
- What was it in fact?
- What did he do when the pipe broke?
- What do people know about him today?
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.