The family budget
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. Every month father and mother look at how much money there is. They pay the rent and the electricity bill. Then food…
Text
- כל חודש אבא ואמא רואים כמה כסף יש. הם משלמים שכר דירה וחשבון חשמל. אחר כך אוכל, ורק בסוף דברים קטנים. השנה הם חוסכים, כי הם רוצים לעבור דירה גדולה. בסוף החודש אין מספיק כסף. אז הם לא קונים הרבה.коль ходеш аба ве-има роим кама кесеф йеш. хем мешалмим шхар дира ве-хешбон хашмаль. ахар ках охель, ве-рак бэ-соф дварим ктаним. ха-шана хем хосхим, ки хем роцим лаавор дира гдола. бэ-соф ха-ходеш эйн маспик кесеф. аз хем ло коним харбэ.Every month father and mother look at how much money there is. They pay the rent and the electricity bill. Then food, and only at the end — the small things. This year they are saving, because they want to move to a bigger apartment. At the end of the month the money runs short. Then they do not buy much.
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 do the parents look at every month?
- What do they pay first?
- Why are they saving this year?
- What happens at the end of the month?
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.