The repair that dragged
A text in Urdu 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. The bathroom repair was planned for two weeks, and it ran two months. At the start there was a glitch with the delivery…
Text
- غسل خانے کی مرمت دو ہفتوں کے لیے بنی تھی، مگر دو مہینے چلی۔ شروع میں ٹائل کی فراہمی میں خلل آیا اور کام رک گیا۔ مستری جواب دینے میں دیر کرتا رہا، ہم کو ڈر تھا کہ سب ناکام ہو جائے گا۔ جب ٹائل آئی تو معلوم ہوا کہ آدھی ٹوٹی ہوئی ہے۔ خرابی تین دن میں دور ہوئی اور پھر ہم نے مسلسل کام کیا۔ اب غسل خانہ ڈھنگ سے بنا ہے، اگرچہ محنت زیادہ لگی۔ghusal khane ki murammat do hafton ke lie bani thi, magar do mehine chali. shuru main tail ki farahami main khalal aya aur kam rik gaya. mastri dzhawab dene main der karta reha, hum ko dar tha ke sab nakam ho dzhaie ga. dzhab tail ai to maluum hua ke adhi toti hui hai. kharabi tin din main dur hui aur phir hum ne musalsal kam kiya. ab ghusal khana dhang se bana hai, agarche mehnat ziyada lagi.The bathroom repair was planned for two weeks, and it ran two months. At the start there was a glitch with the delivery of tiles, and the work stood. The master delayed his answer; we feared everything would be a failure. When the tiles were brought, it turned out half were broken. The fault was removed in three days, and then we worked hard. Now the bathroom is done properly, though the labour was greater.
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 repair really run?
- Why did the work stand?
- What turned out when the tiles were brought?
- How did it all end?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Urdu?
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.