A haircut on Saturday
A short text in Urdu at level A2. The translation sits next to it: reading with a dictionary is still too early at this level, and without support it will not happen at all. Every month I go to the barber. The shop is in an alley, not far from the house. The haircut costs fifty rupees. Today…
Text
- ہر مہینے میں حجام کے پاس جاتا ہوں۔ دکان گلی میں ہے، گھر کے قریب۔ ہیئر کٹ کا ریٹ پچاس روپے ہے۔ آج حجام نے پوچھا: چھوٹا کٹ یا بڑا؟ میں نے کہا: تھوڑا، کیونکہ دفتر کا کام ہے۔har mahine main hadzham ke pas dzhata hun. dukan gali main hai, ghar ke qarib. hier kat ka riyt panchash rupe hai. adzh hadzham ne pochha: chhota kat ya bara? main ne kaha: thora, kyunke daftar ka kam hai.Every month I go to the barber. The shop is in an alley, not far from the house. The haircut costs fifty rupees. Today the barber asked: short, or longer? I said: a little, because there is business at the office.
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 is the barber shop?
- How much does the haircut cost?
- What did the master ask?
- Why did he ask for a little?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Urdu?
A2. That means: you know the letters and have a stock of everyday words — about two or three hundred.
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.