The bus or the rickshaw
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. From home to the office is far. The bus is cheap. The rickshaw is quick, but dear. I think: today the bus, tomorrow the…
Text
- گھر سے دفتر دور ہے۔ بس سستی ہے۔ ریکشہ تیز ہے، لیکن مہنگا۔ میرا خیال ہے: آج بس، کل رکشہ۔ اس سے تجربہ ہو گا۔ghar se daftar dur hai. bas sasti hai. riksha tez hai, lekin mehanga. mera khaial hai: adzh bas, kal riksha. us se tadzhurba ho ga.From home to the office is far. The bus is cheap. The rickshaw is quick, but dear. I think: today the bus, tomorrow the rickshaw. Out of this will come experience.
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 is far from home?
- What is the bus like?
- What was decided for today?
- What will come of it?
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.