The grey-haired neighbour
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. Beside my house lives a grey-haired man. This man is modest and sociable. He goes to the bazaar together with my…
Text
- میرے گھر کے قریب ایک سفید بالوں والا آدمی رہتے ہیں۔ یہ آدمی سادہ اور ملنسار ہیں۔ وہ بازار میں میرے دوست کے ساتھ جاتے ہیں۔ وہ بہت بھروسے مند ہیں، اور محنتی بھی۔ ہر روز شام کو چائے کی عادت ہے۔mere ghar ke qarib ek safid balon wala adi rehte hain. ye adi sade aur milansar hain. wo bazar main mere dost ke sath dzhate hain. wo behot bharose mand hain, aur mehnati bhi. har roz sham ko chai ki adat hai.Beside my house lives a grey-haired man. This man is modest and sociable. He goes to the bazaar together with my friend. He is very reliable, and hard-working too. Every day he has a habit — tea in the evening.
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 does the neighbour look like?
- What is his character like?
- Who does he go to the bazaar with?
- What is his habit?
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.