The storm over the village
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. One evening a great storm came to the village. Black clouds covered the sky. First thunder was heard, then a downpour…
Text
- ایک شام گاؤں میں بڑا طوفان آیا۔ آسمان پر کالے بادل چھائے ہوئے تھے۔ پہلے گرج سنائی دی، پھر موسلا دھار بارش شروع ہوئی۔ ژالہ باری نے فصلیں تباہ کر دیں۔ صبح آسمان صاف تھا اور قوس قزح نظر آئی۔ek sham gaon main bara tofan aya. aasman per kale badal chhaie hue the. pehle gurdzh sunai dia, phir musala dhar barish shuru hui. zhala bari ne faslin tabah kar din. subah aasman saaf tha aur quse quzah nazar ai.One evening a great storm came to the village. Black clouds covered the sky. First thunder was heard, then a downpour began. The hail destroyed the crops. In the morning the sky was clear and a rainbow showed.
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 came to the village in the evening?
- What came first?
- What did the hail destroy?
- What was seen in the morning?
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.