La compra de la setmana
A short in Catalan text 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 Saturday before lunch Neus takes the shopping list and goes down to the quarter's market. She asks for half a…
Text
- Cada dissabte, abans de dinar, la Neus agafa la llista de la compra i baixa al mercat del barri. Demana mig quilo de pernil, una rodanxa de formatge i un grapat d'olives; el venedor ho pesa tot a la balança i afegeix un pessic de sal a les olives. Després compra un manat de julivert, mig litre de llet i un tros de coca per al cafè. Pregunta quant val el quilo de taronges i, com que hi ha descompte, en pren dos quilos en lloc d'un. A la caixa hi ha cua: mentre espera, apunta els preus a la llista per no oblidar-ne cap i mira les parades de flors, sense comprar res més: ja n'hi ha prou per a tota la setmana.Every Saturday before lunch Neus takes the shopping list and goes down to the quarter's market. She asks for half a kilo of ham, a slice of cheese and a handful of olives; the seller weighs everything on the scales and adds a pinch of salt to the olives. Then she buys a bunch of parsley, half a liter of milk and a piece of cake for coffee. She asks how much a kilogram of oranges costs, and as there is a discount, takes two kilograms instead of one. At the checkout there is a queue: while she waits, she writes the prices into the list so as to forget nothing, and looks at the flower stalls without buying anything more: it will be enough for the whole week.
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 Neus take before going out to the market?
- What does the seller do with the olives?
- Why does she take two kilograms of oranges?
- What does she do in the queue at the checkout?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Catalan?
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.