Five kilos for twenty
A short in Greek 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. For the table I counted five kilograms of food for twenty people. Fifteen came, and almost a third was left. The next…
Text
- Για το τραπέζι υπολόγισα πέντε κιλά φαγητό για είκοσι άτομα. Ήρθαν δεκαπέντε, και περίσσεψε σχεδόν το ένα τρίτο. Την επόμενη φορά μέτρησα με το κομμάτι, όχι με το μάτι. Βγήκε ίσα ίσα, και κανείς δεν έμεινε νηστικός.ya to trapézi ipolóyisa pénde kilá fayitó ya íkosi átoma. írthan dekapénde, ke perísepse skhedón to éna tríto. tin epómeni forá métrisa me to komáti, ókhi me to máti. vyíke ísa ísa, ke kanís den émine nistikósFor the table I counted five kilograms of food for twenty people. Fifteen came, and almost a third was left. The next time I counted person by person, and not off the top of my head. It came out just enough, and nobody stayed hungry.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- How many people came?
- How much food was left the first time?
- How did they count the second time?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Greek?
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.