Etxeko konponketak
A short in Basque 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. Saturday in our house is the day of home repairs. In the morning the light went out in the kitchen, so we put in a new…
Text
- Larunbata etxeko konponketen eguna da gure etxean. Goizean argia itzali zen sukaldean, beraz bonbilla berria jarri dugu eta linternarekin ibili gara bitartean. Ondoren ikusi dugu txorrota tantoka dabila: amak esan du bihar teknikaria deituko duela, baina aitak palatxoa eta trapua hartu ditu berehala. Nik zatokia kendu diot altzariei eta gela txukundu dut; neba arrebak, berriz, aulkia konpondu dute torlojuz. Arratsaldean atea ez da ixten ondo, eta aitak txarnetak oliatu ditu, orain isilik dabiltza. Iluntzean dena garbia dago eta lasaitasunak betetzen du etxea: astero behar dena egiten baduzu, ez da konponketa inoiz handiegia bihurtzen.Saturday in our house is the day of home repairs. In the morning the light went out in the kitchen, so we put in a new bulb and until then walked with a flashlight. Then we noticed the faucet was dripping: mom said she would call the repairman tomorrow, but dad at once took a scoop and a rag. I wiped the dust off the furniture and put the room in order; my brother and sister fixed a chair with screws. In the evening the door does not close well, and dad oiled the hinges — now they are silent. At dusk everything is clean, and the house delights us with its calm; if you do what is needed every week, nothing becomes too big.
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 happened in the morning in the kitchen?
- What did the family walk with while there was no light?
- What did the narrator do?
- What did dad do in the evening?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Basque?
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.