Euskara ikasten
A short in Basque text at level B1. 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 a month I have been going to Basque courses and I see progress. At first I learned words on my own, but the…
Text
- Hilabete bat daramat euskara ikastaro batean, eta aurrerapena ikusten dut. Hasieran hitzak ikasi nituen bakarka, baina ahoskera zail egiten zait oraindik, eta azentua ere bestelakoa da gure ama-hizkuntzarekin alderatuta. Klasean asko entzuten dugu: ulertzen ez badugu, berriro galdetzen dugu, lotsarik gabe. Urratsez urrats aurrera egiten dugu, eta jada elkarrizketa txikiak ulertu ditzaket entzunez.For a month I have been going to Basque courses and I see progress. At first I learned words on my own, but the pronunciation is still hard for me, and the accent is different too compared with our native language. In class we listen a lot: if we do not understand, we ask again, without embarrassment. Step by step we move forward, and now I can understand little dialogues by ear.
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 long has the narrator been going to the courses?
- What is hardest of all?
- What do the students do if they do not understand?
- What can the narrator already do?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Basque?
B1. 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.