Nire historia laburra
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. My story is simple: I was born in a village and spent my childhood among the mountains. In my youth I finished school…
Text
- Nire historia xumea da: herrixka batean jaio nintzen, eta haurtzaroa mendien artean eman nuen. Eskola bukatu nuen gaztaroan eta lehen lana aurkitu nuen hiriko dend batean, arratsetan. Gaur bost urte daramatzat beste herrialde batean, bizitza berri bat hasita; dena aldatu zait hobera. Behin urtean jaioterrira itzaltzen naiz, eta orduan oroitzapenak etortzen zaizkit, argazki zaharren bezala.My story is simple: I was born in a village and spent my childhood among the mountains. In my youth I finished school and found my first job at a city shop, in the evenings. Now I have lived in another country for five years, having started a new life; everything has changed for the better for me. Once a year I return to my homeland, and then the memories come — like old photographs.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Where was the narrator born?
- Where did he find his first job?
- How many years has he lived in another country?
- What brings memories back to him?
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.