LingoflyNire historia laburra
A text in Basque at level B1. The translation sits next to it for checking, not for support: at this level the text is read whole, and an unknown word is usually guessed from the sentence. 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 denda batean, arratsetan. Gaur bost urte daramatzat beste herrialde batean, bizitza berri bat hasita; dena aldatu zait hobera. Behin urtean jaioterrira itzultzen naiz, eta orduan oroitzapenak etortzen zaizkit, argazki zaharrak 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: everyday topics are behind you, you know about three thousand words, and an unknown word is more often guessed from the sentence than looked up.
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.