My friend
A short in Western Armenian 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. Aram is my oldest friend. He is tall, with a beard, and he always laughs. By character he is a calm and honest person…
Text
- Արամը իմ ամենահին ընկերն է: Ան բարձրահասակ է, մորուք ունի եւ միշտ կը ծիծաղէ: Բնաւորութեամբ հանգիստ եւ ազնիւ մարդ է, բայց երբեմն ծուլ: Մենք հազուադէպ կը վիճինք, իսկ եթէ կը վիճինք, ան առաջինն է կ'ըսէ՝ իմ մեղքն է: Անցած ամիս ես տխուր էի, եւ ան ամեն օր կը զանգէր: Այդպիսի ընկեր ունենալը մեծ երջանկութիւն է:aramə im amenahin əngern e An partsrahasag e, moruk' uni yev mishd gə dzidzaghe Pnavorut'eamp hankisd yev aznyu mart e, payts yerpemn dzul Menk' hazuateb gə vijink', isg yet'e gə vijink', an arrachinn e g'əse im meghk'n e Antsadz amis yes dkhur ei, yev an amen or gə zanker Aytbisi ənger unenalə medz yerchangut'yun eAram is my oldest friend. He is tall, with a beard, and he always laughs. By character he is a calm and honest person, but sometimes lazy. We rarely argue, and if we do argue, he is the first to say: it is my fault. Last month I was sad, and he called every day. Having such a friend is great happiness.
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 does Aram look like?
- What is his flaw?
- What does he do after an argument?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Western Armenian?
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.