LingoflyIf I had known
A text in Western Armenian 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. On Friday evening I decided to go to Gyumri, although the weather was spoiling. A friend said: "In your place I would…
Text
- Ուրբաթ երեկոյեան որոշեցի Գիւմրի երթալ, թէեւ եղանակը կը վատնար։ Ընկերս ըսաւ. «Քու տեղդ ըլլայի, պիտի սպասէի, ամենայն հաւանականութեամբ ձիւն պիտի գայ»։ Ես յամառեցայ, եւ իբրեւ արդիւնք՝ երկու ժամ կանգնած մնացինք գոց ճամբուն վրայ։ Եթէ իմանայի, ամէն պարագայի համար վերմակ եւ ջուր պիտի առնէի, բայց ատիկա միայն յետոյ մտածեցի։ Գիւմրի հասանք միայն կէս գիշերին, յոգնած ու մրսած։urpat' yeregoyean voroshetsi Kyumri yert'al, t'eev yeghanagə gə vadnar Əngers əsav. «k'u deght əllayi, bidi sbasei, amenayn havanaganut'eamp tsyun bidi kay» Yes hamarretsa, yev iprev artyunk' yergu zham ganknadz mnatsink' kots jampun vra Yet'e imanayi, amen baragayi hamar vermag yev chur bidi arrnei, payts adiga miayn hedo mdadzetsi Kyumri hasank' miayn ges kisherin, hoknadz u mrsadzOn Friday evening I decided to go to Gyumri, although the weather was spoiling. A friend said: "In your place I would wait; most probably it will snow." I insisted on my own, and as a result we stood two hours on a closed road. If I had known, I would have taken a blanket and water just in case, but I thought of it only afterwards. We reached Gyumri only by midnight, tired and frozen.
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 did he decide to go?
- What did the friend advise?
- What happened as a result?
- When did they reach Gyumri?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Western Armenian?
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.