The family account
A short in Kazakh 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. This year we started writing down our household expenses, and after a month the figures showed a lot. The money spent…
Text
- Биыл біз үй шығынын жазып отыруды бастадық және бір айдан кейін сандар көп нәрсені көрсетті. Тамаққа кететін ақша жалпы сананың үштен бірі екен, ал көлікке одан төмен. Қыс айында жылу төлемі күрт көтерілді, көктемде қайта бірқалыпты болды. Базардан көтерме саудамен алғанда, ұн мен күріш бірнеше есе арзанға түседі. Балаларға қалта ақшасын бір-бірден емес, тең бөліп береміз, сонда ешкім ренжімейді. Әр айдың соңында жинақ қаламаса да, ақша әрең жетеді деген сөзді енді айтпаймыз.This year we started writing down our household expenses, and after a month the figures showed a lot. The money spent on food turned out to be a third of the total, and transport is below that. In winter the heating bill rose sharply, and in spring it smoothed out again. If you buy wholesale at the bazaar, flour and rice come out several times cheaper. We give the children pocket money not one by one but split evenly, and then nobody takes offense. Even if no savings are left at the end of the month, we no longer say that money is running out.
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 share of the expenses is food?
- What happened in winter?
- What does wholesale buying give?
- How do they divide the pocket money?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Kazakh?
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.