Our house
A short in Kazakh 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. We live in a house on the edge of the city: there is a yard, there is a fence, and a mailbox hangs next to the garage.…
Text
- Біз қала шетіндегі үйде тұрамыз: аула бар, қоршау бар, ал гараждың қасында пошта жәшігі ілулі. Үйде бес адам: ата-анам, әпкем, мен және немересін күтіп жүрген әжем. Сенбіде бәріміз үй жинаймыз — әкем ауланы сыпырады, әпкем кірді жуады, ал мен ыдыс жуамын. Әжем кешкі ас дайындаған кезде маған көмектесуге рұқсат етеді, себебі мен пышақты дұрыс ұстаймын. Кешке бәріміз дастарқанға жиналып, күн қалай өткенін айтамыз.We live in a house on the edge of the city: there is a yard, there is a fence, and a mailbox hangs next to the garage. There are five of us in the house: my parents, my elder sister, me and grandmother, who awaits a grandchild. On Saturday we all clean up — father sweeps the yard, sister does the laundry, and I wash the dishes. When grandmother cooks dinner she lets me help, because I hold the knife correctly. In the evening we all gather at the table and tell how the day went.
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 is there next to the garage?
- How many people live in the house?
- What does the narrator do on Saturday?
- Why does grandmother let him help?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Kazakh?
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.