LingoflyThe village has changed
A text in Kazakh 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. I was born in this village, and over the last decade everything here has changed. Since time immemorial people have…
Text
- Мен бұл ауылда туғанмын, ал соңғы он жылдықта мұнда бәрі өзгерді. Ежелден бері адамдар мал баққан, ал бүгінгі таңда жастар қалаға кетіп жатыр. Мектеп ескірді, оның орнына заманауи ғимарат тұрғызылды. Ата-бабамыздың үйі әлі тұр, бірақ жанындағы ескі дүкен қирандыға айналған. Кей-кейде мен де кетемін бе деп ойлаймын, бірақ көндіге алмаймын. Түптеп келгенде, адам бір жерге бейімделеді де, сол жерде қалады.Men būl auylda tuğanmyn, al soñğy on zhyldyqta mūnda bäri özgerdi. Ezhelden beri adamdar mal baqqan, al bügingi tañda zhastar qalağa ketip zhatyr. Mektep eskirdi, onyñ ornyna zamanaui ğimarat tūrğyzyldy. Ata-babamyzdyñ üii äli tūr, biraq zhanyndağy eski düken qirandyğa ainalğan. Kei-keide men de ketemin be dep oilaimyn, biraq köndige almaimyn. Tüptep kelgende, adam bir zherge beiimdeledi de, sol zherde qalady.I was born in this village, and over the last decade everything here has changed. Since time immemorial people have raised cattle, and these days the young are leaving for the city. The school grew outdated, and a modern building was erected in its place. The house of our ancestors still stands, but the old shop next to it has turned into ruins. Now and then I too think whether I should leave, but I cannot bring myself to it. In the end a person adapts to one place and stays there.
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 happening to the young people?
- What happened to the school?
- What has the old shop turned into?
- What conclusion does the narrator come to?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Kazakh?
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.