LingoflyA holiday at the lake
A short text in Kazakh 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. In summer we went up into the mountains and drove to a small lake. There is no sand on the shore, only stones and…
Text
- Жазда біз тауға шығып, кішкентай көлге бардық. Жағалауда құм жоқ, тек тас пен шөп, сондықтан жағажай деп айту қиын. Су мұздай болды, бірақ балалар бәрібір шомылды және мен де жүздім. Әкем қармақ алып келген еді, кешке дейін балық аулады, бірақ ештеңе ұстамады. Күн батуы аңғарда өте әдемі көрінді, ал түнде салқын болып, жемпір киюге тура келді.Zhazda biz tauğa shyğyp, kishkentai kölge bardyq. Zhağalauda qūm zhoq, tek tas pen shöp, sondyqtan zhağazhai dep aitu qiyn. Su mūzdai boldy, biraq balalar bäribir shomyldy zhäne men de zhüzdim. Äkem qarmaq alyp kelgen edi, keshke deiin balyq aulady, biraq eshteñe ūstamady. Kün batuy añğarda öte ädemi körindi, al tünde salqyn bolyp, zhempir kiyuge tura keldi.In summer we went up into the mountains and drove to a small lake. There is no sand on the shore, only stones and grass, so it is hard to call it a beach. The water was icy, but the children swam anyway, and I swam too. Father had brought a fishing rod and fished until evening, but caught nothing. The sunset in the valley looked very beautiful, and at night it got cold and I had to put on a sweater.
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 was on the shore of the lake?
- What was the water like?
- How did the father's fishing end?
- What had to be done at night?
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.