LingoflyAutumn clothes
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. Autumn has come, so I went to the bazaar looking for warm clothes. I liked a brown jacket, but the size turned out too…
Text
- Күз келді, сондықтан жылы киім іздеп базарға бардым. Маған қоңыр күртеше ұнады, бірақ өлшемі тым үлкен болып шықты. Сатушы кішірек әкелді, ал ол тар болды: жеңі қысқа, иығы қысып тұр. Ақыры көршілес сөреден қара жемпір мен жылы шұлық алдым. Ертең телпек пен қолғап іздеймін, өйткені тауда қар ерте жауады.Küz keldi, sondyqtan zhyly kiim izdep bazarğa bardym. Mağan qoñyr kürteshe ūnady, biraq ölshemi tym ülken bolyp shyqty. Satushy kishirek äkeldi, al ol tar boldy: zheñi qysqa, iyğy qysyp tūr. Aqyry körshiles söreden qara zhempir men zhyly shūlyq aldym. Erteñ telpek pen qolğap izdeimin, öitkeni tauda qar erte zhauady.Autumn has come, so I went to the bazaar looking for warm clothes. I liked a brown jacket, but the size turned out too big. The seller brought a smaller one, and it was tight: the sleeve short, the shoulders pinching. In the end I bought a black sweater and warm socks from the neighboring stall. Tomorrow I will look for a hat and gloves, because snow falls early in the mountains.
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 did the narrator like at first?
- Why did he not take the second jacket?
- What did he buy in the end?
- What is he going to look for tomorrow?
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.