ඒ දවසේ ගමන
A short in Sinhala 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. It was like this: we set out at six in the morning, thinking that the weather was good. In the very middle of the road…
Text
- වුණු දේ මෙහෙමයි: අපි උදේ හයට පිටත් වුණා, කාලගුණේ හොඳයි කියලා හිතලා. පාරේ හරි මැද්දේ වාහනේ හදිසියේම නැවතුණා. මම බලාපොරොත්තු වුණේ නෑ එහෙම වෙයි කියලා, පොඩ්ඩෙන් වැස්සත් ආවා. මිනිත්තු ගාණකින් යාළුවෙක් ඇවිත් උදව් කරන්න කියලා අපි ඉල්ලුවා. අන්තිම ගාණේ අපි ගෙදර ගියේ පයින්, ඒත් ඒ මොහොත මට දැන් වගේ මතකයි.vuṇu dē mehemayi: api udē hayaṭa piṭat vuṇā, kālaguṇē hondayi kiyalā hitalā. pārē hari mæddē vāhanē hadisiyēma nævatuṇā. mama balāporottu vuṇē nǣ ehema veyi kiyalā, poḍḍen væssat āvā. minittu gāṇakin yāḷuvek ævit udav karanna kiyalā api illuvā. antima gāṇē api gedara giyē payin, ēt ē mohota maṭa dæn vagē matakayi.It was like this: we set out at six in the morning, thinking that the weather was good. In the very middle of the road the car suddenly stopped. I did not expect that it would turn out so, and it all but rained. Within a few minutes an acquaintance came up, and we asked him to help. In the end we walked home, but I see that moment as if now.
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 time did they set out?
- What happened in the middle of the road?
- Who came up within a few minutes?
- How did they get home in the end?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Sinhala?
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.