The car will not start
A text in Thai 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. Yesterday morning my car would not start. I called a technician to come look at it. The technician first checked the…
Text
- เมื่อ วาน ตอน เช้า รถ ผม สตาร์ท ไม่ ติด ผม เรียก ช่าง มา ดู ที่ บ้าน ช่าง ตรวจ เครื่อง ยนต์ และ ไฟ หน้า ก่อน แล้ว บอก ว่า แบตเตอรี่ หมด ช่าง เปลี่ยน แบตเตอรี่ ใหม่ ให้ ผม ตอน บ่าย รถ สตาร์ท ได้ แล้ว ผม ขับ ไป ทำ งานмыа ван тон чао рот пхом сатаат май тит пхом риак чанг ма дуу ти бан чанг труат кхрыанг йон лэ фай наа кон лаэо бок ваа баттэри мот чанг плиан баттэри май хай пхом тон баай рот сатаат даай лаэо пхом кхап пай тхам нганYesterday morning my car would not start. I called a technician to come look at it. The technician first checked the engine and the headlights. Then he said the battery was dead. The technician put in a new battery for me. After lunch the car started, and I went to work.
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 happened in the morning?
- Whom did the narrator call?
- What did the technician say?
- What did the narrator do after lunch?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Thai?
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.