The old chest
A short in Turkish text 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. Grandfather's chest stood in the attic; the lid dusty, the edges worn. Inside there was a pile of things: faded…
Text
- Dedemin sandığı tavan arasında duruyordu; kapağı tozlu, kenarları yıpranmıştı. İçinde bir yığın eşya vardı: solmuş fotoğraflar, paslı bir anahtar, buruşuk mektuplar. Bir de küçük bir ayna: çerçevesi oval, camı hâlâ sağlam. Annem her şeyi ayrı ayrı masaya dizdi, sonra hepsini şeffaf bir kutuya koyduk. Sandığın kendisi çok yer kaplıyordu, ama atmaya kimsenin gönlü razı olmadı.Grandfather's chest stood in the attic; the lid dusty, the edges worn. Inside there was a pile of things: faded photographs, a rusty key, crumpled letters. And also a small mirror: the frame is oval, the glass is still intact. Mom laid everything out on the table one by one, then we put it all in a transparent box. The chest itself took up a lot of space, but no one could bring themselves to throw it away.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Where did the chest stand?
- What was the key like?
- What did mom do?
- Why wasn't the chest thrown away?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Turkish?
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.