Two sounds in the neighborhood
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. There is a small mosque in our neighborhood. The call to prayer is read in the morning, but it's far from us, it can…
Text
- Mahallemizde küçük bir cami var. Sabah ezan okunuyor, ama bize uzak, pek duyulmuyor. Ramazanda komşularımız oruç tutuyor, akşam sofraya birlikte oturuyoruz. Karşı sokakta bir de kilise var; pazar sabahı çanı çalıyor. İki ses aynı mahallede, kimse şaşırmıyor.There is a small mosque in our neighborhood. The call to prayer is read in the morning, but it's far from us, it can barely be heard. During Ramadan our neighbors fast, and in the evening we sit at the table together. On the street opposite there is also a church; its bell rings on Sunday morning. Two sounds in one neighborhood, and no one is surprised.
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 is there in the narrator's neighborhood?
- What do the neighbors do during Ramadan?
- When does the bell ring?
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.