LingoflyA difficult neighbor
A text in Turkish 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. Our upstairs neighbor is very touchy; he takes even the smallest word personally. Last month he reproached me for being…
Text
- Üst kattaki komşumuz çok alıngan; en küçük sözde bile kendine alınıyor. Geçen ay merdiven parasını iki gün geç verdim diye bana sitem etti. Kötü niyetle yapmadığını biliyorum, ama inatçılığı bazen herkesi yoruyor. Yine de zor günde kimseyi yüzüstü bırakmaz: babam hastalanınca gece hastaneye o götürdü. Karşılıklı olarak anlaştık: o daha sabırlı olacak, biz de gürültüye dikkat edeceğiz.Our upstairs neighbor is very touchy; he takes even the smallest word personally. Last month he reproached me for being two days late with the stairwell fee. I know he doesn't do it out of malice, but his stubbornness sometimes tires everyone. And yet on a hard day he lets no one down: when my father got sick, it was he who drove him to the hospital at night. We agreed mutually: he will be more patient, and we will mind the noise.
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 the upstairs neighbor like?
- What did he reproach the narrator for?
- What did the neighbor do when the father got sick?
- What did they agree on?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Turkish?
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.