Saber i conèixer
A short in Valencian 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. Marc says speaking a language is like getting to know a city: first you know the main streets, and one day — the alleys…
Text
- En Marc diu que parlar una llengua és com conèixer una ciutat: primer saps els carrers principals i un dia, les dreceres. Amb el català li passa igual: sap demanar pa i preguntar l'hora, però encara no coneix gaire gent amb qui practicar. A la biblioteca ha trobat un club de conversa, i mica en mica va entenent a mitja paraula. Ahir, quan una senyora li va preguntar pel mercat, va respondre sense pensar-ho i ella va somriure: «per ací sempre has viscut?» No sap encara totes les regles, però ja coneix el barri, i el barri ja el coneix a ell.Marc says speaking a language is like getting to know a city: first you know the main streets, and one day — the alleys too. With Catalan it is the same for him: he can ask for bread and ask the time, but he still knows few people to practice with. In the library he found a conversation club, and little by little he begins to understand at half a word. Yesterday, when a lady asked him about the market, he answered without thinking, and she smiled: "have you always lived here?" He does not yet know all the rules, but he already knows the quarter, and the quarter already knows him.
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 does Marc compare learning a language with?
- What can Marc already do in Catalan?
- Where did he find the conversation club?
- What did the lady ask him yesterday?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Valencian?
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.