Els anys que passen
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. It has been thirty years since Núria lives in the same house on the upper street, and the town changed three times…
Text
- Fa trenta anys que la Núria viu a la mateixa casa del carrer de Dalt, i el poble ha canviat tres vegades al voltant d'ella. Mentrestant, la seva rutina no s'ha mogut: pa a les set, hort a les huit, cafè amb les veïnes a les deu. En els seus temps, el tren portava joves cada estiu; hui en dia, cada cop més gent arriba per quedar-s'hi. El punt de gir, diu ella, va ser quan l'escola va reobrir: un poble sense xiquets és una casa sense menjador. Ara, quan plou, s'asseu a la finestra i mira els anys passar com el riu: sense pressa, però sense aturada.It has been thirty years since Núria lives in the same house on the upper street, and the town changed three times around her. Meanwhile her routine has not shifted: bread at seven, the vegetable garden at eight, coffee with the neighbors at ten. In her day the train brought young people every summer; nowadays more and more people come to stay. The turning point, she says, was the reopening of the school: a town without children is a house without a dining room. Now, when it rains, she sits by the window and watches the years pass, like a river: without haste, but also without stopping.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- How many years has Núria lived in her house?
- What in her life has not shifted?
- What does she call the town's turning point?
- What happens in summer now?
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.