Milestone 2

Congratulations! You made it to Lesson 40!

Before moving on to the remaining of Expansion, let's see how much you can do.

Below is a short story about Lina and her younger sibling. This narrative is more challenging and contains a few words you haven't learned yet, to mimic real language encounter. Try to understand from context first, then check the tips below after reading. You may understand more than you expect!

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Yani Roumir

I dami a yalgai fasu de Lina. A hay a teva lidastor. Lirul en limel, cali a fasu i bonfene, a Lina i roudal e roumir u hay.

En neloa limel, gaomem roumir ca a fasu i anodu dapas: "Be de Miau".

Litamar en limel, a fasu i ilaluan: "Noli nim i roudal u run."

Lina i anona e roumir u hay. A fasu i ansau:

"Cali a lunu i anifi, a miau i anvu en leayo de faejor..."

A fasu i ilaluan e neloa roumir! No yaltan ilhei.

Mai a Lina i vardei: a fasu i vardeium e roumir.

Eta, a fasu i roudalum. Hay i ilian e roumir.

Lina i oines, mai i ilaluanum e noi u fasu.

Litamis, Lina i anona e yani roumir u hay. "Noli roudal e noi."

A fasu i vardei e roumir yalen litegai. Hay i ilaluanum, su haya i vardei e rein. A hay a ho oila.

"Nim i doum!"

"Run i ilian e tam roumir, caora nim i roudal e noi u run neauta lili. Mai run i ilianum canon i roudal. Eta noli nima i ansau."

Noli, lirul en limel, a Lina i roena e fasu. En lunpili, ga lunu, a fasu a yuba.

A Lina i anona e par yani roumir u fasu. A fare a oilaum: fasu i anidai i roudal cali i vil i mo dou anvu en roedom.

Su cali a Lina a toului, a fasu i roudal u hay.

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Tips

a = subject marker
ando = can
anifi = come
anodu = the most (superlative)
anona = give
ansau = begin
anvu = move
anye = make
apasoi = hurry
apasoium = not hurry (apasoi + -um)
bo = house
bonfene = bed
ca = that, which (connector)
cali = when (connector)
caora = because
ciude = theme
dami = exist
dapas = like
de = of / from / about
doum = cannot (do + -um)
e = direct complement marker
en = in / at / on
eta = therefore, so
faejor = woman
fare = parent
fasu = sibling
ga = compared to
hay = he / she / they (sing.)
haya = they (pl.)
ho = opposite, reverse
i = verb marker
ilaluan = say
ilaluanum = not say (ilaluan + -um)
ilhei = people
ilian = know
ilianum = not know (ilian + -um)
lili = again
limel = evening
lipardas = month
lirular = custom
litamar = yesterday (litam + -ar)
litamis = tomorrow (litam + -is)
litegai = minute
lunpili = spring
lunu = winter
mai = but
miau = cat
neauta = ne + auta = level 8, many times
neloa = all
nim = I / my
nima = we / our
no = like, as
noi = this
noli = now
norven = already
oila = happy
oines = joke
par = three
roena = teach
roudal = read
roudalum = not read (roudal + -um)
roumir = book
run = you / your
su = and, with, also
tam = one
teva = six
tor = two
toului = tired
u = indirect complement marker / to, for
um = no, not (suffix)
vardei = eye
vardeium = not look (vardei + -um)
yalen = long
yalgai = small
yaltan = big
yamirli = age
yani = new
yuba = good

No yaltan ilhei.
Like a big person.

Mai a Lina i vardei: a roumir a ho.
But Lina sees: the book is upside down.

A fasu i roudalum. Hay i ilian e roumir.
The sibling is not reading. He knows the book.

Run i ilian e tam roumir, caora nim i roudal e noi u run neauta lili.
You know one book, because I read it to you many times over.

En lunpili, ga lunu, a fasu a yuba.
In spring, compared to winter, the sibling is good.

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Comprehension

Now let's see how much you understood. Complete these exercises below.

1. What do you think?
For each sentence, respond IA or UM:

a) The sibling could read before the story began.
b) Lina immediately told the sibling what she had noticed.
c) The parent was pleased about the sibling's new habit.

2. Open Questions
Answer these questions in Oravia:

a) A Lina i roudal u fasu e ce roumir, lirul limel?
b) Cenon a Lina i ilian ca a fasu i roudalum?
c) Ce a Lina i anona u fasu?

3. Free Production
What happened in spring? Write 3 sentences about it:

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Answer Sheet

1. What do you think?

Click to Reveal the Answers

a) The sibling could read before the story began. UM / false

b) Lina immediately told the sibling what she had noticed. UM / false

c) The parent was pleased about the sibling's new habit. UM / false

2. Open Questions

Click to Reveal the Answers

a) A Lina i roudal u fasu e ce roumir, lirul limel?

Possible answer: Roumir e ca a fasu i anodu dapas, Be de Miau.

b) Cenon a Lina i ilian ca a fasu i roudalum?

Possible answer: Caora a roumir a ho, su a fasu i vardeium e roumir.

c) Ce a Lina i anona u fasu litamis?

Possible answer: Lina i anona e yani roumir u hay.

Story Translation

Click to Reveal the Translation

Lina has a small sibling. He is six years old. Every evening, when the sibling is in bed, Lina reads a book to him. The book is about a cat that travels in winter.

They have done this every evening for two months. The sibling loves the book most of all.

Yesterday evening, the sibling said: "Now I will read to you."

Lina gave him the book. The sibling began.

"When winter comes, a small cat goes to the woman's house..."

The sibling spoke the whole book. He did not hesitate; he spoke like an adult.

But Lina saw: the book was upside down. And the sibling was not looking at the book.

The sibling was not reading. He knew the book.

Lina laughed, but she did not say this to the sibling.

The next day, Lina gave him a new book. "Now read this one."

The sibling looked at the book for a long minute. He did not speak. He was unhappy.

"I cannot!"

"You can. You know one book, because I read it to you many times over. But you do not know this new book. So now we begin."

Every evening, Lina taught the sibling. The sibling hurried, but Lina did not.

In spring, compared to winter, the sibling was good. Now he reads books he has not seen before.

The sibling has three new books. The parent is not happy: the sibling reads when everyone else is in bed.

And when Lina is tired, the sibling reads to her.

Now he is reading. He does not know this book.

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Look How Far You've Come

You can now:

• Read and understand narrative prose
• Follow a story across time, place, and characters
• Understand complex sentences with hypotheticals, habits, comparisons, and negation
• Recognize extended meanings of words from their cluster roots
• Express nuance, like what used to be true, what someone knows, what changed

Congratulations! You have reached the halfway point of the Expansion Course!

🎉 Fluency Halfway!

Keep going, you are ready for the second half.