Reading level 13: More Than One Sentence

New in this level

No new shapes — level 12 spent the last of those. What is new is that the sentences stop standing alone. সে, তার and তারা point back to somebody named a line earlier, তিনি does the same job politely for an elder, and প্রথমে, তারপর and শেষে put events in order. From here you read a whole text, not a line.

Grammar

pronoun reference across sentences (সে, তার, তাকে, তারা, তাদের)
the honorific তিনি beside plain সে
sequencing with প্রথমে / তারপর / শেষে
তাই and তাহলে joining a cause to what follows from it

Text types

message
notice

0/9 read

, ।

সে and তার both point back to someone already named. That is the whole trick of this level.

, , ।

প্রথমে, তারপর, শেষে put three steps in order — directions, recipes and repair notices all run on them.

, ।

তারা is the plural of সে; তাদের is both 'their' and 'them'.

, ।

তাকে is সে with the -কে object marker. -নি tacked onto a verb makes it 'didn't'.

একটু দেরি হবেRunning late

হোয়াটসঅ্যাপ · বিকেল ৫টা

, ? । , , , । , , । , । , , । , । , , । ? । , , । , । , , । , , । , । , । , । , ? , । , । , । , ? । ? । , , ? , । , ? ? , । ? ? , , । , । , , । , , । , ।

A message thread is two voices, one line each, with nothing marking who is speaking. Read it as prose for the story, then line by line to work out whose turn is whose.

বাড়িওয়ালার জন্যA note for the landlord

৩ নম্বর ফ্ল্যাট · দুপুর ১টা

, ? , , । , , , । , । , , , । , । , । , , । , । , । , । , । , , , ? , । , , । , , । , , , , । , , । , , । , , , । , । , ।

A handwritten note is one voice and has to carry everything at once — greeting, complaint, request, and where the money is. Watch সে in the middle: it is the caretaker, not the landlord.

বিজ্ঞপ্তিNotice: the water pump

ভবন কমিটি · ১০ নভেম্বর

, । , । , । , , , । , , , । , , । , , । , । , , । , , , । , , , । , । , , , । , । , , , ।

A Bangladeshi noticeboard notice does its one job and then takes the chance to do five more. Read to the end — the rent reminder is buried in the middle.

দোকান বন্ধ থাকবেClosed for Eid

মিষ্টির দোকান · হাতে লেখা

, । । , , , । , । , , । , , । , , । , , , । , , , । , , , , । । , । , । , ।

Hand-lettered shop notices repeat themselves. The price and the change come up three times because that is the argument the shopkeeper has all day.

আপাকে আনতে যাওয়াMeeting the bus

মেসেজ · সোমবার রাত

, ? , , । , । ? ? । ? ? ? , , । , , । ? । , । , । ? , , ? , , । , । , । , , । , , । , । , , । , , । ? ? , , । । । । , , । , । , , ।

The whole thread turns on one person who is never named after the first line. তিনি, তার and আপার all point back to her — and she is তিনি, never সে, because she is an elder, even where the thread types plain তার rather than the formal তাঁর.