Reading level 15: Descriptions and Directions

New in this level

No new shapes and no new tense — this level is about saying more than one thing about one thing. যে, যেটা, যেখানে and যিনি open a clause that describes a noun, and সেটা, সেখানে or তিনি picks that noun up again a moment later, so Bangla names it twice where English names it once: যে ঘরটা দক্ষিণ দিকে, সেটা সবচেয়ে বড়. Adjectives now stack — পুরনো কিন্তু মজবুত, সরু, পরিষ্কার আর সবুজ — and চেয়ে sets two things side by side while সবচেয়ে puts one at the top of the list. The adjective itself never changes shape: বড় is big and bigger both.

Grammar

relative clauses with যে / যেটা / যেখানে / যিনি, closed by সেটা / সেখানে / তিনি
stacked adjectives: কালো, ছোট আর পুরনো
comparatives with চেয়ে, and সবচেয়ে for the top of the scale
-টা and its written twin -টি on a described noun: ঘরটা, ফ্ল্যাটটি
-গুলো for a described plural: ঘরগুলোর, কাগজগুলো, যেগুলো
a material said as a noun plus -এর: কাঠের, লোহার, প্লাস্টিকের

Text types

listing
description

0/9 read

, ।

A Bangla relative clause comes in two halves. যে opens it and সেটা closes it, so the flat is named twice — once inside the যে half, once again as সেটা. English drops the second half.

, ।

যেখানে … সেখানে is the same pair for places: where …, there …. It is how a Bangladeshi points somewhere — the landmark is named first, and only then what is at it.

।

X-এর চেয়ে Y — Y measured against X. The adjective never changes shape: বড় is big and bigger both, and চেয়ে is what makes it a comparison.

, ।

সবচেয়ে is চেয়ে against everything at once — the top of the scale. And Bangla stacks adjectives with commas and আর before the last one, exactly as English does.

বাসা ভাড়া হবেFlat to let

৭ নম্বর রোড, মিরপুর · ভবনের গেটে

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

A to-let sign is a list of qualities, not a story. Each line hangs an adjective or two on one thing — the room, the windows, the stairs — and the two comparisons (সবচেয়ে বড়, আগের ভাড়ার চেয়ে কম) are the sign making its case. It writes ফ্ল্যাটটি with -টি where a person speaking would say ফ্ল্যাটটা; that is print against speech, not two different words.

আমাদের গলিOur lane

এক ভাড়াটিয়ার লেখা · মিরপুর

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

A description has no sequence to lean on — no first, then, at the end. What holds it together instead is one place after another, each pinned to the last with পাশে, মুখে, মাথায় or উল্টো দিকে. Read it with a map in your head rather than a clock.

হারানো বিজ্ঞপ্তিLost: a black bag

হাতে লেখা · চায়ের দোকানের দেয়ালে

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

A lost notice has to describe one object well enough for a stranger to recognise it, so it stacks adjectives and then opens the bag up: কালো, ছোট আর পুরনো, and after that what was inside. Note who it addresses — যিনি ব্যাগটা পেয়েছেন, তিনি — the honorific relative, because the finder is an unknown adult and a notice cannot afford to be familiar.

ক্লিনিকের পথThe way to the clinic

কাগজে লেখা · মিরপুর

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

Directions are a description with an order imposed on it. Every step names a landmark and then says what to do at it. Most of the pinning is done by the place words this level introduces — ডান দিকে, পাশের, ভেতরে বামে, পরের — and যেখানে … সেখানে is saved for the one point where the road forks. The verbs are all -বেন — নামবেন, হাঁটবেন, ঢুকবেন, উঠবেন — a future doing the work of an instruction, polite enough for a stranger.

পুরনো আসবাব বিক্রিFurniture for sale

মিরপুর ৭ নম্বর রোড · হাতে লেখা

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

The second listing in this level, and the same shape as the to-let sign: one thing per line, an adjective or two on each, and a price. Watch the comparison doing the selling — খাটটা আলমারির চেয়ে সস্তা, দাম আরো কম — and the last line, which is only there because this is the flat the first sign is advertising.