Can you read it?

You start reading a text in a foreign language.

The first sentence is fine. In the second, you find a word you do not know. You stop, open the dictionary, read the translation and return to the text.

Then you find another new word.

Another search.

After ten minutes, you have discovered five words, opened seven tabs on your phone and forgotten what the text was about.

You were reading a restaurant menu. Meanwhile, everyone else has already ordered dessert.

Do we really need to know every word to understand a text?

This November, at Cassano Academy, we are focusing on reading. After exploring listening in September and speaking in October, we are moving on to written words: in books, of course, but also in messages, signs and instructions we see every day.

Let’s start with this question: how can we keep reading when we do not understand everything?

Read with a purpose

Before opening the dictionary, ask yourself:

“What am I looking for in this text?”

If we read a train timetable, we probably want to know when our train leaves. If we read a message, we want to understand what someone is telling us. If we read a story, we want to follow what happens.

We do not read all these texts in the same way.

Even in our own language, we do not read every destination on a departure board from beginning to end. We look for our train.

But in a foreign language, we sometimes feel that we must understand everything, as if every word were an exam question.

Having a purpose helps us decide where to focus our attention.

If we want to find a museum’s opening times, we can start with the days and numbers. The description of the building can wait.

An unknown word does not erase the words you know

Read this sentence:

“Laura puts on her jacket because it is cold outside.”

Perhaps you do not know puts on. But you recognise Laura, the jacket, the cold weather and the word outside.

This information helps you imagine the scene: Laura is getting dressed to go out in the cold.

We have not translated every part separately. We have connected the clues.

When you meet a new word, try looking at the words around it.

Ask yourself:

• Who is doing something?

• Where are they?

• What is happening?

• Which words do I already know?

The unknown word is still there. But now it is only one part of the text.

Context helps, but it cannot tell us everything

Imagine reading:

“Marco is hungry. He opens the fridge and takes out some cheese.”

Even if you do not know fridge, you can use the other information: Marco is hungry, he opens something and takes out some cheese.

He is probably opening a refrigerator.

Context helps us make a reasonable guess. But that does not mean every guess will be correct.

If we only read:

“Marco opens it.”

we cannot know whether Marco is opening a door, a box or a fridge.

We need more information.

Using context means looking for clues, not inventing information that is not in the text.

We can also leave a question unanswered for a moment. Sometimes the next sentence explains what the previous one did not.

First the main idea, then the details

A simple way to practise is to read a short text twice, with a different purpose each time.

The first time, try to understand the situation.

Is it an invitation? A story? A message about a change of plan? Who is speaking, and what are they talking about?

The second time, look for specific information.

What time? Where? Why? What does the person need to do?

For example:

“Hi Marco! Our lesson is on Friday this week, not Thursday. We start at six. Please bring your book.”

The first time, we can understand that the message is about a lesson and a change.

The second time, we notice the details: the lesson is on Friday, not Thursday; it starts at six; we need to bring our book.

Here, the little word not is very important.

We might know almost every word and still arrive on the wrong day if we miss it.

Reading means more than recognising words. We also need to understand how they work together.

When do we need a dictionary?

A dictionary is a useful tool. The important thing is deciding when to use it.

During reading practice, it can help to look up a word when:

• it stops you from understanding important information;

• it appears several times and seems central to the text;

• you want to learn it because it will be useful in other situations.

If you can follow the text without knowing its exact meaning, you can mark it and return to it later.

Imagine that a character enters a room and sits in an armchair. The writer describes the armchair with an adjective you do not know. To follow the story, knowing that the character sat down may be enough.

But if you are reading an advertisement because you want to buy that armchair, the same adjective might matter a lot.

The importance of a word also depends on what we need to do with the text.

When you look up a word, read the dictionary examples too. The first translation in the list is not always the right one for your sentence.

Some details cannot wait

We do not need to understand every word in every text. But some information needs careful attention.

Think of a booking, a set of instructions or a message with a deadline.

Dates, negative words, quantities and conditions can change what we need to do.

There is a clear difference between:

“You need a ticket.”

and:

“You don’t need a ticket.”

In the first case, a ticket is necessary. In the second, it is not.

If we want to follow a story, we can accept some uncertainty about small details. If we need to make a practical decision, it is better to check the parts that affect that decision.

The main idea is a good starting point. Sometimes, though, we need to understand more.

Choose a text you can actually read

A very difficult text can turn every sentence into a puzzle.

For regular practice, choose some texts in which you already know many of the words: short dialogues, stories written for learners, messages or comics suitable for your level.

Pictures can help you recognise characters, places and actions. Short texts let you reach the end and then return to the parts that were less clear.

It is not a competition to choose the most difficult book.

An accessible text gives us space to follow the meaning, notice useful expressions and enjoy understanding.

And if the topic interests us, we have another reason to keep reading.

A little practice: a message from the airport

Try this short text:

“Marco is at the airport. He wants to meet Laura before her flight. He looks at his phone and reads a message: ‘I’m near gate 12. There’s a long queue, but I can wait ten minutes.’ Marco looks up and sees a sign: ‘Gates 10–15 →’.”

Before looking up any words, answer three questions:

1. Where is Marco?

2. Who does he want to meet?

3. What is he trying to do?

Now read again to find the details:

1. Which gate is Laura near?

2. How long can she wait?

3. Which sign should Marco follow?

What if you do not know queue?

You can still understand where Laura is and how much time she has. That word does not stop you from answering the main questions.

Then you can look it up: a queue is a line of people waiting for something, such as getting on a plane.

Now you have learnt a word in a situation, together with the expression a long queue.

Almost all the answers were already there:

• Marco is at the airport and wants to meet Laura before her flight.

• Laura is near gate 12 and can wait ten minutes.

• Marco needs to follow the arrow towards gates 10 to 15.

The unknown word did not stop him from finding the right direction.

Let’s just hope that this time he does not start running and attract the police’s attention.

The Cassano Academy challenge

This week, choose a short text in the language you are learning.

Before you begin, decide what you want to understand: the topic, a specific piece of information or what happens to the characters.

Then try these five steps:

1. Read once, leaving aside words that do not stop you from understanding the main idea.

2. Summarise the message in one sentence, even in your own language.

3. Read again to find the details you need.

4. Look up some important words that are still unclear.

5. Read one more time and notice what you now understand better.

At the end, choose an expression you would like to remember. Write it down with the sentence in which you found it.

Do not only ask yourself:

“How many words did I not know?”

Also ask:

“What did I manage to understand with the words I knew?”

Reading in a foreign language also takes patience. We sometimes need to leave a few gaps while the meaning becomes clearer.

We do not always have to stop at the first unknown word.

Sometimes the next sentence is already waiting with a clue.

FAQ