--- title: "Reading and vocabulary in a new language" description: "Read and understand words, phrases and short passages in a new language; enjoy its stories, songs and poems; and broaden vocabulary by working out new words from familiar material and checking them in" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/reading-and-vocabulary-in-a-new-language-mt_chlXo6jI0U source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/reading-and-vocabulary-in-a-new-language-mt_chlXo6jI0U.md retrieved: 2026-11-12 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Reading and vocabulary in a new language Read and understand words, phrases and short passages in a new language; enjoy its stories, songs and poems; and broaden vocabulary by working out new words from familiar material and checking them in a dictionary Subject: Languages · Area: Language Learning · Ages 7 to 11 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/reading-and-vocabulary-in-a-new-language-mt_chlXo6jI0U ## Ready when they can - Read short familiar sentences in the new language and show understanding (e.g. matching captions to the right pictures) - Work out an unfamiliar word from surrounding words or a lookalike English word (e.g. guessing 'chocolat' means chocolate) - Use a bilingual dictionary to find or check a word (e.g. looking up an animal name for a poster) ## Lesson: Reading and vocabulary in a new language Use familiar words, nearby words and pictures to help read a new language. A word that looks like English may give a clue. Clues suggest a meaning, but may not tell you everything. Match each part of a sentence to its meaning. For a short passage, check each sentence before choosing a summary. *(drawing: Checking can confirm your guess or change it.)* **Example.** Ana sees 'chocolat' in a French story about a bakery. It looks like 'chocolate'. She tries that meaning and checks it in a French-English dictionary. The entry confirms her guess. **Example.** Leo has learned that French 'poisson' means fish and 'nage' means swims. He reads 'Le poisson nage': 'The fish swims.' He matches it to a swimming fish. 'Poisson' does not look like English 'fish'; he uses words he has learned. A bilingual dictionary gives meanings in another language. For a French word, use the French-English part. For an English word you want to say in French, use English-French. Find the entry and read its meanings. A word may have several meanings, so choose one that fits the sentence. Some lookalike words have different meanings. These are called false friends. Spanish 'actual' means 'current', not English 'actual'. Treat a lookalike as a possible clue. Check the sentence and a dictionary before deciding. For these sentences, le chat means the cat, le chien means the dog, le poisson means the fish, est means is, petit means small and grand means big. Keep the animal and its detail together. For example, 'Le poisson est grand' describes a big fish. Match both parts when choosing a description. To read several sentences, check each one separately. Use le chat for the cat, le chien for the dog, est for is, petit for small and grand for big. Keep each size with the animal named in that sentence. A summary that swaps their sizes does not fit, even if it contains all the same words. **Recap.** Use familiar words and nearby clues. Treat lookalikes as guesses, then check the dictionary meaning that fits the sentence. *Original reading and vocabulary lessons, questions and cards written for this dataset.* ## Practice 8 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Optional connections - [Using a Dictionary to Check Spellings](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/using-a-dictionary-to-check-spellings-mt_6W5zzDIGZH) - [Listening and speaking in a new language](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/listening-and-speaking-in-a-new-language-mt_iXtqoIfjHb) - [Reading fluently](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/reading-fluently-mt_ZhvwM6LMBL) ## Opens up - [Cognates and False Friends](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/cognates-and-false-friends-mt_5UdrDnwYCD) - [Writing in a new language](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/writing-in-a-new-language-mt_aq8JZdKD3m) - [Building a Word Bank That Sticks](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/building-a-word-bank-that-sticks-mt_gGV99k0ZpI) - [Writing Systems: Sound, Syllable and Symbol](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/writing-systems-sound-syllable-and-symbol-mt_kUaS9WiVY0)