🇦🇲 Armenian
Armenian graded readers: what to read at each level
Honestly, there are very few graded readers for Armenian. Learners usually have a textbook, some children's books, and then native literature, with nothing in between. That is the gap ReadNative's Armenian book is meant to fill.
The book is David of Sassoun, the national epic in Hovhannes Tumanyan's version, retold in Eastern Armenian from absolute beginner to B1 over 40 chapters. It is free, and you can read the first chapters free in your browser, tapping any word for its English meaning or any sentence for a translation.
Armenian graded readers on ReadNative
What to read at each level
A1
The early chapters of David of Sassoun — Mher's land, David's birth, the orphan shepherd — in short sentences with the most common words.
A2
The middle chapters introduce past tenses and more cases as David grows and Msra Melik threatens Sassoun.
B1
The final chapters reach B1, with longer sentences and richer vocabulary.
B2
Tumanyan's own tales and poems, children's literature and Armenian news. With little graded material at this level, importing EPUBs with tap-to-translate helps.
Not sure where you are? Take the Armenian vocabulary test or check a text with the difficulty checker.
Questions
Eastern or Western Armenian?
ReadNative's Armenian is Eastern Armenian, the standard of the Republic of Armenia.
What is a graded reader?
A book written or retold with controlled vocabulary and grammar for a specific level, so a learner can read a whole story in Armenian with little dictionary use. The aim is lots of comfortable reading, not decoding.
How do I know if a book is the right level?
If you understand the story and need to look up only a few words per page, it is right. If every sentence needs help, drop down a level; if you never tap anything, move up. In Armenian the step from graded books to native texts is steep, so do not rush it.