Gent amb caràcter
A short in Catalan text at level B1. The translation sits next to it: reading with a dictionary is still too early at this level, and without support it will not happen at all. In the shop on the Rambla work three people and three characters. Teresa has endless patience: she explains the price…
Text
- A la botiga de la Rambla hi treballen tres persones i tres caràcters. La Teresa té una paciència infinita: explica el preu tres vegades, somriure inclòs, i mai no alça la veu. En Raúl és orgullós i minuciós: la seva caixa quadrada al mil·límetre, però si l'etiqueta va tort, ho pateix tota la tarda. La Júlia és decidida, directa i imprevisible: un dia proposa tancar a les sis, l'altre inventa un descompte per als veïns que ningú no ha demanat. El secret, diuen, és que es porten bé: cada un al seu lloc, la Teresa fa de pont i en Raúl compta les caixes.In the shop on the Rambla work three people and three characters. Teresa has endless patience: she explains the price three times, with a smile thrown in, and never raises her voice. Raúl is prideful and meticulous: his shop window is even to the millimeter, but if a label hangs crooked he suffers the rest of the day. Júlia is decisive, straight-talking and unpredictable: one day she proposes closing at six, the next she invents a discount for the neighbors nobody asked for. The secret, they say, is that they got along: each in their place, Teresa the bridge, and Raúl counts the tills.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- What does Teresa do when the price must be explained?
- What ruins Raúl's mood for the whole afternoon?
- What does Júlia invent for the neighbors?
- What is the secret of their work?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Catalan?
B1. That means: you know the letters and have a stock of everyday words — about two or three hundred.
How to read a text in an unfamiliar language usefully?
First all the way through without peeking at the translation — just to catch the familiar words. Then with the translation. Then all the way through again: the second pass brings noticeably more, and that feeling matters more than any rule.