A statement at the police station
A text in Polish at level B1. The translation sits next to it for checking, not for support: at this level the text is read whole, and an unknown word is usually guessed from the sentence. On Saturday evening someone stole my bicycle in front of the shop. I went to the police, and the officer first asked…
Text
- W sobotę wieczorem ktoś ukradł mój rower przed sklepem. Poszedłem na policję, a policjant najpierw poprosił o dowód osobisty, potem zaczął pisać protokół. Zapytał, gdzie zostawiłem rower i czy był zamknięty. Powiedziałem, że był, i że klucz cały czas miałem przy sobie. Policjant powiedział, że bez protokołu nie będzie odszkodowania z ubezpieczenia. Protokół przeczytałem dwa razy i podpisałem, a w domu przez godzinę szukałem dowodu zakupu.On Saturday evening someone stole my bicycle in front of the shop. I went to the police, and the officer first asked for my identity card, then began to write a report. He asked where I had left the bicycle and whether it had been locked. I said it had been, and that the key had been with me all the time. The officer said that without a report there would be no compensation from the insurance. I read the report twice and signed it, and at home I spent an hour looking for the proof of purchase.
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 happened to the narrator?
- What did the officer ask about first?
- What is the report needed for?
- What did the narrator look for at home?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Polish?
B1. That means: everyday topics are behind you, you know about three thousand words, and an unknown word is more often guessed from the sentence than looked up.
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.