An old friend
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. Magda is my oldest friend; we have known each other since school. Three years ago, because of a silly misunderstanding…
Text
- Magda to moja najstarsza przyjaciółka, znamy się ze szkoły. Trzy lata temu z powodu głupiego nieporozumienia przestałyśmy się odzywać. Każda czekała, że druga pierwsza przebaczy, i tak minął cały rok. Długo wstydziłam się napisać pierwsza, a jednocześnie bardzo za nią tęskniłam. W zeszłym miesiącu napisałam krótką wiadomość, a ona odpowiedziała tego samego wieczora. Teraz dzwonimy do siebie co tydzień i o tamtej kłótni prawie nie pamiętamy.Magda is my oldest friend; we have known each other since school. Three years ago, because of a silly misunderstanding, we stopped speaking. Each waited for the other to forgive first, and so a whole year passed. For a long time I was ashamed to write first, and at the same time I missed her very much. Last month I wrote a short message, and she replied the same evening. Now we call each other every week and hardly remember that quarrel.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Where do they know each other from?
- Why did the contact break off?
- What did the narrator feel all those years?
- How did it all end?
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.