A year of Polish
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. A year ago I enrolled on a Polish course as a complete beginner. For the first month I learned words every day, but…
Text
- Rok temu zapisałam się na kurs polskiego jako zupełna początkująca. Pierwszy miesiąc uczyłam się słów codziennie, ale gramatyka szła mi bardzo słabo. Nauczycielka miała jedno upomnienie: mówię za mało, a piszę za dużo. Latem pracowałam dwa tygodnie w kawiarni i tam zrozumiałam, że potrzebuję więcej praktyki. Jesienią pierwszy raz zrozumiałam całą rozmowę ze słuchu i w końcu mi się udało. Nadal nie mówię płynnie, ale robię postępy i kursu nie porzucę w połowie drogi.A year ago I enrolled on a Polish course as a complete beginner. For the first month I learned words every day, but grammar came to me very hard. The teacher had one single remark: I speak too little and write too much. In summer I worked for two weeks at a café and there understood that I need more practice. In autumn I understood a whole conversation by ear for the first time, and it finally worked. Now I do not yet speak fluently, but I am making progress and will not abandon the course halfway.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- At what level did the narrator start?
- What remark did the teacher make?
- What did she understand in summer at the café?
- What happened in autumn?
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.