The neighbor with the tools
A text in Russian 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. Our neighbor keeps to himself and doesn't talk much with anyone. At first we thought he was vain, but he is simply shy.…
Text
- Наш сосед держится в стороне и ни с кем много не говорит. Сначала мы думали, что он самолюбивый, а он просто застенчивый. Когда у нас зимой лопнула труба, в пять утра он уже был на подхвате с инструментом. Он никогда не хвастается и не ждёт похвалы. В доме о нём раньше сплетничали, а теперь говорят: человек, который держит слово. Мы с женой с ним поладили и разговариваем на равных.Nash sosed derzhitsya v storone i ni s kem mnogo ne govorit. Snachala my dumali, chto on samolyubivyy, a on prosto zastenchivyy. Kogda u nas zimoy lopnula truba, v pyat utra on uzhe byl na podkhvate s instrumentom. On nikogda ne khvastaetsya i ne zhdyot pokhvaly. V dome o nyom ranshe spletnichali, a teper govoryat: chelovek, kotoryy derzhit slovo. My s zhenoy s nim poladili i razgovarivaem na ravnykh.Our neighbor keeps to himself and doesn't talk much with anyone. At first we thought he was vain, but he is simply shy. When our pipe burst in winter, he was already on hand with his tools at five in the morning. He never brags and never expects praise. The house used to gossip about him, and now they say: a man who keeps his word. My wife and I got along with him and talk as equals.
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 did the neighbor seem like at first?
- What did he turn out to be really?
- What did he do when the pipe burst?
- What do they say about him now?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Russian?
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.