A phone conversation
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. Yesterday a colleague talked with me on the phone about work for a long time. First we talked about work, and then…
Text
- Вчера коллега долго говорил со мной по телефону о работе. Сначала мы говорили о работе, а потом о переезде. Разговор был длинный, и мне пора было идти. Я объяснил коллеге, что мне пора, и он согласился. Он сказал, что мы договорились на завтра.Vchera kollega dolgo govoril so mnoy po telefonu o rabote. Snachala my govorili o rabote, a potom o pereezde. Razgovor byl dlinnyy, i mne pora bylo idti. Ya obyasnil kollege, chto mne pora, i on soglasilsya. On skazal, chto my dogovorilis na zavtra.Yesterday a colleague talked with me on the phone about work for a long time. First we talked about work, and then about moving. The conversation was long, and it was time for me to go. I explained to the colleague that I had to go, and he agreed. He said that we had agreed on tomorrow.
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 colleague talk about on the phone?
- What did they talk about after?
- Why did the narrator have to go?
- What did they agree on?
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.