The count that didn't add up
A short in Serbian text at level B1. The translation sits next to it: reading with a dictionary is still too early at this level, and without support it will not happen at all. When I counted the stock at the warehouse, it came out that a third of the goods was missing. At first I thought I had…
Text
- Кад сам пребројао залихе у магацину, испало је да недостаје трећина робе. Прво сам мислио да сам погрешио, па сам мерио поново, са тачношћу до једног комада. Разлика је остала иста: вишак на папиру, мањак на полицама. Испоставило се да смо два месеца уписивали количину одока, а не по отпремници. Сад бројимо на комад, укупан број упоређујемо са папиром сваког петка, и заостајања више нема.Kad sam prebrojao zalihe u magacinu, ispalo je da nedostaje trećina robe. Prvo sam mislio da sam pogrešio, pa sam merio ponovo, sa tačnošću do jednog komada. Razlika je ostala ista: višak na papiru, manjak na policama. Ispostavilo se da smo dva meseca upisivali količinu odoka, a ne po otpremnici. Sad brojimo na komad, ukupan broj upoređujemo sa papirom svakog petka, i zaostajanja više nema.When I counted the stock at the warehouse, it came out that a third of the goods was missing. At first I thought I had made a mistake and measured again, accurate to a single item. The difference stayed the same: a surplus on paper, a shortage on the shelves. It turned out we had been recording quantities offhand for two months, not from the waybills. Now we count item by item, check the total against the papers every Friday, and the lag is gone.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- How much of the goods was missing?
- What did the recount show?
- What was the cause of the discrepancy?
- How do they count now?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Serbian?
B1. That means: you know the letters and have a stock of everyday words — about two or three hundred.
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.