The story of one breakdown
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. Here's how it went: we left the city at eight, and the engine died suddenly, right at the height of the heat. At that…
Text
- Било је овако: изашли смо из града у осам, а мотор је стао изненада, тачно у јеку врућине. У том тренутку нико није знао шта да ради, а сигнала на телефону није било. Баш тада је наишао камион; возач нас је погледао, а онда је замолио само да платимо гориво. Објаснио је како да прикачимо уже и одвукао нас до прве радионице, где су квар отклонили за сат времена. На крају крајева, стигли смо са четири сата закашњења, али, гледано уназад, то је прича коју препричавам чешће од самог путовања.Bilo je ovako: izašli smo iz grada u osam, a motor je stao iznenada, tačno u jeku vrućine. U tom trenutku niko nije znao šta da radi, a signala na telefonu nije bilo. Baš tada je naišao kamion; vozač nas je pogledao, a onda je zamolio samo da platimo gorivo. Objasnio je kako da prikačimo uže i odvukao nas do prve radionice, gde su kvar otklonili za sat vremena. Na kraju krajeva, stigli smo sa četiri sata zakašnjenja, ali, gledano unazad, to je priča koju prepričavam češće od samog putovanja.Here's how it went: we left the city at eight, and the engine died suddenly, right at the height of the heat. At that moment nobody knew what to do, and there was no signal on the phone. Just then a truck pulled up; the driver looked at us, and then asked only to cover the fuel. He explained how to attach the tow rope and towed us to the first workshop, where the fault was fixed within an hour. In the end we arrived four hours late, but in hindsight it's a story I retell more often than the trip itself.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- When did the engine die?
- Why didn't they call for help by phone?
- What did the truck driver ask for?
- How did it all end?
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.