Life on the networks
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. My brother has ten thousand followers, and he thinks it means something. Each of his posts collects hundreds of likes…
Text
- Мој брат има десет хиљада пратилаца и мисли да то нешто значи. Свака његова објава добије стотине лајкова, а коментаре више и не чита. Прошле недеље је окачио слику са одмора и испод ње се повела читава расправа. Ја мрежама верујем мање него новинама, зато што тамо нико не наводи извор. Углавном, кад видим неку вест на фиду, увек је проверим на још два места пре него што је поделим.Moj brat ima deset hiljada pratilaca i misli da to nešto znači. Svaka njegova objava dobije stotine lajkova, a komentare više i ne čita. Prošle nedelje je okačio sliku sa odmora i ispod nje se povela čitava rasprava. Ja mrežama verujem manje nego novinama, zato što tamo niko ne navodi izvor. Uglavnom, kad vidim neku vest na fidu, uvek je proverim na još dva mesta pre nego što je podelim.My brother has ten thousand followers, and he thinks it means something. Each of his posts collects hundreds of likes, and he doesn't even read the comments anymore. Last week he posted a photo from vacation, and a whole argument broke out under it. I trust the networks less than newspapers, because nobody points to a source there. In short, when I see some news in my feed, I always check it in two more places before sharing it.
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 has the brother stopped doing?
- What happened under the vacation photo?
- Why does the narrator trust networks less than newspapers?
- What does the narrator do with news from the feed?
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.