First weeks in the new neighborhood
A short in Serbian text at level A2. 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. We moved to a new district on the outskirts. The first week I kept losing my bearings: every street looks like another…
Text
- Преселили смо се у ново насеље на периферији. Прве недеље сам стално губио правац: свака улица личи на другу, а путоказа нема. Аутобуска линија иде до центра тридесет минута, а у шпицу и дуже. Поред станице је велико градилиште, па је тротоар затворен и иде се преко улице. Комшија ми је показао на мапи где је пијаца и рекао да је до ње десетак минута пешке.Preselili smo se u novo naselje na periferiji. Prve nedelje sam stalno gubio pravac: svaka ulica liči na drugu, a putokaza nema. Autobuska linija ide do centra trideset minuta, a u špicu i duže. Pored stanice je veliko gradilište, pa je trotoar zatvoren i ide se preko ulice. Komšija mi je pokazao na mapi gde je pijaca i rekao da je do nje desetak minuta peške.We moved to a new district on the outskirts. The first week I kept losing my bearings: every street looks like another, and there are no signs. The bus route takes thirty minutes to the center, and longer at rush hour. Next to the stop there is a big construction site, so the sidewalk is closed and one has to cross the road. A neighbor showed me on the map where the market is and said it was ten minutes on foot.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Where did they move?
- Why did the narrator lose his bearings?
- Why is the sidewalk by the stop closed?
- What did the neighbor say about the market?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Serbian?
A2. 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.