The book I remember

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. The first book I truly remembered was given to me by my teacher in the third grade. It had a hard cover and a plot I…

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

Text

  • Прву књигу коју сам стварно запамтио добио сам од учитељице у трећем разреду. Имала је тврде корице и заплет који сам могао да испричам напамет. Јунак књиге је био дечак из села који одлази у главни град и тамо се губи међу људима. Тек касније сам схватио да писац описује сопствено детињство, а не измишљену причу. Данас ту књигу држим у истој збирци са стиховима које сам почео да пишем због ње.
    Prvu knjigu koju sam stvarno zapamtio dobio sam od učiteljice u trećem razredu. Imala je tvrde korice i zaplet koji sam mogao da ispričam napamet. Junak knjige je bio dečak iz sela koji odlazi u glavni grad i tamo se gubi među ljudima. Tek kasnije sam shvatio da pisac opisuje sopstveno detinjstvo, a ne izmišljenu priču. Danas tu knjigu držim u istoj zbirci sa stihovima koje sam počeo da pišem zbog nje.
    The first book I truly remembered was given to me by my teacher in the third grade. It had a hard cover and a plot I could retell by heart. The hero of the book was a boy from a village who goes to the capital and gets lost there among people. Only later did I understand that the writer was describing his own childhood, not a made-up story. Today I keep that book in the same collection as the poems I started writing because of 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.

  1. Who gave him the book?
  2. Who was the hero of the book?
  3. What did he understand later?
  4. What lies next to the book today?

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.

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