LingoflyA slava at the neighbors'
A short text in Serbian 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. In Serbia every family has its own day, called the slava, and it is an old custom. The neighbors invited us, even…
Text
- У Србији свака породица има свој дан који зову слава, и то је стари обичај. Комшије су нас позвале, иако смо се доселили тек прошле недеље. На столу су били колач, вино и свећа, а свештеник је дошао ујутру. Нисмо знали шта да носимо, па смо купили цвеће и малу торту. Домаћин је рекао да поклон није важан, важно је да гост дође.U Srbiji svaka porodica ima svoj dan koji zovu slava, i to je stari običaj. Komšije su nas pozvale, iako smo se doselili tek prošle nedelje. Na stolu su bili kolač, vino i sveća, a sveštenik je došao ujutru. Nismo znali šta da nosimo, pa smo kupili cveće i malu tortu. Domaćin je rekao da poklon nije važan, važno je da gost dođe.In Serbia every family has its own day, called the slava, and it is an old custom. The neighbors invited us, even though we had moved in only last week. On the table there were a round loaf, wine and a candle, and the priest came in the morning. We didn't know what to bring, so we bought flowers and a small cake. The host said the gift doesn't matter; what matters is that the guest comes.
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 is the slava?
- When did the narrators move in?
- What was on the table?
- What did the host say about the gift?
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.