Counting everything
A short in Ukrainian 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. Father taught me to count. Not money — everything: how many steps to the store, how many days until the holiday, what…
Text
- Батько привчив мене рахувати. Не гроші — все: скільки кроків до крамниці, скільки днів до свята, яка частка дня пішла на дорогу. Спершу це здавалося дивним, потім стало звичкою. Тепер я на око знаю, скільки треба фарби на стіну і чи вистачить грошей до кінця місяця. Помиляюся рідко.Father taught me to count. Not money — everything: how many steps to the store, how many days until the holiday, what share of the day went into the commute. At first it seemed strange, then it became a habit. Now I know at a glance how much paint a wall needs and whether the money will last to the end of the month. I am rarely wrong.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Who taught the narrator to count?
- What did he count?
- What did it become over time?
- Is he often wrong?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Ukrainian?
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.