The decision I feared
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. If I had decided earlier, it would have been easier. But I kept putting it off: I thought the time had not come yet.…
Text
- Якби я вирішив раніше, було б легше. Але я відкладав: думав, що ще не час. Скоріш за все, я просто боявся помилитися. Урешті-решт я виписав переваги й недоліки на аркуш і зрозумів, що недоліків майже немає. Виявилося, що найважче було не вирішити, а зізнатися собі.If I had decided earlier, it would have been easier. But I kept putting it off: I thought the time had not come yet. Most likely I was simply afraid of making a mistake. In the end I wrote out the advantages and disadvantages on a sheet and saw that there were almost no disadvantages. It turned out the hardest part was not deciding but admitting it to myself.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- Why did the narrator put it off?
- What did he do in the end?
- What did he understand about the disadvantages?
- What was the hardest?
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.