LingoflyThe old chest
A text in Ukrainian at level B1. The translation sits next to it for checking, not for support: at this level the text is read whole, and an unknown word is usually guessed from the sentence. In the attic stood a chest. Its surface is rough, its corners worn, its wood heavy. Inside lay small things: buttons, a…
Text
- На горищі стояла скриня. Поверхня шорстка, кути стерті, дерево важке. Усередині лежали дрібні речі: ґудзики, ключ без замка, клубок нитки. Дід казав, що скриня ціла сто років, і жодна частина в ній не змінилася. Я підняв її вдвох із братом — сама я б не подужав.Na horyshchi stoiala skrynia. Poverkhnia shorstka, kuty sterti, derevo vazhke. Useredyni lezhaly dribni rechi: gudzyky, kliuch bez zamka, klubok nytky. Did kazav, shcho skrynia tsila sto rokiv, i zhodna chastyna v nii ne zminylasia. Ya pidniav yii vdvokh iz bratom — sama ya b ne poduzhav.In the attic stood a chest. Its surface is rough, its corners worn, its wood heavy. Inside lay small things: buttons, a key without a lock, a ball of thread. Grandpa said the chest was a whole hundred years old and not one part of it had changed. I lifted it together with my brother — alone I would not have managed.
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 the chest stand?
- What is the chest's surface like?
- How old is the chest, by Grandpa's words?
- How did the narrator lift the chest?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Ukrainian?
B1. That means: everyday topics are behind you, you know about three thousand words, and an unknown word is more often guessed from the sentence than looked up.
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.