LingoflyThe city that is no more
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. My grandpa remembered a different city. In those years a market stood on the square, and the tram ran once an hour.…
Text
- Мій дід памʼятав інше місто. У ті роки на площі стояв базар, а трамвай ходив раз на годину. Дід казав, що з давніх-давен тут торгували сіллю, і показував уривок старої мапи. Згодом базар знесли, звели універмаг, а мапа лишилася в шухляді. Тепер я дивлюся на неї і бачу, як усе змінилося за одне століття.Mii did pamiatav inshe misto. U ti roky na ploshchi stoiav bazar, a tramvai khodyv raz na hodynu. Did kazav, shcho z davnikh-daven tut torhuvaly silliu, i pokazuvav uryvok staroi mapy. Zghodom bazar znesly, zvely univermah, a mapa lyshylasia v shukhliadi. Teper ya dyvliusia na nei i bachu, yak use zminylosia za odne stolittia.My grandpa remembered a different city. In those years a market stood on the square, and the tram ran once an hour. Grandpa said salt had been traded here from time immemorial, and he showed a scrap of an old map. Later the market was torn down, a department store went up, and the map stayed in a drawer. Now I look at it and see how everything changed in one century.
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 stood on the square in those years?
- What had been traded here from time immemorial?
- What happened to the market?
- Where did the map stay?
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.