LingoflyThe first day in the shop
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. The safety briefing lasted two hours. I was given work clothes, shown the machine and told: the first week you will be…
Text
- Інструктаж тривав дві години. Мені видали спецодяг, показали верстат і сказали: перший тиждень будеш на підхваті. Сировину привозять зранку, заготівки лежать біля стіни, готові вироби везуть на склад. Найважче було запамʼятати маркування. Наприкінці зміни майстер похвалив, і я зрозумів, що лишуся.Instruktazh tryvav dvi hodyny. Meni vydaly spetsodiah, pokazaly verstat i skazaly: pershyi tyzhden budesh na pidkhvati. Syrovynu pryvoziat zranku, zahotivky lezhat bilia stiny, hotovi vyroby vezut na sklad. Naivazhche bulo zapamiataty markuvannia. Naprykintsi zminy maister pokhvalyv, i ya zrozumiv, shcho lyshusia.The safety briefing lasted two hours. I was given work clothes, shown the machine and told: the first week you will be helping out. Raw material arrives in the morning; blanks lie by the wall, and finished items go to the warehouse. The hardest part was memorizing the labels. At the end of the shift the foreman praised me, and I understood I would stay.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- How long did the briefing last?
- What is the narrator busy with the first week?
- What was the hardest?
- How did the shift end?
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.