Day 113 of 113

Day 113: The Stethoscope Goes Cuckoo

On a morning tram in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Mr Mieczysław (A), an elderly passenger, strikes up a conversation with Michalina (B), the young woman sitting next to him, when he spots a stethoscope in her bag.

How to study this lesson 3 steps
  1. Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
  2. Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense. Point at (or tap) a Polish word to see what it means.
  3. Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Polish, for example from the Resources page. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.

Dialogue

Audio recordings are on the way. For now, each lesson is the dialogue with its English translation.

Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day · point at a word to see its meaning

  1. A

    Pani wybaczy, że się wtrącam, ale z torby wystają pani słuchawki. Jedzie pani na obchód?

    Forgive me for butting in, but there's a stethoscope sticking out of your bag. Are you on your way to a ward round?

  2. B

    Można tak powiedzieć: na dziewiątą, na pediatrię. A pan się zna na obchodach?

    You could say that: at nine, on the children's ward. Do you know about ward rounds, then?

  3. A

    Czterdzieści lat byłem internistą, a dziś jeżdżę już tylko na kontrole do kardiologa. Za moich czasów spóźnialski asystent byłby wylądował na dyżurach aż do Wielkanocy.

    I was a physician for forty years, and these days I only go in for check-ups with the cardiologist. In my day, a junior doctor who turned up late would have been put on call until Easter.

  4. B

    Dziś lekarze biegają z tabletami, a na obchodzie częściej patrzą w ekran niż w pacjenta. Widzę to co tydzień.

    These days doctors rush about with tablets, and on the round they look at the screen more than at the patient. I see it every week.

  5. A

    Mój profesor mawiał: „Najpierw chory, potem papiery”. Nim się zajrzało do karty gorączkowej, chorego trzeba było obejrzeć, osłuchać i opukać.

    My professor used to say: 'The patient first, then the paperwork.' Before you so much as glanced at the temperature chart, you had to look the patient over, listen to his chest and tap it.

  6. B

    To niech mi pan coś poradzi, bo mój obchód jest nietypowy: pacjenci to maluchy, które boją się białych fartuchów.

    Then give me some advice, because my round is a bit unusual: the patients are little ones who are frightened of white coats.

  7. A

    Proszę ogrzać słuchawkę w dłoni, bo po zimnej dziecko płacze aż do wypisu. I przykucnąć, zamiast stać nad nim, jak gdyby było przypadkiem z podręcznika.

    Warm the stethoscope in your hand, because after a cold one a child cries until it goes home. And crouch down instead of standing over the child as if it were a textbook case.

  8. B

    Moje zawsze są ciepłe, bo i tak nic w nich nie słychać. Proszę spojrzeć: różowe, z kwiatkiem, a przyłożone do brzucha kukają.

    Mine are always warm, because you can't hear a thing through them anyway. Look: pink, with a flower, and when you put them to a tummy, they go cuckoo.

  9. A

    Kukają? Pani doktor, za taki stetoskop mój ordynator byłby panią wyrzucił z obchodu.

    Cuckoo? Doctor, my head of department would have thrown you off the round for a stethoscope like that.

  10. B

    Ordynator by nie zdążył, bo ten obchód prowadzę ja. Jestem doktor Kukułka, szpitalny klaun: czerwony nos, bańki mydlane, zero zastrzyków.

    He wouldn't have had the chance, because I'm the one leading this round. I'm Doctor Cuckoo, a hospital clown: a red nose, soap bubbles and zero injections.

  11. A

    Klaun? A ja pani tu robię wykład o opukiwaniu! Gdybym był wiedział, iż śmiech tak pomaga, byłbym wpisał klauna do zleceń, zaraz po antybiotyku.

    A clown? And here I am lecturing you on percussion! Had I known that laughter helps so much, I'd have written a clown into the treatment orders, right after the antibiotic.

  12. B

    To proszę zacząć od siebie, panie doktorze: oto zapasowy nos, stosować doraźnie, chociażby na kontroli u kardiologa.

    Then start with yourself, Doctor: here's a spare nose, to be used as needed, if only at your cardiology check-up.

Your progress is saved in this browser only, with no sign-up. The course page and the menu show where you left off. Well done! That was the last lesson for now.


If this free course has helped you in your Polish journey, please consider supporting the project. It's a one-person effort, and even small contributions help keep it running and free for everyone.