Day 130: Homo Homini Wi-Fi
In a block of flats in Głogów, a woman (A) rings the doorbell of her next-door neighbour, Arleta (B), who teaches philosophy at a secondary school, about the name Arleta has given her Wi-Fi network.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- 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.
- 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
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A
Dzień dobry, jestem sąsiadką zza ściany. Czy nazwa pani wi-fi, „Homo homini lupus”, to przypadkiem nie przytyk pod moim adresem?
Good morning, I'm your neighbour from the other side of the wall. Is the name of your Wi-Fi, 'Homo homini lupus', by any chance a dig at me?
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B
A pani sieć od tygodnia nazywa się „Remont trwa półtora roku”. Odpowiedziałam tą samą drogą.
Well, for a week now your network has been called 'The renovation's been going on for a year and a half'. I replied through the same channel.
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A
Bo trwa! Co sobotę o siódmej rano ktoś wierci w naszej wspólnej ścianie. Mimo to nikogo nie nazwałam wilkiem.
Because it has! Every Saturday at seven in the morning somebody drills into our shared wall. Even so, I haven't called anyone a wolf.
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B
Wierci szwagier, bo robi mi remont po kosztach, a po kosztach robi się w soboty. Trzy czwarte już za nami.
That's my brother-in-law drilling: he's doing the renovation for me at cost, and at cost means Saturdays. Three quarters of it is done.
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A
O trzech czwartych słyszałam już na Wielkanoc. A wilk? Człowiek człowiekowi wilkiem, czyli sąsiadka sąsiadce też?
I heard about three quarters back at Easter. And the wolf? Man is a wolf to man, so neighbour to neighbour as well?
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B
To Hobbes, nie ja. Tylko że on w tym samym zdaniu pisze, że człowiek jest dla człowieka zarówno bogiem, jak i wilkiem.
That's Hobbes, not me. Only in that very sentence he writes that man is to man both a god and a wolf.
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A
To czemu wybrała pani dla mnie akurat wilka? Łatwo być bogiem po tej stronie wiertarki.
Then why did you pick the wolf for me, of all things? It's easy to be a god on this side of the drill.
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B
Bo bogiem jesteśmy według niego dla współobywateli, a wilkiem w stosunkach między państwami. A z naszej ściany zrobiła się ostatnio granica państwowa.
Because according to him we're gods to our fellow citizens and wolves in relations between states. And lately our wall has turned into a state border.
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A
Coś w tym jest. Osiem lat mieszkamy przez ścianę, a ja nawet nie wiem, jak pani ma na imię.
There's something in that. We've lived wall to wall for eight years, and I don't even know your first name.
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B
Arleta. Samo powiedzenie pochodzi zresztą od Plauta, a u niego człowiek jest wilkiem dla człowieka, którego nie zna.
Arleta. The saying itself comes from Plautus, as it happens, and in Plautus man is a wolf to a man he doesn't know.
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A
Czyli wystarczyło się przedstawić. Wobec tego zawrzyjmy umowę społeczną: szwagier wierci od dziesiątej, a ja zmieniam nazwę sieci.
So all it took was introducing ourselves. In that case, let's enter into a social contract: your brother-in-law drills from ten, and I change my network's name.
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B
Zgoda. A przedstawiać się pani nie musi: imię znam z paczek, które od lat za panią odbieram. Według Plauta wilkiem była tu więc tylko pani.
Agreed. And you needn't introduce yourself: I know your name from the parcels I've been taking in for you for years. So by Plautus, the only wolf here was you.
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