Day 3: Vinegar on the Shelves
In her flat in Łódź, Grandma Halina (B) is interviewed by her grandson Kuba (A), ten, for a school history project about the Polish People's Republic.
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
-
A
Babciu, mamy zrobić wywiad z kimś, kto pamięta PRL. Wybrałem ciebie, bo dziadek zasnął.
Grandma, we've got to interview someone who remembers communist Poland. I picked you because Grandpa's fallen asleep.
-
B
Co za zaszczyt, drugi wybór po śpiącym dziadku. No to pytaj, panie redaktorze.
What an honour, second choice after a sleeping grandpa. Go on then, fire away, Mr Reporter.
-
A
Czy to prawda, że w sklepach był tylko ocet? To co jedliście, sałatkę z octu?
Is it true there was only vinegar in the shops? So what did you eat, vinegar salad?
-
B
Ocet stał na półkach, kochanie, nie na talerzach. Szynki się nie kupowało, tylko się ją zdobywało, jak Mount Everest.
The vinegar was on the shelves, darling, not on our plates. Ham wasn't something you bought, it was something you conquered, like Everest.
-
A
A dziadek mówił, że jak rzucili pralki, to stałaś w kolejce całą noc. Czemu ktoś rzucał pralkami?
And Grandpa said that when they 'dropped' washing machines, you queued all night. Why was anyone dropping washing machines?
-
B
„Rzucić towar” znaczyło dowieźć go do sklepu, łobuzie. I stałam nie całą noc, tylko półtorej doby.
'Dropping' goods meant delivering them to the shop, you rascal. And I didn't queue all night, I queued for a day and a half.
-
A
Półtorej doby, super, to wpiszę! A mogę napisać, że w PRL-u było fajnie, bo nie było Librusa?
A day and a half, cool, I'll put that in! And can I write that it was great back then because there was no Librus, the online school register?
-
B
Możesz, choć nie wypada tak wybielać historii. Napisz lepiej, że było wesoło, bo to w trzech czwartych prawda.
You can, though it's not really proper to whitewash history like that. Better write that it was 'lively', because that's three-quarters true.
-
A
Dobra, napiszę: „Było wesoło, a szynkę zdobywało się jak Mount Everest”. Szóstka murowana!
OK, I'll write: 'It was lively, and you had to conquer ham like Everest.' Top marks for sure!
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! Next up: Day 4: Anonymous, I Take It
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.