Day 63: A Hare in a Hard Hat
In Rybnik, on the eve of the farewell ceremony for the coal mine where both their fathers worked, Przemek (A), who moved to Warsaw years ago and has been asked to give the speech, reads his draft to his childhood friend Norbert (B), a miner who speaks Silesian.
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
Posłuchaj: „Zarówno nasi dziadkowie, jak i ojcowie wydobywali węgiel, po czym kopalnię wygaszono zgodnie z harmonogramem”.
Listen to this: 'Both our grandfathers and our fathers mined coal, after which the mine was wound down in accordance with the schedule.'
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B
Pierona, godosz jak prezes spółki. To je pogrzeb gruby, a niy narada w zarządzie.
Blimey, you talk like the company chairman. This is the mine's funeral, not a board meeting.
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A
A co mam powiedzieć? Pół Rybnika przyjdzie w galowych mundurach, a ja od lat siedzę w tabelkach w Warszawie.
Well, what am I supposed to say? Half of Rybnik will turn up in dress uniform, and I've spent years buried in spreadsheets in Warsaw.
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B
Godej, co pamiyntosz. Mój fater przinosił z gruby chlyb łod zajonczka, a jo do szóstyj klasy myśloł, że na dole robi zajonc w kasku.
Say what you remember. My dad used to bring bread 'from the hare' back from the pit, and till year six I thought a hare in a hard hat worked down there.
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A
Mój tata też! Czerstwy jak cegła i pachnący kopalnią, a mimo to lepszy od każdego ciasta.
So did mine! Stale as a brick and smelling of the pit, and even so better than any cake.
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B
No widzisz, to je wstymp. A potym Barbórka, kej mój fater tańcowoł, a twój śpiywoł.
There you go, that's your opening. Then Barbórka, the miners' feast day, when my dad danced and yours sang.
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A
Dobra, skreślam zarówno harmonogram, jak i wszystkie „po czym”. Tylko jak to przeczytać i się nie rozkleić?
OK, I'm cutting both the schedule and every 'after which'. But how do I read it out without falling apart?
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B
Rozkleisz sie, to sie rozkleisz. I skończ jak kożdo szychta: „Szczęść Boże” i fajrant.
If you fall apart, you fall apart. And finish the way every shift did: 'God grant you luck' and knocking-off time.
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A
A zajączek? Mam powiedzieć, że to byli nasi ojcowie?
And the hare? Am I supposed to say it was our dads all along?
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B
Ani mi sie waż. Mój synek dalij w niego wierzy, to niych jutro usłyszy, że zajonc tyż mo fajrant razym z grubom.
Don't you dare. My little lad still believes in him, so let him hear tomorrow that the hare's knocking off too, along with the mine.
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