Day 89: What the Shoe Shop Knows
In a shoe shop in Szczecinek, Olaf (A), a young man who has just been photographing the old neon sign above the door reading OBUWIE (Footwear), approaches the owner, Mr Cezary (B).
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, chciałbym zapytać o neon nad wejściem. Sprzedałby go pan?
Good morning, I'd like to ask about the neon sign above the entrance. Would you sell it?
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B
Ten neon wisi tu od siedemdziesiątego drugiego roku. Ojciec by mi tego nie darował, gdybym go sprzedał pierwszemu lepszemu.
That sign's been hanging here since '72. My father would never forgive me if I sold it to the first person who came along.
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A
Nie jestem pierwszym lepszym, ratuję neony dla fundacji. Trzy czwarte neonów z tamtych lat poszło już na złom.
I'm not just anyone, I rescue neon signs for a foundation. Three quarters of the neon signs from those years have already gone for scrap.
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B
Mój też dogorywa. Świeci już tylko „WIE”, więc sąsiedzi pytają, co takiego ten sklep wie.
Mine's on its last legs too. Only 'WIE' ('knows') still lights up, so the neighbours ask what it is the shop knows.
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A
Oferuję półtora tysiąca złotych. Neon po renowacji zawiśnie w muzeum, z nazwiskiem pana ojca na tabliczce.
I can offer fifteen hundred złoty. Once it's restored, the sign will hang in a museum, with your father's name on the plaque.
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B
Kusi mnie, przyznaję. Tylko czy wypada zdejmować coś, co od pół wieku jest częścią tej ulicy?
I'm tempted, I admit. But is it right to take down something that's been part of this street for half a century?
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A
Szczerze? Należałoby go raczej odnowić i zostawić tutaj, bo w muzeum byłby tylko jednym z wielu eksponatów.
Honestly? It ought to be restored and left here instead, because in a museum it would just be one exhibit among many.
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B
Odradza mi pan własną ofertę? To ile kosztowałaby renowacja na miejscu?
You're talking me out of your own offer? So how much would it cost to restore it here?
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A
Mniej więcej tyle, ile sam oferowałem. Z tą różnicą, że tym razem to pan płaci mnie.
About as much as I was offering. The difference being that this time you're the one paying me.
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