Day 36 of 125

Day 36: Opening the Dacha After Winter

On the first warm weekend of April, two brothers arrive to open their late parents' dacha near Vologda after the winter.

How to study this lesson 3 steps
  1. Read the situation under the title.
  2. Read the dialogue and its translation. The audio for this lesson is coming soon.
  3. Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Russian audio, for example from the Resources page. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.

Dialogue

Audio for this lesson is coming soon. For now, read the dialogue and its translation.

Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day

  1. A

    Ну, открываем сезон! Снимай ставни, Вить, а я дверь отопру, если замок за зиму не прикипел.

    Right, let's open the season! Take the shutters down, Vitya, and I'll unlock the door, if the lock hasn't rusted solid over the winter.

  2. B

    Прикипел, конечно, мы же с октября сюда носа не казали. Ой, а это что за запах... мыши?

    Of course it has, we haven't shown our faces here since October. Oh, what's that smell... mice?

  3. A

    Мыши, и пировали, судя по всему, всю зиму. Семена погрызены подчистую, даже мамины пакетики.

    Mice, and by the look of it they feasted all winter. The seeds have been gnawed to nothing, even Mum's little packets.

  4. B

    Мамины... Она ведь каждый пакетик своей рукой подписывала. Жалко, хоть плачь.

    Mum's... She labelled every packet in her own hand, didn't she. It's enough to make you cry.

  5. A

    Семена купим, а вот насос меня пугает. Ты воду из него на зимовку сливал?

    We'll buy seeds, but the pump worries me. Did you drain the water out of it for the winter?

  6. B

    Сливал... кажется. Ну-ка... Всё, приехали: корпус треснул, насос разорвало, как грелку. Руки опускаются.

    I did... I think. Let's see... That's it, we've had it: the casing's cracked, the pump has burst like a hot-water bottle. I just want to give up.

  7. A

    Не опускай, ты же электрик, а не поэт. Сначала заменим насос, потом вскопаем грядки, а там и посадим.

    Don't give up, you're an electrician, not a poet. First we'll replace the pump, then we'll dig the beds, and then we'll plant.

  8. B

    Легко сказать: у нас ещё конь не валялся, а ты уже про посадку. Постой, а кто это на веранде, в мамином кресле развалился?

    Easy to say: we haven't even started, and you're already on about planting. Wait, who's that sprawled in Mum's chair on the veranda?

  9. A

    Да это Барсик, соседский. Похоже, лазил через чердак и тут перезимовал... Хорош сторож: мыши у него под носом пировали.

    That's Barsik, the neighbours' cat. Looks like he's been getting in through the attic and spent the winter here... Some guard: the mice feasted right under his nose.

  10. B

    Мама его вечно подкармливала, вот он по старой памяти и вернулся. Ну что, котяра, будешь дачу сторожить?

    Mum was always feeding him, so he came back for old times' sake. So, you big cat, are you going to guard the dacha now?

  11. A

    Будет, если жалованье молоком выдавать. Ладно, Вить, ставь чайник, воды в канистре на сегодня хватит, а сезон, считай, открыт.

    He will, if we pay his wages in milk. All right, Vitya, put the kettle on, there's enough water in the canister for today, and the season's as good as open.

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