Day 31 of 150

Day 31: A Village Postman's Round

On a winter morning near Vologda, a village postman takes his new nineteen-year-old colleague on his round of three villages.

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

    Заходя в дом, снимай шапку и здоровайся, а уж потом доставай бумаги.

    When you go into a house, take your hat off and say hello, and only then get the papers out.

  2. B

    Николай Петрович, если в каждой избе чай пить, мы и к ночи не управимся.

    Nikolai Petrovich, if we drink tea in every cottage, we won't be done even by nightfall.

  3. A

    Не отказывайся. Для бабы Шуры мы, может, единственные гости за неделю.

    Don't say no. For Granny Shura we may be the only visitors all week.

  4. B

    То-то она пенсию даже не пересчитала, всё меня про армию расспрашивала.

    No wonder she didn't even count her pension, she just kept asking me about the army.

  5. A

    Вот именно. Пенсию и на карту можно получать, а поговорить ей не с кем.

    Exactly. She could get her pension on a card too, but she's got nobody to talk to.

  6. B

    Ну ладно, чай так чай. А если ещё и дров наколоть попросят?

    Well, all right, tea it is. And what if they ask us to chop some firewood as well?

  7. A

    Скажут «не в службу, а в дружбу», значит, колешь. Почтальон в деревне больше, чем почтальон.

    If they say "be a pal and do me a favour", then you chop. In a village a postman is more than a postman.

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 32: The Swallows over the Door 

If this free course has helped you in your Russian journey, please consider supporting the project. It's a one-person effort, and even small contributions help keep it running and free for everyone.