Day 62: Why My Son Is Benched
After a boys' football match in Rostov-on-Don, a father goes up to the coach to ask why his son spends nearly every game on the bench.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title.
- Read the dialogue and its translation. The audio for this lesson is coming soon.
- 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
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A
Виктор Семёнович, на минутку. Почему Артём опять играл только последние пять минут?
Viktor Semyonovich, a minute of your time. Why did Artyom only play the last five minutes again?
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B
Парень одарённый, спору нет, но пока сплошная самодеятельность: играет на себя, а не на команду.
He's a gifted lad, no question, but for now it's a one-man show: he plays for himself, not for the team.
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A
Как это на себя? Он за пять минут три раза по воротам пробил, это же напор!
What do you mean, for himself? He had three shots on goal in five minutes, that's real drive!
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B
Трижды пробил, трижды промазал, а Сёма стоял открытый. Если бы он чаще отдавал пас, давно играл бы в основе.
Three shots, three misses, while Syoma was standing unmarked. If he passed more often, he'd have been in the starting line-up long ago.
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A
Допустим. Но как он научится, если всю игру протирает штаны на скамейке?
Fair enough. But how is he going to learn if he spends the whole game warming the bench?
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B
На тренировках, не всё сразу. И ещё просьба: не кричите ему с трибуны «бей сам».
In training, one step at a time. And one more thing: please don't shout "take the shot yourself" at him from the stands.
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A
А что такого? Я его поддерживаю, как любой нормальный отец.
What's wrong with that? I'm supporting him, like any normal father.
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B
Поддерживаете, а на поле он слушает не меня, а вас: вы кричите «бей», он и бьёт.
You are, but on the pitch he listens to you, not me: you shout "shoot", so he shoots.
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