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fluentbyear
🇷🇺 Russian · Fluency Level 2

PART 1 · LESSON 7 OF 30 · 30 MINUTES

The Little Words

The Malefactor at the reading club, with Lena in the audience: I came to hear you and is it a sad one, sad and funny, a peasant in court for a nut, tell it Sam since you can, the judge asks why and he says for a sinker because without a sinker you can't catch anything, but a train could, the nut's a small one and we don't take them all, and he never understood a thing.

Audio instruction: English

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THE STORY

Thursday at the reading club near the Arbat; Lena has come to hear Sam read. Sam and Lena say the friendly you; Sam and Lev Borisovich the polite one.

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Words and phrases

The lesson is for your ears. Open this afterwards, to see what you learned.
Я пришла тебя послушать. Он грустный?ya prish-LA ti-BYA pa-SLOO-shat. on GROOST-ny?I came to hear you. Is it a sad one?
Грустный и смешной. Мужик в суде за гайку.GROOST-ny i smish-NOY. mu-ZHEEK f su-DYE za GAY-ku.Sad and funny. A peasant in court for a nut.
Расскажите, Сэм. Вы же умеете.ras-ska-ZHEE-tye, SEM. vy zhe u-MYE-yi-tye.Tell it, Sam. You can, after all.
без грузила ведь не поймаешьbyez gru-ZEE-la VYET nye pay-MA-yeshwithout a sinker you can't catch anything, you know
А он: для грузила. Без грузила ведь не поймаешь.a ON: dlya gru-ZEE-la. byez gru-ZEE-la VYET nye pay-MA-yesh.And he: for a sinker. Without a sinker you can't catch anything, you know.
Но поезд же может...no PO-yest zhe MO-zhet...But a train could, you know...
гайка-то маленькаяGAY-ka-ta MA-lin-ka-yathe nut's a small one: the little tail points at the thing in question
А Денис: гайка-то маленькая. Мы же не все берём.a di-NEES: GAY-ka-ta MA-lin-ka-ya. my zhe nye FSYE bi-RYOM.And Denis: the nut's a small one. We don't take them all, you know.
А конец?a ka-NYETS?And the end?
Его ведут в тюрьму, а он так ничего и не понял.ye-VO vi-DOOT f tyur-MOO, a on TAK ni-chi-VO i nye PO-nyal.They take him to jail, and he never understood a thing.