Your task
Saturday, February 6 · Lipa 12, 11 a.m.
Your task
You get into the lift on the ground floor and press 3. Between the second and the third floor, it stops. Lift opet ne radi! For once, it's not a joke. When the door finally opens, Mrs. Ruža is waiting on the third floor, and she has already been told everything, mostly wrong. Your task: tell Ruža what really happened, correct her version, and write a short report to Mr. Simić, the building manager.
Before you go
Ruža always knows everything that happens in the building, but not always correctly. Be polite (she expects Vi), keep calm, and stick to the facts.
Get ready
Saturday, 11:00. The lift stops between floors. On the wall inside, there's a notice. Read it.
LIFT NE RADI?
Ne paničite! Zovite upravnika zgrade: 061 447 2390.
Upravnik zgrade, M. Simić
You call. Mr. Simić answers at once, sends a repairman, and asks you for a short written report later. Then you wait. While you wait, get your story ready.
zaglaviti se
to get stuck
Lift se zaglavio.
The lift got stuck.
sprat
floor (of a building)
između drugog i trećeg sprata
between the second and third floors
upravnik zgrade
building manager
majstor
repairman
vatrogasci
firefighters
vikati
to shout
Upomoć!
Help!
Poštovani ...
Dear ... (formal, in writing)
The conversation
The door opens. Choose what you say; you'll see right away how Ruža takes it. If something goes wrong, keep going. At the end you can try again with different choices.
- MajstorEvo, gotovo! Vrata su otvorena. Izlazite polako.
Saturday, 11:40. The repairman opens the lift door after 40 minutes. Before you talk to anyone: in the past tense, Serbian shows if the speaker is a man or a woman. Which form do you use about yourself?
How did it go?
If Ruža brought you a sour cherry pie, you did everything that matters: Vi with Ruža, all three of her claims corrected, and a clear report to Mr. Simić with Vi. If the day ended with a text from Jelena, read it: she tells you exactly what to do better. If you agreed with something Ruža got wrong, she takes the wrong story to the whole building, Jelena texts you that afternoon, and you play Ruža's story again. Correct everything this time, and the pie is still waiting. The replay starts at Ruža's story, so if you said ti to her at the start, start over from the beginning.
After the lift
Culture note
Culture note
In Serbian apartment buildings, the upravnik zgrade (building manager) handles repairs, and a kućni savet (house council) of residents often helps, like Mrs. Ruža. Lifts in older buildings get stuck now and then, so the manager's number is usually on a notice inside. Write to the manager with Vi and Poštovani, and give the facts: when, where, how long. And news travels fast in a building: tell your side of the story early, before someone else tells it for you.
Your turn
Your writing goes to your instructor, who reads every one and writes back.
A message to Jelena about the lift
Write Jelena a message about the lift: what happened, when, how long you were inside, who helped, and what Ruža said. Use ti (she's your friend) and your own form (bio / bila, zvao / zvala). 50 to 80 words. At least 50 words. Your instructor will read it. Open the example only after you try.
Write it in your own words. Without an account, you can save your answer in this tab. Closing the tab deletes it.
Main writing task · at least 50 words. Submitting it is part of finishing this activity.
Example answer
Ćao, Jelena! Danas sam se zaglavio / zaglavila u liftu, između drugog i trećeg sprata. Prvo sam zvao / zvala upravnika, gospodina Simića. Onda sam čekao / čekala i čitao / čitala poruke na telefonu. Na kraju je došao majstor i otvorio vrata. Ruža je čekala na trećem spratu i svima pričala neku strašnu priču. Ha-ha! Sada idem samo peške. Vidimo se!
Compare the information and how it's phrased. Your answer doesn't need to use the same words.
Check yourself
Four questions. Get three right to pass, and try again as many times as you like. The mission is complete when you pass the quiz and send your message.
Quiz
Check yourself: stuck in the lift
4 questions · pass mark 75%
- 1.
Mrs. Ruža is worried about you. What do you say?
- 2.
A woman says: I got stuck in the lift. Which is right?
- 3.
You write to the building manager. How do you start?
- 4.
Ruža: Došli su vatrogasci? But only the repairman came. What do you say?
Answer every question before you submit.
What you can do now
What you can do now
You told what happened in the past, with your own form (bio or bila, zvao or zvala), corrected someone else's version politely, used Vi with an older neighbor, put sam before se, and wrote a short formal report with Poštovani and Možete li. That's Module 1. Next: More Practice, then the Module Test, with an email from Ana in Vienna.
More practice
Extra practice. Nothing here goes to your instructor.