Home duties – obowiązki domowe

Home duties – obowiązki domowe

I have to… I don’t have to…
Even though you are a teenager, you have to do some things at home. Sometimes you may think that your life is too difficult and you don’t deserve it, especially when your parents don’t let you go out with your friends because your room is untidy. Six people talking about their everyday life may make you feel better.

Vocabulary
even though – chociaż; mimo że
too difficult – zbyt trudne
go out – wychodzić (ma dwa znaczenia: 1. wychodzić z pomieszczenia; 2. wychodzić z domu na imprezę)
untidy – nieporządny; zabałaganiony
make you feel – sprawia, że się czujesz (dosł. robi, że się czujesz); konstrukcja:
co + MAKE + kogo + czasownik w formie osobowej, np.
It makes me laugh. – To powoduje, że się śmieję. (To mnie rozśmiesza).

Jacek, 16
I never do anything at home. We have a cleaner and she does everything. The only thing that I do is walking my dog but in this case, I just love it. Even if I wouldn’t have to do that, I would anyway. I’m not a messy person so I don’t need to clean my room when the cleaner is not there. I know that my friends have to do so many things! Sometimes I can’t believe how many duties they have! My best friend, for example, has to iron his clothes! He has to help his mum in cleaning as well. I’m so lucky!

Vocabulary
a cleaner – sprzątaczka; zapamiętaj także: a housekeeper – pomoc domowa, gosposia; a maid – służąca (dla Amerykanów: osoba zajmująca się twoim domem)
walking my dog – wyprowadzanie mojego psa; to walk a dog – wyprowadzać psa. Także: to go for a walk with a dog – iść na spacer z psem
a messy person – bałaganiarz; messy także do opisania stanu pokoju (a messy room – zabałaganiony pokój)
I can’t believe (it) – nie mogę w to uwierzyć

Martha, 14
I do many things at home. My parents work and they never have enough time to clean or cook. I clean the whole flat once a week on Mondays, my sister cleans on Wednesdays and my brother on Fridays. I cook dinner everyday as well. Two years ago I had to pick my sister up from the school but now, luckily, she is grown-up and she gets home on her own. We wash our clothes, go shopping, vacuum, dust furniture but we never clean the windows. My parents do it when they have a day off. I don’t mind doing all those things because I know that my mum and dad work a lot. Besides I have weekends off!

Vocabulary
the whole – cały
once a week – raz w tygodniu; (zapamiętaj: raz – once, dwa razy – twice, ale: trzy razy w miesiącu – three times a month, cztery razy – four time, szesnaście razy – sixteen times…)
pick my sister up – odebrać moją siostrę; to pick up – odebrać (ale także: podnieść; poderwać – w zależności od kontekstu) – jest to phrasal verb
a day off – dzień wolny; pamiętaj jednak, że I’m off znaczy mam wolne jak również skończyłem (zadanie, pracę) lub wyjeżdżam
besides – poza tym

Basia, 15
I have a three-year-old sister and that’s my duty. In the morning my grandmother takes care of her but I pick her up when I finish school and the story begins. She runs, jumps, throws her toys, cries… and it’s impossible to feed her. Apart from cheese, she will eat only junk food like chips, crisps, cake, sweets and ice-cream. I tell her that she can’t leave the table until she eats her meal but she just sits and looks at it without eating. When my mum comes back from work, I start doing my homework. Next morning I’m dead! I want her to go.

Vocabulary
a three-year-old sister – trzyletnia siostra; gdy z kilku słów, np. three years old tworzysz jedno słowo, oddzielasz poszczególne wyrazy myślnikami i nie używasz liczby mnogiej
takes care – opiekuje się; jest to tzw. phrasal verb: take – brać; care – opieka. Na pożegnanie możesz powiedzieć: take care, co oznacza dbaj o siebie; trzymaj się
to feed – karmić
apart from – z wyjątkiem
junk food – śmieciowe, niezdrowe jedzenie; tak mówi się o fastfoodach, chipsach itp.
without eating – bez jedzenia; jeżeli do czasownika dodasz końcówkę -ing powstanie nazwa czynności, np. run – running (biegać – bieganie), watch – watching (oglądać – oglądanie). Jedzenie – food zaś nie oznacza czynności, lecz pokarm
I’m dead! – Jestem martwy!; w języku potocznym: jesteś strasznie zmęczony.

Bartek, 16
I’m a busy person. Almost every day I go to my grandpa’s house. I bring him some food and take him for a walk. He’s a very ill person so sometimes we have to go to a doctor as well. When my mum takes care of him, I go to the shop and I always go to the post office to pay the bills. I try to help my mum and my grandpa as much as I can. My mum always says that I don’t have to clean the flat because I help her anyway but if she asks me to do something, for example, to take the rubbish away, I would never say ‘no’.

Vocabulary
a busy person – zajęta osoba; jeżeli słowa busy użyjesz przy opisie, np. ulicy, oznacza to, że jest ona zatłoczona: it’s a very busy street
my grandpa’s house – dom mojego dziadka; zdanie – I’m going to my grandpa’s house – możesz skrócić do: I’m going to my grandpa’s
to pay the bills – aby zapłacić rachunki
as much as I can – tyle na ile mogę; pamiętaj – much znaczy wiele, ale tylko dla rzeczowników niepoliczalnych, many znaczy wiele dla rzeczowników policzalnych. Jeżeli chcesz powiedzieć: kupię tyle samochodów, ile będę mógł, powiesz: as many (cars) as I can
to take the rubbish away – zabrać śmieci na zewnątrz; wyrzucić śmieci

Igor, 14
I live in the countryside so I have many duties. My mum cooks and cleans the house but it doesn’t mean I do nothing. My brother and I have to help with the animals, I mean, feeding, cleaning… During weekends we go with my dad to the market and try to sell some vegetables. It doesn’t change much during summer holidays. To be honest, it’s the period when we have a lot of work. It can be really exhausting but, you know what? I really don’t mind because I’m learning a lot and I won’t have to start from the beginning when I have my own farm. I love the countryside and I won’t move to the city.

Vocabulary
in the countryside – na wsi; w tym zwrocie pamiętaj o użyciu the
but it doesn’t mean – ale to nie oznacza
to the market – na rynek; na targ
during – podczas
to be honest – aby być szczerym; szczerze powiedziawszy
exhausting – wykończony
my own – mój własny; pamiętaj natomiast, że on my own znaczy samodzielnie, na własną rękę

Anka, 15
In my family there is one rule: you use – you clean. We clean our rooms, a bathtub after having a bath, our shoes if it’s raining… We iron our clothes. We used to wash the dishes after every meal but now we’ve got a dishwasher so there’s less work. We also help our mum in cleaning the flat on Saturday. The only person who doesn’t do much at home is my dad but he’s got only one day off so we’re really OK with that. Well, of course when we, I mean my sis and I, have to learn, we’re ill or we just want to go out, my mum does some things for us. We would do exactly the same for her.

Vocabulary
one rule – jedna zasada
a bathtub – wanna
after every meal – po każdym posiłku; zapamiętaj every = each, np. every day = each day
a dishwasher – zmywarka do naczyń; nie myl z washing-machine – pralka
we’re really OK with that – naprawdę nam to nie przeszkadza (dosł.: jesteśmy z tym naprawdę OK – niestety, w języku polskim nie ma to sensu),
my sis – moja siostra; sis jest to skrót od sister, tak samo jak bro jest skrótem od brother
exactly the same – dokładnie tak samo (taki sam)