Swedish B1 Reading Practice: The Train That Never Came
A small delay, a slowly rising irritation, and strangers who start talking to each other. A B1 text built on the tenses that carry a mood.
Tåget som inte kom
Beskedet kom klockan 19.12: tåget till Göteborg skulle bli minst en timme försenat. Ingen reagerade, som om alla hade räknat med det.
Jag hade en bok, så väntan störde mig inte i början. Vid åtta upprepade rösten samma mening och lade till "på obestämd tid". En kvinna bredvid mig suckade: "Det är alltid så på fredagar."
Vi började prata. Hon skulle hem till sin mamma, som just hade opererats. En student kom närmare, och sedan en man som skulle byta tåg men ändå skulle missa bytet.
Halv tio, när tåget äntligen kom, ångrade vi nästan att vi måste gå ombord. Vi hade installerat oss i väntan som i ett vardagsrum.
I vagnen tog alla fram sina telefoner igen. Ingen bytte nummer.
English translation
The announcement came at 7.12 pm: the train to Gothenburg would be at least an hour late. Nobody reacted, as if everyone had counted on it.
I had a book, so the wait did not bother me at first. At eight the voice repeated the same sentence and added "for an undetermined time". A woman next to me sighed: "It's always like this on Fridays."
We started talking. She was going home to her mother, who had just had an operation. A student came closer, and then a man who had to change trains but would miss the connection anyway.
At half past nine, when the train finally came, we almost regretted having to board. We had settled into that wait as if into a living room.
In the carriage everyone took out their phones again. Nobody exchanged a number.
Why this is B1
The time structure is layered: a future seen from the past, a recent past with just hade, and a past perfect for the state the group had reached. The final two lines make their point by implication, which is a B1 reading skill.
Grammar you will meet
- Skulle for a future in the past: tåget skulle bli försenat
- Past perfect: hade räknat med, hade installerat oss
- Just hade + supine for the recent past
- Som om + past perfect
- Relative clauses with som
Words worth keeping
- försenad — delayed
- byta tåg — to change trains
- ändå — anyway, still
- räkna med — to expect, to count on
That was B1 Swedish. Want a text made for you?
PlusOneLanguage remembers the words you know and introduces new ones gradually, so every text is just slightly harder than the last one.
Continue with a text made for you · Check your level first
Keep reading
Next B1 text: Swedish B1 Reading Practice: An Argument with a Neighbour