Almost two thousand years ago, a Roman named Seneca wrote to a friend. The friend, Paulinus, was in charge of the grain for Rome. He was always busy and always tired.
Everyone says life is short, Seneca wrote. But look at how people spend it. His answer was one sentence: "Life is long, if you know how to use it."
Seneca was a philosopher. He was rich and busy too. His sentence does not mean: run faster. It does not mean: fill every hour.
It means something quieter. Notice the hour you are in. Do not give it away to later.
Amira tries it one evening. Her phone goes in a drawer. She makes tea. She calls her father. She reads ten pages. One small evening, well used.
Every Journeva story exists at four levels — same plot, same characters, richer language each step. Here is how this one begins at each level.
A2 · ElementaryAlmost two thousand years ago, a Roman named Seneca wrote to a friend called Paulinus. Paulinus was in charge of the grain for Rome, and he was always busy and always tired. …
B1 · IntermediateAlmost two thousand years ago, a Roman named Seneca wrote to a friend called Paulinus, who was in charge of the grain for Rome and who was always busy and always tired. …
B2 · Upper intermediateAlmost two thousand years ago, a Roman named Seneca wrote to a friend called Paulinus, who was in charge of the grain for Rome and who, as far as anyone could tell, was always busy and always tired. …
Read the whole story at A2, B1 and B2
In the app you can tap any word for its meaning, listen to the story read aloud with the words lighting up, and save words to practise later. Ten stories are free at every level, and every story is free at A1.
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Read it in a language you already know to check your understanding — every Journeva story is written in all five.
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