Which languages can I read Nicht für Jonas in?

German, English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish and Chinese. Pick the language you want to read and the one to keep beside it: every paragraph sits next to its translation, so you can check a sentence without losing your place.

The original German is B1 Intermediate. In translation, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish and Chinese are B1 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.

About 2,219 words in 6 chapters: around 5–20 min of reading, with the translation beside it. The time depends on the edition's level: an easier edition is read more slowly.

Yes. Read it online with no account. The e-reader files (EPUB, and AZW3 and MOBI for Kindle) need a free account; the PDF doesn't.

Can I read it on a Kindle or Kobo?

Yes. Download the EPUB for Kobo, Apple Books and most e-readers, or the AZW3 or MOBI for a Kindle, with each paragraph followed by its translation. There is also a side-by-side PDF to print, and each language on its own.

Perfekt-Geschichten · Simple Stories · Geschichte 10

Nicht für Jonas

DuoText

In each language: Nicht für Jonas · Not for Jonas · No para Jonas · ヨナスにはまだ · 요나스를 위한 것이 아니다 · Não para o Jonas · Nu pentru Jonas · Jonas İçin Değil · 不给乔纳斯

After a bitter fight with his silent father, Jonas takes his late mother's recipe book onto a TV cooking show. But the last pages of the book are glued shut, and on the first one she has written: not for Jonas, not yet.

In German, English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish and Chinese · 6 chapters · about 2,200 words · 5–20 min to read.

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How it begins

GermanEnglish

„Wenn du das machst, brauchst du nicht mehr nach Hause zu kommen.“ Das hat mein Vater gesagt, an einem Dienstag im März, und dann hat er die Küchentür so laut zugemacht, dass die Gläser im Schrank geklirrt haben.

"If you do this, you needn't bother coming home." That's what my father said, on a Tuesday in March, and then he shut the kitchen door so hard that the glasses rattled in the cupboard.

Mein Vater heißt Rolf Brandt. Er ist sechzig Jahre alt, er fährt seit dreißig Jahren Bus in Kassel, und er spricht nicht viel. Seit meine Mutter vor zwei Jahren gestorben ist, spricht er noch weniger. Wir wohnen zusammen in der kleinen Wohnung, in der ich groß geworden bin, und meistens sitzen wir abends vor dem Fernseher und schweigen.

My father's name is Rolf Brandt. He is sixty years old, he has driven a bus in Kassel for thirty years, and he doesn't say much. Since my mother died two years ago, he says even less. We live together in the small flat where I grew up, and most evenings we sit in front of the TV in silence.

The opening paragraphs, as the reader shows them. Read on

Languages

Nicht für Jonas · German (original)B1 Intermediate · 2,219 words · ~20 min
Not for Jonas · English2,190 words · ~10 min
No para Jonas · SpanishB1 Intermediate · 2,163 words · ~20 min
ヨナスにはまだ · JapaneseB1 Intermediate · 78 words · ~5 min
요나스를 위한 것이 아니다 · KoreanB1 Intermediate · 1,569 words · ~15 min
Não para o Jonas · PortugueseB1 Intermediate · 2,167 words · ~20 min
Nu pentru Jonas · RomanianB1 Intermediate · 2,169 words · ~20 min
Jonas İçin Değil · TurkishB1 Intermediate · 1,611 words · ~15 min
不给乔纳斯 · ChineseB1 Intermediate · 78 words · ~5 min

Open in the reader: German with English · Spanish with English · Japanese with English · Korean with English · Portuguese with English · Romanian with English · Turkish with English · Chinese with English

Reading it as a parallel text

A parallel text puts a story next to its translation, paragraph by paragraph. Read in the language you are working on and glance across only when a sentence stops you: the story keeps moving, and the words you look up stay in context. More in how to read with a parallel text.

Questions

Which languages can I read Nicht für Jonas in?: German, English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish and Chinese. Pick the language you want to read and the one to keep beside it: every paragraph sits next to its translation, so you can check a sentence without losing your place.
What level is it?: The original German is B1 Intermediate. In translation, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish and Chinese are B1 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.
How long is it?: About 2,219 words in 6 chapters: around 5–20 min of reading, with the translation beside it. The time depends on the edition's level: an easier edition is read more slowly.
Is it free?: Yes. Read it online with no account. The e-reader files (EPUB, and AZW3 and MOBI for Kindle) need a free account; the PDF doesn't.
Can I read it on a Kindle or Kobo?: Yes. Download the EPUB for Kobo, Apple Books and most e-readers, or the AZW3 or MOBI for a Kindle, with each paragraph followed by its translation. There is also a side-by-side PDF to print, and each language on its own.