Which languages can I read The Lady, or the Tiger? in?

English, German, Spanish, French and Italian. 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.

In translation, German, Spanish, French and Italian are B2 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.

About 2,704 words: around 15–20 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.

Classic

Die Lady oder der Tiger?

Frank R. Stockton

In each language: The Lady, or the Tiger? · Die Lady oder der Tiger? · ¿La dama o el tigre? · La Dame ou le Tigre ? · La dama o la tigre?

A king settles crimes with an arena that hides a hungry tiger behind one door and a bride behind the other. When his own daughter's forbidden lover faces the choice, she alone knows which door hides which fate, and she signals him toward one.

In English, German, Spanish, French and Italian · about 2,700 words · 15–20 min to read.

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How it begins

GermanEnglish

In uralten Zeiten lebte ein halbbarbarischer König, dessen Ideen, wenn auch durch den Fortschritt ferner lateinischer Nachbarn etwas poliert und geschärft, immer noch groß, blumig und ungehemmt waren, wie es sich für die Hälfte von ihm gehörte, die barbarisch war.

In the very olden time there lived a semi-barbaric king, whose ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbors, were still large, florid, and untrammeled, as became the half of him which was barbaric.

Er war ein Mann von überschwänglicher Fantasie und dazu von einer so unwiderstehlichen Autorität, dass er nach seinem Willen seine vielfältigen Einfälle in die Tat umsetzte. Er neigte sehr zum Selbstgespräch, und wenn er und er selbst sich über etwas einig waren, war die Sache erledigt.

He was a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal, of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts. He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done.

Wenn jedes Glied seiner häuslichen und politischen Systeme reibungslos in seinem vorgeschriebenen Lauf verlief, war sein Wesen sanft und umgänglich; aber wann immer es ein kleines Stocken gab und einige seiner Gestirne aus ihren Bahnen gerieten, war er noch sanfter und umgänglicher, denn nichts gefiel ihm so sehr, wie das Krumme gerade zu biegen und unebene Stellen einzuebnen.

When every member of his domestic and political systems moved smoothly in its appointed course, his nature was bland and genial; but, whenever there was a little hitch, and some of his orbs got out of their orbits, he was blander and more genial still, for nothing pleased him so much as to make the crooked straight and crush down uneven places.

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Languages

The Lady, or the Tiger? · English (original)2,704 words · ~15 min
Die Lady oder der Tiger? · GermanB2 Intermediate · 2,634 words · ~20 min
¿La dama o el tigre? · SpanishB2 Intermediate · 2,683 words · ~20 min
La Dame ou le Tigre ? · FrenchB2 Intermediate · 2,702 words · ~20 min
La dama o la tigre? · ItalianB2 Intermediate · 2,554 words · ~15 min

Open in the reader: German with English · Spanish with English · French with English · Italian 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 The Lady, or the Tiger? in?: English, German, Spanish, French and Italian. 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?: In translation, German, Spanish, French and Italian are B2 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.
How long is it?: About 2,704 words: around 15–20 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.