Classic
Die Rumpelkammer
Saki
In each language: The Lumber-Room · Die Rumpelkammer · El cuarto de los trastos · Le débarras · Il ripostiglio
Nicholas is kept home from the seaside outing for insisting there was a frog in his bread-and-milk. While his aunt keeps watch over the doors of the gooseberry garden, he slips back into the house, toward a locked room he has never been allowed to enter.
In English, German, Spanish, French and Italian · about 2,200 words · 10–15 min to read.
Read it
Tu lis en allemand, à gauche. À droite, tu as le texte en anglais pour t’aider ; pendant la lecture, le bouton en forme d’œil le floute ou le masque.
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Comment ça commence
Die Kinder sollten als besondere Belohnung zum Sandstrand von Jagborough gefahren werden. Nicholas gehörte nicht zur Gesellschaft; er war in Ungnade gefallen.
The children were to be driven, as a special treat, to the sands at Jagborough. Nicholas was not to be of the party; he was in disgrace.
Erst an diesem Morgen hatte er sich geweigert, sein gesundes Brot mit Milch zu essen, mit der scheinbar albernen Begründung, dass ein Frosch darin sei.
Only that morning he had refused to eat his wholesome bread-and-milk on the seemingly frivolous ground that there was a frog in it.
Ältere, klügere und bessere Menschen hatten ihm gesagt, dass unmöglich ein Frosch in seinem Brot mit Milch sein könne und dass er keinen Unsinn reden solle; er fuhr jedoch fort, das zu reden, was wie der reinste Unsinn klang, und beschrieb sehr detailliert die Färbung und Zeichnung des angeblichen Frosches.
Older and wiser and better people had told him that there could not possibly be a frog in his bread-and-milk and that he was not to talk nonsense; he continued, nevertheless, to talk what seemed the veriest nonsense, and described with much detail the colouration and markings of the alleged frog.
Languages
- The Lumber-Room · English (original)2,196 words · ~10 min
- Die Rumpelkammer · GermanB2 Intermediate · 2,121 words · ~15 min
- El cuarto de los trastos · SpanishB2 Intermediate · 2,229 words · ~15 min
- Le débarras · FrenchB2 Intermediate · 2,374 words · ~15 min
- Il ripostiglio · ItalianB2 Intermediate · 2,130 words · ~15 min
Open in the reader: German with English · Spanish with English · French with English · Italian with English
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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 Lumber-Room 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 2,196 words: around 10–15 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.