Which languages can I read Das kalte Herz in?

German and English. 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 B2 Intermediate. In translation, English is B2 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.

About 10,280 words in 11 chapters: around 1 h 15 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.

Schweizer Abenteuer · Geschichte 17

Das kalte Herz

Retold in easy German (B2) from the short story by Wilhelm Hauff

In each language: Das kalte Herz · The Cold Heart

Young charcoal burner Peter Munk is tired of being poor. Deep in the dark Black Forest he calls the Little Glass Man and is granted three wishes, but then the giant Dutch Michel tempts him with gold. The price: his heart. Wilhelm Hauff's famous fairy tale, retold for young readers.

In German and English · 11 chapters · about 10,300 words · 1 h 15 min to read.

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Sinistra · leggiDestra · di aiuto

Leggi in tedesco a sinistra. inglese è a destra per aiutarti e, mentre leggi, il pulsante a forma di occhio la sfoca o la nasconde.

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Come comincia

GermanEnglish

Der Kohlenmunk-Peter

Charcoal Munk Peter

Mitten im Schwarzwald, wo die Tannen so dicht stehen, dass selbst am Mittag Dämmerung herrscht, sass ein junger Köhler vor seinem rauchenden Meiler und war unzufrieden mit der ganzen Welt. Er hiess Peter Munk. Weil sein Vater schon Köhler gewesen war, nannten ihn alle Leute im Tal nur den Kohlenmunk-Peter.

Deep in the Black Forest, where the fir trees stand so close that it is dusk even at noon, a young charcoal burner sat in front of his smoking kiln and was unhappy with the whole world. His name was Peter Munk. Because his father had been a charcoal burner before him, everyone in the valley simply called him Charcoal Munk Peter.

Peter war kaum zwanzig Jahre alt, gross gewachsen und kräftig. Doch sein Gesicht war immer schwarz vom Russ, seine Hände waren rissig, und seine Kleider rochen nach Rauch. Tag und Nacht musste er den Meiler bewachen, einen Hügel aus Holz und Erde, in dem das Holz langsam zu Kohle verglühte. Wer einen Meiler allein liess, riskierte, dass er in Flammen aufging. Also sass Peter Woche um Woche allein im Wald.

Peter was barely twenty years old, tall and strong. But his face was always black with soot, his hands were cracked, and his clothes smelled of smoke. Day and night he had to watch the kiln, a mound of wood and earth in which the wood slowly smouldered into charcoal. Anyone who left a kiln alone risked it going up in flames. So Peter sat alone in the forest week after week.

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Languages

Das kalte Herz · German (original)B2 Intermediate · 10,280 words · ~1 h 15 min
The Cold Heart · EnglishB2 Intermediate · 10,933 words · ~1 h 15 min

Open in the reader: German 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 Das kalte Herz in?: German and English. 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 B2 Intermediate. In translation, English is B2 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.
How long is it?: About 10,280 words in 11 chapters: around 1 h 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.