O. Henry

The Last Leaf

Das letzte Blatt

In a cold Greenwich Village winter, Johnsy lies gravely ill and has decided she will die the moment the last leaf falls from the ivy vine outside her window. Her roommate Sue watches helplessly as the leaves disappear one by one.

B215 minAudio

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How it begins

EnglishGerman

In a little district west of Washington Square the streets have run crazy and broken themselves into small strips called “places.” These “places” make strange angles and curves. One street crosses itself a time or two.

In einem kleinen Viertel westlich des Washington Square sind die Straßen verrückt geworden und haben sich in kleine Streifen zerlegt, die man „Places“ nennt. Diese „Places“ bilden seltsame Winkel und Kurven. Eine Straße kreuzt sich sogar ein oder zwei Mal selbst.

An artist once discovered a valuable possibility in this street. Suppose a collector with a bill for paints, paper and canvas should, in traversing this route, suddenly meet himself coming back, without a cent having been paid on account!

Ein Künstler entdeckte einst eine wertvolle Möglichkeit in dieser Straße. Angenommen, ein Sammler mit einer Rechnung für Farben, Papier und Leinwand würde auf seinem Weg durch diese Gegend plötzlich sich selbst entgegenkommen, ohne dass auch nur ein Cent auf das Konto gezahlt worden wäre!

So, to quaint old Greenwich Village the art people soon came prowling, hunting for north windows and eighteenth-century gables and Dutch attics and low rents.

So kamen die Kunstleute bald in das malerische alte Greenwich Village geschlichen, auf der Jagd nach Nordfenstern, Giebeln aus dem achtzehnten Jahrhundert, holländischen Dachböden und niedrigen Mieten.

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

Languages

The Last Leaf · English (original)B2 Intermediate · 2,349 words · ~15 min · Audio
Das letzte Blatt · GermanB2 Intermediate · 2,380 words · ~15 min · Audio
Το τελευταίο φύλλο · GreekB2 Intermediate · 2,403 words · ~15 min
La última hoja · SpanishB2 Intermediate · 2,390 words · ~15 min · Audio
La Dernière Feuille · FrenchB2 Intermediate · 2,628 words · ~20 min · Audio
आखिरी पत्ता · HindiB2 Intermediate · 2,727 words · ~20 min
Daun Terakhir · IndonesianB2 Intermediate · 2,209 words · ~15 min
L’ultima foglia · ItalianB2 Intermediate · 2,304 words · ~15 min
最後の一葉 · JapaneseB2 Intermediate
마지막 잎새 · KoreanB2 Intermediate · 1,705 words · ~10 min
Het laatste blad · DutchB2 Intermediate · 2,423 words · ~15 min
Ostatni liść · PolishB2 Intermediate · 2,010 words · ~15 min
A Última Folha · PortugueseB2 Intermediate · 2,410 words · ~15 min
Ultima frunză · RomanianB2 Intermediate · 2,415 words · ~15 min
Son Yaprak · TurkishB2 Intermediate · 1,786 words · ~10 min
Chiếc lá cuối cùng · VietnameseB2 Intermediate · 3,128 words · ~20 min
最后一片叶子 · ChineseB2 Intermediate

Questions

Which languages can I read The Last Leaf in?

English, German, Greek, Spanish, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish, Vietnamese 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 English is B2 Intermediate. In translation, German, Greek, Spanish, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish, Vietnamese and Chinese are B2 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from Pre-A1 (starter) to C2.

How long is it?

About 2,349 words: 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 downloads (PDF, EPUB, and AZW3 and MOBI for Kindle) need a free account.

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.

The Last Leaf

How it begins

Languages

Questions

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