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Klassiker leicht erzählt A2 · Easy Classics A2 · Geschichte 11

Das gesprenkelte Band

Arthur Conan Doyle

In each language: The Speckled Band · Das gesprenkelte Band

The famous Sherlock Holmes short story, retold in full in easy English. Early one morning a young woman in black comes to Baker Street. She is shaking with fear. Two years ago her twin sister died in a locked room, a few weeks before her wedding. Her last words were: “The speckled band!” Now the young woman is going to marry, and in the night she hears the same low whistle. Holmes and Dr Watson travel to the old house of her violent stepfather, and wait there in the dark.

In English and German · 3 chapters · about 7,900 words · 1 h 30 min to read.

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How it begins

GermanEnglish

Eine Besucherin in Schwarz

A Visitor in Black

Mein Name ist John Watson, und ich bin Arzt. Acht Jahre lang habe ich meinem Freund Sherlock Holmes bei der Arbeit zugesehen. Holmes war Detektiv, und ich habe Notizen über mehr als siebzig von seinen Fällen.

My name is John Watson, and I am a doctor. For eight years I watched my friend Sherlock Holmes at work. Holmes was a detective, and I have notes on more than seventy of his cases.

Holmes hat seine Arbeit mehr geliebt als Geld, also hat er nur ungewöhnliche Fälle angenommen. Aber kein Fall in meinen Notizen ist seltsamer als der Fall von den Roylotts aus Stoke Moran. Das ist eine alte Familie in Surrey.

Holmes loved his work more than money, so he took only unusual cases. But no case in my notes is stranger than the case of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran, an old family in Surrey.

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

Languages

  • The Speckled Band · English (original)A2 Easy · 7,889 words · ~1 h 30 min
  • Das gesprenkelte Band · GermanA2 Easy · 8,070 words · ~1 h 30 min

Open in the reader: German with English · English with German

More stories at this level

Easy stories in German with English beside it (all of them: Easy German stories).

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 Speckled Band in?
English and German. 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 A2 Easy. In translation, German is A2 Easy. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.
How long is it?
About 7,889 words in 3 chapters: around 1 h 30 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.