Klassiker leicht erzählt A2 · Easy Classics A2 · Geschichte 5
Die Zeitmaschine
H. G. Wells
In each language: The Time Machine · Die Zeitmaschine
The whole of H. G. Wells's famous story, retold in easy English. A clever inventor tells his dinner guests that he can travel through time. A week later he comes back late, dirty and hungry, and tells them where he has been: in the year 802,701. There he met the gentle Eloi, who live in beautiful gardens, and the Morlocks, who live under the ground and come out at night. Then his machine disappeared.
In English and German · 17 chapters · 2 h 15 min – 4 h 15 min to read.
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How it begins
Die vierte Dimension
The Fourth Dimension
Ich nenne ihn den Zeitreisenden. Das ist der einfachste Name für ihn. Er war Wissenschaftler, und er hat in einem großen Haus in Richmond gewohnt, in der Nähe von London. Jeden Donnerstag haben ein paar von uns bei ihm zu Abend gegessen.
I am going to call him the Time Traveller. That is the easiest name for him. He was a scientist, and he lived in a big house in Richmond, near London. Every Thursday a few of us had dinner at his house.
An diesem Donnerstag haben wir nach dem Essen am Feuer gesessen. Der Zeitreisende hat seine Stühle selbst gemacht, und sie waren sehr bequem. Es war die faule Stunde nach einem guten Essen, wenn die Ideen leicht kommen.
That Thursday we were sitting by the fire after dinner. The Time Traveller made his chairs himself, and they were very comfortable. It was the lazy hour after a good meal, when ideas come easily.
Languages
- The Time Machine · English (original)A2 Easy · 22,277 words · ~4 h 15 min
- Die Zeitmaschine · German23,030 words · ~2 h 15 min
Open in the reader: German with English · English with German
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 Time Machine 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. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.
- How long is it?
- About 22,277 words in 17 chapters: around 2 h 15 min – 4 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.