Joseph Jacobs

Whittington and His Cat

Whittington und seine Katze

Orphan Dick Whittington follows a waggon to London, sure its streets are paved with gold, and finds hunger instead. Taken in by a merchant, he suffers a cruel cook and a rat-filled garret, until a penny buys him a cat. Then the merchant's ship sails, and every servant may send something.

B125 minAudio

Read

How it begins

EnglishGerman

In the reign of the famous King Edward III, there was a little boy called Dick Whittington, whose father and mother died when he was very young.

Zur Regierungszeit des berühmten Königs Eduard III. lebte ein kleiner Junge namens Dick Whittington, dessen Vater und Mutter starben, als er noch sehr jung war.

Poor Dick wasn't old enough to work, so he was very badly off. He got very little for dinner and sometimes nothing at all for breakfast, because the people in the village were very poor indeed and couldn't spare him much more than potato peelings and, now and then, a hard crust of bread.

Der arme Dick war noch nicht alt genug, um zu arbeiten, deshalb ging es ihm sehr schlecht. Zum Mittagessen bekam er nur sehr wenig und zum Frühstück manchmal gar nichts, denn die Leute im Dorf waren wirklich sehr arm und konnten ihm kaum mehr als Kartoffelschalen und ab und zu eine harte Brotkruste abgeben.

Now Dick had heard a great many very strange things about the great city called London. The country people at that time thought that everyone in London was a fine lady or gentleman, that there was singing and music there all day long, and that the streets were all paved with gold.

Dick hatte nun viele sehr merkwürdige Dinge über die große Stadt London gehört. Die Landleute dachten damals, dass jeder in London eine feine Dame oder ein feiner Herr sei, dass dort den ganzen Tag gesungen und musiziert werde und dass die Straßen alle mit Gold gepflastert seien.

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

Languages

Whittington and His Cat · English (original)B1 Intermediate · 3,105 words · ~25 min · Audio
Whittington und seine Katze · GermanB1 Intermediate · 3,056 words · ~25 min · Audio
Ο Ουίτινγκτον και η γάτα του · GreekB1 Intermediate · 3,097 words · ~25 min
Whittington y su gato · SpanishB1 Intermediate · 3,095 words · ~25 min · Audio
Whittington et son chat · FrenchB1 Intermediate · 3,480 words · ~30 min · Audio
व्हिटिंगटन और उसकी बिल्ली · HindiB1 Intermediate · 3,412 words · ~30 min
Whittington dan Kucingnya · IndonesianB1 Intermediate · 2,792 words · ~25 min
Whittington e la sua gatta · ItalianB1 Intermediate · 3,160 words · ~25 min
ウィッティントンとネコ · JapaneseB1 Intermediate
휘팅턴과 고양이 · KoreanB1 Intermediate · 2,095 words · ~15 min
Whittington en zijn kat · DutchB1 Intermediate · 3,267 words · ~25 min
Whittington i jego kot · PolishB1 Intermediate · 2,535 words · ~20 min
Whittington e Sua Gata · PortugueseB1 Intermediate · 3,079 words · ~25 min
Whittington și pisica lui · RomanianB1 Intermediate · 3,175 words · ~25 min
Whittington ve Kedisi · TurkishB1 Intermediate · 2,263 words · ~20 min
Whittington và chú mèo của cậu · VietnameseB1 Intermediate · 3,693 words · ~30 min
《惠廷顿和他的猫》 · ChineseB1 Intermediate

Questions

Which languages can I read Whittington and His Cat 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 B1 Intermediate. In translation, German, Greek, Spanish, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish, Vietnamese and Chinese are B1 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from Pre-A1 (starter) to C2.

How long is it?

About 3,105 words: around 5–30 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 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.

Whittington and His Cat

How it begins

Languages

Questions

More stories at this level