Deutsch · English · B1–B2
Intermediate German short stories, side by side with English (B1–B2)
Real literature at a reachable level: O. Henry, Saki, Oscar Wilde, Chekhov and Maupassant in German, with the English original beside every paragraph.
51 free intermediate stories in German
Each one opens in your browser with no account, the German and the English side by side, paragraph by paragraph, shortest first. Every story is also a free German–English ebook for Kindle, Kobo or any e-reader: downloading needs a free account, no payment (which file to pick).
Besides the classics, this level has stories from Perfekt-Geschichten, original German stories written for the library.
DE
Rotkäppchen
Charles Perrault
Little Red Riding Hood
B2Charles Perrault · German · 5 min
DE
Herzen und Hände
O. Henry
Hearts and Hands
B1O. Henry · German · 5 min
DE
Die Geschichte einer Stunde
Kate Chopin
The Story of an Hour
B2Kate Chopin · German · 5 min
DE
Wie der Wal zu seinem Schlund kam
Rudyard Kipling
How the Whale Got His Throat
B1Rudyard Kipling · German · 5 min
DE
Wie das Kamel zu seinem Höcker kam
Rudyard Kipling
How the Camel Got His Hump
B1Rudyard Kipling · German · 5 min
DE
Die Geschichte von Eichhörnchen Nusper
Beatrix Potter
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
B1Beatrix Potter · German · 10 min
DE
Das offene Fenster
Saki
The Open Window
B2Saki · German · 10 min
DE
Nach zwanzig Jahren
O. Henry
After Twenty Years
B1O. Henry · German · 10 min
DE
Die Romanze eines vielbeschäftigten Börsenmaklers
O. Henry
The Romance of a Busy Broker
B2O. Henry · German · 10 min
DE
Wanka
Anton Chekhov
Vanka
B1Anton Chekhov · German · 10 min
DE
Tom Tit Tot
Joseph Jacobs
Tom Tit Tot
B1Joseph Jacobs · German · 10 min
DE
Der standhafte Zinnsoldat
Hans Christian Andersen
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
B1Hans Christian Andersen · German · 10 min
DE
Sredni Vashtar
Saki
Sredni Vashtar
B2Saki · German · 10 min
DE
Der gestiefelte Kater
Charles Perrault
Puss in Boots
B2Charles Perrault · German · 10 min
DE
Die Geschichte von Däumling
Joseph Jacobs
The History of Tom Thumb
B1Joseph Jacobs · German · 15 min
DE
Die Geschichte vom braven kleinen Jungen
Mark Twain
The Story of the Good Little Boy
B2Mark Twain · German · 15 min
DE
Miss Brill
Katherine Mansfield
Miss Brill
B2Katherine Mansfield · German · 15 min
DE
Der Erzähler
Saki
The Storyteller
B2Saki · German · 15 min
DE
Das Geschenk der Weisen
O. Henry
The Gift of the Magi
B2O. Henry · German · 15 min
DE
Der Postmeister
Rabindranath Tagore
The Postmaster
B1Rabindranath Tagore · German · 15 min
DE
Vom Fischer und seiner Frau
Brothers Grimm
The Fisherman and His Wife
B1Brothers Grimm · German · 15 min
DE
Die Zwischenrufer
Saki
The Interlopers
B2Saki · German · 15 min
DE
Désirées Kind
Kate Chopin
Désirée’s Baby
B2Kate Chopin · German · 15 min
DE
Die Rumpelkammer
Saki
The Lumber-Room
B2Saki · German · 15 min
DE
Zimmer 13
DuoText
Room 13
B1Perfekt-Geschichten · German · 15 min
DE
Nicht für Jonas
DuoText
Not for Jonas
B1Perfekt-Geschichten · German · 15 min
DE
Die Nachricht von morgen
DuoText
Tomorrow’s Message
B1Perfekt-Geschichten · German · 15 min
DE
Der Polizist und der Choral
O. Henry
The Cop and the Anthem
B2O. Henry · German · 15 min
DE
Gezeitengeduld
DuoText
Tidewait
B1Perfekt-Geschichten · German · 15 min
DE
Die Nachtigall und die Rose
Oscar Wilde
The Nightingale and the Rose
B1Oscar Wilde · German · 15 min
DE
Das letzte Blatt
O. Henry
The Last Leaf
B2O. Henry · German · 15 min
DE
Schneewittchen
Brothers Grimm
Snowdrop
B1Brothers Grimm · German · 15 min
DE
Noch nicht
DuoText
Not Yet
B1Perfekt-Geschichten · German · 15 min
DE
Hans und die Bohnenranke
Joseph Jacobs
Jack and the Beanstalk
B1Joseph Jacobs · German · 15 min
DE
Das Elefantenkind
Rudyard Kipling
The Elephant’s Child
B1Rudyard Kipling · German · 15 min
DE
Aschenputtel
Brothers Grimm
Ashputtel
B1Brothers Grimm · German · 15 min
DE
Die Lady oder der Tiger?
Frank R. Stockton
The Lady, or the Tiger?
B2Frank R. Stockton · German · 20 min
DE
Eine wiedergewonnene Läuterung
O. Henry
A Retrieved Reformation
B2O. Henry · German · 20 min
DE
Die Wette
Anton Chekhov
The Bet
B2Anton Chekhov · German · 20 min
DE
Der Schmuck
Guy de Maupassant
The Necklace
B2Guy de Maupassant · German · 20 min
DE
Der Kabuliwallah
Rabindranath Tagore
The Cabuliwallah
B1Rabindranath Tagore · German · 20 min
DE
Whittington und seine Katze
Joseph Jacobs
Whittington and His Cat
B1Joseph Jacobs · German · 20 min
DE
Der glückliche Prinz
Oscar Wilde
The Happy Prince
B1Oscar Wilde · German · 25 min
DE
Das hässliche Entlein
Hans Christian Andersen
The Ugly Duckling
B1Hans Christian Andersen · German · 25 min
DE
Die Affenpfote
W.W. Jacobs
The Monkey’s Paw
B2W.W. Jacobs · German · 25 min
DE
Der Zauberladen
H. G. Wells
The Magic Shop
B1H. G. Wells · German · 25 min
DE
Der Sturm
Charles and Mary Lamb
The Tempest (Tales from Shakespeare)
B2Charles and Mary Lamb · German · 25 min
DE
Die Katze, die für sich allein ging
Rudyard Kipling
The Cat that Walked by Himself
B1Rudyard Kipling · German · 25 min
DE
Däumelinchen
Hans Christian Andersen
Thumbelina
B1Hans Christian Andersen · German · 30 min
DE
Der ergebene Freund
Oscar Wilde
The Devoted Friend
B1Oscar Wilde · German · 30 min
DE
Die bemerkenswerte Rakete
Oscar Wilde
The Remarkable Rocket
B2Oscar Wilde · German · 30 min
What intermediate German stories are like
Intermediate stories are where reading gets rewarding. They are written for adults, with twists and irony (The Gift of the Magi, The Necklace, The Open Window), but short enough to finish in twenty minutes to half an hour.
The vocabulary is wider and the sentences longer than in a fable, and dialogue brings in everyday phrases that textbooks leave out. With the English next to each paragraph, none of that has to stop you.
How to read German at B1–B2
Read in German, check in English
At B1–B2 you can usually follow the German on its own. Keep your eyes on it and look across only when a sentence doesn’t land, rather than reading both sides line by line.
Let the plot pull you
These stories were written to be enjoyed. If you want to know how it ends, you will read faster and remember more, so pick the one whose first page grabs you.
Notice the tenses
Stories are told in the past, and the German past tenses carry meaning the English sometimes flattens. Comparing the two sides is the quickest way to feel the difference.
More on the method in how to read a parallel text.