King Midas loves gold more than anything in the world. One day, a mysterious stranger gives him a magical wish: everything he touches will turn to gold! At first, Midas is overjoyed. Roses, trees, chairs – all become shiny, solid gold. But then he realises he cannot eat or drink, because even food and water turn to gold the moment they touch his lips. Will Midas find a way to undo the golden touch, or is he trapped forever?
This Yak Yacker graded reader lets you read and listen to the famous fairy tale at A2 elementary level. Click any word for help, listen to the story audio, and download the free lesson notes to practise new vocabulary and grammar. Perfect for English learners who love classic stories!
King Midas lived in a big, beautiful palace. He had many rooms full of gold. He loved gold more than anything. Every day he looked at his shiny gold coins and smiled. 'Gold is the best thing in the world,' he said.
One day, a man appeared in Midas's garden. He had bright eyes and a kind smile. 'King Midas, you ,' the man said. 'I can give you one wish. What do you want most?' Midas thought and thought. 'I wish that everything I touch becomes gold!' he said.
The man looked at Midas. 'Are you sure? This wish can be .' But Midas did not listen. 'Yes, yes! Give me the !' So the man said, 'Your wish will tomorrow morning.' Then he disappeared.
The next day, Midas woke up. He his bed, and it became gold! He touched a chair, and it became gold. He ran to his garden and touched a red rose. The rose beautiful, shiny gold. 'This is wonderful!' he shouted. 'Everything is gold!'
Soon, Midas felt . He sat down to eat some bread. But when he touched the bread, it became hard, yellow gold. He tried to drink some water. The water turned into gold and he could not drink. 'Oh, no!' he cried. 'I am so hungry and . This is a terrible wish!'
Then Midas's daughter, Mary, ran into the room. 'Father, what is wrong?' she asked. She came to give him a . Midas forgot about his golden touch. He touched her hand, and suddenly Mary became a gold . She could not move or speak. Midas cried and cried. 'What have I done?' he said.
Midas ran back to the garden and called for the strange man. 'Please, take away the golden touch! I was wrong. Gold is not the most important thing. I want my daughter back!' The man appeared and said, 'Go to the river and wash your hands. The water will wash away the golden touch.'
Midas ran to the river. He washed his hands in the cool water. Then he saw the gold leave his fingers. He ran back to the palace and touched Mary. She became warm and alive again! Midas hugged her. 'I am so sorry,' he said. 'I love you more than all the gold in the world.' From that day, Midas was a happy king, and he never wished for gold again.
The story of King Midas is full of useful A2 words. Let's look at some of the most important ones to describe objects, actions, and feelings.
Many of these words can be both verbs and nouns. Pay attention to how they change in the story.
- gold (noun): a shiny yellow metal; 'Midas loved gold.'
- touch (verb/noun): to put your hand on something; 'He touched the rose.' / 'the golden touch'
- wish (verb/noun): to want something very much; 'I wish that everything I touch becomes gold.'
- statue (noun): a hard model of a person or thing; 'Mary became a gold statue.'
- disappear (verb): to go away suddenly; 'The man disappeared.'
- turn into (phrasal verb): to change into something different; 'The water turned into gold.'
This story uses the past simple to tell what happened. Most verbs follow simple patterns, but some are irregular.
Look how the verbs change: regular verbs add -ed (lived, loved, touched, shouted), but irregular verbs have special forms (thought, became, gave, ran).
- For regular verbs, add -ed: 'Midas looked at his coins.'
- Irregular verbs change: 'He ran to the garden.' (run → ran), 'He gave Midas a wish.' (give → gave)
- Negative: use did not + base verb: 'Midas did not listen to the warning.'
- Questions: use Did + subject + base verb: 'Did Midas love his daughter?'
The story contains several common phrases that English speakers use every day. Learning them will make your English sound more natural.
These phrases often express strong feelings or important moments in a story.
- more than anything: means 'the most in the world'; 'He loved gold more than anything.'
- come true: when a wish really happens; 'Your wish will come true tomorrow.'
- take away: to remove something; 'Please, take away the golden touch!'
- from that day: starting at that time and continuing; 'From that day, Midas was happy.'
Now that you've learned new words and past simple forms, try these activities:
Telling stories is one of the best ways to remember grammar and vocabulary. Don't worry about mistakes-practice makes perfect!
- Retell the Midas story in your own words. Use the past simple.
- Write down three wishes. Then describe what happened after each wish. 'I wished for... and then...'
- Find a friend and ask: 'What did you wish for as a child?' Listen and share your answer.
King Midas and the Golden Touch comes from the Greek / mythology tradition and is best known as a greek myth. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Ancient Greek myth; public domain, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually kids/general, but this version is adapted for A2 Elementary learners studying English. Excellent wish-gone-wrong plot.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Project Gutenberg.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A2 English Vocabulary List. After that, try 1,200 English Phrases and Expressions for another useful next step.
