Welcome to our retelling of the classic nursery rhyme, Old King Cole! This story is perfect for beginner English learners (CEFR level A1). You will read about a merry old king who loves music. He calls for his pipe, his bowl, and his three fiddlers. What happens next? You can find out in this fun, easy-to-read story.
As you read, you can tap on any word to see its meaning. You can also listen to the story audio to practice your pronunciation. After the story, there are simple lesson notes to help you learn new words. All of this is free and ready for you. Let's start reading!
Old King Cole is a old man. He is a king.
He calls for his . He calls for his .
He calls for his three . They come to him.
King Cole says, 'Play your ! Let us be !'
The three fiddlers play. The music is happy.
Old King Cole . He is very merry.
Then the king says, 'That was ! Let us do it again tomorrow.'
Old King Cole is a happy old king.
He asks for his pipe and his bowl.
He calls his three fiddlers to come.
King Cole says, 'Play your fiddles! Let's be happy!'
The fiddlers play happy music.
Old King Cole listens and is very happy.
The king says, 'That was fun! Let's do it again tomorrow.'
This story is a tiny, cheerful rhyme about a king who likes music. It uses very simple sentences, so you can read it slowly and feel the pattern.
The story repeats key ideas: King Cole calls, the fiddlers come, and everyone is merry. Repetition helps beginner learners understand and remember.
- Old King Cole = the name of the king
- merry = happy and cheerful
- fiddlers = people who play fiddles
A few words do most of the work in this story. If you know them, the whole rhyme becomes much easier to follow.
Try saying the words out loud. The sound can help you remember the meaning.
- call for = ask for something
- come to him = go to the king
- play = make music
- listen = hear carefully
This story uses short English patterns that are great for beginners: He is a king. He calls for his pipe. They come to him. These are easy to copy in your own speaking.
Notice the pattern with he and they. He is for one person. They is for more than one person.
- He is a king.
- He calls for his pipe.
- They come to him.
- Let us be merry! = a friendly invitation
The last line says, "Let us do it again tomorrow." That is a nice way to end a story: happy, simple, and ready for more.
When you read again, listen for the repeated words and the rhythm. Little rhymes like this are perfect for practice.
- Read slowly first.
- Say the repeated lines together.
- Use the story to practice he, they, and let us.
Old King Cole comes from the English / nursery rhyme tradition and is best known as a nursery rhyme. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Traditional nursery rhyme; 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, but this version is adapted for A1 Beginner learners studying English. King/music vocabulary.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Wikisource.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A1 English Vocabulary List. After that, try 1,200 English Phrases and Expressions for another useful next step.
