Read this story on Yak Yacker with clickable word help, full story audio, and lesson notes below the text.
This version is written for English-speaking learners who want a friendly reading experience in English.
Once upon a time, an old woodcarver named Geppetto made a puppet. He called it Pinocchio. "Oh, how I wish you were a real boy!" said Geppetto. That night, a Blue Fairy came. "I will give you life," she said. "But you must be brave, truthful, and kind." Suddenly, Pinocchio moved!
But Pinocchio did not . He the door. "Wait, Pinocchio!" cried Geppetto. Pinocchio just laughed and . Soon he met a Fox and a Cat. "Hello, little puppet," said the Fox. "Do you want to become ? Come with us!" Pinocchio went with them.
The Blue Fairy . "Pinocchio, where have you been?" she asked. "I… I went to school," he said. Suddenly, his nose grew ! "You are ," said the Fairy. "Every lie makes your nose grow longer." Pinocchio cried. "I am sorry! I will be good." The Fairy made his nose normal again.
Pinocchio tried to go to school. But on the way, he met a of boys. "Come to Toyland!" they shouted. "No school, only !" Pinocchio forgot his promise. He went to Toyland and played all day. But then, his ears grew long and he began to a donkey! "Oh no!" he cried.
Pinocchio from Toyland. When he got home, Geppetto was not there. A little bird said, "Geppetto went into the sea to . A big fish him!" Without a second thought, Pinocchio jumped into the water. "I must save my father!" he said.
Inside the dark fish, Pinocchio found Geppetto. "Father!" he cried. "Pinocchio, my boy!" Geppetto hugged him. "We must get out," said Pinocchio. He made a fire with wood from a chair. The smoke made the fish – ACHOO! The big fish opened its mouth and they swam out.
They swam and swam. Pinocchio helped Geppetto reach the . They were very tired. The Blue Fairy watched them. "Pinocchio, you were brave and your father," she said. "You have a good ." With a wave of her hand, Pinocchio became a real boy! He had soft skin and warm hands.
Geppetto looked at his son. "You are a real boy now!" he cried with . Pinocchio smiled. "I will always be good, Father." From that day on, Pinocchio was a and brave boy, and they lived happily together.
Geppetto, an old woodcarver, made a puppet named Pinocchio. He wished it were a real boy. A Blue Fairy gave it life, telling it to be brave, truthful, and kind. Pinocchio came to life.
Pinocchio didn't obey. He ran away from Geppetto. He met a Fox and a Cat who promised to make him rich, so he went with them.
The Blue Fairy asked Pinocchio where he'd been. He lied and said school. His nose grew long. The Fairy said lies make his nose grow. He apologized, and she fixed his nose.
On the way to school, Pinocchio joined boys going to Toyland, where there's only play. He forgot his promise. His ears grew long and he started turning into a donkey.
Pinocchio escaped Toyland. At home, he learned Geppetto was swallowed by a fish while searching for him. He immediately jumped into the sea to save his father.
Inside the fish, Pinocchio found Geppetto. He made a fire to make the fish sneeze. The fish opened its mouth and they swam out.
After a hard swim, they reached shore. The Blue Fairy praised Pinocchio's bravery and turned him into a real boy.
Geppetto was overjoyed that Pinocchio was a real boy. Pinocchio promised to always be good, and they lived happily.
This story has many useful words. Learning them will help you tell your own stories.
- puppet (n.) - a doll that moves with strings or hands; Pinocchio is a puppet.
- woodcarver (n.) - a person who makes things from wood; Geppetto was a woodcarver.
- fairy (n.) - a magical person with wings; the Blue Fairy helped Pinocchio.
- lie (v./n.) - to not tell the truth; when Pinocchio lied, his nose grew.
- donkey (n.) - an animal like a small horse; the boys turned into donkeys.
- swallow (v.) - to make food or drink go down your throat; the fish swallowed Geppetto.
- sneeze (v.) - to blow air suddenly from your nose; the fish sneezed and opened its mouth.
The story uses the past simple tense. This is the most common tense for telling events that happened in the past.
- Many verbs are irregular: make → made, come → came, run → ran, say → said, grow → grew, swim → swam.
- Regular verbs just add -ed: played, shouted, appeared, hugged.
- Look at the story and find more past simple verbs. Practice changing them to present.
In the story, characters often make promises and sometimes lie. You can learn these phrases for everyday English.
- Promises: "I will be good." / "I will always be good." Use "will" for strong intentions.
- Apologizing: "I am sorry." after doing something wrong.
- Accusing someone of lying: "You are lying!" The verb "lie" has a different meaning from "lie down".
- Reporting speech: Use "said" before the words: Geppetto said, "You are a real boy now!" (note the comma and quotation marks).
Now you know the story and some useful language. Why not try telling it yourself?
- Retell the story to a friend using the past simple. Try to use the vocabulary from above.
- Think of a time you made a promise. What did you say? How did you feel?
- Continue reading stories in English. The more you read, the easier it gets!
Pinocchio comes from an older public-domain story tradition and is best known as a public_domain_children_story_retelling. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on public-domain source material, 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. This version is adapted for A2 Elementary learners studying English.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A2 English Vocabulary List. After that, try English Root Words and Prefixes for another useful next step.
