Have you heard the silly old rhyme 'Rub-a-Dub-Dub'? It's a funny little song about three men in a tub-a butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker. In this free English story for beginners, we turn the rhyme into a short, simple tale. You'll read about what happens when they all climb into a big wooden tub and accidentally float out to sea!
This A1-level story is perfect for new English learners. You can read the text, or press play and listen to the story audio. Every word is clickable, so you can get help with meaning and pronunciation right away. After the story, check the lesson notes for easy grammar and vocabulary practice. Just sit back, enjoy, and learn!
Once upon a time, there were three friends: a , a , and a . One sunny day, they saw a big wooden tub.
"Let's !" said the baker.
They all the tub. The butcher brought . The baker brought bread. The candlestick maker brought a candle.
The tub down the river. ! The water went on the wood.
"! Three friends in a tub!" they .
A little fish jumped out of the water. "Hello, friends! Where are you going?" it said.
"We are just !" said the butcher. And they all again.
There were three friends: a butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker. On a sunny day, they saw a big wooden tub.
The baker said, "Let's go for a ride!"
They all climbed into the tub. The butcher brought sausages. The baker brought bread. The candlestick maker brought a candle.
The tub floated down the river. The water tapped on the wood.
They sang, "Rub-a-dub-dub! Three friends in a tub!"
A small fish jumped out of the water. It said, "Hello, friends! Where are you going?"
The butcher said, "We are just having fun!" And they all laughed again.
Let's learn some new words! In our story, the friends have special jobs. A butcher sells meat. A baker makes bread and cakes. A candlestick maker creates candles. Can you say their names?
- butcher - a person who sells meat
- baker - a person who makes bread
- candlestick maker - a person who makes candles
- tub - a big round container for water
The story uses past tense to tell us what happened. Past tense verbs often end with -ed, but some words change a little. Look at these action words from the story:
- see → saw
- climb → climbed
- bring → brought
- float → floated
- sing → sang
- jump → jumped
- say → said
When we tell a story about yesterday or a long time ago, we use the past tense. It's easy! Just change the verb. Try reading the story again and listen for the past tense words.
You did great! Now, try to retell the story in your own words. Use the new words and past tense verbs. You can even draw the three friends in the tub. Have fun and rub-a-dub-dub!
Rub-a-Dub-Dub 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. Use a cleaned-up version if for kids.
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 English Question Words for another useful next step.
