Meet the Emperor. He loves clothes very much. He has many, many clothes. One day, two men come to the city. They say, 'We can make magic clothes! Only clever people can see them.' What happens next? Read this famous story in very simple English and find out!
This A1 beginner version of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' is written just for you. You can tap any word to see its meaning. You can also listen to the full story audio. Learn new words and enjoy the story at home or on the go. It's easy, fun, and free!
The emperor loves . He has many , hats, and shoes.
One day, two men . They say, 'We make !'
'Only people see our clothes. people see nothing.' The emperor thinks, 'I want magic clothes. I am very clever.'
The men get and . They to work. 'The magic clothes are to stupid people!' they say.
The emperor sends his old . The minister sees nothing. 'Am I stupid?' he thinks. But he says, 'Oh! What clothes!'
The emperor the magic clothes. He . Everyone says, 'The emperor's new clothes are !' They do not want to look stupid.
But a child , 'The emperor has no clothes!' The people . The emperor knows it is true.
The emperor really likes new clothes. He has lots of suits, hats, and shoes.
One day, two smart men arrive. They say, 'We make magical clothes!'
'Only smart people can see our clothes. Stupid people see nothing.' The emperor thinks, 'I want magical clothes. I am very smart.'
The men get gold and silk. They pretend to work. They say, 'The magical clothes are invisible to stupid people!'
The emperor sends his old minister. The minister sees nothing. He thinks, 'Am I stupid?' But he says, 'Oh! What beautiful clothes!'
The emperor puts on the magical clothes. He walks in the street. Everyone says, 'The emperor's new clothes are wonderful!' They don't want to seem stupid.
But a child shouts, 'The emperor has no clothes!' The people laugh. The emperor knows it is true.
The emperor loves new clothes, and the story is full of words for things we wear. Here are the ones you'll see again and again.
- suit - a jacket and trousers
- hat - something you wear on your head
- shoes - you wear them on your feet
- clothes - everything you wear
The story uses many describing words, called adjectives. They tell us what the clothes are like or how people feel.
- new - not old
- magic - has special power
- beautiful - very nice to look at
- invisible - you cannot see it
To talk about one thing, we use 'is'. For more things, we use 'are'. This is a very useful rule.
Adjectives often come after 'is' or 'are', or before the thing we describe.
- The suit is new. (one suit)
- The clothes are magic. (more than one)
- He is clever. / They are invisible.
- We can also say: new suit, magic clothes
Now it's your turn. Use your new words to talk about clothes - in the story or around you.
Take a look at what you're wearing or what you see. Can you describe it?
- Say: 'I see a…' or 'He has a…'
- Add an adjective: 'It is beautiful.' / 'They are new.'
- Tell the story to a friend. Try: 'The emperor has no clothes!'
- Practice a little every day - maybe with your own shoes or hat!
The Emperor's New Clothes comes from an older public-domain story tradition and is best known as a public_domain_fairy_tale_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 A1 Beginner learners studying English.
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.
