Welcome to this A1 beginner graded reader from Yak Yacker! Today, we retell the famous fable of a hungry fox and some delicious grapes. The fox sees the grapes hanging high on a vine, but when he can't reach them, he tells himself they are probably sour anyway. It's a simple story with a big lesson about wanting what you can't have.
In this interactive version, you can click on any word to see its meaning instantly. You can also listen to the full story audio to improve your pronunciation and listening skills. After the story, check out the short lesson notes for extra practice. Everything is free – just read, listen, and learn!
The Fox and the Grapes is one of Aesop's most well-known fables. Our retelling uses easy vocabulary and short sentences, perfect for A1 (beginner) English learners. The story is under 200 words long, so it's quick to read. As you enjoy the tale, watch for the moment the fox decides the grapes aren't worth his effort – a feeling many people know!
A fox was very . He .
Then he some grapes. The grapes were on a .
"I those grapes," said the fox. He to get them.
He wanted the grapes. But he could not them.
He . He was very now.
"Those grapes are ," he said. "I do not want them."
Then he .
The fox was very hungry and walked a lot.
He saw grapes hanging high on a vine.
The fox said he wanted the grapes and jumped for them.
He wanted the grapes but couldn't reach them.
He jumped many times until he was exhausted.
He said the grapes were sour and he didn't want them.
Then he left.
Let's learn some words from the story. These words help us talk about the fox and the grapes.
- hungry: when you want to eat
- grapes: small fruit that grows on a vine
- vine: a plant that grows grapes
- reach: to touch or get something high up
- sour: a taste like lemon, not sweet
- tired: when you have no more energy
The story uses past tense. For example, 'walked' is the past of 'walk'. Many verbs add -ed in the past.
Some verbs change their form. 'See' becomes 'saw', and 'say' becomes 'said'.
- walk → walked
- jump → jumped
- want → wanted
- see → saw
- say → said
- can → could (negative: could not or couldn't)
The fox cannot get the grapes. Then he says they are sour. He changes his mind to feel better.
Sometimes people do this. When we cannot have something, we say it is not good. This is called 'sour grapes'.
- The fox wanted the grapes but could not reach them.
- He said 'Those grapes are sour' instead of 'I cannot get them'.
- Now when people act like this, we say 'It's just sour grapes.'
Read the story again. Can you tell the story to a friend? Try to use the new words and past verbs.
- Tell the story in your own words.
- Draw a picture of the fox and the grapes.
- Write one sentence about a time you wanted something but could not get it.
The Fox and the Grapes comes from an older public-domain story tradition and is best known as a public_domain_fable_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 English Question Words for another useful next step.
