Welcome to our A2-level retelling of the classic fairy tale The Golden Goose. In this easy-to-read version, you'll follow the adventures of a kind but simple young man who is rewarded with a magical golden goose. Soon, everyone who tries to steal it gets stuck together in a long, silly line! It's a funny story that helps you practice English while you smile.
With this interactive article, you can click any word to see its meaning instantly. Listen to the full story with our free audio, perfect for improving your pronunciation and listening skills. Don't miss the lesson notes at the end – they explain the key vocabulary and grammar points in a simple way. Start reading now and enjoy learning English!
Whether you're studying alone or with a teacher, this graded reader makes learning English fun and stress-free. Let the golden magic of this tale help you grow your English every day.
Once there was a young man. He was very kind, but his family thought he was . One day, he with only a small lunch.
He saw an old man . 'I am so hungry,' said the old man. 'Please, do you have any food?' The young man him. He opened his lunch and with the old man.
The old man . 'You are a good person,' he said. 'Go to that old tree over there and . You will find something special.' The young man cut down the tree. Inside, there was a beautiful goose! Its were made of gold.
The young man took the and walked toward the town. On the way, a girl saw the golden feathers. She thought, 'I want one of those feathers!' She tried to , but as soon as she touched the goose, her hand ! She could not let go.
'Help! I am stuck!' she cried. Her mother and pulled her. But then the mother's hand stuck to the girl! After that, a farmer came to help. He touched the mother, and he got stuck too. Soon, there was a long, silly all stuck together.
The young man walked into the town with the goose and the funny line of people. Everyone who saw them . The king's daughter looked out of the window. She never laughed or smiled, but when she saw the silly people, she . 'Ha ha ha!' she laughed, and she could not stop.
The king was . He had promised, 'The man who makes my daughter laugh can .' So the young man married the princess, and everyone . The golden goose lived happily with them ever after.
A kind young man's family thought he was foolish. One day, he went to the forest with just a little food.
He met a hungry old man under a tree. The young man felt sorry and shared his lunch.
The old man smiled and told him to cut down a tree. The young man did and found a goose with golden feathers.
He walked to town with the goose. A greedy girl tried to steal a feather, but her hand stuck to it.
She cried for help. Her mother and a farmer tried to help but got stuck too. Soon many people were stuck in a silly line.
He entered town with the stuck people. Everyone laughed. The sad princess saw them and laughed for the first time.
The king kept his promise. The young man married the princess and they all lived happily.
Let's look at some key words from 'The Golden Goose.' These words will help you describe people, feelings, and actions.
Notice how the story uses simple, everyday words. Try to remember them and use them in your own stories.
- kind: friendly and good to others. 'He was very kind.'
- silly: not serious, a little funny. 'His family thought he was silly.'
- stuck: unable to move. 'Her hand stuck!'
- laugh: to make a happy sound. 'Everyone who saw them laughed loudly.'
This story is full of past tense verbs. Most are regular, ending in -ed (opened, walked, looked, laughed), but some are irregular (went, saw, said, thought, got).
Try to spot these verbs as you read. Practice saying them: 'He went to the forest.' 'She laughed loudly.'
- Regular: open → opened, walk → walked, look → looked, laugh → laughed.
- Irregular: go → went, see → saw, say → said, think → thought, get → got.
- The simple past tells us the action is finished. Use it for completed events in the past.
You've met a kind young man and a very special goose! Now, can you retell the story in your own words? Try using the past tense verbs you learned.
You could also imagine what happens next. Does the golden goose have chicks? Do they get stuck too? Have fun making up your own silly story!
The Golden Goose comes from the German / Grimm tradition and is best known as a fairy tale. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Grimm/traditional; 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 A2 Elementary learners studying English. Silly chain-reaction comedy.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Project Gutenberg.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the A2 English Vocabulary List. After that, try English Question Words for another useful next step.
