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.
Kay and Gerda were best friends. They played in the little garden with roses. One day, a broke. Tiny pieces flew into Kay's .
After that, Kay became . 'Everything is ugly!' he said. He with Gerda. In winter, he went to the square with his sled. The Snow Queen appeared, all white and beautiful. She kissed him. 'Now you will not ,' she said. Kay forgot Gerda and the Snow Queen.
Gerda cried. 'Where is Kay?' she asked. She went to the river. She got into a little boat. The boat ! An old woman saw her. 'Come and live with me, little girl,' she said. But Gerda . She ran away.
Gerda . She met a prince and a princess. They gave her warm clothes and a golden carriage. But robbers ! A little robber girl took Gerda. 'You will be my friend,' she said. Gerda told her about Kay. 'I can help you,' said the robber girl.
The robber girl had a . 'Take her to the Snow Queen,' she said. The reindeer ran fast. A kind old woman gave them food. A said, 'Only love can save Kay.' Gerda was cold but she did not stop.
At the Snow Queen's palace, it was very cold. Kay sat on the ice. He played with pieces of ice. 'Kay! It's me, Gerda!' she called. But Kay did not . His heart was .
Gerda cried. Her fell on Kay's chest. They the ice in his heart. Kay cried, and the glass splinter came out of his eye. 'Gerda! I !' he shouted. They laughed and danced together.
The ice pieces danced too. The Snow Queen was not there. Kay and Gerda walked home. It was summer again. The roses were . They were grown up, but still children in their hearts. They lived .
Kay and Gerda were close friends. They enjoyed their garden with roses. Then a magic mirror shattered, and tiny glass bits struck Kay's eye and heart.
Kay turned cruel, saying everything was ugly. He stopped playing with Gerda. One winter day, he sledded to the square. The Snow Queen appeared, looking white and lovely. She kissed him and said he'd no longer feel cold. Kay forgot Gerda and went with the Snow Queen.
Gerda wept and searched for Kay. She went to the river and boarded a small boat that moved swiftly. An old woman saw her and invited her to stay, but Gerda missed Kay and escaped.
Gerda journeyed far and met a prince and princess, who gave her warm clothes and a golden carriage. Then robbers attacked. A little robber girl captured Gerda and wanted her as a friend. Gerda told her about Kay, and the robber girl offered to help.
The robber girl had a reindeer and told it to take Gerda to the Snow Queen. The reindeer raced off. A kind old woman gave them food, and a wise woman said only love could save Kay. Despite the cold, Gerda pushed on.
At the Snow Queen's palace, it was freezing. Kay sat on the ice playing with shards. Gerda called to him, but he didn't respond; his heart was frozen.
Gerda wept, and her warm tears fell on Kay's chest, melting his icy heart. Kay cried, and the glass splinter came out of his eye. He remembered Gerda and they joyfully laughed and danced.
The ice pieces danced, too. The Snow Queen was absent. Kay and Gerda journeyed home. It was summer, roses bloomed. They had grown up but remained children at heart, living happily ever after.
This story is full of strong feelings. Let's learn some words about friendship and emotions. They will help you talk about your own feelings.
You saw words like 'mean', 'tears', and 'heart'. Do you remember what they mean?
- mean - not nice, not kind (🚫 After the mirror piece, Kay was mean to Gerda.)
- tears - water from your eyes when you are sad (💧 Gerda's hot tears melted the ice.)
- heart - the part of you that feels love (❤️ Kay's heart became cold and then warm again.)
- bloom - when flowers open (🌸 The roses were blooming at the end.)
The story uses many past tense verbs because it happened in the past. Regular verbs add -ed, but many common verbs are irregular.
Here are some examples from the story. Try to notice the past forms when you read.
- Regular: play → played, stop → stopped, walk → walked, laugh → laughed
- Irregular: break → broke, go → went, forget → forgot, say → said, see → saw, give → gave
- 'Kay and Gerda played in the garden.' (regular)
- 'She went to the river.' (irregular)
Adjectives make stories beautiful. They tell us more about a person, place, or thing. In the story, you met many adjectives: mean, ugly, beautiful, cold, kind, wise, hot, happy.
In English, adjectives usually come before the noun (a 'cold' palace) or after the verb 'be' (the palace 'is cold').
- ❄️ The Snow Queen was 'beautiful' but 'cold'.
- 👧 Gerda was a 'kind' and 'brave' girl.
- 🌹 The roses were 'blooming' and 'beautiful' at the end.
- Opposites: mean 😠 ↔ kind 😊; cold 🥶 ↔ hot 🥵
Now you know many words and past tense verbs from the story. Can you retell a part of it in English? Start with a few sentences.
Telling stories is a wonderful way to practice. You can even change the ending or describe your favourite character!
- Tell a friend: 'Gerda was very brave. She saved Kay with her love.'
- Draw a picture and write one sentence about it.
- Write three sentences about your best friend using new words like 'kind', 'help', and 'heart'.
The Snow Queen 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 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.
