This A1 Beginner retelling of Rapunzel keeps the plot clear for learners while still giving the story some atmosphere and momentum. Eine Hexe bringt sie in einen Turm. Die Hexe ruft: "Rapunzel, lass dein Haar herunter!
This version teaches German through English and includes clickable word help inside the story, full story audio, and lesson notes after the reading. It is free to use on Yak Yacker and is designed to feel natural, readable, and manageable for learners.
Es war einmal ein Mädchen. Sie heißt Rapunzel.
Sie hat . Eine bringt sie in einen .
Der ist . Er hat keine .
Die : "Rapunzel, lass dein Haar herunter!"
Rapunzel ihr Haar . Die Hexe .
Ein Prinz das. Er : "Rapunzel, lass dein Haar herunter!"
Der Prinz . Sie und .
Once upon a time there was a girl. Her name was Rapunzel.
She had long, beautiful hair. A witch took her to a tower.
The tower was tall and had no door.
The witch called, "Rapunzel, let down your hair!"
Rapunzel let down her hair. The witch climbed up.
A prince saw this and called, "Rapunzel, let down your hair!"
The prince climbed up. They fell in love and fled.
In the story, you met Rapunzel, a witch, a prince, and of course, long hair! Let's learn these key German nouns. Remember that every noun starts with a capital letter in German, and it's important to learn the article (der, die, das) to know the gender.
- das Mädchen – the girl
- die Hexe – the witch
- der Turm – the tower
- das Haar – the hair
- der Prinz – the prince
- Bonus verbs: klettern (to climb), rufen (to call), verlieben (to fall in love)
When the witch wants Rapunzel to let down her hair, she says: "Rapunzel, lass dein Haar herunter!" This is the imperative mood—used for commands or requests. For a single person you know well (du-form), you often take the verb stem and drop the -st ending.
- rufen → ruf! (call!)
- klettern → kletter! (climb!)
- fliehen → flieh! (flee!)
- Lassen is irregular: lass! (let!)
- Notice the word order: the command comes first, then other details.
You’ve learned the vocabulary and grammar from Rapunzel’s adventure. Now it’s your turn! Start your own fairy tale with "Es war einmal…" (Once upon a time…). Describe a character and what they do. You can even use the imperative to make them speak.
Practice saying the new words out loud. Try to retell the Rapunzel story in German, even if it’s just a few simple sentences. Every step builds your confidence!
- Start with "Es war einmal ein/eine ..."
- Add a verb: "Er/Sie heißt ..."
- Use an adjective: "... hat langes Haar."
- Try a command: "Lass dein Haar herunter!"
Rapunzel 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 German.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our German section and review the A1 German Vocabulary List. After that, try Essential German Grammar Words for another useful next step.
