This B1 Intermediate retelling of Die Verwandlung keeps the plot clear for learners while still giving the story some atmosphere and momentum. Eines Morgens wachte Gregor Samsa aus unruhigen Träumen auf. Er lag in seinem Bett und fühlte sich seltsam.
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.
Eines Morgens wachte Gregor Samsa aus auf. Er lag in seinem Bett und fühlte sich . Sein Körper war und er hatte .
"Was ist mit mir ?", dachte er. Seine Stimme klang wie ein .
Seine Mutter . "Gregor, bist du wach? Es ist spät!"
"Ja, Mama, ich komme gleich", rief Gregor, aber seine Stimme war . Bald kam auch sein Vater: "Gregor, der Chef ist da!"
Gregor versuchte, die Tür zu . Es war , weil er den Schlüssel nicht konnte. Endlich öffnete er die Tür mit dem Mund.
Die Familie und der Chef . Der Chef . Gregors Mutter . Sein Vater brüllte: "Zurück in dein Zimmer! Du Ungeziefer!"
Gregor . Seine Schwester Grete brachte ihm etwas zu essen: Brot und Milch. Aber er mochte es nicht mehr. Er wollte lieber altes, .
Mit der Zeit wurde Grete immer . Sie musste jetzt arbeiten und konnte sich nicht mehr allein . "Es ist zu viel für mich", sagte sie zu den Eltern.
Die Familie nahm drei auf. Eines Abends spielte Grete im Wohnzimmer. Gregor hörte die und kroch aus seinem staubigen Zimmer.
Die Untermieter sahen ihn und : "Was ist das für ein ? Wir ziehen sofort aus!" Gregor .
Grete : "Wir müssen ihn loswerden. Es geht so nicht weiter." Der Vater stimmte traurig zu.
Gregor hörte alles und fühlte . Er liebte seine Familie, aber sie liebten ihn nicht mehr.
In der Nacht beschloss er: "Ich werde gehen, damit ihr wieder glücklich sein könnt." Er kroch zurück in sein Zimmer und legte sich auf den Boden.
Am nächsten Morgen fand die Putzfrau ihn . "Sehen Sie, er ist . Da liegt er!", rief sie. Die Familie atmete erleichtert auf.
"Jetzt können wir endlich wieder ein führen", sagte Grete. Sie beschlossen, die Wohnung zu und neu anzufangen.
An diesem Sonntag fuhren sie mit der ins Grüne. Die Eltern sahen ihre Tochter an. Grete war und lächelte. "Sie wird bald einen guten Mann finden", sagte der Vater voller .
One morning Gregor Samsa awoke from restless dreams. He lay in bed feeling strange. His body was hard like a shell and he had many little legs.
"What has happened to me?" he thought. His voice sounded like a soft squeaking.
His mother knocked on the door. "Gregor, are you awake? It's late!"
"Yes, Mother, I'm coming," called Gregor, but his voice was barely audible. Soon his father also came: "Gregor, the manager is here!"
Gregor tried to open the door. It was difficult because he couldn't grip the key. Finally, he opened the door with his mouth.
The family and the manager screamed in horror. The manager ran away immediately. Gregor's mother fainted. His father yelled: "Back to your room! You vermin!"
Gregor crawled back sadly. His sister Grete brought him something to eat: bread and milk. But he no longer liked it. He preferred old, rotten vegetables.
Over time, Grete grew more tired. She had to work now and couldn't take care of him alone. "It's too much for me," she said to the parents.
The family took in three lodgers. One evening, Grete played the violin in the living room. Gregor heard the beautiful music and crawled out of his dusty room.
The lodgers saw him and screamed in horror: "What is this disgusting animal? We're moving out immediately!" Gregor froze.
Grete spoke firmly: "We must get rid of him. It can't go on like this." The father sadly agreed.
Gregor heard everything and felt deep sadness. He loved his family, but they no longer loved him.
That night he decided: "I will go so that you can be happy again." He crawled back to his room and lay down on the floor.
The next morning, the cleaning woman found him dead. "Look, he's kicked the bucket. There he lies!" she cried. The family breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now we can finally lead a normal life again," said Grete. They decided to change apartments and start anew.
That Sunday they took the tram to the countryside. The parents looked at their daughter. Grete had grown up and smiled. "She'll soon find a good man," said the father full of hope.
This story is full of vivid words for physical and emotional states. Let’s pick out a few that are especially useful for everyday conversations.
Notice how many words describe feelings of shock and sadness. Learning them will help you express strong emotions in German.
- der Panzer – shell, armor
- das Ungeziefer – pest, vermin (a strong, old-fashioned word)
- schreien vor Schreck – to scream in fright
- in Ohnmacht fallen – to faint
- erleichtert aufatmen – to breathe a sigh of relief
- traurig – sad; froh – glad
- der Untermieter – tenant, lodger
German uses the Präteritum (simple past) for written narratives, like fairy tales or novels. In this story, almost every verb is in Präteritum, which makes it a perfect model for you.
You saw many irregular forms: wachen → wachte (weak), kriechen → kroch (strong), fühlen → fühlte (weak), schreien → schrie (strong). While it’s common to use Perfekt in speech, getting familiar with Präteritum helps you read and tell stories.
- aufwachen – wachte auf: 'Ich wachte auf und fühlte mich komisch.'
- kriechen – kroch: 'Die Spinne kroch unter das Sofa.'
- sich fühlen – fühlte sich: 'Er fühlte sich traurig.'
- Modal verbs: können – konnte, müssen – musste, wollen – wollte
The story gives you many ways to show emotions. Instead of just saying 'Ich bin traurig,' you can be more descriptive.
Phrases like 'vor Schreck schreien' or 'erleichtert aufatmen' add drama. Try using 'sich fühlen' with adjectives (seltsam, traurig, glücklich) to describe your state.
- sich + adjective + fühlen: 'Ich fühle mich heute müde und gestresst.'
- vor + emotion + verb: 'vor Freude tanzen', 'vor Angst zittern'
- in Ohnmacht fallen: used when someone faints from shock or weakness.
- erstarren: 'Ich erstarrte vor Schreck.' – I froze in shock.
Now that you’ve seen the Präteritum in a full story, why not try it yourself? Retell one scene from Gregor’s perspective—maybe his thoughts when he first woke up.
Or, write a short diary entry about a strange morning you had (real or invented!). Use at least five Präteritum verbs and two emotion words from this lesson. You’ll be surprised how naturally the past tense starts to flow.
- Write 5 sentences in Präteritum about your morning.
- Try describing a time you were shocked – use 'vor Schreck'.
- Listen to a German fairy tale online; many are in Präteritum.
Die Verwandlung comes from an older public-domain story tradition and is best known as a public_domain_story_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 B1 Intermediate learners studying German.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our German section and review the B1 German Vocabulary List. After that, try Basic Questions in German for another useful next step.
