Danish · Intermediate

Hans og Grete

Name: Hans og Grete
Author: The Brothers Grimm

Adapted from Hansel and Gretel

By The Brothers Grimm

Two children are lost in the forest and must outwit a witch who lives in a house made of sweets.

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Danish · Intermediate 12m 43s audio

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Intermediate sample in Danish

Scene 1

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Illustration for the scene “A plan to leave the children” — Scene illustration unavailable.

Scene 1 · Intermediate

En plan om at efterlade børnene

A plan to leave the children

I udkanten af en stor skov boede en fattig brændehugger med sin kone og sine to børn, Hans og Grete. Da der blev mangel på mad i landet, kunne faren til sidst ikke engang skaffe brød nok til familien. En nat lå han og vendte og drejede sig af bekymring.

At the edge of a great forest lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. When food grew scarce in the country, there came a point when their father couldn’t even get enough bread for the family. One night he lay awake, tossing and turning with worry.

»Hvad skal der blive af os?« sukkede han. »Hvordan skal vi skaffe mad til børnene, når vi knap nok har noget til os selv?«

“What will become of us?” he sighed. “How will we find food for the children when we barely have any for ourselves?”

»Hør nu,« sagde hans kone, som var børnenes stedmor. »I morgen tidlig tager vi dem med derind, hvor skoven er tættest. Vi tænder et bål og giver dem et stykke brød hver. Så går vi på arbejde og lader dem blive tilbage. De finder aldrig hjem igen.«

“Listen,” said his wife, who was the children’s stepmother. “Early tomorrow morning we’ll take them where the forest is thickest. We’ll light a fire and give them each a piece of bread. Then we’ll go to work and leave them behind. They’ll never find their way home again.”

»Det kan jeg ikke,« sagde faren. »Hvordan skulle jeg kunne efterlade mine børn alene? De vilde dyr vil finde dem og rive dem i stykker.«

“I can’t do that,” said their father. “How could I leave my children alone? The wild animals will find them and tear them to pieces.”

»Så kan du lige så godt gøre brædderne til vores kister klar,« svarede hun. »Ellers dør vi alle fire af sult.«

“Then you might as well get the boards ready for our coffins,” she replied. “Otherwise all four of us will starve to death.”

Hun blev ved, indtil han gav efter. »Jeg har nu alligevel ondt af de stakkels børn,« sagde han.

She kept at him until he gave in. “I still feel sorry for the poor children, though,” he said.

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