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Illustration for The Nightingale

Dutch · Intermediate

De nachtegaal

Adapted from The Nightingale

By Hans Christian Andersen

An emperor discovers the song of a living nightingale, then learns its value after replacing it with a machine.

Read and listen in Dutch, with English alongside.

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Intermediate sample in Dutch

Scene 1

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Illustration for the scene “The porcelain palace”

Scene 1 · Intermediate

Het porseleinen paleis

The porcelain palace

Dutch

Dit verhaal speelt zich heel lang geleden af in China, waar de keizer en iedereen aan zijn hof Chinees waren. Het is goed om het nu te vertellen, voordat het vergeten wordt.

English translation

This story takes place long, long ago in China, where the emperor and everyone at his court were Chinese. It is good to tell it now, before it is forgotten.

Dutch

De keizer bezat het mooiste paleis ter wereld. Het was helemaal van kostbaar porselein gemaakt, dat zo breekbaar was dat je het voorzichtig moest aanraken. In de tuin groeiden bijzondere bloemen met zilveren belletjes eraan. Zodra die rinkelden, trokken de bloemen de aandacht van iedereen die voorbijkwam. Alles aan die tuin was indrukwekkend.

English translation

The emperor owned the most beautiful palace in the world. It was made entirely of precious porcelain, so fragile that it had to be touched carefully. In the garden grew unusual flowers with little silver bells attached. As soon as they tinkled, the flowers caught the attention of everyone passing by. Everything about that garden was impressive.

Dutch

Hij was zelfs zo groot dat de tuinman niet wist waar hij eindigde.

English translation

It was so large that even the gardener did not know where it ended.

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