Italian · Intermediate
Adapted from Thumbelina
A tiny girl is carried far from home and meets creatures who want to decide her future.
Read and listen in Italian, with English alongside.
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Scene 1 · Intermediate
C'era una volta una donna che desiderava moltissimo avere un bambino, ma non riusciva a realizzare il suo desiderio. Alla fine si rivolse a una fata.
Once upon a time there was a woman who desperately wanted a child, but she could not make her wish come true. At last, she went to a fairy.
«Mi piacerebbe tanto avere un bambino. Puoi dirmi dove trovarne uno?» le chiese.
“I would so love to have a child. Can you tell me where to find one?” she asked her.
«È molto semplice», rispose la fata. «Prendi questo chicco d'orzo. È diverso da quelli che crescono nei campi e che mangiano le galline. Piantalo in un vaso da fiori e guarda che cosa succede».
“It’s very simple,” replied the fairy. “Take this grain of barley. It’s different from the kind that grows in fields and chickens eat. Plant it in a flowerpot and see what happens.”
La donna la ringraziò e pagò il chicco dodici scellini.
The woman thanked her and paid twelve shillings for the grain.
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