Try the first scene with audio and English translations. No account needed.
Scene illustration unavailable.
Scene 1 · Intermediate
Um plano para abandonar as crianças
A plan to leave the children
Portuguese
Perto de uma grande floresta, um lenhador pobre vivia com a mulher e seus dois filhos, João e Maria. A mulher era madrasta das crianças. A família já tinha pouca comida quando uma grave falta de alimentos atingiu a região. O lenhador passou a ter dificuldade até para conseguir o pão de cada dia.
English translation
Near a great forest, a poor woodcutter lived with his wife and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. The woman was the children’s stepmother. The family already had little food when a severe food shortage struck the region. The woodcutter began to struggle even to get their daily bread.
Portuguese
Uma noite, ele se revirava na cama, angustiado com a situação. Por fim, disse à mulher:
— O que vai ser de nós? Como vamos alimentar nossos filhos, se não temos mais nada nem para nós mesmos?
English translation
One night, he tossed and turned in bed, distressed by their situation. At last, he said to his wife:
“What will become of us? How will we feed our children if we don’t even have enough for ourselves?”
Portuguese
— Vou dizer o que faremos — respondeu ela. — Amanhã bem cedo, vamos levar as crianças para a parte mais fechada da floresta. Acenderemos uma fogueira e daremos um pedaço de pão a cada uma. Depois sairemos para trabalhar e deixaremos os dois lá. Eles não vão encontrar o caminho de volta, e ficaremos livres deles.
English translation
“I’ll tell you what we’ll do,” she replied. “Early tomorrow morning, we’ll take the children to the densest part of the forest. We’ll light a fire and give each of them a piece of bread. Then we’ll go off to work and leave them there. They won’t find their way back, and we’ll be rid of them.”
Portuguese
— Não, mulher! — protestou o pai. — Não consigo abandonar meus filhos na floresta. Os animais selvagens apareceriam e os fariam em pedaços!
English translation
“No, wife!” their father protested. “I can’t abandon my children in the forest. Wild animals would come along and tear them to pieces!”
Portuguese
— Seu tolo! Então nós quatro vamos morrer de fome. É melhor começar a preparar as tábuas para os nossos caixões!
English translation
“You fool! Then all four of us will starve to death. We’d better start making the boards for our coffins!”
Portuguese
A mulher insistiu tanto que ele acabou concordando, embora continuasse sofrendo com a decisão.
English translation
The woman insisted so much that he finally agreed, although he continued to suffer over the decision.
Portuguese
— Mesmo assim, sinto muita pena das pobres crianças — disse ele.
English translation
“Even so, I feel so sorry for the poor children,” he said.
Continue with João e Maria
A 3-day trial or membership unlocks the full story and its available reading levels. No card required for the trial.
Open the reader, then choose a level in Reading options. Find a version you can follow comfortably, and return to the same story at a higher level when you are ready.
Can I hide the English translation?
Yes. In Reading options, you can show the English translation beside or below the story, or hide it.
Will it remember where I stopped?
Your account saves your reading and audio position. You need to be signed in with a working connection to save your progress.
Is this story free?
Read this story during your three-day full library trial or with membership. No card is required to start the trial, and there are no automatic charges.
