Once upon a time, there was a donkey who worked on a farm. The donkey was old and could not carry heavy bags anymore. His master wanted to get rid of him. The donkey decided to run away. 'I will go to Bremen and become a musician,' he thought. On his way, the donkey met an old dog lying by the road. 'Why do you look so sad?' asked the donkey. 'I am too old to hunt,' the dog replied. 'My master wants to get rid of me too.' 'Come with me to Bremen,' said the donkey. 'We can become musicians together.' The dog agreed and joined the donkey. Soon they met a cat sitting on a fence. The cat looked very unhappy. 'What is wrong?' asked the donkey. 'I cannot catch mice anymore,' said the cat. 'My mistress wants to drown me in the river.' 'Come with us to Bremen,' said the donkey and the dog. The cat was happy to join them. Later that day, they passed by a farm. A rooster was sitting on a gate and crowing loudly. 'Why are you making so much noise?' asked the cat. 'Tomorrow is Sunday,' said the rooster. 'Guests are coming and they want to eat me for dinner!' 'Come with us,' said the donkey. 'We are going to Bremen to become musicians.' The rooster flew down and joined the group. Now there were four friends traveling together. They walked all day long. When evening came, they were in a dark forest. Bremen was still far away. They decided to sleep in the forest for the night. The rooster flew up to the top of a tall tree. From there, he saw a light in the distance. 'There is a house nearby!' the rooster called out. The four friends walked toward the light. They found a small cottage. The donkey looked through the window. Inside, he saw three robbers counting gold coins. There was also plenty of food on the table. 'We must scare them away,' whispered the donkey. The four friends made a plan. The dog climbed on the donkey's back. The cat climbed on the dog's back. The rooster flew on top of the cat. Then they all made their sounds at once. The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed, and the rooster crowed. They crashed through the window into the cottage. The robbers were terrified by the terrible noise. They thought a monster was attacking them. The robbers ran out of the cottage as fast as they could. They disappeared into the dark forest. The four friends were very happy. They ate the delicious food on the table. Then they went to sleep. The donkey lay down on the soft hay outside. The dog lay down behind the door. The cat curled up by the warm fireplace. The rooster flew up to a beam near the ceiling. They all slept very well that night. The animals liked the cottage so much that they never went to Bremen. They lived there happily together for many years.
English Story (A2)The Bremen Town Musicians
This A2 English story is designed for elementarys learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
An old donkey runs away from his farm to become a musician in Bremen. Along the way, he meets an old dog, cat, and rooster who all face similar problems. The four friends travel together and discover a cottage in the forest occupied by robbers. They stack on top of each other and make a terrible noise, scaring the robbers away. The animals decide to stay in the cozy cottage and live happily together, never making it to Bremen.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
Why did the donkey decide to run away from the farm?
2
What did the animals find inside the cottage?
3
How did the four animals scare the robbers away?
4
Where did each animal sleep after the robbers left?
Vocabulary
30 words from this story
