Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Progressive Translation Books for German A2 Students

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Progressive Translation Books for German A2 Students

This progressive translation technique brings multiple benefits to language learners. It lets you choose the difficulty level that matches your abilities, making sure the material is challenging but not too difficult. By focusing on understanding words in context, this method boosts your comprehension skills. While direct translations are slightly hidden to promote guessing from context, you can always check unfamiliar words. This approach makes learning a new language both engaging and accessible, offering the right mix of difficulty and encouragement. Embark on a journey through translated classics and enjoy the process of learning through reading.

CHAPTERI.DowntheRabbit-Hole
Alicewasbeginningtogetverytiredofsittingbyhersisteronthe
bank
bank
,andofhavingnothingtodo:
onceor
zweimal
twice
shehadpeepedintothebookhersisterwasreading,butithadnopicturesorconversationsinit,“andwhatistheuseofabook,”thoughtAlice“withoutpicturesorconversations?”
Soshewasconsideringinherownmind(aswellasshecould,forthehotdaymadeherfeelverysleepyandstupid),
ob
whether
thepleasureofmakingadaisy-chainwouldbe
wert
worth
thetroubleofgettingupandpickingthedaisies,when
plötzlich
suddenly
aWhiteRabbitwithpinkeyesranclosebyher.
Therewasnothingsoveryremarkableinthat;
nordidAlicethinkitsoverymuchoutofthewaytoheartheRabbitsaytoitself,“Ohdear!
Ohdear!
Ishallbelate!”
(whenshethoughtitoverafterwards,itoccurredtoherthatsheoughttohavewonderedatthis,butatthetimeitall
schien
seemed
quitenatural);
butwhentheRabbitactuallytookawatchoutofitswaistcoat-pocket,andlookedatit,andthenhurriedon,Alicestartedtoher
füße
feet
,foritflashedacrosshermindthatshehadneverbeforeseenarabbitwitheitherawaistcoat-pocket,orawatchtotakeoutofit,andburningwithcuriosity,sheran
über
across
thefieldafterit,andfortunatelywasjustintimetoseeitpopdownalargerabbit-holeunderthehedge.
InanothermomentdownwentAliceafterit,neveronceconsideringhowintheworldshewastogetoutagain.
Therabbit-holewentstraightonlikeatunnelforsomeway,andthendipped
plötzlich
suddenly
down,sosuddenlythatAlicehadnotamomenttothinkaboutstoppingherselfbeforeshefoundherselffallingdownaverydeepwell.
Eitherthewellwasvery
tief
deep
,orshefellveryslowly,forshehadplentyoftimeasshewentdowntolookaboutherandtowonderwhatwasgoingtohappennext.
First,shetriedtolookdownandmakeoutwhatshewascomingto,butitwastoo
dunkel
dark
toseeanything;
thenshelookedatthesidesofthewell,andnoticedthattheywerefilledwithcupboardsandbook-shelves;
hereandthereshesawmapsandpictureshunguponpegs.
Shetookdownajarfromoneoftheshelvesasshepassed;
itwaslabelled“ORANGEMARMALADE”,buttohergreatdisappointmentitwas
leer
empty
:
shedidnotliketo
fallen
drop
thejarforfearofkillingsomebodyunderneath,somanagedtoputitintooneofthecupboardsasshefellpastit.
“Well!”
thoughtAlicetoherself,“aftersuchafallasthis,Ishallthinknothingoftumblingdownstairs!
Howbravethey’llallthinkmeathome!
Why,Iwouldn’tsayanythingaboutit,evenifIfelloffthetopofthehouse!”
(Whichwasverylikelytrue.)
Down,down,down.
Wouldthefallnevercometoanend?
“IwonderhowmanymilesI’vefallenbythistime?”
shesaidaloud.
“Imustbegettingsomewherenearthecentreoftheearth.
Letmesee:
thatwouldbefourthousandmilesdown,Ithink—”
(for,yousee,Alicehadlearnt
mehrere
several
thingsofthissortinherlessonsintheschoolroom,andthoughthiswasnotaverygoodopportunityforshowingoffherknowledge,astherewasnoonetolistentoher,stillitwasgood
praxis
practice
tosayitover)“—yes,that’sabouttherightdistance—butthenIwonderwhatLatitudeorLongitudeI’vegotto?”
(AlicehadnoideawhatLatitudewas,orLongitudeeither,butthoughttheywerenicegrandwordstosay.)
Presentlyshe
begann
began
again.
“IwonderifIshallfallrightthroughtheearth!
Howfunnyit’ll
scheinen
seem
tocomeoutamongthepeoplethatwalkwiththeirheadsdownward!
TheAntipathies,Ithink—”
(shewas
ziemlich
rather
gladtherewasnoonelistening,thistime,asitdidn’tsoundatalltherightword)“—butIshallhavetoaskthemwhatthenameofthecountryis,youknow.
Please,Ma’am,isthisNewZealandorAustralia?”
(andshetriedtocurtseyasshespoke—fancycurtseyingasyou’refallingthroughtheair!
Doyouthinkyoucouldmanageit?)
“Andwhatanignorantlittlegirlshe’llthinkmeforasking!
No,it’llneverdotoask:
perhapsIshallseeitwrittenupsomewhere.”
Down,down,down.
Therewasnothingelsetodo,soAlicesoon
begann
began
talkingagain.
“Dinah’llmissmeverymuchto-night,Ishouldthink!”
(Dinahwasthecat.)
“Ihopethey’llrememberhersaucerofmilkattea-time.
Dinahmydear!
Iwishyouweredownherewithme!
Therearenomiceintheair,I’mafraid,butyoumightcatchabat,andthat’sverylikeamouse,youknow.
Butdocatseatbats,Iwonder?”
AndhereAlice
begann
began
togetrathersleepy,andwentonsayingtoherself,inadreamysortofway,“Docatseatbats?
Docatseatbats?”
andsometimes,“Dobatseatcats?”
for,yousee,asshecouldn’tanswereitherquestion,itdidn’tmuchmatterwhichwaysheputit.
Shefeltthatshewasdozingoff,andhadjustbeguntodreamthatshewaswalkinghandinhandwithDinah,andsayingtoherveryearnestly,“Now,Dinah,tellmethetruth:
didyouevereatabat?”
when
plötzlich
suddenly
,thump!
thump!
downshecameuponaheapofsticksanddryleaves,andthefallwasover.
Alicewasnotabithurt,andshejumpedupontoher
füße
feet
inamoment:
shelookedup,butitwasall
dunkel
dark
overhead;
beforeherwasanotherlongpassage,andtheWhiteRabbitwasstillinsight,hurryingdownit.
Therewasnotamomenttobelost:
awaywentAlicelikethe
wind
wind
,andwasjustintimetohearitsay,asitturnedacorner,“Ohmyearsandwhiskers,howlateit’sgetting!”
Shewasclosebehinditwhensheturnedthecorner,buttheRabbitwasnolongertobeseen:
shefoundherselfinalong,lowhall,whichwaslitupbyarowoflampshangingfromtheroof.
Thereweredoorsallroundthehall,buttheywerealllocked;
andwhenAlicehadbeenallthewaydownonesideanduptheother,tryingeverydoor,shewalkedsadlydownthe
mitte
middle
,wonderinghowshewasevertogetoutagain.
Plötzlich
Suddenly
shecameuponalittlethree-legged
tisch
table
,allmadeofsolid
glas
glass
;
therewasnothingonit
außer
except
atinygoldenkey,andAlice’sfirstthoughtwasthatitmightbelongtooneofthedoorsofthehall;
but,alas!
eitherthelocksweretoo
groß
large
,orthekeywastoosmall,butatanyrateitwouldnotopenanyofthem.
Jedoch
However
,onthesecondtime
runde
round
,shecameuponalowcurtainshehadnotnoticedbefore,andbehinditwasalittledooraboutfifteenincheshigh:
shetriedthelittlegolden
schlüssel
key
inthelock,andtohergreatdelightit
passte
fitted
!
Aliceopenedthedoorandfoundthatitledintoasmallpassage,notmuchlargerthanarat-hole:
shekneltdownandlookedalongthepassageintotheloveliestgardenyoueversaw.
Howshelongedtogetoutofthatdarkhall,andwanderaboutamongthosebedsofbrightflowersandthosecoolfountains,butshecouldnotevengetherheadthroughthedoorway;
“andevenifmyheadwouldgothrough,”thoughtpoorAlice,“itwouldbeofverylittleusewithoutmyshoulders.
Oh,howIwishIcouldshutuplikeatelescope!
IthinkIcould,ifIonlyknewhowtobegin.”
For,yousee,somanyout-of-the-waythingshadhappenedlately,thatAlicehadbeguntothinkthatveryfewthingsindeedwerereally
unmöglich
impossible
.
Thereseemedtobenouseinwaitingbythelittledoor,soshewentbacktothe
tisch
table
,halfhopingshemightfindanother
schlüssel
key
onit,oratanyrateabookofrulesforshuttingpeopleupliketelescopes:
thistimeshefoundalittlebottleonit,(“which
sicherlich
certainly
wasnotherebefore,”saidAlice,)androundthe
hals
neck
ofthebottlewasapaperlabel,withthewords“DRINKME,”beautifullyprintedonitinlargeletters.
Itwasallverywelltosay“Drinkme,”butthewiselittleAlicewasnotgoingtodothatinahurry.
“No,I’lllookfirst,”shesaid,“andsee
ob
whether
it’smarked‘poison’ornot”;
forshehadread
mehrere
several
nicelittlehistoriesaboutchildrenwhohadgot
verbrannt
burnt
,andeatenupbywildbeastsandotherunpleasantthings,allbecausetheywouldnotrememberthesimplerulestheirfriendshadtaughtthem:
suchas,thatared-hotpokerwill
verbrennen
burn
youifyouholdittoolong;
andthatifyoucutyourfingerverydeeplywitha
messer
knife
,itusuallybleeds;
andshehadneverforgottenthat,ifyoudrinkmuchfromabottlemarked“poison,”itisalmostcertaintodisagreewithyou,soonerorlater.
Jedoch
However
,thisbottlewasnotmarked“poison,”soAliceventuredto
geschmack
taste
it,andfindingitverynice,(ithad,infact,asortofmixedflavourofcherry-tart,custard,pine-apple,roastturkey,toffee,andhotbutteredtoast,)sheverysoonfinisheditoff.
“Whatacuriousfeeling!”
saidAlice;
“Imustbeshuttinguplikeatelescope.”
Andsoitwasindeed:
shewasnowonlytenincheshigh,andherfacebrightenedupatthethoughtthatshewasnowtherightsizeforgoingthroughthelittledoorintothatlovelygarden.
First,
jedoch
however
,shewaitedforafewminutestoseeifshewasgoingtoshrinkany
weiter
further
:
shefeltalittle
nervös
nervous
aboutthis;
“foritmightend,youknow,”saidAlicetoherself,“inmygoingoutaltogether,likeacandle.
IwonderwhatIshouldbelikethen?”
Andshetriedtofancywhattheflameofacandleislikeafterthecandleisblownout,forshecouldnotremembereverhavingseensuchathing.
Afterawhile,findingthatnothingmorehappened,shedecidedongoingintothegardenatonce;
but,alasforpoorAlice!
whenshegottothedoor,shefoundshehadforgottenthelittlegolden
schlüssel
key
,andwhenshewentbacktothe
tisch
table
forit,shefoundshecouldnotpossibly
erreichen
reach
it:
shecouldseeitquiteplainlythroughthe
glas
glass
,andshetriedherbesttoclimbuponeofthelegsofthetable,butitwastooslippery;
andwhenshehadtiredherselfoutwithtrying,thepoorlittlethingsatdownandcried.
“Come,there’snouseincryinglikethat!”
saidAlicetoherself,
eher
rather
sharply;
“Iadviseyoutoleaveoffthisminute!”
Shegenerallygaveherselfverygoodadvice,(thoughsheveryseldomfollowedit),andsometimesshescoldedherselfsoseverelyastobringtearsintohereyes;
andoncesherememberedtryingtoboxherownearsforhavingcheatedherselfinagameofcroquetshewasplayingagainstherself,forthiscuriouschildwasveryfondofpretendingtobetwopeople.
“Butit’snousenow,”thoughtpoorAlice,“topretendtobetwopeople!
Why,there’shardlyenoughofmelefttomakeonerespectableperson!”
Soonher
auge
eye
fellonalittleglassboxthatwas
lag
lying
underthetable:
sheopenedit,andfoundinitaverysmallcake,onwhichthewords“EATME”werebeautifully
markiert
marked
incurrants.
“Well,I’lleatit,”saidAlice,“andifitmakesmegrowlarger,Ican
erreichen
reach
thekey;
andifitmakesmegrowsmaller,Icancreepunderthedoor;
soeitherwayI’llgetintothegarden,andIdon’tcarewhichhappens!”
Sheatealittlebit,andsaidanxiouslytoherself,“Whichway?
Whichway?”,holdingherhandonthetopofherheadtofeelwhichwayitwasgrowing,andshewasquitesurprisedtofindthatsheremainedthesamesize:
tobesure,thisgenerallyhappenswhenoneeatscake,butAlicehadgotsomuchintothewayofexpectingnothingbutout-of-the-waythingstohappen,thatit
schien
seemed
quitedullandstupidforlifetogooninthecommonway.
CHAPTERII.ThePoolofTears
“Curiouserandcuriouser!”
criedAlice(shewassomuchsurprised,thatforthemomentshequiteforgothowtospeakgoodEnglish);
“nowI’mopeningoutlikethelargesttelescopethateverwas!
Good-bye,feet!”
(forwhenshelookeddownather
füße
feet
,theyseemedtobealmostoutofsight,theyweregettingsofaroff).
“Oh,mypoorlittle
füße
feet
,Iwonderwhowillputonyour
schuhe
shoes
andstockingsforyounow,dears?
I’msureIshan’tbeable!
Ishallbeagreatdealtoofarofftotroublemyselfaboutyou:
youmustmanagethebestwayyoucan;—butImustbekindtothem,”thoughtAlice,“orperhapstheywon’twalkthewayIwanttogo!
Letmesee:
I’llgivethemanewpairofbootseveryChristmas.”
Andshewentonplanningtoherselfhowshewouldmanageit.
“Theymustgobythecarrier,”shethought;
“andhowfunnyit’llseem,sendingpresentstoone’sown
füße
feet
!
Andhowoddthedirectionswilllook!
Ohdear,whatnonsenseI’mtalking!”
Justthenherheadstruckagainsttheroofofthehall:
infactshewasnowmorethan
neun
nine
feethigh,andsheatoncetookupthelittlegolden
schlüssel
key
andhurriedofftothegardendoor.
PoorAlice!
Itwasasmuchasshecoulddo,
liegen
lying
downononeside,tolookthroughintothegardenwithone
auge
eye
;
buttogetthroughwasmorehopelessthanever:
shesatdownand
begann
began
tocryagain.
“Yououghttobeashamedofyourself,”saidAlice,“agreatgirllikeyou,”(shemightwellsaythis),“togooncryinginthisway!
Stopthismoment,Itellyou!”
Butshewentonallthesame,sheddinggallonsoftears,untiltherewasalargepoolallroundher,aboutfourinches
tief
deep
andreachinghalfdownthehall.
Afteratimesheheardalittlepatteringoffeetinthedistance,andshehastilydriedhereyestoseewhatwascoming.
ItwastheWhiteRabbitreturning,splendidlydressed,withapairofwhitekidglovesinonehandandalargefanintheother:
hecametrottingalonginagreathurry,mutteringtohimselfashecame,“Oh!
theDuchess,theDuchess!
Oh!
won’tshebesavageifI’vekeptherwaiting!”
Alicefeltsodesperatethatshewasreadytoaskhelpofanyone;
so,whentheRabbitcamenearher,she
begann
began
,inalow,timid
stimme
voice
,“Ifyouplease,sir—”
TheRabbitstartedviolently,droppedthewhitekidglovesandthefan,andskurriedawayintothedarknessashardashecouldgo.
Alicetookupthefanandgloves,and,asthehallwasveryhot,shekeptfanningherselfallthetimeshewentontalking:
“Dear,dear!
Howqueereverythingisto-day!
And
gestern
yesterday
thingswentonjustasusual.
IwonderifI’vebeenchangedinthenight?
Letmethink:
wasIthesamewhenIgotupthismorning?
IalmostthinkIcanrememberfeelingalittledifferent.
ButifI’mnotthesame,thenextquestionis,WhointheworldamI?
Ah,that’sthegreatpuzzle!”
Andshe
begann
began
thinkingoverallthechildrensheknewthatwereofthesame
alter
age
asherself,toseeifshecouldhavebeenchangedforanyofthem.
“I’msureI’mnotAda,”shesaid,“forherhairgoesinsuchlongringlets,andminedoesn’tgoinringletsatall;
andI’msureIcan’tbeMabel,forIknowallsortsofthings,andshe,oh!
sheknowssuchaverylittle!
Besides,she’sshe,andI’mI,and—ohdear,howpuzzlingitallis!
I’lltryifIknowallthethingsIusedtoknow.
Letmesee:
fourtimesfiveistwelve,andfourtimessixisthirteen,andfourtimes
sieben
seven
is—ohdear!
Ishallnevergettotwentyatthatrate!
Jedoch
However
,theMultiplicationTabledoesn’tsignify:
let’stryGeography.
LondonisthecapitalofParis,andParisisthecapitalofRome,andRome—no,that’sallwrong,I’mcertain!
ImusthavebeenchangedforMabel!
I’lltryandsay‘Howdoththelittle—’”andshecrossedherhandsonherlapasifsheweresayinglessons,and
begann
began
torepeatit,buther
stimme
voice
soundedhoarseandstrange,andthewordsdidnotcomethesameastheyusedtodo:—.
“HowdoththelittlecrocodileImprovehisshiningtail,AndpourthewatersoftheNileOneverygoldenscale!
“Howcheerfullyhe
scheint
seems
togrin,Howneatlyspreadhisclaws,AndwelcomelittlefishesinWithgently
lächeln
smiling
jaws!”
“I’msurethosearenottherightwords,”saidpoorAlice,andhereyesfilledwithtearsagainasshewenton,“ImustbeMabelafterall,andIshallhavetogoandliveinthatpokylittlehouse,andhavenexttonotoystoplaywith,andoh!
eversomanylessonsto
lernen
learn
!
No,I’vemadeupmymindaboutit;
ifI’mMabel,I’llstaydownhere!
It’llbenousetheirputtingtheirheadsdownandsaying‘Comeupagain,dear!’Ishallonlylookupandsay‘WhoamIthen?
Tellmethatfirst,andthen,ifIlikebeingthatperson,I’llcomeup:
ifnot,I’llstaydownheretillI’msomebodyelse’—but,ohdear!”
criedAlice,withasuddenburstoftears,“Idowishtheywouldputtheirheadsdown!
Iamsoverytiredofbeingallalonehere!”
Asshesaidthisshelookeddownatherhands,andwassurprisedtoseethatshehadputononeoftheRabbit’slittlewhitekidgloveswhileshewastalking.
“HowcanIhavedonethat?”
shethought.
“Imustbegrowingsmallagain.”
Shegotupandwenttothe
tisch
table
tomeasureherselfbyit,andfoundthat,asnearlyasshecouldguess,shewasnowabouttwo
fuß
feet
high,andwasgoingonshrinkingrapidly:
shesoonfoundoutthatthecauseofthiswasthefanshewasholding,andshedroppedithastily,justintimetoavoidshrinkingawayaltogether.
“Thatwasanarrowescape!”