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Folk Tales from the Russian
Folk Tales from the Russian

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Folk Tales from the Russian is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Folk Tales from the Russian
Context Illustration Reading 1/95 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:
"Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.
Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.
They also have rich gifts for thee."
The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Folk Tales from the Russian

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Folk Tales from the Russian is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/95 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:
/ðə ˈrɔɪəl meɪd laɪkt wel ɪˈnʌf ðiːz pəˈlaɪt wɜːrdz ʌv ðə ˈhænsəm ˈsɪmiən ənd tuː hɜːr ˈfɑːðər ʃiː went/
Line 2
"Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.
Line 3
Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.
/ɡɪv miː ðaɪ pərˈmɪʃən tuː ɡoʊ ɑːn bɔːrd ðer ˈwʌndərfəl ʃɪp tuː tʃuːz wʌt θɪŋz aɪ laɪk/
Line 4
They also have rich gifts for thee."
/ðeɪ ˈɔːlsoʊ hæv rɪtʃ ɡɪfts fɔːr ðiː/
Line 5
The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.
/ðə kɪŋ ˈhezɪteɪtɪd bɪˈfɔːr ˈænsərɪŋ hɜːr ˈfraʊnɪŋ ənd ˈskrætʃɪŋ bɪˈhaɪnd hɪz iːr/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

answering adjective US /ˈænsərɪŋ/

replying

From this reading “The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.”

frowning adjective US /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/

showing displeasure or anger

From this reading “The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.”

gifts noun US /ɡɪfts/

plural of “gift” — something acquired without compensation

From this reading “They also have rich gifts for thee."”

merchants noun US /ˈmɜːrtʃənts/

plural of “merchant” — a businessperson engaged in retail trade

From this reading “"Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.”

permission noun US /pərˈmɪʃən/

approval to do something

From this reading “Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.”

polite adjective US /pəˈlaɪt/

showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc.

From this reading “The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:”

scratching noun US /ˈskrætʃɪŋ/

a harsh noise made by scraping

From this reading “The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.”

Simeon noun US /ˈsɪmiən/

(Old Testament) the 2nd son of Jacob and one of the 12 patriarchs of Israel

From this reading “The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:”

All words in this reading · 62

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

alsoadverbUS /ˈɔːlsoʊ/

in addition

From this reading They also have rich gifts for thee."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

answeringadjectiveUS /ˈænsərɪŋ/

replying

From this reading The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.

boardnounUS /bɔːrd/

a committee having supervisory powers

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

Buzan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

chooseverbUS /tʃuːz/

pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

earnounUS /iːr/

the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They also have rich gifts for thee."

foreignadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrən/

of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

frowningadjectiveUS /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/

showing displeasure or anger

From this reading The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.

giftsnounUS /ɡɪfts/

plural of “gift” — something acquired without compensation

From this reading They also have rich gifts for thee."

GiveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

goodsnounUS /ɡʊdz/

plural of “good” — benefit

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

handsomeadjectiveUS /ˈhænsəm/

pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

hesitatedverbUS /ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/

past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

From this reading The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

kingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

likedadjectiveUS /laɪkt/

found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

maidnounUS /meɪd/

a female domestic

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

merchantsnounUS /ˈmɜːrtʃənts/

plural of “merchant” — a businessperson engaged in retail trade

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

permissionnounUS /pərˈmɪʃən/

approval to do something

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

politeadjectiveUS /pəˈlaɪt/

showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc.

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

richadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

From this reading They also have rich gifts for thee."

royaladjectiveUS /ˈrɔɪəl/

of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

scratchingnounUS /ˈskrætʃɪŋ/

a harsh noise made by scraping

From this reading The king hesitated before answering her, frowning and scratching behind his ear.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

shipverbUS /ʃɪp/

transport commercially

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

SimeonnounUS /ˈsɪmiən/

(Old Testament) the 2nd son of Jacob and one of the 12 patriarchs of Israel

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading They also have rich gifts for thee."

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

visitverbUS /ˈvɪzɪt/

go to see a place, as for entertainment

From this reading "Father and king, there have come to visit us some foreign merchants and they have brought some goods never before seen in Buzan.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

wonderfuladjectiveUS /ˈwʌndərfəl/

extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers

From this reading Give me thy permission to go on board their wonderful ship to choose what things I like.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading The royal maid liked well enough these polite words of the handsome Simeon, and to her father she went:

Chapter 2 of Folk Tales from the Russian by Verra Xenophontovna Kalamatiano de Blumenthal holds 476 sentences, grouped into 96 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 2 of Folk Tales from the Russian contain?

Chapter 2 holds 476 sentences of Folk Tales from the Russian, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of Folk Tales from the Russian by Verra Xenophontovna Kalamatiano de Blumenthal exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 476 sentences, grouped into 96 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 2 of Folk Tales from the Russian?

Work through the 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 96 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading Folk Tales from the Russian

Common questions about reading Folk Tales from the Russian by Verra Xenophontovna Kalamatiano de Blumenthal on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Folk Tales from the Russian?

Yes. All 1397 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12851 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Folk Tales from the Russian is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12851, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Folk Tales from the Russian take to read?

About 116 minutes of reading across 280 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Folk Tales from the Russian section by section

How to work through Folk Tales from the Russian section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 3 chapters of Folk Tales from the Russian to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Folk Tales from the Russian

Words and structures a reader meets early in Folk Tales from the Russian, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Russia
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Folk Tales from the Russian; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Elsewhere
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Folk Tales from the Russian; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
World
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Folk Tales from the Russian; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Folklore
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Folk Tales from the Russian; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.