The German reading room
Kannitverstan — Kannitverstan
Johann Peter Hebel, 1811 · 848 words in German · part of the library.
How long «Kannitverstan» is, and how hard
| Length in German | 845 running words · 32 sentences · about 3 printed pages |
|---|---|
| Time to read | about 8 minutes at a learner's pace, with the glosses to hand |
| Different words | 321 dictionary words, averaging 26.4 words a sentence |
| Words glossed | 321 of 321 — every one that appears in the tale |
| Words that appear once | 199 — 62%. A word met once is a word you will not learn from this text alone |
| Where it stands | 3 of 8 by length in the German room |
279 of this tale's own 321 words, most frequent first, carry 95% of it; 152 carry 80%.
How it begins
Der Mensch hat wohl täglich Gelegenheit, in Emmendingen und Gundelfingen, so gut als in Amsterdam Betrachtungen über den Unbestand aller irdischen Dinge anzustellen, wenn er will, und zufrieden zu werden mit seinem Schicksal, wenn auch nicht viel gebratene Tauben für ihn in der Luft herum fliegen.
A man has occasion enough, every day, in Emmendingen and Gundelfingen just as well as in Amsterdam, to reflect on the impermanence of all earthly things, if he cares to, and to grow content with his own lot, even if not many roast pigeons come flying through the air for him.
That first sentence is the free sample, and the only one: «Kannitverstan» is part of the interactive library in German, Russian, Spanish, French and Italian, with word meanings and sentence translations — one subscription for all five rooms. What the library costs. «Der süße Brei» is free, entire, on its editorial reference page.
Shorter and longer in the same room
Der süße Brei — 222 words, freeDie Sterntaler — 298 words Rumpelstilzchen — 1004 wordsDie Bremer Stadtmusikanten — 1189 words