This beginner-friendly bilingual retelling of The Elves and the Shoemaker in English and Spanish is an easy, effective way to learn Spanish through simple reading practice.
Each English sentence appears with its Spanish translation, helping readers understand new vocabulary instantly and follow the story with confidence. Perfect for teaching kids Spanish at home or in a classroom, for early learners, or for adult beginners who enjoy classic fairytales.
Stories like The Elves and the Shoemaker make it easy to learn Spanish naturally through repetition, context clues, and enjoyable shared reading time.
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The Shoemaker and the Elves
El Zapatero y los Duendecillos
There once was a poor shoemaker who had only one piece of leather left.
Había una vez un zapatero pobre que solo tenía un pedazo de cuero.
He cut it carefully to make one last pair of shoes.
Lo cortó con cuidado para hacer un último par de zapatos.
Then he went to bed.
Luego se fue a la cama.
In the morning, he found a surprise.
Por la mañana encontró una sorpresa.
A perfect pair of beautiful shoes was on his worktable.
Un par perfecto de zapatos hermosos estaba en su mesa de trabajo.
“They’re better than anything I’ve ever made!” he said.
“¡Son mejores que cualquiera que yo haya hecho!” dijo.
A customer bought them immediately and paid double.
Un cliente los compró de inmediato y pagó el doble.
With the money, the shoemaker bought more leather.
Con el dinero, el zapatero compró más cuero.
He cut out two more pairs and left them on the table overnight.
Cortó dos pares más y los dejó en la mesa durante la noche.
In the morning, the shoes were finished again.
Por la mañana, los zapatos estaban terminados otra vez.
They were perfect, sturdy, and shining.
Estaban perfectos, resistentes y brillantes.
This happened night after night.
Esto ocurrió noche tras noche.
The shoemaker and his wife wondered who was helping them.
El zapatero y su esposa se preguntaban quién los ayudaba.
So one evening, they hid behind a curtain to watch.
Así que una noche se escondieron detrás de una cortina para mirar.
At midnight, two tiny elves jumped through the window.
A medianoche, dos duendecillos saltaron por la ventana.
They wore no clothes, only little rags.
No llevaban ropa, solo harapos pequeños.
They danced around, laughing and singing as they worked.
Bailaban, reían y cantaban mientras trabajaban.
Their hands moved so fast the shoes were done in minutes.
Sus manos se movían tan rápido que los zapatos quedaron listos en minutos.
The shoemaker whispered, “They have helped us so much. We should thank them.”
El zapatero susurró: “Nos han ayudado tanto. Deberíamos agradecerles.”
His wife nodded.
Su esposa asintió.
“Let’s make them new clothes,” she said.
“Hagámosles ropa nueva,” dijo.
She sewed tiny shirts, tiny pants, and tiny jackets.
Coció camisas diminutas, pantalones diminutos y chaquetas diminutas.
The shoemaker made tiny shoes with shiny buckles.
El zapatero hizo zapatos diminutos con hebillas brillantes.
That night, instead of leather, they left the little outfits on the table.
Esa noche, en lugar de cuero, dejaron los trajecitos en la mesa.
At midnight, the elves arrived.
A medianoche, llegaron los duendecillos.
When they saw the clothes, their eyes sparkled.
Cuando vieron la ropa, sus ojos brillaron.
They put everything on at once:
Se lo pusieron todo de inmediato:
the shirts, the pants, the jackets, and the tiny shoes.
las camisas, los pantalones, las chaquetas y los zapatos diminutos.
They looked wonderful.
Se veían maravillosos.
The elves danced happily across the table.
Los duendecillos bailaron felices por la mesa.
Then they waved goodbye
Luego se despidieron con la mano
and disappeared into the night.
y desaparecieron en la noche.
They never returned,
Nunca volvieron,
but the shoemaker was never poor again.
pero el zapatero nunca volvió a ser pobre.
People loved his shoes and came from far away to buy them.
A la gente le encantaban sus zapatos y venía de lejos para comprarlos.
And he always remembered the little elves,
Y siempre recordó a los pequeños duendecillos,
who had helped him when he needed it most.
que lo ayudaron cuando más lo necesitaba.
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