The Rabbit and the Crow
A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day.
A rabbit asked him, ”Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?”
The crow answered: “Sure, why not.”
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested.
A fox jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story:
Para estar sentado e sem fazer nada, tens de estar sentado muito alto.To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very high up.
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The Plus version of this story
Um corvo estava* sentado numa* árvore, sem fazer nada* o dia todo.Um coelho perguntou-lhe*: "Também posso sentar-me* como tu e não fazer nada o dia todo?O corvo respondeu: "Claro, porque não?" Então, o coelho sentou-se* no chão, e descansou*. Uma raposa saltou para cima* do coelho e comeu-o*. Moral da história: Para estar sentado e sem fazer nada, tens de estar sentado muito alto*.A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A rabbit asked him: ”Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?” The crow answered: “Sure, why not.” So, the rabbit sat on the ground, and rested. A fox jumped on the rabbit and ate it.Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very high up.
🔎 Words in this story
✴️ Numa (on a)This is the fusion of the words “em” (in) and “uma” (feminine a/an).
✴️ Sem fazer nada (doing nothing)
Literally translates as “without doing nothing/anything.” In Portuguese, multiple negatives in the same sentence reinforce each other. Another example is “não fazer nada” (not doing anything).
✴️ Para cima do (on/over)Literally translates as “to the top of the.” “Cima” can correspond to different English words, depending on the words that go before it. For example:
- “Ainda por cima” (on top of that)
- “De cima” (from above). For example: “A Itália, vista de cima, parece uma bota” (Italy, seen from above, looks like a boot)
- “Por cima de” (over)
There is a Plus version of this story
The same story, taken further, for DailyNata Plus members. This one works on indefinite pronouns.
- The whole story in Portuguese, and its English
- The words in it, explained, with examples
Written for level B1–B2. Every story has its own, anywhere from A1 to B2.