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Full video: Slow English Reading: Rainbow Fish for Beginners (A1–A2)

Course: Everyday English from the startSection: The Rainbow Fish storySubtitles: en

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179 subtitle cues

0:00

Hello.

0:02

And welcome back to my slow English

0:06

podcast.

0:13

Today,

0:15

we will be reading

0:18

The Rainbow Fish.

0:23

A long way out

0:26

in the deep blue sea,

0:32

there lived

0:33

a fish.

0:36

Not just any ordinary

0:40

fish,

0:42

but the most beautiful fish

0:47

in the entire

0:49

ocean.

0:52

His scales

0:54

were every shade of blue,

0:59

and green,

1:01

and purple,

1:04

with sparkling silver scales among them.

1:12

The other fish were amazed

1:16

at his beauty.

1:19

They called him

1:21

The Rainbow Fish.

1:25

"Come on, Rainbow Fish."

1:28

They would call.

1:30

"Come and play with us."

1:33

But The Rainbow Fish

1:36

would just glide past,

1:41

proud

1:42

and silent,

1:45

letting his scales shimmer.

1:52

One day,

1:54

a little blue fish

1:57

followed after him.

2:00

"Rainbow Fish,"

2:02

he called.

2:04

"Wait for me.

2:08

Please give me

2:10

one of your shiny scales.

2:16

They are so wonderful."

2:20

"And you have so many."

2:29

"You want me

2:31

to give you

2:33

one of my special scales?

2:38

Who do you think you are?"

2:42

cried the rainbow fish.

2:46

"Get away from me."

2:49

Shocked,

2:51

the little blue fish swam away.

2:56

He was so upset.

3:01

He told all his friends what had

3:05

happened.

3:08

From then on,

3:10

no one would have anything to do

3:15

with rainbow fish.

3:19

They turned away

3:22

when he swam by.

3:28

What good were the dazzling,

3:32

shimmering scales

3:35

with no one to admire them?

3:39

Now,

3:41

he was

3:42

the loneliest fish

3:45

in the entire ocean.

3:50

One day,

3:52

he poured out all of his troubles

3:58

to the starfish.

4:02

"I really am beautiful.

4:06

Why doesn't anybody like me?"

4:11

"I can't answer that for you,"

4:15

said the starfish.

4:18

"But, if you go beyond the coral reef

4:24

to a deep cave,

4:29

you will find the wise octopus.

4:35

Maybe she can help you."

4:41

The Rainbow Fish found the cave.

4:46

It was very dark

4:49

inside.

4:51

And he couldn't see anything.

4:57

Then,

4:58

suddenly,

5:00

two eyes caught him

5:04

in their glare.

5:07

And the octopus

5:10

emerged from the darkness.

5:16

"I have been waiting for you,"

5:20

said the octopus

5:22

with a deep voice.

5:26

"The waves have told me your story.

5:31

This is my advice.

5:36

Give a glittering scale

5:39

to each of the other fish.

5:45

You will no longer

5:48

be the most beautiful fish

5:53

in the sea.

5:56

But,

5:57

you will discover

6:00

how to be

6:02

happy."

6:07

"I can't,"

6:09

the Rainbow Fish started to say,

6:14

but the octopus

6:16

had already

6:18

disappeared

6:21

into a dark cloud of ink.

6:27

"Give away my scales?

6:30

My beautiful shining scales?

6:34

Never.

6:37

How could I ever be happy

6:40

without them?"

6:44

Suddenly,

6:46

he felt the light touch of a fin.

6:53

The little blue fish was back.

6:58

"Rainbow Fish,

7:00

please don't be angry.

7:04

I just want one little scale."

7:09

The Rainbow Fish wavered.

7:13

"Only one very, very small, shimmery

7:19

scale,"

7:20

he thought.

7:22

"Well, maybe

7:25

I wouldn't miss just one."

7:32

Carefully,

7:34

the Rainbow Fish

7:36

pulled out

7:38

the smallest scale

7:41

and gave it to the little fish.

7:47

"Thank you.

7:49

Thank you very much."

7:52

the little blue fish

7:54

bubbled playfully

7:57

as he tucked the shiny scale

8:01

in among his blue ones.

8:06

A rather peculiar

8:09

feeling

8:11

came over the Rainbow Fish.

8:14

For a long time

8:17

he watched the little blue fish

8:22

swim

8:23

back and forth

8:26

with his new scale

8:29

glittering

8:31

in the water.

8:37

The little blue fish

8:39

whizzed through the ocean

8:43

with his scale flashing.

8:47

So it didn't take long

8:51

before the Rainbow Fish was surrounded

8:57

by the other fish.

9:01

Everyone wanted a glittering scale.

9:08

The Rainbow Fish shared his scales

9:12

left and right.

9:15

And the more he gave away

9:19

the more delighted

9:22

he became.

9:25

When the water around him

9:29

filled with glimmering scales, he at

9:33

last felt at home

9:37

among the other fish.

9:43

Finally,

9:45

the Rainbow Fish had only one shining

9:50

scale left.

9:53

His most prized possessions

9:57

had been given away.

10:00

Yet, he was very happy.

10:05

"Come on, Rainbow Fish."

10:09

they called.

10:11

"Come and play with us."

10:15

"Here I come."

10:18

said the Rainbow Fish.

10:21

And happy as a splash,

10:25

he swam off

10:28

to join his friends.

10:33

What do you think

10:35

the moral

10:37

of this story was?

10:42

Comment down below.

10:45

I would love to hear your thoughts.

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