Ilya Frank method · typereader
Books with the Ilya Frank reading method
Fairy tales and children’s books in French, German and Spanish. The translation and notes sit right in the text, and the same passage follows without them.
Ilya Frank came up with a simple way to read in a foreign language without a dictionary. The text is split into short passages. First you read a passage with a translation and notes in brackets after each phrase, then the same passage without them. You understand everything the first time, and the words keep coming back as you read.
On typereader you can read 12 books this way, all at A1–A2 level: French nursery songs, Perrault’s Riquet à la Houppe, Grimm tales in French, Lessing’s fables, Struwwelpeter and Ratón Pérez. The notes are in English.
How to read
Open a book
Pick one from the list below. The “Read in Frank mode” link opens it with the notes already on.
Read the passage with the notes
The translation and notes sit in brackets right after each phrase: what a word means, which form it is, how to take an expression.
Read it again without them
The same passage follows, clean. If a word slipped away, tap it to see the translation and hear it, and save it to your dictionary.
Switch it off when you are ready
Frank mode turns on and off with the “Frank mode” button at the top of the reader, or under “Reading tools” on a phone. Without it the book reads as usual, with a translation for any word you tap.
In French · 7
In German · 4
In Spanish · 1
FAQ
What is the Ilya Frank method?
A way to read in a foreign language without a dictionary. The text is split into passages: first a passage with a translation and notes in brackets, then the same passage without them. You understand it right away, and new words stick because they keep coming back.
What level are these books?
Beginner. Every book here is A1–A2: short fairy tales, fables and children’s verse.
Is it free?
Yes. The books are in the public domain, and reading them on typereader is free, with no ads.
What language are the notes in?
In the language of the typereader interface, here English. Switch the interface to French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian or Russian and the notes switch too.
Are these Ilya Frank’s own books?
No. The texts come from the public domain, and typereader wrote the notes in the same format as Ilya Frank’s books. We are not connected with him or his publisher.
Also learn
Start with a short tale and read your first book in a new language today.
Start with “Histoire de Pierre Lapin” →