The Lady with the Little Dog (for Beginner Levels A1)

The Lady with the Dog is a famous short story written by the great Russian writer Anton Chekhov in 1899. Chekhov was one of the most important short story writers in world literature. He wrote many emotional and realistic stories about love, loneliness, and human life.

This story begins in the seaside town of Yalta, where Dmitri Gurov meets a young woman with a small white dog. Their meeting looks simple at first, but little by little their lives begin to change. The story is full of quiet emotions, deep feelings, and difficult choices that make the reader want to continue reading.

This version of the story has been rewritten for English learners at Level 1 (A1). The language is simple, clear, and easy to understand. The story uses short sentences, common vocabulary, and natural dialogue to help beginners read English more comfortably.

This adaptation is very useful for improving vocabulary, reading skills, sentence understanding, and confidence in English. The story also includes vocabulary sections, comprehension questions, and multiple-choice exercises to help learners study English in an enjoyable way.

This story was rewritten by LearnEnglish-new.com for English learners. The story is in the public domain, so it is free from copyright. Enjoy reading and improve your English skills!

The Lady with the Little Dog

by Anton Chekhov

Contents

Chapter One: A Lady with a Small White Dog

Chapter Two: A Kiss Near the Sea

Chapter Three: Memories in Moscow

Chapter Four: A Secret Meeting

Chapter Five: A New and Difficult Life

Chapter One

A Lady with a Small White Dog

In the summer, many people come to the beautiful town of Yalta by the sea. The weather is warm, the sea is blue, and people walk slowly near the water in the evening.

One day, people begin to talk about a new woman in town.

“There is a lady with a little white dog,” they say.

Dmitri Gurov sees her many times. She is young and beautiful. She has soft light hair and kind gray eyes. A small white dog runs behind her everywhere.

Gurov is thirty-nine years old. He lives in Moscow. He works at a bank. He is married and has children, but he is not happy in his marriage. He often feels bored and lonely.

When he sees the lady again near the sea, he thinks about her.

“She is alone,” he says to himself. “Maybe I can speak to her.”

One evening, Gurov sits in a garden restaurant near the sea. Suddenly, the lady with the dog sits at the next table.

The little white dog walks near Gurov.

Gurov smiles and moves his finger toward the dog.

The dog growls softly.

“He does not bite,” the young woman says quickly. Then she smiles a little.

“May I give him something to eat?” Gurov asks.

“Yes,” she says.

After some minutes, they begin talking.

“Have you been in Yalta long?” Gurov asks.

“Only five days,” she answers.

“I have been here two weeks already,” he says.

The evening air is warm. People walk near the sea. Music comes softly from a restaurant far away.

“It is beautiful here,” the woman says quietly.

“Yes,” Gurov answers. “But many people say they are bored here.”

She laughs softly.

They continue walking together beside the sea. The moon shines on the water. The sea looks silver and quiet.

Gurov tells her about himself. He says he lives in Moscow and works at a bank.

The young woman says her name is Anna Sergeyevna. She lives in a small town with her husband. She has been married for two years.

“My husband may come here later,” she says. “I do not know.”

She smiles, but her smile looks sad.

Gurov watches her carefully. She seems gentle and innocent. Sometimes she speaks like a young schoolgirl. Sometimes she looks lonely.

That night, Gurov thinks about Anna Sergeyevna before he sleeps.

“There is something special about her,” he thinks.

Outside, the sea moves quietly under the moonlight.

And somewhere in the warm summer night, Anna Sergeyevna is also thinking about him.

At that moment, neither of them knows how deeply their lives will soon change.

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Chapter 1 – Vocabulary

Questions

Chapter 1 – Grammar Exercises

Please write your answers in the comments. The correct answers will be posted later.

Chapter Two

A Kiss Near the Sea

Days pass in warm and lazy sunshine in Yalta.

Every day, Dmitri Gurov and Anna Sergeyevna meet near the sea. They walk together, eat together, and talk for many hours.

Sometimes they sit quietly and watch the waves.

Sometimes they laugh together.

Gurov begins to wait for her every morning.

Anna also feels happy when she sees him.

One hot afternoon, dust flies through the streets because of the wind. People look tired from the heat.

“Let us go to the harbor tonight,” Gurov says. “A ship will arrive.”

Anna smiles.

“Yes, let us go.”

That evening, many people stand near the harbor. Some people bring flowers. Others wait for family or friends from the ship.

The sea is rough, and the ship arrives late.

Anna looks at the ship carefully through her small glasses.

“Maybe someone I know is there,” she says.

The wind becomes softer. The sky grows darker. One by one, people begin leaving.

Soon the harbor becomes quiet.

Anna stands beside Gurov with flowers in her hands. She looks tired but peaceful.

“The weather is nicer now,” Gurov says softly.

Anna says nothing.

Gurov looks into her eyes.

Suddenly, he puts his arm around her and kisses her.

Anna becomes very still.

For one second, neither of them speaks.

Then Gurov whispers:

“Let us go.”

Together they walk quickly through the dark streets to Anna’s hotel.

Inside the room, only one candle burns softly.

Anna sits down quietly. Her face looks pale.

She suddenly looks very sad.

“This is wrong,” she says in a low voice. “You will not respect me now.”

Gurov cuts a piece of watermelon and eats slowly. He does not know what to say.

Anna’s eyes fill with tears.

“I am not a good woman,” she says. “I wanted a different life. I wanted happiness. But now I feel ashamed.”

She covers her face with her hands.

Gurov watches her silently.

He feels surprised. Other women in his life are different. Anna speaks honestly and deeply from her heart.

“I do not understand myself,” Anna says softly. “I think about life all the time. I want something beautiful and real.”

Gurov moves closer to her.

“Hush,” he says kindly. “Do not cry.”

Slowly Anna becomes calmer.

Later, they leave the hotel and walk outside again.

The town is quiet now. Far away, the sea moves in the darkness.

They take a carriage to a small place called Oreanda.

There, they sit together on a bench near the sea.

Morning slowly comes. White clouds rest above the mountains. Birds sing softly in the trees.

For a long time, they say nothing.

The world around them feels peaceful and beautiful.

Gurov looks at Anna’s face in the early morning light.

At that moment, he feels strangely happy.

And deep inside his heart, something new is beginning.

But neither of them understands how difficult this love will become.

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Chapter 2 – Vocabulary

Questions

Chapter 2 – Grammar Exercises

Please write your answers in the comments. The correct answers will be posted later.

Chapter Three

Memories in Moscow

After some weeks, Anna Sergeyevna receives a letter from her husband.

He writes that he is sick and asks her to come home quickly.

Anna becomes quiet after reading the letter.

“I must leave tomorrow,” she says sadly.

Gurov feels a heavy pain in his heart.

The next morning, he goes with her to the train station in Yalta.

The sky is gray. Cold wind moves through the station.

Anna stands near the train window and looks at Gurov with sad eyes.

“I will remember you,” she says softly. “Please remember me kindly.”

Her lips tremble a little.

Then the train begins to move.

Slowly, Anna disappears into the distance.

Gurov stands alone on the platform.

The sound of the train becomes weaker and weaker.

Everything is quiet again.

“It is finished,” Gurov thinks.

But deep inside, he knows this is not true.

Soon Gurov returns home to Moscow.

Winter comes early there.

Snow covers the streets and roofs. Smoke rises from houses into the cold air. Children wear warm clothes and hurry to school in the dark mornings.

At first, Gurov tries to live normally again.

He goes to the bank every day.

He eats in restaurants.

He plays cards with friends.

He talks and laughs with people.

But something feels empty.

At night, he remembers Anna’s voice.

He remembers the sea, the mountains, the warm evenings, and her soft gray eyes.

Sometimes he suddenly smiles while thinking about her.

Sometimes he feels deep sadness.

Weeks pass, but Anna does not leave his mind.

Instead, his memories become stronger.

One evening, Gurov sits alone in his room.

Outside, snow falls quietly.

He closes his eyes and sees Anna clearly before him.

He remembers how she walks beside the sea.

He remembers her smile.

He remembers her tears.

“She is different from other women,” he thinks.

For the first time in many years, Gurov feels something real inside his heart.

He wants to speak about Anna to someone, but he cannot.

Nobody would understand him.

One night, after playing cards at a club, Gurov says to another man:

“I met a very interesting woman in Yalta.”

The man puts on his coat and answers carelessly:

“The fish tonight was too salty.”

Gurov suddenly feels angry inside.

He understands that people around him only talk about small and unimportant things.

Nobody talks about love, loneliness, or true feelings.

That night, he cannot sleep.

He walks around his room for many hours.

Finally, he stops near the window.

“I must see her again,” he whispers.

A few days later, Gurov secretly leaves Moscow and travels to Anna’s town.

His heart beats quickly during the long journey.

He does not know what will happen next.

But he knows one thing clearly:

He cannot live without Anna Sergeyevna anymore.

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Chapter 3 – Vocabulary

Chapter Four

A Secret Meeting

After many hours on the train, Dmitri Gurov arrives in Anna Sergeyevna’s small town.

The town feels cold and quiet.

Gray houses stand beside narrow streets. Snow lies on the roads and roofs.

Gurov takes a room at a hotel.

He feels nervous and tired, but his heart is full of hope.

“Will she be happy to see me?” he thinks.

He learns where Anna lives and walks slowly to her street.

Soon he sees her house.

A long gray fence stands around it.

Gurov stops near the fence and looks at the windows.

Everything is quiet.

He waits for a long time in the cold air.

Then suddenly, the door opens.

An old woman walks outside with the little white dog.

Gurov’s heart jumps.

It is Anna’s dog.

He wants to call the dog, but he feels too nervous.

He walks up and down the street for hours.

Finally, evening comes.

Near the theater, Gurov sees a large poster.

Tonight, there will be a performance.

“Maybe Anna will come,” he thinks.

He quickly buys a ticket and enters the theater.

The building is full of people. Music plays loudly. Men talk and laugh. Women wear beautiful dresses.

Gurov looks everywhere.

Then suddenly—

He sees Anna.

She sits quietly in the third row.

Her face looks pale and serious.

A tall man sits beside her. It is her husband.

Gurov watches her carefully.

At that moment, he understands something very important.

He truly loves her.

Not like before.

Not like the other women in his life.

This love is deep and real.

Anna looks toward him.

Suddenly, her face becomes white with shock.

She cannot move.

During the break, her husband leaves to smoke.

Gurov quickly walks to her.

“Good evening,” he says softly.

Anna looks at him with fear and surprise.

“You!” she whispers.

Her hands shake.

Without another word, she stands and walks quickly out of the theater.

Gurov follows her through dark hallways and narrow stairs.

Finally, they stop on a quiet staircase.

Anna breathes heavily.

“You frightened me,” she says. “Why did you come?”

Gurov looks into her eyes.

“Anna, I could not forget you,” he says quietly. “I tried, but I cannot.”

Anna’s eyes fill with tears.

“I think about you every day,” she whispers. “I am unhappy. I only live for the days when I can remember you.”

Gurov gently takes her hands.

People begin walking up the stairs nearby.

Anna becomes afraid again.

“You must go now,” she says quickly. “Please. But listen to me carefully.”

She looks deeply into his eyes.

“I will come to Moscow,” she whispers. “We must meet there.”

Then she presses his hand softly and quickly walks away.

Gurov remains alone on the staircase.

Far away, music still plays inside the theater.

But inside his heart, everything has changed forever.

Now he knows:

Their story is not ending.

It is only beginning.

Chapter Five

A New and Difficult Life

After that night in the theater, Anna Sergeyevna begins coming secretly to Moscow.

Every few months, she tells her husband:

“I must see a doctor.”

Then she travels by train to Moscow.

She stays at a large hotel and sends a message to Dmitri Gurov.

Each time Gurov receives her message, his heart fills with joy.

One snowy morning, Gurov walks through the cold streets to meet her.

People hurry past him. Horses pull sleds across the snow. Smoke rises into the gray winter sky.

But Gurov only thinks about Anna.

When he arrives at the hotel, he quietly opens the door.

Anna stands near the window in a gray dress.

She looks tired and pale.

The moment she sees him, tears fill her eyes.

She quickly walks to him and holds him tightly.

For a long time, they say nothing.

They are simply happy to be together again.

At last, Anna speaks softly.

“I miss you every day,” she says. “My life feels empty without you.”

Gurov gently touches her hair.

“I feel the same,” he answers.

Anna begins crying quietly.

Their love brings happiness, but it also brings pain.

They cannot live openly together.

They must hide from everyone.

Nobody knows about their meetings.

To other people, Gurov lives a normal life.

He works at the bank.

He speaks politely to friends.

He eats dinner with his family.

But inside, he feels completely different.

Now he understands that his true life begins only when he is with Anna.

One afternoon, Anna sits beside him silently.

Snow falls outside the hotel window.

“What will happen to us?” she asks sadly.

Gurov does not answer immediately.

He looks at her tired face, her sad eyes, and her gentle smile.

For the first time in his life, he feels true love.

Not a short adventure.

Not a game.

Real love.

Deep love.

Love that changes a person forever.

Gurov takes Anna’s hands.

“We must think carefully,” he says quietly. “Somehow, we must find a new life.”

Anna looks at him with hope and fear together.

Outside, the snow continues falling softly over Moscow.

Inside the quiet hotel room, two people sit together, loving each other deeply.

But many difficult days still wait for them in the future.

And their real story is only beginning.