A magic bottle can give you any wish — but there is a very dangerous rule.
Want the fuller version? Read this story at B2/C1 level →
These are the new words for The Bottle Imp. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = D (a wish) · 2 = F (to grant) · 3 = H (a rule) · 4 = G (a soul)
5 = C (a coin) · 6 = B (to sell) · 7 = A (a price) · 8 = E (afraid)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
Keawe was a poor sailor from Hawaii. One day, in a big city, he met a sad old man. The man showed him a small white bottle. Something was moving inside it. "A little devil lives in this bottle," the man said. "If you own the bottle, you can have any wish. Money, a house, anything you want."
But there were rules, and they were very bad. You could not break the bottle or throw it away. It always came back. And there was one more rule: if you die and you still have the bottle, your soul will go to hell. You can sell the bottle, but only for less money than you paid. If you try to sell it for more, it comes back to you.
The old man wanted to sell it very much. Keawe was afraid, but he wanted to try. He bought the bottle for fifty dollars. He made a small wish, and it came true! The magic was real. Now Keawe had the bottle — and the dangerous rules.
1. What can the owner of the bottle do?
2. What happens if you die and you still have the bottle?
1. The owner can have any wish — money, a house, anything they want.
2. Your soul goes to hell. Also, you can only sell the bottle for less money than you paid.
Keawe wished for a beautiful house, and it appeared. Now he was afraid of the bottle. So he sold it to a friend for forty-five dollars — a little less than he paid. Now he was free and happy. The bottle went from person to person, and every time the price went down.
Then Keawe fell in love with a kind woman called Kokua. He was very happy. But one day he found out that he was very ill. He had a bad disease. Only the magic bottle could make him well again. So he looked for the bottle. He found it — but now the price was very low. It cost only two cents.
This was a big problem. Keawe could buy the bottle and wish to be well. But two cents is almost the smallest money there is. To sell the bottle, he must find a person who will buy it for one cent. After that, no one can buy it, because there is no smaller coin. The last owner will keep the bottle for ever — and go to hell. But Keawe wanted to marry Kokua, so he bought the bottle and got well.
1. Why did Keawe look for the bottle again?
2. Why was the low price of two cents a big problem?
1. He was very ill with a bad disease, and only the magic bottle could make him well again.
2. You must always sell it for less. At two cents, there was almost no room left. Soon no one could buy it, and the last owner would keep it and go to hell.
Kokua saw that her husband was sad and afraid. She asked him why, and he told her the truth. Kokua did not want Keawe to go to hell. So she had an idea. In some islands, people used very small coins, smaller than a cent. There, they could sell the bottle for even less.
Kokua made a secret plan. She paid an old man to buy the bottle from Keawe. Then she bought it back from the old man herself, for less money. Now Kokua had the bottle — and the danger. She did this to save her husband. But then Keawe found out. He was very sad. Now he was safe, but his wife would go to hell! So he found a way to buy the bottle back from her.
The price was now one small coin — the last step. Then Keawe met an old sailor in a bar. This sailor drank a lot and did not care about anything. He laughed and said, "I am going to hell anyway!" For him, a magic bottle for one coin was a good deal. He bought it and said he would never sell it. So Keawe and Kokua were free at last. They walked home together, happy and safe.
1. What secret plan did Kokua make to save Keawe?
2. Who bought the bottle at the end, and why did he not care?
1. She secretly paid a man to buy the bottle, then bought it back herself for less money, to take the danger from Keawe. Then Keawe bought it back to save her.
2. An old sailor who drank a lot. He did not care because he believed he was going to hell anyway.
This story is full of rules and results. "If you do this, this will happen." English has an easy way to say this: the first conditional.
Complete the sentence. Use the present simple after if, and will + verb in the other part.
1. If you (own) the bottle, you will have any wish.
2. If Keawe sells the bottle, he (be) free.
3. If he (die) with the bottle, his soul will go to hell.
4. If Kokua buys the bottle, she (take) the danger.
1. own (present simple after if)
2. will be (will + verb)
3. dies (present simple after if)
4. will take (will + verb)
Each sentence has one wrong verb. Write the correct word.
1. If you (will sell) it for more, it comes back. (use present simple after "if")
2. If the price goes down to one coin, no one (buys) it. (use "will" + verb)
3. If Keawe (will marry) Kokua, he will be happy. (use present simple after "if")
1. sell (present simple after if: "If you sell it for more…")
2. will buy ("…no one will buy it")
3. marries (present simple after if: "If Keawe marries Kokua…")
Fill each gap. Use the present simple after if, and will + verb in the other part. Read it aloud when you finish.
The old man says, "If you (buy) the bottle, you will get any wish. But be careful! If you (die) with the bottle, your soul (go) to hell. If you sell it for less, you (be) safe."
buy (present simple) · die (present simple) · will go (will + verb) · will be (will + verb)
Remember: present simple after if, and will + verb for the result.
You know the story and the words. Now think about the big ideas. Talk about all of this out loud. There are no wrong answers — just say what you think and why.
Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of The Bottle Imp in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a poor sailor and a magic bottle → the dangerous rules → a wish and a beautiful house → Keawe is ill and needs the bottle again → the very low price → Kokua and Keawe save each other → the man who does not care.
Try to use the first conditional ("if you own the bottle, you will…") and some of the key words (wish, grant, rule, soul, coin, sell, price, afraid).
If you had the bottle for one day, what would you wish for? Would you keep it, or sell it fast? Is it a good idea to get a wish so easily? Why, or why not?
Tell a short story of your own — a time when something looked good but had a hidden problem. Use the first conditional to talk about the rules and the results.
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: