Guy de Maupassant (1884) — a woman borrows a beautiful necklace for one night, and pays for ten years
Original version available: read this lesson at B2/C1 level →
This is a famous short story, told here in simple English. Read each part, then stop and talk about the questions. The end is a big surprise — read slowly and do not jump ahead.
Mathilde was a pretty woman, but she was not rich. She always wanted a finer life. She wanted beautiful clothes and a big house. But she had a small house and a simple husband.
One day her husband came home very happy. He had two tickets to a big, important party.
But Mathilde was sad. "I have no beautiful jewels to wear," she said. "I cannot go to the party like this."
So she went to her rich friend, Madame Forestier. She borrowed a lovely diamond necklace. It was the most beautiful thing in the box. Mathilde was very, very happy.
At the party, Mathilde was very happy. She was beautiful. Everyone looked at her. She danced all night and she forgot about her small house.
But when she got home, she looked in the mirror. The necklace was gone! She had lost it!
Mathilde and her husband were afraid. They could not tell Madame Forestier. So they bought a new diamond necklace. It cost a lot of money — too much money. They borrowed money from many people.
For ten years they worked very hard. They lived like poor people. They paid back the money, little by little. Mathilde became tired and old.
One day, ten years later, Mathilde met Madame Forestier in the street. Her friend did not know her — Mathilde looked so old and tired now.
"Do you remember the necklace I borrowed?" said Mathilde. "Well, I lost it. We bought a new one. We worked for ten years to pay for it."
Madame Forestier took her hands. She was very sad.
"Oh, my poor Mathilde! But my necklace was not real. It was cheap glass! It was worth almost nothing!"
Ten useful words. Tap each card to see what it means and an example sentence.
1. She wanted to ______ a necklace from her friend. 2. Her friend was very ______ and had many jewels. 3. The necklace was not ______ — it was only glass.
This story happened in the past. So we use the past simple to tell it.
Past simple = a finished action in the past. We often add -ed: want → wanted, work → worked. But some verbs are different: go → went, buy → bought, lose → lost.
1. Mathilde a finer life. (want)
2. She a necklace from her friend. (borrow)
3. She the necklace at the party. (lose)
4. They a new necklace. (buy)
5. They hard for ten years. (work)
1. wanted 2. borrowed 3. lost 4. bought 5. worked
We can talk about a different life with "If". We use this pattern: If + past simple, ... would + verb.
Example: If she had more money, she would be happy. (She does not have more money, so this is only an idea.)
1. If Mathilde more money, she happy. (have / be)
2. If they the truth, they for ten years. (tell / not work)
1. had … would be
2. told … would not work
A good short story is more than just words. The writer uses tricks to make you feel something. Here are two simple ones from this story.
For the whole story, we think the necklace was real and very expensive. Then, at the end, the friend says it was only cheap glass. This big surprise at the end is called a twist. It makes us think about the whole story again.
The diamonds looked beautiful and real. But they were not real. Mathilde and her husband never knew. They lost ten years of their life for a thing that was worth almost nothing. The story shows us that the most important things are not always what they look like.
Do all three. Use the timer and try to keep talking. The sentence starters can help you begin.
Now tell the story again in your own words. Use short, simple sentences. Try to use four or five words from the Words tab, and tell the events in order.
These steps will help you: a poor woman borrows a diamond necklace for a party · she loses it · she and her husband buy a new one and pay for ten years · they become poor and tired · the friend says the necklace was fake.
Talk about a time when someone lost something important — you, someone you know, or a person from a book or film. Say what they lost and how they felt.
Mathilde and her husband did not tell the truth. They worked for ten years. Was this a good idea? What would you do?