⏳ A1 | Past tense version Present → Past
La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.
🧠 A1 | Grammar point there is / there are
En la historia vemos There is cake y there are balloons and gifts. Las dos formas significan «hay».
Recuerda: singular → there is; plural → there are.
A1 | Practice
Match – Quizlet
Play this part of the story on Quizlet.
The Missing Gift
- Carla’s birthday — el cumpleaños de Carla
- has a party — hace una fiesta
- at home — en casa
- cake — pastel
- balloons — globos
- gifts — regalos
- a special gift — un regalo especial
- is missing — falta
- everyone looks for it — todos lo buscan
- the cat comes in — el gato entra
- in its mouth — en la boca
- under Carla’s bed — bajo la cama de Carla
- everyone laughs happily — todos ríen felices
Tap the words in the correct order:
- What does Carla’s family have at home?
- What is missing?
- Where was the gift?
Translate into Spanish:
- Today is Carla’s birthday.
- A special gift is missing.
- The cat comes in with the gift in its mouth.
Translate into English:
- Hoy es el cumpleaños de Carla.
- Falta un regalo especial.
- El regalo estaba bajo la cama de Carla.
Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.
⏳ A2 | Past tense version Present → Past
La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.
🧠 A2 | Grammar point no one + singular verb
El texto dice: no one finds it. Aunque no one habla de cero personas, gramaticalmente funciona como un sujeto singular.
Ojo: en presente simple con he / she / it y también con no one, el verbo suele llevar -s.
A2 | Practice
Match – Quizlet
Play this part of the story on Quizlet.
The Missing Gift
- Carla’s birthday — el cumpleaños de Carla
- has a party — hace una fiesta
- at home — en casa
- there is cake — hay pastel
- there are balloons — hay globos
- several gifts — varios regalos
- on the table — sobre la mesa
- however — sin embargo
- the most special gift — el regalo más especial
- is missing — falta
- everyone searches the house — todos lo buscan por la casa
- no one finds it — nadie lo encuentra
- the cat appears — aparece el gato
- with the gift — con el regalo
- in its mouth — en la boca
- hid it — lo escondió
- under Carla’s bed — debajo de la cama de Carla
- laughs and hugs — ríe y abraza
Tap the words in the correct order:
- What does Carla’s family do at home?
- What is missing from the party?
- Where does everyone search?
- Where did the cat hide the gift?
Translate into Spanish:
- It is Carla’s birthday, and her family has a party at home.
- However, the most special gift is missing.
- The cat hid it under Carla’s bed.
Translate into English:
- Hay pastel, globos y varios regalos sobre la mesa.
- Todos lo buscan por la casa, pero nadie lo encuentra.
- Carla ríe y abraza al gato.
Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.
⏳ B1 | Past tense version Present → Past
La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.
🧠 B1 | Grammar point be about to + verb
La familia is about to give up. Usamos be about to cuando algo está a punto de ocurrir.
Idea clave: no significa simplemente futuro; indica que la acción está muy cerca de empezar.
B1 | Practice
Match – Quizlet
Play this part of the story on Quizlet.
The Missing Gift
- It is Carla’s birthday — Carla cumple años
- organizes a small party — organiza una pequeña fiesta
- at home — en casa
- in the room — en la sala
- balloons — globos
- a delicious cake — un pastel delicioso
- open the gifts — abren los regalos
- they discover — descubren
- the most special one — el más especial
- has disappeared — ha desaparecido
- search everywhere — buscan por todas partes
- with no luck — sin suerte
- about to give up — a punto de rendirse
- the cat appears — aparece el gato
- with the gift — con el regalo
- in its mouth — en la boca
- had hidden it — lo había escondido
- under Carla’s bed — bajo la cama de Carla
- gets it back — lo recupera
- the mischievous cat — el gato travieso
Tap the words in the correct order:
- What does Carla’s family organize at home?
- What do they discover when they open the gifts?
- What happens just as they are about to give up?
- What does Carla do at the end?
Translate into Spanish:
- When they open the gifts, they discover that the most special one has disappeared.
- Just as they are about to give up, the cat appears with the gift in its mouth.
- She gets it back amid laughter and hugs the mischievous cat.
Translate into English:
- Carla cumple años y su familia organiza una pequeña fiesta en casa.
- Buscan por todas partes sin suerte.
- Lo había escondido bajo la cama de Carla.
Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.
⏳ B2 | Past tense version Present → Past
La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.
🧠 B2 | Grammar point had + past participle
Primero el gato cogió y escondió el regalo; después apareció con él. Por eso el texto dice had taken y had hidden.
Piensa así: pasado perfecto = «el pasado de antes» cuando contamos dos acciones pasadas.
B2 | Practice
Match – Quizlet
Play this part of the story on Quizlet.
The Missing Gift
- celebrates her birthday — celebra su cumpleaños
- at home — en casa
- a simple gathering — una reunión sencilla
- a joyful gathering — una reunión alegre
- chosen with care — escogidos con cariño
- before opening them — antes de abrirlos
- they notice — notan
- the most anticipated one — el más esperado
- is missing — falta
- the whole house — toda la casa
- without success — sin resultado
- seems hopeless — parece no tener solución
- the cat appears — aparece el gato
- with the gift — con el regalo
- in its mouth — en la boca
- had taken it — se lo había llevado
- from the living room — del salón
- to play with — para jugar con él
- had hidden it — lo había escondido
- under Carla’s bed — bajo la cama de Carla
- laughs in relief — ríen aliviados
- affectionately pets the culprit — acaricia al culpable con cariño
Tap the words in the correct order:
- How does Carla celebrate her birthday?
- What do they notice before opening the gifts?
- What had the cat done with the gift?
- How does Carla treat the cat at the end?
Translate into Spanish:
- There are balloons, cake, and gifts chosen with care.
- When the search seems hopeless, the cat appears with the gift in its mouth.
- Everyone laughs in relief, and Carla affectionately pets the culprit.
Translate into English:
- Carla celebra su cumpleaños en casa con una reunión sencilla y alegre.
- Lo buscan por toda la casa sin resultado.
- Se lo había llevado del salón para jugar con él y lo había escondido bajo la cama de Carla.
Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.
⏳ C1 | Past tense version Present → Past
La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.
🧠 C1 | Grammar point as if + past
El gato había escondido el regalo as if it were its own treasure: «como si fuera su propio tesoro».
Fíjate: en este uso formal es muy común were incluso con it / he / she.
C1 | Practice
Match – Quizlet
Play this part of the story on Quizlet.
The Missing Gift
- celebrates her birthday — celebra su cumpleaños
- an intimate gathering — una reunión íntima
- planned with great care — cuidada al detalle
- the room is decorated — la sala está decorada
- the cake waits — el pastel espera
- on the table — en la mesa
- ready to be opened — listos para abrirse
- however — sin embargo
- the main gift — el regalo estrella
- vanishes without explanation — desaparece sin explicación
- the whole house — toda la casa
- concern grows — la preocupación aumenta
- the family cat — el gato de la familia
- calmly appears — aparece tranquilamente
- with the present — con el obsequio
- in its mouth — en la boca
- had taken it — se lo había llevado
- from the living room — del salón
- hidden it — lo había escondido
- under Carla’s bed — bajo la cama de Carla
- its own treasure — un tesoro propio
- amid laughter — entre risas
- the celebration continues — la celebración continúa
- with fresh enthusiasm — con nuevo entusiasmo
Tap the words in the correct order:
- How is Carla’s birthday gathering described?
- What happens to the main gift?
- Why does concern grow?
- Where had the cat hidden the present?
- How does the celebration continue?
Translate into Spanish:
- The main gift vanishes without explanation.
- Then the family cat calmly appears with the present in its mouth.
- Amid laughter, the celebration continues with fresh enthusiasm.
Translate into English:
- La sala está decorada, el pastel espera en la mesa y los regalos están listos para abrirse.
- Tras buscarlo por toda la casa, la preocupación aumenta.
- Se lo había llevado del salón y lo había escondido bajo la cama de Carla, como si fuera un tesoro propio.
Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.
⏳ C2 | Past tense version Present → Past
La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.
🧠 C2 | Grammar point seem to have been + participle
El texto dice: nothing seems to have been left to chance. Esta estructura permite hablar ahora de una acción que ocurrió antes y además está en pasiva.
Desmontada: seems = parece; to have been coloca la acción antes; el participio expresa la acción pasiva.
C2 | Practice
Match – Quizlet
Play this part of the story on Quizlet.
The Missing Gift
- celebrates her birthday — celebra su cumpleaños
- at home — en casa
- nothing seems to have been left to chance — nada parece haberse dejado al azar
- the decorations — la decoración
- have all been prepared with loving care — se han preparado con mimo
- with bewilderment — con desconcierto
- the main present — el obsequio principal
- is missing — falta
- after checking every corner — tras revisar cada rincón
- the mystery remains unresolved — el misterio sigue sin resolverse
- the family cat — el gato de la familia
- walks in — entra
- the lost gift — el regalo extraviado
- in its mouth — en la boca
- had hidden it — lo había escondido
- under Carla’s bed — bajo la cama de Carla
- amid laughter — entre risas
- jokes about feline cunning — bromas sobre la astucia felina
- the party becomes — la fiesta se vuelve
- even more heartwarming — más entrañable
Tap the words in the correct order:
- How carefully has Carla’s birthday gathering been prepared?
- What do they discover with bewilderment?
- Why does the mystery remain unresolved?
- Where had the cat hidden the gift?
- Why does the party become more heartwarming?
Translate into Spanish:
- Nothing seems to have been left to chance.
- After checking every corner, the mystery remains unresolved.
- Amid laughter and jokes about feline cunning, the party becomes even more heartwarming.
Translate into English:
- La decoración, el pastel y los regalos se han preparado con mimo.
- Descubren con desconcierto que falta el obsequio principal.
- El gato de la familia entra con el regalo extraviado en la boca.
Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.