Taking Care of a Garden – Bilingual English–Spanish Story, Audio & Grammar Practice (A1–C2)

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A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Buy me a coffee

Grammar focus: los verbos del texto inglés aparecen destacados en azul. Debajo de cada nivel puedes abrir Past tense version para comparar presente y pasado, y Grammar point para entender una estructura importante del texto con una explicación sencilla.

A1 | BEGINNER

Ana has a small garden. She waters the plants every day. She also cuts off dry leaves and picks pretty flowers. Sometimes, she sees butterflies flying. When she finishes, she sits on a bench and enjoys the sun. She is happy with her garden.

A1 | PRINCIPIANTE

Ana tiene un jardín pequeño. Riega las plantas todos los días. También corta las hojas secas y recoge flores bonitas. A veces, ve mariposas volando. Cuando termina, se sienta en un banco y disfruta del sol. Está contenta con su jardín.

🎵 She learned everything she knows at LecturaBilingue.com — the place where stories come alive. 🎵 Todo lo que sabe lo aprendió en LecturaBilingue.com, el lugar donde las historias cobran vida.

⏳ A1 | Past tense version Present → Past

La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.

Ana had a small garden. She watered the plants every day. She also cut off dry leaves and picked pretty flowers. Sometimes, she saw butterflies flying. When she finished, she sat on a bench and enjoyed the sun. She was happy with her garden.

Cambios principales

has → had waters → watered cuts off → cut off picks → picked sees → saw finishes → finished sits → sat enjoys → enjoyed is → was

🧠 A1 | Grammar point when + present simple

En When she finishes, she sits on a bench, when significa “cuando”. Después de when usamos aquí el present simple porque hablamos de algo habitual.

when + sujeto + verbo → when she finishes, when he arrives, when they stop.

When she finishes, she sits down. When he arrives, he eats.

Truco: después de when piensa en una pequeña frase completa: quién + qué hace.

🔊 AUDIO A1

🇬🇧 English

Spoken

Song

🇪🇸 Español

Spoken

Song

A1 | Practice

Match – Quizlet

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Practice the Story — A1

Taking Care of a Garden

Vocabulary

• small garden — jardín pequeño
• waters the plants — riega las plantas
• every day — todos los días
• cuts off dry leaves — corta las hojas secas
• picks flowers — recoge flores
• pretty flowers — flores bonitas

• sees butterflies — ve mariposas
• butterflies flying — mariposas volando
• finishes — termina
• sits on a bench — se sienta en un banco
• enjoys the sun — disfruta del sol
• happy with her garden — contenta con su jardín

Complete the sentence

Ana has a small She waters the plants every Sometimes, she sees butterflies When she finishes, she sits on a

Choose the correct answer

What does Ana have? Choose A small garden A small dog A big house What does she water? Choose The plants The trees The grass What does she pick? Choose Stones Pretty flowers Apples How does she feel? Choose Tired Happy Angry

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She waters the plants

Reading comprehension

1. What does Ana do every day?
2. What does she cut off?
3. Where does she sit when she finishes?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Ana has a small garden.
• She also cuts off dry leaves and picks pretty flowers.
• When she finishes, she sits on a bench and enjoys the sun.

Translate into English:

• Ana tiene un jardín pequeño.
• Riega las plantas todos los días.
• Está contenta con su jardín.

Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.

A2 | ELEMENTARY

Ana lovingly looks after her garden. Every morning, she waters the flowers and removes wilted leaves. She also plants new seeds and watches them grow. Sometimes, she picks aromatic herbs for cooking. After working, she sits to rest and listens to the birds singing. She loves gardening.

A2 | BÁSICO

Ana cuida su jardín con cariño. Cada mañana, riega las flores y elimina las hojas marchitas. También planta semillas nuevas y observa cómo crecen. A veces, recoge hierbas aromáticas para cocinar. Después de trabajar, se sienta a descansar y escucha el canto de los pájaros. Le encanta la jardinería.

🎵 She learned everything she knows at LecturaBilingue.com — the place where stories come alive. 🎵 Todo lo que sabe lo aprendió en LecturaBilingue.com, el lugar donde las historias cobran vida.

⏳ A2 | Past tense version Present → Past

La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.

Ana lovingly looked after her garden. Every morning, she watered the flowers and removed wilted leaves. She also planted new seeds and watched them grow. Sometimes, she picked aromatic herbs for cooking. After working, she sat to rest and listened to the birds singing. She loved gardening.

Cambios principales

looks after → looked after waters → watered removes → removed plants → planted watches → watched picks → picked sits → sat listens → listened loves → loved

🧠 A2 | Grammar point look after

Look after es un phrasal verb que significa cuidar de. En el texto: Ana looks after her garden.

look after + persona/cosa = cuidar de esa persona o cosa.

She looks after her garden. He looks after his dog. They look after the plants.

Ojo: aquí after forma parte del verbo. No traduzcas palabra por palabra como “mirar después”.

🔊 AUDIO A2

🇬🇧 English

Spoken

Song

🇪🇸 Español

Spoken

Song

A2 | Practice

Match – Quizlet

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Practice the Story — A2

Taking Care of a Garden

Vocabulary

• lovingly looks after her garden — cuida su jardín con cariño
• every morning — cada mañana
• waters the flowers — riega las flores
• removes wilted leaves — elimina las hojas marchitas
• plants new seeds — planta semillas nuevas
• watches them grow — observa cómo crecen

• picks aromatic herbs — recoge hierbas aromáticas
• for cooking — para cocinar
• after working — después de trabajar
• sits to rest — se sienta a descansar
• birds singing — canto de los pájaros
• loves gardening — le encanta la jardinería

Complete the sentence

Ana lovingly looks after her Every morning, she waters the She also plants new seeds and watches them After working, she sits to

Choose the correct answer

What does Ana do every morning? Choose She waters the flowers She paints the bench She cleans the window What does she plant? Choose Big trees New seeds Small stones What does she sometimes pick? Choose Aromatic herbs Old books Toys What does she listen to after working? Choose Cars in the street The birds singing The radio

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She waters the flowers

Reading comprehension

1. How does Ana look after her garden?
2. What does she remove from the plants?
3. What does she sometimes pick for cooking?
4. What does she do after working in the garden?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Ana lovingly looks after her garden.
• She also plants new seeds and watches them grow.
• After working, she sits to rest and listens to the birds singing.

Translate into English:

• Ana cuida su jardín con cariño.
• Cada mañana, riega las flores y elimina las hojas marchitas.
• A veces, recoge hierbas aromáticas para cocinar.

Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.

B1 | INTERMEDIATE

Ana has turned her garden into a lively space. Every week, she prunes the bushes and fertilizes the soil to keep the plants healthy. She enjoys watching seasonal flowers grow. She also grows tomatoes and basil for cooking. In the afternoons, she waters carefully and checks for pests. For her, gardening is therapeutic.

B1 | INTERMEDIO

Ana ha convertido su jardín en un espacio lleno de vida. Cada semana, poda los arbustos y fertiliza la tierra para mantener las plantas sanas. Disfruta viendo cómo crecen las flores de temporada. También cultiva tomates y albahaca para su cocina. Por las tardes, riega con cuidado y revisa si hay plagas. Para ella, la jardinería es terapéutica.

🎵 She learned everything she knows at LecturaBilingue.com — the place where stories come alive. 🎵 Todo lo que sabe lo aprendió en LecturaBilingue.com, el lugar donde las historias cobran vida.

⏳ B1 | Past tense version Present → Past

La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.

Ana had turned her garden into a lively space. Every week, she pruned the bushes and fertilized the soil to keep the plants healthy. She enjoyed watching seasonal flowers grow. She also grew tomatoes and basil for cooking. In the afternoons, she watered carefully and checked for pests. For her, gardening was therapeutic.

Cambios principales

has turned → had turned prunes → pruned fertilizes → fertilized enjoys → enjoyed grows → grew waters → watered checks → checked is → was

🧠 B1 | Grammar point has turned

Ana has turned her garden into a lively space usa present perfect: una acción ocurrió antes, pero su resultado sigue siendo importante ahora.

has/have + past participle → has turned, has changed, have learned.

Ana has turned the garden into a lively space. She has learned a lot.

Idea clave: no nos importa tanto decir cuándo ocurrió; nos importa el resultado que vemos ahora.

🔊 AUDIO B1

🇬🇧 English

Spoken

Song

🇪🇸 Español

Spoken

Song

B1 | Practice

Match – Quizlet

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Practice the Story — B1

Taking Care of a Garden

Vocabulary

• has turned her garden into — ha convertido su jardín en
• a lively space — un espacio lleno de vida
• every week — cada semana
• prunes the bushes — poda los arbustos
• fertilizes the soil — fertiliza la tierra
• keep plants healthy — mantener las plantas sanas
• seasonal flowers — flores de temporada
• watches them grow — viendo cómo crecen

• grows tomatoes — cultiva tomates
• grows basil — cultiva albahaca
• for cooking — para su cocina
• in the afternoons — por las tardes
• waters carefully — riega con cuidado
• checks for pests — revisa si hay plagas
• gardening is therapeutic — la jardinería es terapéutica

Complete the sentence

Every week, she prunes the bushes and fertilizes the She also grows tomatoes and basil for In the afternoons, she waters carefully and checks for For her, gardening is

Choose the correct answer

What has Ana turned her garden into? Choose A lively space A large farm A flower shop Why does she fertilize the soil? Choose To keep the plants healthy To make the garden bigger To keep the garden clean What does she grow for cooking? Choose Roses and tulips Tomatoes and basil Grass and trees How does Ana feel about gardening? Choose It is boring It is therapeutic It is too difficult

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She prunes the bushes

Reading comprehension

1. What does Ana do every week to keep her garden healthy?
2. What does she enjoy watching?
3. What does she grow for cooking?
4. Why is gardening important to her?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Ana has turned her garden into a lively space.
• Every week, she prunes the bushes and fertilizes the soil to keep the plants healthy.
• In the afternoons, she waters carefully and checks for pests.

Translate into English:

• Ana ha convertido su jardín en un espacio lleno de vida.
• También cultiva tomates y albahaca para su cocina.
• Para ella, la jardinería es terapéutica.

Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.

B2 | UPPER-INTERMEDIATE

Ana has become an expert gardener. She has learned to balance the amount of water and sunlight each plant needs. She grows vegetables and wildflowers, ensuring that the soil retains its nutrients. She enjoys harvesting fresh herbs to make herbal tea. She also uses natural methods to prevent pests without harming the ecosystem. For her, the garden is a sanctuary where she can relax and disconnect from daily stress.

B2 | INTERMEDIO ALTO

Ana se ha vuelto una experta en jardinería. Ha aprendido a equilibrar la cantidad de agua y luz que necesita cada planta. Cultiva hortalizas y flores silvestres, cuidando que el suelo mantenga sus nutrientes. Disfruta recolectando hierbas frescas para hacer infusiones. También utiliza técnicas naturales para evitar plagas sin dañar el ecosistema. Para ella, el jardín es un refugio donde puede relajarse y desconectar del estrés diario.

🎵 She learned everything she knows at LecturaBilingue.com — the place where stories come alive. 🎵 Todo lo que sabe lo aprendió en LecturaBilingue.com, el lugar donde las historias cobran vida.

⏳ B2 | Past tense version Present → Past

La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.

Ana had become an expert gardener. She had learned to balance the amount of water and sunlight each plant needed. She grew vegetables and wildflowers, ensuring that the soil retained its nutrients. She enjoyed harvesting fresh herbs to make herbal tea. She also used natural methods to prevent pests without harming the ecosystem. For her, the garden was a sanctuary where she could relax and disconnect from daily stress.

Cambios principales

has become → had become has learned → had learned needs → needed grows → grew retains → retained enjoys → enjoyed uses → used is → was can relax and disconnect → could relax and disconnect

🧠 B2 | Grammar point without + -ing

En without harming the ecosystem, después de without usamos el verbo terminado en -ing.

without + verb-ing = “sin hacer algo”.

without harming the ecosystem without using chemicals without wasting water

No: without harm cuando necesitas expresar una acción. Para “sin dañar”, usamos without harming.

🔊 AUDIO B2

🇬🇧 English

Spoken

Song

🇪🇸 Español

Spoken

Song

B2 | Practice

Match – Quizlet

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Practice the Story — B2

Taking Care of a Garden

Vocabulary

• expert gardener — experta en jardinería
• balance water and sunlight — equilibrar agua y luz
• each plant needs — que necesita cada planta
• grows vegetables — cultiva hortalizas
• grows wildflowers — cultiva flores silvestres
• soil retains nutrients — el suelo mantiene nutrientes
• fresh herbs — hierbas frescas

• make herbal tea — hacer infusiones
• natural methods — técnicas naturales
• prevent pests — evitar plagas
• harming the ecosystem — dañar el ecosistema
• the garden is a sanctuary — el jardín es un refugio
• relax and disconnect — relajarse y desconectar
• daily stress — estrés diario

Complete the sentence

Ana has become an expert She has learned to balance the amount of water and She enjoys harvesting fresh herbs to make herbal For her, the garden is a sanctuary where she can relax and disconnect from daily

Choose the correct answer

What has Ana learned to balance? Choose The amount of water and sunlight The number of seeds The garden tools What does she grow in her garden? Choose Vegetables and wildflowers Only trees Only fruit trees Why does she use natural methods? Choose Because they are cheaper To prevent pests without harming the ecosystem Because they work faster What is the garden for Ana? Choose An office A sanctuary A problem

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She uses natural methods

Reading comprehension

1. Why has Ana become an expert gardener?
2. What does she do to keep the soil healthy?
3. Why does she harvest fresh herbs?
4. Why is the garden a sanctuary for her?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Ana has become an expert gardener.
• She grows vegetables and wildflowers, ensuring that the soil retains its nutrients.
• She also uses natural methods to prevent pests without harming the ecosystem.

Translate into English:

• Ana se ha vuelto una experta en jardinería.
• Disfruta recolectando hierbas frescas para hacer infusiones.
• Para ella, el jardín es un refugio donde puede relajarse y desconectar del estrés diario.

Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.

C1 | ADVANCED

Ana sees her garden as a living laboratory. She experiments with different sustainable growing techniques, from composting to crop rotation. She spends time analyzing soil quality and understanding the impact of climate on her plants. She also designs spaces with pollinator-friendly flowers to attract bees. While tending to her garden, she reflects on the importance of preserving biodiversity in urban environments.

C1 | AVANZADO

Ana ve su jardín como un laboratorio vivo. Experimenta con distintas técnicas de cultivo sostenible, desde el compostaje hasta la rotación de cultivos. Dedica tiempo a analizar la calidad del suelo y a entender el impacto del clima en sus plantas. También diseña espacios con flores polinizadoras para atraer abejas. Mientras cuida su jardín, reflexiona sobre la importancia de preservar la biodiversidad en entornos urbanos.

🎵 She learned everything she knows at LecturaBilingue.com — the place where stories come alive. 🎵 Todo lo que sabe lo aprendió en LecturaBilingue.com, el lugar donde las historias cobran vida.

⏳ C1 | Past tense version Present → Past

La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.

Ana saw her garden as a living laboratory. She experimented with different sustainable growing techniques, from composting to crop rotation. She spent time analyzing soil quality and understanding the impact of climate on her plants. She also designed spaces with pollinator-friendly flowers to attract bees. While tending to her garden, she reflected on the importance of preserving biodiversity in urban environments.

Cambios principales

sees → saw experiments → experimented spends → spent designs → designed reflects → reflected

🧠 C1 | Grammar point spend time + -ing

En She spends time analyzing soil quality, usamos spend time + verbo en -ing para decir en qué actividad empleamos nuestro tiempo.

spend + time + verb-ing → pasar/dedicar tiempo haciendo algo.

She spends time analyzing the soil. He spends an hour reading. They spend the morning working.

Importante: después de la expresión de tiempo usamos -ing, no to + verbo.

🔊 AUDIO C1

🇬🇧 English

Spoken

Song

🇪🇸 Español

Spoken

Song

C1 | Practice

Match – Quizlet

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Practice the Story — C1

Taking Care of a Garden

Vocabulary

• living laboratory — laboratorio vivo
• sustainable techniques — técnicas sostenibles
• composting — compostaje
• crop rotation — rotación de cultivos
• soil quality — calidad del suelo
• impact of climate — impacto del clima

• on her plants — en sus plantas
• pollinator-friendly flowers — flores beneficiosas para los polinizadores
• attract bees — atraer abejas
• tending to her garden — mientras cuida su jardín
• preserving biodiversity — preservar la biodiversidad
• urban environments — entornos urbanos

Complete the sentence

Ana sees her garden as a living She experiments with different sustainable growing She also designs spaces with pollinator-friendly flowers to attract She reflects on the importance of preserving biodiversity in urban

Choose the correct answer

How does Ana see her garden? Choose As a playground As a living laboratory As a flower shop Which techniques does she experiment with? Choose Composting and crop rotation Painting and decorating Cooking and baking Why does she use pollinator-friendly flowers? Choose To attract birds To attract bees To attract butterflies only What does she reflect on while tending to her garden? Choose The importance of preserving biodiversity Her summer holidays Her neighbors' gardens

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She attracts bees

Reading comprehension

1. Why does Ana describe her garden as a living laboratory?
2. What does she study about the soil and the climate?
3. Why does she design spaces with pollinator-friendly flowers?
4. Why is biodiversity important in urban environments?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Ana sees her garden as a living laboratory.
• She experiments with different sustainable growing techniques, from composting to crop rotation.
• While tending to her garden, she reflects on the importance of preserving biodiversity in urban environments.

Translate into English:

• Ana ve su jardín como un laboratorio vivo.
• Dedica tiempo a analizar la calidad del suelo y a entender el impacto del clima en sus plantas.
• También diseña espacios con flores polinizadoras para atraer abejas.

Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.

C2 | PROFICIENT

Ana approaches gardening from an ecological and philosophical perspective. She considers how agricultural practices have evolved throughout history and how garden design can influence human well-being. She studies permaculture and applies regenerative principles to her small vegetable garden. While working the soil, she wonders how the connection with nature can transform the way people perceive the balance between progress and sustainability.

C2 | COMPETENTE

Ana aborda la jardinería desde una perspectiva ecológica y filosófica. Considera cómo las prácticas agrícolas han evolucionado a lo largo de la historia y cómo el diseño de jardines puede influir en el bienestar humano. Estudia permacultura y aplica principios regenerativos en su pequeño huerto. Mientras trabaja la tierra, se pregunta cómo la conexión con la naturaleza puede transformar la forma en que las personas perciben el equilibrio entre progreso y sostenibilidad.

🎵 She learned everything she knows at LecturaBilingue.com — the place where stories come alive. 🎵 Todo lo que sabe lo aprendió en LecturaBilingue.com, el lugar donde las historias cobran vida.

⏳ C2 | Past tense version Present → Past

La misma historia transformada al pasado. Los verbos que cambian aparecen destacados.

Ana approached gardening from an ecological and philosophical perspective. She considered how agricultural practices had evolved throughout history and how garden design could influence human well-being. She studied permaculture and applied regenerative principles to her small vegetable garden. While working the soil, she wondered how the connection with nature could transform the way people perceived the balance between progress and sustainability.

Cambios principales

approaches → approached considers → considered have evolved → had evolved can influence → could influence studies → studied applies → applied wonders → wondered can transform → could transform perceive → perceived

🧠 C2 | Grammar point the way + clause

En the way people perceive the balance…, the way + oración significa “la manera en que…”. Es una estructura muy útil para hablar de procesos, opiniones y cambios.

the way + sujeto + verbo → the way people perceive…, the way plants grow….

the way people perceive nature the way plants respond to climate

Ojo avanzado: en inglés estándar no necesitamos decir the way how people perceive…. Usa the way people perceive… o simplemente how people perceive….

🔊 AUDIO C2

🇬🇧 English

Spoken

Song

🇪🇸 Español

Spoken

Song

C2 | Practice

Match – Quizlet

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▶ Open the game on Quizlet

Practice the Story — C2

Taking Care of a Garden

Vocabulary

• ecological perspective — perspectiva ecológica
• philosophical perspective — perspectiva filosófica
• agricultural practices — prácticas agrícolas
• throughout history — a lo largo de la historia
• garden design — diseño de jardines
• human well-being — bienestar humano
• studies permaculture — estudia permacultura

• regenerative principles — principios regenerativos
• small vegetable garden — pequeño huerto
• working the soil — trabaja la tierra
• connection with nature — conexión con la naturaleza
• transform the way — transformar la forma
• perceive the balance — perciben el equilibrio
• progress and sustainability — progreso y sostenibilidad

Complete the sentence

Ana approaches gardening from an ecological and philosophical She considers how agricultural practices have evolved throughout She studies permaculture and applies regenerative People perceive the balance between progress and

Choose the correct answer

From what perspective does Ana approach gardening? Choose From an economic perspective From an ecological and philosophical perspective From an artistic perspective only What does she study and apply in her garden? Choose Chemistry and genetics Permaculture and regenerative principles Architecture and engineering What does she wonder while working the soil? Choose How the weather will change tomorrow How the connection with nature can transform perception How her neighbors design their gardens Which balance is mentioned at the end of the text? Choose The balance between beauty and money The balance between progress and sustainability The balance between speed and efficiency

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She studies permaculture

Reading comprehension

1. Why does Ana approach gardening from both an ecological and a philosophical perspective?
2. What historical and human factors does she reflect on?
3. How does she apply regenerative principles in her garden?
4. What broader idea does she question while working the soil?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Ana approaches gardening from an ecological and philosophical perspective.
• She considers how agricultural practices have evolved throughout history and how garden design can influence human well-being.
• While working the soil, she wonders how the connection with nature can transform the way people perceive the balance between progress and sustainability.

Translate into English:

• Ana aborda la jardinería desde una perspectiva ecológica y filosófica.
• Estudia permacultura y aplica principios regenerativos en su pequeño huerto.
• Mientras trabaja la tierra, se pregunta cómo la conexión con la naturaleza puede transformar la forma en que las personas perciben el equilibrio entre progreso y sostenibilidad.

Reading and translation are bonus practice and are not included in the score.