Cooking at Home – Bilingual English–Spanish Story, Audio & Grammar Practice (A1–C2)

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Vocabulary: cooking · kitchen · food · preparation

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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

Marta cooks pasta for dinner. She boils water in a pot and adds the pasta. Then, she cuts tomatoes and cheese. When the pasta is ready, she mixes everything on a plate. At the end, she sits down to eat and enjoys her meal.

A1 | PRINCIPIANTE

Marta cocina pasta para la cena. Hierve agua en una olla y pone la pasta. Luego, corta tomates y queso. Cuando la pasta está lista, mezcla todo en un plato. Al final, se sienta a comer y disfruta de su comida.

🎵 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.

Marta cooked pasta for dinner. She boiled water in a pot and added the pasta. Then, she cut tomatoes and cheese. When the pasta was ready, she mixed everything on a plate. At the end, she sat down to eat and enjoyed her meal.

Main changes

cooks→cooked boils→boiled adds→added cuts→cut is→was mixes→mixed sits down→sat down enjoys→enjoyed

🧠 A1 | Grammar point in / on

En el texto aparecen water in a pot y everything on a plate. Usamos in cuando algo está dentro de un recipiente y on cuando está sobre una superficie.

in + recipiente/espacio → dentro. on + superficie → encima.

water in a pot food on a plate milk in a glass

Truco: imagina si el objeto está “dentro” o “encima”. Eso suele ayudarte a elegir entre in y on.

🔊 AUDIO A1

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A1 | Practice

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Cooking at Home

Vocabulary

• cooks pasta — cocina pasta
• for dinner — para la cena
• boils water — hierve agua
• in a pot — en una olla
• adds the pasta — pone la pasta
• cuts tomatoes — corta tomates

• cuts cheese — corta queso
• the pasta is ready — la pasta está lista
• mixes everything — mezcla todo
• on a plate — en un plato
• sits down to eat — se sienta a comer
• enjoys her meal — disfruta de su comida

Complete the sentence

Marta cooks pasta for She boils water in a Then, she cuts tomatoes and At the end, she sits down to

Choose the correct answer

What does Marta cook? Choose Rice Pasta Soup What does she boil? Choose Milk Juice Water What does she cut? Choose Bread and ham Tomatoes and cheese Apples and bananas

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She boils water

Reading comprehension

1. What does Marta cook for dinner?
2. What does she put in the pot?
3. What does she do at the end?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Marta cooks pasta for dinner.
• She boils water in a pot and adds the pasta.
• At the end, she sits down to eat and enjoys her meal.

Translate into English:

• Marta cocina pasta para la cena.
• Luego, corta tomates y queso.
• Cuando la pasta está lista, mezcla todo en un plato.

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

A2 | ELEMENTARY

Marta decides to cook at home instead of ordering food. She boils water and adds salt before cooking the pasta. Meanwhile, she prepares a sauce with tomatoes, garlic, and basil. When finished, she sprinkles grated cheese on top. She sits down to dinner and is satisfied with her homemade dish.

A2 | BÁSICO

Marta decide cocinar en casa en lugar de pedir comida. Hierve agua y añade sal antes de cocinar la pasta. Mientras tanto, prepara una salsa con tomates, ajo y albahaca. Al terminar, espolvorea queso rallado por encima. Se sienta a cenar y está satisfecha con su plato casero.

🎵 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.

Marta decided to cook at home instead of ordering food. She boiled water and added salt before cooking the pasta. Meanwhile, she prepared a sauce with tomatoes, garlic, and basil. When finished, she sprinkled grated cheese on top. She sat down to dinner and was satisfied with her homemade dish.

Main changes

decides→decided boils→boiled adds→added prepares→prepared sprinkles→sprinkled sits down→sat down is→was

🧠 A2 | Grammar point instead of + -ing

En Marta decides to cook at home instead of ordering food, instead of significa “en lugar de”. Si después viene una acción, usamos el verbo en -ing.

instead of + verb-ing → instead of ordering, instead of buying, instead of eating.

She cooks instead of ordering. He walks instead of driving.

Ojo: no decimos instead of order ni instead of to order.

🔊 AUDIO A2

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A2 | Practice

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Cooking at Home

Vocabulary

• decides to cook — decide cocinar
• at home — en casa
• instead of ordering — en lugar de pedir
• boils water — hierve agua
• adds salt — añade sal
• before cooking — antes de cocinar

• prepares a sauce — prepara una salsa
• garlic and basil — ajo y albahaca
• sprinkles cheese — espolvorea queso
• grated cheese — queso rallado
• is satisfied — está satisfecha
• homemade dish — plato casero

Complete the sentence

Marta decides to cook at home instead of She boils water and adds Meanwhile, she prepares a sauce with tomatoes, garlic, and She is satisfied with her homemade

Choose the correct answer

Why does Marta cook at home? Choose Instead of ordering food Because she works in a restaurant Because a friend tells her to What does she prepare meanwhile? Choose A salad A sauce A dessert What does she sprinkle on top? Choose Black pepper Grated cheese Sugar

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She adds salt

Reading comprehension

1. Why does Marta decide to cook at home?
2. What ingredients are in the sauce?
3. How does she feel about her dish at the end?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Marta decides to cook at home instead of ordering food.
• Meanwhile, she prepares a sauce with tomatoes, garlic, and basil.
• She sits down to dinner and is satisfied with her homemade dish.

Translate into English:

• Marta decide cocinar en casa en lugar de pedir comida.
• Hierve agua y añade sal antes de cocinar la pasta.
• Al terminar, espolvorea queso rallado encima.

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

B1 | INTERMEDIATE

Marta enjoys preparing homemade meals. Today, she has decided to make pasta with tomato sauce. First, she sautés garlic and onion in olive oil. Then, she adds crushed tomatoes and lets the sauce simmer. Meanwhile, she cooks the pasta al dente. Before serving, she garnishes with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. She feels proud of her recipe.

B1 | INTERMEDIO

Marta disfruta preparando comidas caseras. Hoy ha decidido hacer pasta con salsa de tomate. Primero, sofríe ajo y cebolla en aceite de oliva. Luego, añade tomates triturados y deja que la salsa hierva a fuego lento. Mientras tanto, cocina la pasta al dente. Antes de servir, decora el plato con albahaca fresca y queso parmesano. Se siente orgullosa de su receta.

🎵 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.

Marta enjoyed preparing homemade meals. That day, she had decided to make pasta with tomato sauce. First, she sautéed garlic and onion in olive oil. Then, she added crushed tomatoes and let the sauce simmer. Meanwhile, she cooked the pasta al dente. Before serving, she garnished with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. She felt proud of her recipe.

Main changes

enjoys→enjoyed has decided→had decided sautés→sautéed adds→added lets→let cooks→cooked garnishes→garnished feels→felt Today→That day

🧠 B1 | Grammar point let + object + verb

En she lets the sauce simmer, let significa “dejar/permitir”. Después de let ponemos la persona o cosa y luego el verbo sin to.

let + objeto + verbo base → let the sauce simmer, let it cool, let him speak.

She lets the sauce simmer. Let it cool.

Importante: después de let no usamos to: ✓ let it cook, no ✗ let it to cook.

🔊 AUDIO B1

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B1 | Practice

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Cooking at Home

Vocabulary

• enjoys preparing — disfruta preparando
• homemade meals — comidas caseras
• has decided to make — ha decidido hacer
• tomato sauce — salsa de tomate
• sautés garlic and onion — sofríe ajo y cebolla
• olive oil — aceite de oliva

• adds crushed tomatoes — añade tomates triturados
• lets the sauce simmer — deja hervir a fuego lento
• cooks the pasta al dente — cocina la pasta al dente
• before serving — al servir
• garnishes with — decora con
• feels proud — se siente orgullosa

Complete the sentence

Today, she has decided to make pasta with tomato First, she sautés garlic and onion in olive Then, she adds crushed tomatoes and lets the sauce She feels proud of her

Choose the correct answer

What kind of meal does Marta enjoy preparing? Choose Homemade meals Frozen meals Street food What does she sauté first? Choose Garlic and onion Carrots and peppers Bread and cheese What does she use to garnish the dish? Choose Sugar and cinnamon Fresh basil and Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She adds crushed tomatoes

Reading comprehension

1. What has Marta decided to make today?
2. What ingredients does she use for the sauce?
3. Why does she feel proud at the end?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Marta enjoys preparing homemade meals.
• Then, she adds crushed tomatoes and lets the sauce simmer.
• Before serving, she garnishes with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

Translate into English:

• Marta disfruta preparando comidas caseras.
• Primero, sofríe ajo y cebolla en aceite de oliva.
• Se siente orgullosa de su receta.

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

B2 | UPPER-INTERMEDIATE

Cooking at home is one of Marta’s passions. She enjoys experimenting with new ingredients and improving her recipes. Today, she prepares fresh pasta from scratch, kneading the dough with flour and eggs. Then, she cooks a tomato sauce with spices and a touch of red wine. Before serving, she tastes the sauce and adjusts the seasoning. As she enjoys her meal, she reflects on how cooking allows her to be creative and relax.

B2 | INTERMEDIO ALTO

Cocinar en casa es una de las pasiones de Marta. Le gusta experimentar con nuevos ingredientes y mejorar sus recetas. Hoy prepara pasta fresca desde cero, amasando la masa con harina y huevos. Luego, cocina una salsa de tomate con especias y un toque de vino tinto. Antes de servir, prueba la salsa y ajusta los condimentos. Mientras disfruta de su comida, reflexiona sobre cómo la cocina le permite ser creativa y relajarse.

🎵 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.

Cooking at home was one of Marta’s passions. She enjoyed experimenting with new ingredients and improving her recipes. That day, she prepared fresh pasta from scratch, kneading the dough with flour and eggs. Then, she cooked a tomato sauce with spices and a touch of red wine. Before serving, she tasted the sauce and adjusted the seasoning. As she enjoyed her meal, she reflected on how cooking allowed her to be creative and relax.

Main changes

is→was enjoys→enjoyed prepares→prepared cooks→cooked tastes→tasted adjusts→adjusted reflects→reflected allows→allowed Today→That day

🧠 B2 | Grammar point allow + object + to + verb

El texto dice cooking allows her to be creative and relax. Con allow, indicamos que algo permite a una persona hacer una acción.

allow + persona + to + verbo → allows her to be, allows me to learn, allows them to work.

Cooking allows her to be creative. This tool allows me to work faster.

Compáralo con let: let her cook va sin to, pero allow her to cook sí lleva to.

🔊 AUDIO B2

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B2 | Practice

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Cooking at Home

Vocabulary

• one of her passions — una de sus pasiones
• enjoys experimenting — le gusta experimentar
• new ingredients — nuevos ingredientes
• improving her recipes — mejorar sus recetas
• fresh pasta — pasta fresca
• from scratch — desde cero

• kneading the dough — amasando la masa
• flour and eggs — harina y huevos
• a touch of red wine — un toque de vino tinto
• adjusts the seasoning — ajusta los condimentos
• reflects on — reflexiona sobre
• be creative and relax — ser creativa y relajarse

Complete the sentence

Cooking at home is one of Marta’s Today, she prepares fresh pasta from Before serving, she tastes the sauce and adjusts the Cooking allows her to be creative and

Choose the correct answer

What does Marta enjoy doing? Choose Experimenting with new ingredients Travelling to new cities Painting landscapes How does she make the pasta? Choose She buys it frozen She makes it from scratch She uses instant pasta What does she add to the sauce? Choose A glass of milk A touch of red wine A lot of butter

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She tastes the sauce

Reading comprehension

1. Why does Marta enjoy cooking at home?
2. How does she prepare the pasta today?
3. What does cooking allow her to do?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Cooking at home is one of Marta’s passions.
• Today, she prepares fresh pasta from scratch, kneading the dough with flour and eggs.
• As she enjoys her meal, she reflects on how cooking allows her to be creative and relax.

Translate into English:

• Cocinar en casa es una de las pasiones de Marta.
• Luego, cocina una salsa de tomate con especias y un toque de vino tinto.
• Antes de servir, prueba la salsa y ajusta los condimentos.

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

C1 | ADVANCED

For Marta, cooking is not just a necessity but a form of expression. She is passionate about creating balanced dishes, combining flavors and textures. Today, she experiments with homemade pasta, adjusting the dough’s hydration to achieve the perfect texture. Additionally, she infuses her sauce with fresh herbs to enhance the aroma. As she cooks, she realizes that gastronomy is a blend of science and art, where every detail influences the final result.

C1 | AVANZADO

Para Marta, cocinar no es solo una necesidad, sino una forma de expresión. Le apasiona crear platos equilibrados, combinando sabores y texturas. Hoy experimenta con pasta casera, ajustando la hidratación de la masa para lograr la textura perfecta. Además, infusiona su salsa con hierbas frescas para intensificar el aroma. Mientras cocina, se da cuenta de que la gastronomía es una mezcla de ciencia y arte, donde cada detalle influye en el resultado final.

🎵 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.

For Marta, cooking was not just a necessity but a form of expression. She was passionate about creating balanced dishes, combining flavors and textures. That day, she experimented with homemade pasta, adjusting the dough’s hydration to achieve the perfect texture. Additionally, she infused her sauce with fresh herbs to enhance the aroma. As she cooked, she realized that gastronomy was a blend of science and art, where every detail influenced the final result.

Main changes

is→was is passionate→was passionate experiments→experimented infuses→infused cooks→cooked realizes→realized influences→influenced Today→That day

🧠 C1 | Grammar point passionate about + -ing

En She is passionate about creating balanced dishes, la preposición about va seguida de un verbo en -ing cuando hablamos de una actividad.

be passionate about + verb-ing → sentir verdadera pasión por hacer algo.

She is passionate about creating. He is passionate about cooking. They are passionate about learning.

Regla útil: después de muchas preposiciones, como about, without o before, una acción suele aparecer en -ing.

🔊 AUDIO C1

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C1 | Practice

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Cooking at Home

Vocabulary

• not just a necessity — no solo una necesidad
• a form of expression — una forma de expresión
• passionate about — le apasiona
• balanced dishes — platos equilibrados
• flavors and textures — sabores y texturas
• experiments with — experimenta con

• homemade pasta — pasta casera
• the dough’s hydration — la hidratación de la masa
• perfect texture — textura perfecta
• infuses her sauce — infusiona su salsa
• science and art — ciencia y arte
• final result — resultado final

Complete the sentence

For Marta, cooking is not just a necessity but a form of Today, she experiments with homemade pasta, adjusting the dough’s Additionally, she infuses her sauce with fresh herbs to enhance the Gastronomy is a blend of science and

Choose the correct answer

What is cooking for Marta? Choose A form of expression A boring routine Only a job What does she adjust to achieve the perfect texture? Choose The oven temperature The dough’s hydration The plate decoration What does she realize while cooking? Choose That gastronomy is a blend of science and art That cooking is good exercise That food should come from abroad

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

She infuses her sauce

Reading comprehension

1. Why is cooking more than a necessity for Marta?
2. How does she try to achieve the perfect pasta texture?
3. What does she understand about gastronomy while cooking?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• For Marta, cooking is not just a necessity but a form of expression.
• Today, she experiments with homemade pasta, adjusting the dough’s hydration to achieve the perfect texture.
• As she cooks, she realizes that gastronomy is a blend of science and art, where every detail influences the final result.

Translate into English:

• Para Marta, cocinar no es solo una necesidad, sino una forma de expresión.
• Además, infusiona su salsa con hierbas frescas para intensificar el aroma.
• Mientras cocina, se da cuenta de que la gastronomía es una mezcla de ciencia y arte.

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

C2 | PROFICIENT

Marta approaches cooking with an almost philosophical mindset, analyzing how each ingredient contributes to the harmony of the dish. She reflects on the evolution of gastronomy and how culinary traditions shape cultural identity. Today, she prepares a dish inspired by classic Italian cuisine, adjusting the balance between acidity and sweetness in her tomato sauce. As she tastes her creation, she appreciates how food can tell stories and evoke emotions.

C2 | COMPETENTE

Marta aborda la cocina con un enfoque casi filosófico, analizando cómo cada ingrediente contribuye a la armonía del plato. Reflexiona sobre la evolución de la gastronomía y sobre cómo las tradiciones culinarias influyen en la identidad cultural. Hoy prepara un plato inspirado en la cocina italiana clásica, ajustando el equilibrio entre acidez y dulzura en su salsa de tomate. Mientras prueba su creación, aprecia cómo la comida puede contar historias y evocar emociones.

🎵 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.

Marta approached cooking with an almost philosophical mindset, analyzing how each ingredient contributed to the harmony of the dish. She reflected on the evolution of gastronomy and how culinary traditions shaped cultural identity. That day, she prepared a dish inspired by classic Italian cuisine, adjusting the balance between acidity and sweetness in her tomato sauce. As she tasted her creation, she appreciated how food could tell stories and evoke emotions.

Main changes

approaches→approached contributes→contributed reflects→reflected shape→shaped prepares→prepared tastes→tasted appreciates→appreciated can tell→could tell Today→That day

🧠 C2 | Grammar point reduced passive clause

En a dish inspired by classic Italian cuisine, inspired by... describe a dish. Es una forma reducida de una oración de relativo pasiva.

a dish that is inspired by Italian cuisine → a dish inspired by Italian cuisine.

a dish inspired by Italy a book written by Orwell food prepared at home

Idea clave: quitamos that is / which is y dejamos el participio pasado cuando el significado pasivo sigue estando claro.

🔊 AUDIO C2

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C2 | Practice

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Cooking at Home

Vocabulary

• approaches cooking — aborda la cocina
• philosophical mindset — enfoque filosófico
• each ingredient — cada ingrediente
• contributes to — contribuye a
• the harmony of — la armonía del
• reflects on — reflexiona sobre

• culinary traditions — tradiciones culinarias
• shape cultural identity — influyen en la identidad cultural
• inspired by — inspirado en
• classic Italian cuisine — cocina italiana clásica
• acidity and sweetness — acidez y dulzura
• evoke emotions — evocar emociones

Complete the sentence

Marta approaches cooking with an almost philosophical She reflects on the evolution of gastronomy and how culinary traditions shape cultural She adjusts the balance between acidity and sweetness in her tomato Food can tell stories and evoke

Choose the correct answer

How does Marta approach cooking? Choose As a daily routine With an almost philosophical mindset As a business strategy What do culinary traditions shape? Choose Cultural identity The weather City traffic What does she adjust in the sauce? Choose The oven temperature The balance between acidity and sweetness The color of the plate

Build the sentence

Tap the words in the correct order:

Food can tell stories

Reading comprehension

1. Why does Marta see cooking as more than just preparing food?
2. How does she connect gastronomy with cultural identity?
3. What does she appreciate about food while tasting her creation?

Translation practice

Translate into Spanish:

• Marta approaches cooking with an almost philosophical mindset, analyzing how each ingredient contributes to the harmony of the dish.
• She reflects on the evolution of gastronomy and how culinary traditions shape cultural identity.
• As she tastes her creation, she appreciates how food can tell stories and evoke emotions.

Translate into English:

• Marta aborda la cocina con un enfoque casi filosófico.
• Reflexiona sobre la evolución de la gastronomía y cómo las tradiciones culinarias influyen en la identidad cultural.
• Mientras prueba su creación, aprecia cómo la comida puede contar historias y evocar emociones.

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