Learn English with Fables

The Ant and the Grasshopper 🐜🎻

Aprende inglés con una fábula clásica de Esopo. Practica el pasado simple, el pasado continuo, preguntas, conectores narrativos y vocabulario.

Nivel recomendado A2–B1

Tema Trabajo y responsabilidad

Habilidades Reading, grammar y vocabulary

📖 The Story

One autumn day, some ants were busy drying the grain they had collected for the winter.

A hungry grasshopper came to them and asked for some food.

Surprised, the ants said: “What? Haven’t you collected any food for the winter? What were you doing all summer?”

“I didn’t have time to collect food,” replied the grasshopper. “I was too busy playing music.”

The ants shrugged their shoulders and said: “Making music, were you? Well then, now dance!”

Then they turned away from the grasshopper and continued their work.

Moral:
There is a time for work and a time for play.

Hay un momento para trabajar y un momento para divertirse.

🇪🇸 Traducción al español

Un día de otoño, unas hormigas estaban ocupadas secando el grano que habían recogido para el invierno.

Un saltamontes hambriento se acercó a ellas y les pidió algo de comida.

Sorprendidas, las hormigas dijeron: “¿Qué? ¿No has recogido comida para el invierno? ¿Qué estuviste haciendo durante todo el verano?”

“No tuve tiempo de recoger comida”, respondió el saltamontes. “Estuve demasiado ocupado tocando música”.

Las hormigas se encogieron de hombros y dijeron: “¿Tocando música, verdad? Bueno, entonces ahora baila”.

Después se alejaron del saltamontes y continuaron con su trabajo.

🧠 Grammar Focus

1. Past simple

Utilizamos el past simple para hablar de acciones terminadas en el pasado.

Subject + past verb

The grasshopper asked for food.
The ants said no.
They turned away.

collect → collected
ask → asked
reply → replied
turn → turned

say → said
have → had
come → came

2. Past continuous

Utilizamos el past continuous para describir una acción que estaba ocurriendo en un momento del pasado.

was / were + verb-ing

The ants were drying the grain.
The grasshopper was playing music.

What were you doing all summer?
¿Qué estabas haciendo durante todo el verano?

3. Past simple vs. past continuous

El pasado continuo describe una acción en progreso. El pasado simple presenta una acción que ocurrió y terminó.

The ants were working when the grasshopper came.
Las hormigas estaban trabajando cuando llegó el saltamontes.

4. Present perfect in questions

En la pregunta Haven’t you collected any food?, utilizamos el presente perfecto para preguntar por una acción que debería haberse completado antes del momento presente.

Have / has + subject + past participle?

Have you collected enough food?
¿Has recogido suficiente comida?

Haven’t you prepared for winter?
¿No te has preparado para el invierno?

5. Too + adjective

Too significa demasiado y se utiliza antes de un adjetivo.

too + adjective

I was too busy playing music.
Estaba demasiado ocupado tocando música.

It is too cold to work outside.
Hace demasiado frío para trabajar afuera.

6. Busy + verb-ing

Después de busy, podemos usar un verbo terminado en -ing.

The grasshopper was busy playing music.
The ants were busy preparing for winter.

7. Ask for

Ask for significa pedir algo.

The grasshopper asked for some food.
El saltamontes pidió algo de comida.

8. Some and any

Normalmente usamos some en oraciones afirmativas y any en preguntas y negativas.

The grasshopper asked for some food.
Haven’t you collected any food?
He didn’t have any food.

9. Continue + verb-ing

Después de continue, podemos usar un verbo terminado en -ing.

The ants continued working.
They continued drying the grain.

10. There is a time for...

Esta expresión se utiliza para decir que cada actividad tiene su momento apropiado.

There is a time for work and a time for play.
Hay un momento para trabajar y un momento para divertirse.

📚 Key Vocabulary

English	Español	Example
ant	hormiga	The ant was working hard.
grasshopper	saltamontes	The grasshopper played music.
grain	grano	The ants collected grain.
autumn	otoño	The story takes place in autumn.
winter	invierno	The ants prepared for winter.
to collect	recoger / recolectar	They collected food during summer.
to dry	secar	The ants were drying the grain.
hungry	hambriento	The grasshopper was hungry.
to shrug	encogerse de hombros	The ants shrugged their shoulders.
shoulder	hombro	She carried the bag on her shoulder.
to prepare	prepararse	We must prepare for winter.
responsibility	responsabilidad	Preparation requires responsibility.

💬 Useful Expressions

To be busy doing something

The ants were busy preparing for winter.
Las hormigas estaban ocupadas preparándose para el invierno.

To ask for something

The grasshopper asked for food.
El saltamontes pidió comida.

To shrug one’s shoulders

The ants shrugged their shoulders.
Las hormigas se encogieron de hombros.

To turn away

The ants turned away from the grasshopper.
Las hormigas se alejaron del saltamontes.

There is a time for...

There is a time for studying and a time for resting.
Hay un momento para estudiar y un momento para descansar.

🔎 Reading Comprehension

1. What were the ants doing?
2. Why did the grasshopper ask for food?
3. What did the ants ask the grasshopper?
4. What was the grasshopper doing during summer?
5. Did the ants give him food?
6. What is the moral of the story?

Ver las respuestas

1. They were drying the grain they had collected.
2. Because he was hungry.
3. They asked why he had not collected food for winter.
4. He was playing music.
5. No, they did not.
6. There is a time for work and a time for play.

✏️ Grammar Practice

Completa las oraciones con la forma correcta del verbo.

1. The ants the grain. (dry)
2. The grasshopper for some food. (ask)
3. What you doing all summer? (be)
4. He was too busy music. (play)
5. The ants their shoulders. (shrug)
6. They continued . (work)

Ver las respuestas

1. were drying
2. asked
3. were
4. playing
5. shrugged
6. working

🧩 Choose the Correct Option

1. The ants were preparing for / at winter.
2. The grasshopper asked for / to some food.
3. He was too busy playing / play music.
4. The ants continued working / worked.
5. The grasshopper did not collect some / any food.

Ver las respuestas

1. for
2. for
3. playing
4. working
5. any

🗣️ Speaking and Writing Practice

Responde en inglés:

1. Do you agree with the ants?
2. Was the grasshopper irresponsible?
3. Should the ants have helped him?
4. How do you balance work and free time?
5. Why is it important to prepare for the future?

Example:

I think the grasshopper should have prepared for winter. However, the ants could also have helped him and taught him an important lesson about responsibility.

📝 Write Your Own Summary

One autumn day, the ants were ____________________________.

The grasshopper came because ____________________________.

During summer, he had been ______________________________.

The ants decided to ____________________________________.

The moral of the story is _______________________________.

Final thought:

Enjoying life is important, but planning and responsibility help us face difficult moments. 🐜🎻