The Lion and the Man

Learn English with Fables

The Man and the Lion 🦁👨

Aprende inglés con una versión ampliada de esta fábula clásica. Practica narración en pasado, comparativos, voz pasiva, condicionales y expresiones útiles.

Nivel recomendado B1–B2

Tema Perspectiva y superioridad

Habilidades Reading, grammar y vocabulary

📖 The Story

Once upon a time, a man was walking through a forest. He met a friendly lion who was travelling in the same direction, so the two decided to continue their journey together.

The unusual companions talked about many things along the road. However, after some time, their conversation became competitive.

Both the man and the lion believed that their own kind was superior in intelligence and strength.

“We use tools and weapons to make our lives better,” said the man. “Therefore, humans are clearly the smartest and strongest creatures.”

“Nonsense,” replied the lion. “I can leap a great distance in a single second, and my claws and teeth are feared throughout the world.”

Their argument continued until they came across an old statue covered with plants. The statue showed Heracles wrestling the Nemean Lion. The two travellers silently examined it.

“That settles the argument,” said the man. “The statue proves that even the king of beasts can be defeated by the strength of a man.”

After a brief pause, the lion replied calmly:

“A man created that statue. Had it been made by a lion, I imagine that it would tell a very different story.”

Moral:
A story often reflects the perspective of the person who tells it.

Una historia suele reflejar la perspectiva de la persona que la cuenta.

🇪🇸 Traducción al español

Había una vez un hombre que caminaba por un bosque. Allí conoció a un león amistoso que viajaba en la misma dirección, por lo que ambos decidieron continuar juntos.

Los inusuales compañeros hablaron de muchas cosas durante el camino. Sin embargo, después de un tiempo, la conversación se volvió competitiva.

Tanto el hombre como el león creían que su propia especie era superior en inteligencia y fuerza.

“Utilizamos herramientas y armas para mejorar nuestras vidas”, dijo el hombre. “Por eso, los seres humanos son claramente las criaturas más inteligentes y fuertes”.

“Tonterías”, respondió el león. “Puedo saltar una gran distancia en un solo segundo, y mis garras y dientes son temidos en todo el mundo”.

La discusión continuó hasta que encontraron una vieja estatua cubierta de plantas. La estatua mostraba a Heracles luchando contra el León de Nemea. Los dos viajeros la observaron en silencio.

“Eso resuelve la discusión”, dijo el hombre. “La estatua demuestra que incluso el rey de las bestias puede ser derrotado por la fuerza de un hombre”.

Después de una breve pausa, el león respondió con calma:

“Un hombre creó esa estatua. Si hubiera sido hecha por un león, imagino que contaría una historia muy diferente”.

🧠 Grammar Focus

1. Past continuous

Usamos el past continuous para describir acciones que estaban ocurriendo en un momento del pasado.

was / were + verb-ing

The man was walking through the forest.
The lion was travelling in the same direction.

The man was walking when he met the lion.
El hombre estaba caminando cuando conoció al león.

2. Past simple and past continuous

El pasado continuo muestra una acción en progreso, mientras que el pasado simple presenta una acción que ocurrió en ese momento.

The man was walking through the forest when he met the lion.
El hombre estaba caminando por el bosque cuando encontró al león.

3. Both...and

La estructura both...and significa tanto...como.

Both the man and the lion believed that their own kind was superior.
Tanto el hombre como el león creían que su propia especie era superior.

4. Comparative and superlative adjectives

Los comparativos sirven para comparar dos elementos.

adjective + -er + than

strong → stronger than
smart → smarter than
brave → braver than

The man believed humans were stronger than lions.
El hombre creía que los humanos eran más fuertes que los leones.

Los superlativos se usan para hablar del nivel máximo dentro de un grupo.

the + adjective-est

Humans are the smartest creatures.
Lions are among the strongest animals.

5. Modal verb: can

Can expresa capacidad en el presente.

subject + can + base verb

The lion can leap a great distance.
El león puede saltar una gran distancia.

Después de can, el verbo permanece en su forma base.

He can leap. ✅
He can leaps. ❌

6. Passive voice

La voz pasiva se utiliza cuando queremos destacar la acción o el resultado.

subject + be + past participle

The statue was created by a man.
The lion’s claws are feared throughout the world.

Active: A man created the statue.
Passive: The statue was created by a man.

7. Come across

Come across es un phrasal verb que significa encontrar algo inesperadamente.

The travellers came across an old statue.
Los viajeros encontraron inesperadamente una vieja estatua.

8. Had it been...

La frase Had it been made by a lion es una forma formal de expresar el tercer condicional.

Had + subject + past participle, subject + would have + past participle

Had it been made by a lion, it would have told a different story.
Si hubiera sido hecha por un león, habría contado una historia diferente.

La misma frase puede escribirse con if:

If it had been made by a lion, it would have told a different story.

9. Would be + verb-ing

En la frase it would be telling a different story, utilizamos una forma condicional continua.

would be + verb-ing

A lion’s statue would be telling a different story.
Una estatua hecha por un león estaría contando una historia diferente.

10. Their own

Own se utiliza para enfatizar que algo pertenece a una persona o grupo determinado.

They viewed the world through the lens of their own kind.
Veían el mundo a través de la perspectiva de su propia especie.

11. Actions speak louder than words

Esta expresión significa que las acciones muestran mejor las verdaderas intenciones que las palabras.

The man and the lion continued travelling together. Their actions spoke louder than their words.
Sus acciones hablaron más fuerte que sus palabras.

📚 Key Vocabulary

English	Español	Example
companion	compañero	The lion became the man’s travelling companion.
direction	dirección	They were travelling in the same direction.
competitive	competitivo	The conversation became competitive.
superior	superior	Each believed that his own kind was superior.
weapon	arma	Humans use tools and weapons.
claw	garra	The lion had powerful claws.
to leap	saltar	The lion could leap a great distance.
overgrown	cubierto de vegetación	They found an overgrown statue.
likeness	representación / semejanza	The statue was a likeness of Heracles.
to wrestle	luchar cuerpo a cuerpo	Heracles was wrestling the lion.
to survey	observar detenidamente	They silently surveyed the statue.
to dominate	dominar	The man believed humans dominated lions.
to retort	replicar / responder	The lion retorted calmly.
point of view	punto de vista	Every story reflects a point of view.
lens	lente / perspectiva	We see the world through our own lens.

💬 Useful Expressions

Once upon a time

Once upon a time, a man met a lion in a forest.
Había una vez un hombre que encontró a un león en un bosque.

To take a competitive turn

Significa que una conversación o situación comienza a convertirse en una competencia.

Their friendly conversation took a competitive turn.
Su conversación amistosa tomó un tono competitivo.

To come across something

They came across an old statue.
Encontraron inesperadamente una vieja estatua.

That settles it

Se utiliza cuando alguien considera que una discusión o decisión ya está resuelta.

“The statue proves my argument. That settles it.”
“La estatua demuestra mi argumento. Eso lo resuelve”.

Point of view

The meaning of the statue depends on the artist’s point of view.
El significado de la estatua depende del punto de vista del artista.

Actions speak louder than words

People may say many things, but actions speak louder than words.
Las personas pueden decir muchas cosas, pero las acciones hablan más fuerte que las palabras.

🔎 Reading Comprehension

1. Where did the man meet the lion?
2. Why did they decide to travel together?
3. What did the man say made humans superior?
4. How did the lion defend the superiority of lions?
5. What did the statue show?
6. Why did the lion question the meaning of the statue?
7. What is the central lesson of the story?

Ver las respuestas

1. The man met the lion in a forest.
2. They were travelling in the same direction.
3. He said humans used tools and weapons.
4. He mentioned his ability to leap and his powerful claws and teeth.
5. It showed Heracles wrestling the Nemean Lion.
6. Because the statue had been created by a human.
7. A story may change depending on who tells or represents it.

✏️ Grammar Practice

Completa las oraciones con la forma correcta de las palabras entre paréntesis.

1. The man through the forest when he met the lion. (walk)
2. Both the man the lion believed they were superior. (connector)
3. The man believed humans were than lions. (intelligent)
4. The statue by a man. (create)
5. The travellers an old statue. (come across)
6. Had the statue been made by a lion, it a different story. (tell)

Ver las respuestas

1. was walking
2. and
3. more intelligent
4. was created
5. came across
6. would have told

🧩 Choose the Correct Option

1. The man and the lion were travelling in / at the same direction.
2. The conversation became competitive / competition.
3. The lion said he could leap / could leaped a great distance.
4. The statue was created / creating by a man.
5. Had a lion made it, it would have told / will tell a different story.

Ver las respuestas

1. in
2. competitive
3. could leap
4. created
5. would have told

🗣️ Speaking and Writing Practice

Responde las siguientes preguntas en inglés:

1. Do you agree with the man or the lion?
2. Can art represent only one side of a story?
3. Why is it important to consider different perspectives?
4. Can the winners influence how history is remembered?
5. Have you ever changed your opinion after hearing another point of view?

Example:

I agree with the lion because the statue represented the human point of view. If a lion had created the sculpture, the scene might have been very different. This story teaches us to question who is presenting the information.

📝 Write Your Own Summary

Once upon a time, a man __________________________________.

He met a lion who ________________________________________.

They argued about ________________________________________.

Later, they found ________________________________________.

The man believed _________________________________________.

However, the lion explained ______________________________.

The moral of the story is ________________________________.

Final thought:

Before accepting a story as the complete truth, consider who created it, whose voice is missing and what another perspective might reveal. 🦁📖✨