Heath's Modern Language Series: Spanish Short Stories Part 26

2.{6-2} =me iba serenando=, _I was becoming calm_. Note the common use of _ir_ as an auxiliary verb with the present participle to form a progressive tense.

3.{6-3} =Acudio ... reflexion=, _I began to reflect_ (lit., _reflection came to me_).

4.{6-4} =Pensaria=; cf. page 2, note 3.

=Page 7.=--1.{7-1} =no ... hacer=, _nothing was left undone_.

2.{7-2} =larguisimo rato=; note the omission of the article in many adverbial phrases.

3.{7-3} =Que=; this expletive _que_ is usually omitted in translation, but here it may be rendered approximately by _why_.

=Page 8.=--1.{8-1} =a que ... saliese=, _until... went out_.

2.{8-2} =Me fije ... mas=, _I looked a little more closely_.

=Page 9.=--1.{9-1}cf. page 1, note 1.

=Page 10.=--1.{10-1} =tomaba y soltaba=, _he began and left off_.

2.{10-2} =deshaciendolos y pulverizandolos=, _murdering them_.

3.{10-3} =Il sogno beato di pace e contento=; the Italian words, put into Spanish, would be: _El sueno beato de paz y contento_.

4.{10-4} =La dolce memoria di un tenero amore= is, in Spanish: _La dulce memoria de un tierno amor_.

=Page 11.=--1.{11-1} Vincenzo Bellini (1802-35), a famous Italian operatic composer, the most popular of his time. _I Puritani_ (in Spanish, _Los Puritanos_) was his last, and his most popular work.

2.{11-2} =vengan ...=, _out with ..._ (lit., _let come ..._).

3.{11-3} =Al fin poeta!= _always a poet!_

=Page 12.=--1.{12-1} The =consumos= is the tax collected on food-stuffs (_consumos_) that are brought into a city. The system is that of a munic.i.p.al customs house. A part of the revenue derived from the tax on _consumos_ is kept by the city, and a part is turned over to the central government. Don Ramon and the other members of the commission sought to obtain a reduction of the part that had to be paid to the Spanish government.

2.{12-2} =hacia siete ... casado=, _I had been married fully seven years_. The imperfect is used, as the act or state still continued; cf.

H. F. _Gr._, -- 73.

=Page 14.=--1.{14-1} Cf. page 7, note 2.

=Page 15.=--1.{15-1} =somos los hombres=, _we men are_. The p.r.o.noun subject, followed by an appositional noun, is often omitted, the verb indicating the person and number.

2.{15-2} =fuese ... o=, _whether it was ... or_.

3.{15-3} =antes de que pasase=, _before I should pa.s.s_.

4.{15-4} =sin que viese=, _without my seeing_.

5.{15-5} =no me tenia miedo alguno=, _she was not at all afraid of me_.

=Page 16.=--1.{16-1} Cf. page 3, note 2.

2.{16-2} =Tan bien ... ermanita= = _Tambien usted me gusta a mi; no crea que juego con munecas: era de mi hermanita_. Note =ustez= (for _usted_).

The p.r.o.nunciation of final _d_ as _z_ is not uncommon in Madrid.

3.{16-3} =se oia llamar=, _she heard some one call her_.

4.{16-4} =el que la mama se enterase=, _if the mother had found it out_.

Note the def. art. introducing a subordinate clause.

5.{16-5} =la cabeza=, _her head_. Note the use of the definite article instead of the possessive adjective, before words denoting parts of the body.

=Page 17.=--1.{17-1} =Me llamo ... munecas= = _Me llamo Teresa. No crea usted por Dios que juego con munecas_.

2.{17-2} =lo era=; =lo= stands for =mas linda=.

3.{17-3} =me iba enamorando=; cf. page 6, note 2.

4.{17-4} =que ... menor=, _that my youngest son was_.

=Page 18.=--1.{18-1} =Tenia ... negocios=; note that the participle agrees with the direct object when the auxiliary is _tener_.

2.{18-2} =Que ... mona!= _what a pretty child!_

3.{18-3} =lo facil que=; see _lo ... que_, under _que_ (adv.), in Vocab.

4.{18-4} =alzarme ... cargo=, _take his place_ (as _alcalde_).

=Page 19.=--1.{19-1} =fuese=; the subject is =alcalde=.

2.{19-2} =Que habia de huir!= _why should I have to run away!_

3.{19-3} =se la he jugado a Manuel=. Here, as often, =la= is an indefinite p.r.o.noun. In this sentence it may be translated _a trick_.

4.{19-4} =que ... oye=, _that he almost heard me_. Note the use of the historical present.

=Page 20.=--1.{20-1} =solemos ... caballeros=; cf. page 15, note 1.

2.{20-2} =echandolo a broma=, _turning it into a jest_.

3.{20-3} =cuanto ... peor=, _the more one likes them, the worse it is_.

4.{20-4} =pero ... quieres!= _but if one loves, (one will do anything)!_

5.{20-5} =Estara?= _can he be?_ Cf. page 3, note 1.

6.{20-6} =todo ... cavilar=, _I pondered and pondered over it all_.

=Page 21.=--1.{21-1} =llega ... salgo= has the force of _hubiera llegado ... habria salido_. The pluperfect subjunctive and the conditional perfect are usually avoided in colloquial Spanish.

2.{21-2} =lleva=; cf. page 3, note 3.