VOCABULARY.
=agricola=, agricultural =amontonar=, to pile up =apertura=, opening =bajar=, to lower, to go or come down =bonito=, pretty =comarca=, region, district (of a country) =detenidamente=, at length =duplicar=, to double, to duplicate =exigua=, slight, trifling =fábricas de algodón=, cotton mills =géneros alimenticios=, food stuffs =*hacer caso=, to take notice =hilador=, spinner =impuesto=, tax =(la) incertidumbre=, uncertainty =industria=, industry =legislatura=, parliamentary session =ligero=, light (adj.), slight, small =limitación=, curtailment =(la) luz=, light (n.) =*mantener=, to hold up, to maintain =mejora=, improvement =ministerio=, ministry =obligaciones=, debentures =olvidar=, to forget =para que=, so that =patria=, country, fatherland =preferible=, preferable =*prevalecer, reinar=, to prevail, to rule =subir=, to go or come up =tejedor=, weaver =timbre=, stamp =tomar la delantera á=, to take the start on. =trigo=, wheat =varios=, several =vinícola=, wine (adj.)
EXERCISE 1 (29).
Translate into English—
1. Alguien pretende que se duplicará el impuesto del timbre sobre las acciones y obligaciones de las compañías anónimas y que habrá algunos que protestarán enérgicamente.
2. Algo hay de eso y uno y otro partido político se interesan de la cuestión pero ni uno de los periódicos locales echa luz sobre las intenciones del ministerio.
3. Los demás proyectos de ley con ciertas modificaciones se presentarán (will be introduced) en esta misma legislatura, y cada uno se discutirá detenidamente.
4. Se anuncian varias empresas industriales en grande escala.
5. Cuanto se hace es poco cuando se piensa en lo que se debería hacer para que nuestros competidores no nos tomen la delantera.
6. Cualquiera echa de ver (can see) eso.
7. Cuantos hay que miran al verdadero interés de su patria deben olvidar sus propios intereses en favor del fomento de la industria vinícola y agrícola de esta comarca.
8. Cada casa tiene su sistema propio.
9. Yo no imito á Fulano, Zutano y Mengano, soy cauto y evito los riesgos.
10. Negocio papel extranjero, pero sólo letras bancarias, ó de firmas de primera clase y con dos endosos, nada más.
EXERCISE 2 (30).
Translate into Spanish—
1. Somebody thinks that the imports of food-stuffs will increase.
2. Some wheat buyers take little notice of the higher American cable advices (las subidas que se han telegrafiado desde América).
3. Weavers and spinners are all holding up their prices.
4. Each week shows an improvement.
5. We hear the same reports (noticias) from all quarters (partes).
6. Neither of these machines will suit (conviene á) our requirements.
7. We accept these bills but refuse the others.
8. Anybody who has his own interests at heart will contribute to the realisation of the scheme.
9. I did all I could (podía) so that nothing should be lost (no se perdiera nada).
10. Some say the market will go up, some say it will go down, and such is the position that one does not know (no sabe) what to do.
11. Anything is preferable to this uncertainty.
12. I have not seen anything so pretty before.
13. Mail advices (los anuncios por la mala) from America report an abnormal (anormal) curtailment of production in the United States Cotton Mills.
14. They cannot take the risk of piling up stocks when the demand is so slight (exigua).
15. Foreign Bourses.—Berlin. A weak tone ruled at the opening. During the later dealings (operaciones posteriores) a slight (ligera) improvement was noticeable (se observó).
LESSON XVI.
(Lección décima sexta.)
THE VERB.
The verb is a word by which we affirm something. It is the essential word in a sentence: without it (expressed or understood) no sentence can be construed.
Verbs are divided into Auxiliary, Transitive and Intransitive.
The Auxiliary verbs in Spanish are: Haber, Tener, Ser, Estar.
Haber is a true auxiliary because it helps to form compound tenses[112] but it presents the following peculiarities—
1. It is used as an impersonal verb (as well as the verb hacer which is given here for the sake of completeness) for expressions of time, as—
Dos años ha (or ha dos años) or hace dos años la exportación de los Caldos españoles estaba muy floreciente: Two years ago the exportation of Spanish wines and oils was very flourishing.
Ha dos años (or hace dos años) que la casa Guillermo Fernandez y Cía está establecida en La Coruña como Comisionistas: The firm, G.F. & Co., has been established in Corunna as Commission Agents these last two years.
¿Cuanto tiempo ha (or hace) que estudia V. el castellano? How long have you been studying Spanish?
[Footnote 112: The Past Part. following "haber" IS ALWAYS INVARIABLE.]
2. It is also used impersonally as "there to be" (French, "y avoir"), as—
Hay mucha pimienta, clavos, y canela en el mercado de Londres: There are much pepper, cloves, and cinnamon in the London market.
Sí, hubo muchas especias el año pasado también: Yes, there were many spices last year also.
Cuando estaba en El Cairo había miedo de que estallara algún motín: When
I was in Cairo there was the fear of some riots breaking out.
(N.B.—Impersonal verbs are only used in the 3rd pers. singular.)
In English we have "there is" and "there are," because "there to be" is not used impersonally, the meaning being, e.g., "a man is there"; "two men are there." In Spanish, however, haber is used impersonally and both "there is a man" and "there are two men" are translated "Hay un hombre," "Hay dos hombres."
It will be noticed that Haber used for "there to be" makes Hay instead of Ha for the present indicative. All its other tenses remain unchanged: había, hubo, habrá, habría, etc.
Hay que followed by an Infinitive (French "il faut"), it is necessary to …, as—
Hay que tener mucho cuidado: It is necessary to be very careful. I, you, etc., must be very careful.
Tener is generally a =principal= (viz., not an auxiliary) verb, used to denote possession; but it is used sometimes as an =auxiliary= instead of haber, as—
Tengo recibido su catálogo ilustrado y lista (or boletín) de precios: I have received your illustrated catalogue with price list.
Tenemos recibida[113] su apreciable carta de 20 del que rige (or del corriente): We have received your favour of the 20th inst.
¿Tiene V. recibidas las cotizaciones? Have you received the quotations?
Los presupuestos, que tenemos recibidos del Trapiche para nuestro
Ingenio de la Habana: The estimates which we have received for the Sugar
Mill for our Factory in Havana.
In all the preceding examples tener used instead of haber introduces an additional idea of "=possession=".
"He recibido su carta" might be followed, in Spanish, by "pero la he perdido" (but I have lost it). "Tengo recibida su carta" implies that the receiver holds it now.
[Footnote 113: The Past Part. following "tener" agrees in gender and number with the direct object.]
Sometimes this idea of possession is very distantly implied, as—
¿Qué me dice V.? tengo leído ese proyecto de Ley: What are you talking about? I have read that (Parliamentary) Bill.
Meaning that the effect of the reading is extant in the mind.
Colloquially the people will use tener for haber without any allusion to possession, but this should be avoided.