VOCABULARY.
=adeudar=, to debit, to pay (duty) =atrasado=, in arrears, behind =ce por be=, with all particulars, minutely =chapas=, plates *=contar=, to count, to relate =discreto=, sensible, judicious, discreet =dispensar=, to excuse =echar á perder=, to spoil, to wreck =empeoramiento=, turn for the worse *=estar en poco de=, to be within an inch of =grano de anis=, a trifling matter *=hacer de las suyas=, to play one's pranks *=hacer el obsequio=, to do the favour =informe=, report =mandar buscar=, to send for =obligar=, to compel *=obtener=, to obtain, to bring about =pesado=, heavy =quehaceres=, occupations, business =reglamento=, regulation, bye-laws =remesa=, remittance, shipment =revista=, review =rodajas (de goma)=, rubber heels (revolving) =tacones (de goma)=, rubber heels (shaped) =taller=, workshop =tonto=, simpleton, foolish =tornillos=, screws
EXERCISE 1 (75).
Translate into English—
1. Yo mismo escribo al Sr. Mendoza para decirle que puede hacer sus pedidos á Vs. directamente pues, por mi parte no tengo inconveniente en que así se haga.
2. Si dicho Señor envía pedidos ¿hace falta avisarle á V.?
3. Sí, la hace, y les ruego tengan la bondad de decírmelo á fin de poner á Vs. en conocimiento de las condiciones en que deben hacerse las remesas, etc.
4. ¿Hace ocho días que Ilegó el informe de la comisión?
5. Creo que no los hace todavía.
6. Tengo los muestrarios aquí, voy á dárselos á V.
7. Se los voy á devolver en seguida.
8. Nuestro agente y los corresponsales arreglarán esto entre ellos (or entre sí).
9. Hace tres meses que no recibimos las revistas semanales de ese mercado, las hemos pedido continuamente y siempre en balde.
10. Nuestros aduaneros cobran todo el peso (charge full weight) por sus tacones y rodajas como si fuera goma solamente siendo así que vienen juntos con sus chapas y tornillos, cuyos hierros, claro es, no debían (deberían) adeudar el mismo derecho.
11. No sucedió nada de extraordinario para justificar su acción que en poco estuvo de echarlo todo á perder.
12. Hágame V. el obsequio de contármelo todo, pues no es ningún grano de anís.
13. Sentarse[188] pues y se lo contaré ce por be.
14. Dispense V. que le haya hecho esperar, tuve que despachar á mi chauffeur.
15. Es V. muy dueño, pero acuérdese V. que primero los quehaceres y después los placeres.
16. V. es hombre discrete y lo que es yo, soy un pobre ton to.
17. Vamos é ver de que se trata.
18. ¿Ha hecho V. alguna de las suyas?
[Footnote 188: Notice the Imperative Infinitive.]
EXERCISE 2 (76).
Translate into Spanish—
1. I regret having left the newspapers at the workshop, but I shall send for them.
2. He regretted the turn for the worse in the market which compelled him to request us to ask our friend for a guarantee.
3. English manufacturers are not asleep.
4. They have been asleep for many years but now they are wide awake (se han despertado bien) to the necessity of adopting up-to-date methods (modernos, á la altura de los tiempos) and adapting themselves to the requirements of the consumers.
5. Manufacturers are selling every day but usually (generalmente) in small lots.
6. Shirting makers want more money and find difficulty in getting it.
7. Dhooties (dhooties) and jacconets are now so well sold that producers (productores) will only book (aceptan órdenes) at good prices.
8. Heavy textiles (telas) are too stiff for general attention (demasiado firmes para atraer á los compradores) but makers are not hungry for (ansiosos de obtener) orders.
9. Indian business was barely (apenas) of normal dimensions (proporciones).
10. Will you set the books on that shelf (estante) and set (colocar) those papers in order?
11. The term you have set me (fijado) is too short.
12. They ought to set a (dar) good example.
13. He set about it (puso mano á la obra) at once.
14. Setting aside the (prescindiendo del) fact that he is behind with his payments, he does us great harm by running down (desacreditando) our goods.
15. Winter has set in (principiado) and heavy cloths are in great request.
16. I have set my mind on (me he decidido á) this venture.
17. A movement has been set on foot (iniciado) to bring about the revision of the bye-laws.
LESSON XXXIX.
(Lección trigésima nona.)
THE VERB.
All intransitive verbs in Spanish are conjugated with the auxiliary verb haber, as—
Ha venido: He has or is come.
A verb that governs an infinitive through a certain preposition, as—
Convenimos en hacerlo: We agreed upon doing it.
should drop the preposition when a finite verb follows.
N.B.—Many such verbs, however, may preserve the preposition even before a finite mood, as—
Convenimos que, or en que, lo hiciesen: We agreed that they should do it.
When the subject of a verb is a collective noun, the verb is placed in the singular (see Lesson XXXII for exception).
When a compound subject follows the verb, this may agree in number and person with the first subject only, as—
Nos ha llegado la circular y los impresos que la acompañaban: We received the circular and the printed matter which accompanied it.
The ambiguity between a Reflexive verb plural and a Reciprocal verb is avoided thus—
Se comprometen á sí (á sí mismos—emphatic): They commit themselves.
Se comprometen el uno al ótro, or los unos á los otros: They commit each other.
A Reflexive verb is that in which the second pronoun of the same person as the subject, is the direct object of the action, as—
Ellos se comprometen: They commit themselves.
But when the second pronoun stands for the indirect object, the verb is only intransitive pronominal, as—
Él se procuró un empleo: He procured for himself an employment.
=The Passive Voice=.
The Passive voice formed with ser occurs much less in Spanish than in
English.
When the "doer" is not expressed the active voice with se generally takes its place, as—
Los niños se aman or Se ama[189] á los niños: Children are loved.
[Footnote 189: Notice Sing. number.]
When the "doer" is mentioned the following construction is often used—
Á estos niños los aman sus padres: These children are loved by their parents.
The English present participle used substantively is rendered in Spanish by a noun or by the infinitive mood of the verb generally preceded by the definite article, as—
El cambio de las condiciones: The changing of the terms.
El cambiar las condiciones: The changing of the terms.
Su comunicación á las autoridades de la Aduana,
El escribir or el haber escrito él á las autoridades de la Aduana:
His writing to the custom-house authorities.
El vender á crédito á largos plazos no es un principio sano:
Selling on credit with long terms is not a sound practice.
Prefiero comprar disponible (or las compras de disponible):
I prefer spot buying.
=_The English gerund following "by" is translated by the gerund without preposition or by the infinitive preceded by con, as—_=
Depositando (or con depositar) sus acciones se puso en perfecta regla:
By depositing his shares, he put himself in order.
The Spanish verbal forms ending in ante and iente, as: Amante (lover), tratante (dealer), dependiente (clerk), etc., used to be termed "present participles," and the analogous forms "amando" (loving), "tratando" (treating), "dependiendo" (depending), etc., "gerunds," but this has now taken the place of both forms, used as verbs, and the forms in ante and iente are classed as other parts of speech, according to their meaning, as—
Amante de la música (adj.): Fond of music.
Un tratante en trigos (noun): A dealer in wheat.
Un dependiente de comercio (noun): A commercial clerk.
Durante la exposicion (prep.): During the exhibition.
Mediante su ayuda (prep.): By means of his help.
No obstante que vino (conj.): Notwithstanding his coming.
¡Corriente! (interj.): All right! done!
=Huir= (to flee).[190]
Pres. Indic., Huyo, huyes, huye … huyen. Pres. Subj., Huya, huyas, huya, huyamos, huyáis, huyan.
[Footnote 190: Model for all verbs ending in "uir" (with "u" sounded).]