VOCABULARY.
=agrupación=, group, muster =aislado=, isolated, hedged in =alcalde=, mayor =arreglo amistoso=, friendly understanding =capataz=, foreman =carta de naturaleza=, certificate of naturalization =cifras=, figures *=dar pasos=, to take steps =dedicarse=, to devote oneself =derechos protectores=, protective duties =diputación= provincial, provincial council =elaborar=, to elaborate =genio=, temper =inquietarse=, to feel uneasy *=no tenerlas todas consigo=, to feel uneasy *=irse en rodeos=, to beat about the bush =labor indígena=, native labour =pequeñeces=, trifling matters =perspectivas=, prospects =plan=, plan[192] (idea) =proyecto=, project, scheme =repasar=, to go through =resultado=, result =(de) resultas de=, in consequence of, as a result of =vecino=, inhabitant, ratepayer[193] =vuelta de correo (á), (by) return of post
[Footnote 192: Plan, sketch = "Plano.">[
[Footnote 193: Vecino = ratepayer who has acquired certain rights after a certain period of residence.]
EXERCISE 1 (79).
Translate into English—
1. Las leyes de España declaran: Son españoles todas las personas nacidas en territorio español, los hijos de padre ó madre españoles aunque hayan nacido fuera de España, y los extranjeros que hayan obtenido del Gobierno Español carta de naturaleza, ó sean vecinos de cualquier pueblo de España.
2. Añaden que los extranjeros pueden establecerse y dedicarse libremente á sus profesiones en territorio español; pero ningún extranjero puede ejercer en España cargo alguno que represente autoridad.
3. Los miembros del Concejo ó cabildo ó ayuntamiento ó corporación municipal se llaman Concejales ó regidores.
4. En España el alcalde de Madrid es nombrado libremente por el Gobierno; el alcalde de las localidades cuya población no baje de 6,000 habitantes es nombrado por el Gobierno de entre los concejales, los demás alcaldes son nombrados por el voto de su compañeros concejales.
5. Los cargos concejiles son gratuitos.
6. La Diputación Provincial es la agrupación de los varios municipios de cada provincia, y se reúne dos veces al año en la capital de la provincia.
EXERCISE 2 (80).
Translate into Spanish—
1. The foreman is grateful for his master's kindness.
2. The Director is elaborating a bold scheme for establishing, in a foreign country hedged in by protective duties, a factory worked by native labour under an English manager (gerente) and experienced English instructors.
3. If this plan reaches concretion (se verifica) he will be going abroad shortly, when he will find that his agents will be taking already the preliminary steps.
4. The Director himself is coming towards us, he will tell you more about it.
5. I am going to attend to several trifling matters which however want looking after (hay que cuidar).
6. Whenever (siempre que) I decided on (he decidido) a thing, I have always acted on my decision (la he puesto en ejecución).
7. I tell you if I had a larger stock, I should feel rather uneasy at (con) the prospects of the market.
8. Come and see me to-morrow at my office and we shall come (llegaremos) to a friendly understanding without beating about the bush.
9. He told me the figures did not compare well with (no eran buenas en comparación de) those of last year.
10. Please go through the accounts again and tell me the result by return of post.
11. Short reckonings make long friends (las cuentas claras y el chocolate espeso).
12. He lost money as a result of his bad temper.
LESSON XLI.
(Lección cuadragésima primera.)
THE VERB (contd.).
Ser and Estar. Such expressions as "Smoking is prohibited," etc., are translated either "Es prohibido fumar" or "Está prohibido fumar." Both translations are grammatically correct ("Está prohibido fumar" is the general expression in this particular case).
If we say "Es prohibido fumar," we are referring to the "doer" of the action: "Es prohibido por la ley, por la policia, por los jefes, etc., etc."—a case of passive voice.
If we say "Está prohibido fumar" we have no "doer" in our mind, but only the thing itself = a case of "a condition of things" resulting from the action (the prohibition).
=EXAMPLE—=
El fumar es prohibido por el jefe, por esto está prohibido fumar en nuestro despacho: Smoking is prohibited by our employer (viz., our employer prohibits smoking), therefore it is not allowed in our office.
The above example is given for the sake of illustration by contrast; in practice, of course, such oddities are avoided.
The English expressions, "It is I, you, he, we, they, who …" must be rendered in Spanish by "Soy yo, es V., somos nosotros, etc., quien or quienes …"; i.e., the English impersonal "it is" must be made personal in Spanish.
We said that verbs may have a different government in the two languages, as—
Colgar de un clavo: To hang on a nail.
Entrar en una casa: To enter a house.
This, one of the points for which rules cannot be laid, belongs to the idiom of the language, and practice is the only master (see Appendix V for a list of the most conspicuous differences) In reading, together with the meaning of a verb, ascertain its government.
Some peculiarities of Spanish verbs—
Acabar de, followed by an infinitive, translates the English "to have just," followed by a past participle, as—
Acaba de flotarse una sociedad: A company has just been floated.
Acertar á, followed by an infinitive, translates "to happen," as—
Acertaron á pasar cuando ella estaba asomada á la ventana: They happened to pass when she was looking out of the window.
Acertó a ser viernes aquel día: That day happened to be a Friday.
Alegrarse de, Celebrar—"to be glad to," "to rejoice at."
Me alegro mucho de la noticia; Celebro mucho la noticia: I am glad of the news.
(Before an infinitive de is omitted after "alegrarse," as: Me alegro decirle: I am glad to tell you.)
Caber (see Lesson XXX) is used figuratively in many locutions—
No cabe en nosotros tal acción: We are not capable of such an action.
No cabe en sí de gozo: He is beside himself with joy.
Le cupo el premio gordo: it was his lot or luck to get the chief prize.
No se puede saber lo que le cabrá á uno en suerte: One cannot know what one's lot will be.
Esta tela es de calidad que no cabe más: This cloth is perfection itself.
No caber en sí: To be puffed up with pride.
=Ir= (to go).
Pres. Part., Yendo.[194] Pres. Indic., Voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. Pres. Subj., Vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan. Imper. Mood, Ve … vayamos or vamos … Imperf. Indic., Iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban. Past Def. Indic., Fuí, fuiste, fué, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron.
[Footnote 194: No word in Spanish commences with "ie." Hence the change into "ye.">[
=Oir= (to hear).
Pres. Indic., Oigo.
Salir (to go out).
Pres. Indic., Salgo. Pres. Subj., Salga, salgas, salga, salgamos, salgáis, salgan. Imp. Mood, Sal . . . Fut. Indic., Saldré, saldrás, saldrá, saldremos, saldréis, saldrán.