VOCABULARY.
=á ciegas, á ojos cegarritas=, blindly =agotar=, to drain, to exhaust =al amor de=, near, beside =aparentar=, to appear =basto=, common, inferior, coarse =de bien á mejor=, better and better =cabal=, upright, just =de cabo á rabo=, from top to bottom rom end to end =el efectivo=, the cash, the money =en efectivo, en metálico=, in cash =enterarse=, to get to know =escuchar=, to listen =esquela=, note =etiqueta=, rótulo, ticket, label =hombre llano=, sincere, rough-and-ready man =loza=, crockery =medida=, measurement =medrar=, to prosper *=ponerse á sus anchas=, to make oneself comfortable =porcelana=, china =quebranto=, mishap, misfortune, loss *=salir en=, to come up to =silla=, chair =solicitado=, sought after =un si es no es=, just a trifle *=venir á menos=, to come down in the world, to decline =vidriado=, glassware
EXERCISE 1 (87).
Translate into English—
1. Desde nuestra última revista no se puede decir que haya habido mucha variación en nuestro mercado aunque se nota algo más de firmeza y los precios aparentan ser un si es no es más caros.
2. Siempre solicitados los géneros bastos á precios baratos.
3. Entregué la esquela al anciano señor quien, sentado al amor del fuego, la leyó de cabo á rabo y, como hombre llano que es me dijo de buenas á primeras que no queriendo obrar á ciegas, daría su contestación en un par (couple) de días.
4. ¿Sabía V. que la casa Fernández había venido tan á menos?
5. No, no me había enterado, la tuve siempre por casa fabricante de loza, porcelana, y vidriado, cuyos negocios iban de bien á mejor.
6. Medraron al principio pero ya han decaído mucho.
7. Lo siento de veras. Es muy de deplorar porque el Sr. Fernández es hombre muy cabal.
8. Invirtió una porción de dinero en el ferrocarril aereo (overhead) de N.; eso también le causó algún quebranto.
9. Pobrecito, no le faltaba más (that was the last stroke).
10. ¡Qué[203] barato es esto!
[Footnote 203: Qué before an adjective = how. (Cuán can also be used.)]
EXERCISE 2 (88).
Translate into Spanish—
1. I would gladly accede to your request if it were in my power.
2. We are always impressing upon (llamando la atención de) our warehousemen the importance of marking the measurement on the tickets.
3. Besides being loose (fugitives) colours they are not half so (nada tan) bright as they should be.
4. They advertise profusely and from time to time they issue new illustrated catalogues.
5. Soon (cuanto antes) they will start (principiarán á) issuing them in foreign languages.
6. I never saw a better kept set of books (libros).
7. I was nearly caught in the India Rubber boom, but fortunately I managed to get off (pude librarme) without burning my fingers (cogerme los dedos).
8. Come here, my friend, and listen to me.
9. Here in England things are managed (se hacen) on a different basis altogether (de una manera enteramente distinta).
10. Take that chair there and make yourself comfortable.
11. How much do you require (le hace falta), £100?
12. About that.
13. I was afraid (que no) you were going to ask me for more and that would have drained all our available (que tenemos) cash.
14. How much will the packages come to?
15. Say (digamos) £100 averaging one with the other (calculando uno con otro).
LESSON XLV.
(Lección cuadragésima quinta.)
THE PREPOSITION.
One word should not be used in Spanish governed by two different prepositions, as—
He is an admirer of and a contributor to the "Times": Es admirador del
"Times" y colabora en ese periódico.
The man I spoke with and wrote to: El hombre con quien hablé y al cual escribí.
However, we find the same construction as in English in cases of antithesis, as—
Con ó sin él: With or without him.
El billete cuesta 20 pesetas desde ó hasta Madrid: The ticket is 20 ptas. from or to Madrid.
The Spanish Academy condemns this use, however.
As will have been noticed before, a preposition governing a word cannot be used after the word it governs, as—
The work[204] which I referred to: La obra á la cual referí.
[Footnote 204: Work, artistic, literary, scientific—"obra." Work, manual, or mental—"trabajo.">[
The preposition con followed by an infinitive translates the English "by," followed by the present participle—
Con enseñar se aprende: By teaching one learns.
The preposition desde refers to "distance of time or space," as—
He marchado desde mi casa: I walked from my house.
However, desde may be used instead of de before names of countries or cities—
Me escribieron desde Barcelona: They wrote me from Barcelona.
Para may be used together with con = "towards"—
Fué muy bueno conmigo, para mí, or para conmigo.
"En acabando[205] lo haré" has the meaning of "I shall do it as soon as I have finished."
[Footnote 205: En is the only preposition which may govern a pres. participle, generally with the meaning given above.]
We add the following idiomatic uses of Por and Para to what we said about these two prepositions in Lesson XXIX:
Por may translate "on behalf of," "for the sake of," "in favour of," "during," "through"—
Habló por el proyecto de ley: He spoke in favour of the bill.
Se presentó por la casa: He appeared on behalf of the firm.
Por la paz y buena armonía concedemos lo que V. pide: For the sake of
peace we allow what you ask.
Les sirvió por cinco años: He served them during five years.
Trabaja por la mañana: He works during (in) the morning.
Vino por París: He came through Paris.
Cotizar por un artículo: To quote for an article.
Yo por mí (or por mi parte) prefiero comprar al contado: I, for one,
prefer to buy for cash.
Por[206] rico que sea, no tendrá suficientes recursos: No matter how
rich he is, he will not have sufficient means.
Es demasiado avaro por ser tan rico: for such a rich man, he is too
miserly.
Caro por caro prefiero géneros ingleses: If I have to pay a dear price,
I prefer English goods.
Por sí ó por no: In any case, should it be so or not.
Ir (venir) por: To go (come) for.
Enviar por el médico: To send for the doctor.
Por holgazán perdió el empleo: He lost his employment through laziness.
Por bién ó por mal: Willy-nilly.
Vendré por la Navidad: I shall come by Christmas.
Por si acaso: In case that.
[Footnote 206: Por has always this meaning before an adjective or adverb.]
No sirve para más: He is good for nothing else.
Venir para la Pentecostés: To come for Whitsuntide.
Esto no es para menos: The thing (or occasion) is worth it.
Para español (or por ser español) es muy alto: He is very tall for a
Spaniard.
Tener grande consideración para este hombre: To have great respect for
this man.
Dar pedidos para ferretería, ollería, y maquinaría: To give orders for
ironware, hollow-ware and machinery.
Es demasiado avaro para ser tan rico: He is too miserly to be so rich.
Sin—"without"—
Poseía £10,000 sin los bienes raíces que heredó de su padre:
He owned £10,000 besides the real property he inherited from his father.
Según—"according to"—
Según y como: That depends.
So instead of bajo is used in the following expressions—
So capa de: Under the cloak of.
So pretexto de: Under the pretext of.
And in a few other such phrases.