ACTO ÚNICO
Comedor de una casa modesta. Aparador en el fondo; mesa en el centro, debajo de la cual se ve un felpudo. Á la izquierda un brasero con lumbre; sillas, etc. Es de noche.
ESCENA PRIMERA
doña paula, carmen y juan. Doña Paula y Carmen sentadas junto al brasero, leyendo cada una un periódico. Juan, sentado junto á la mesa del centro, escribe.
Paula.—¡Oh! ¡Qué bien habla este hombre! Oye...
oye...
Juan.—(¡No me dejarán acabar hoy!)
Paula (Leyendo).—«Yo acato y respeto á la autoridad
del presidente, pero repito por centésima vez que la 5
administración pública está perdida en España, perdida,
señores diputados...»
Carmen.—Y tiene mucha razón.
Juan.—(¡Por vida de la política!)
Paula (Leyendo).—«¿Y á qué se debe esto? Á que 10
los destinos públicos no han sido desempeñados nunca
por hombres de verdadero mérito, de reconocida probidad
y honradez, sino por ineptos, por paniaguados de
los señores ministros, de los caciques de los partidos, ó
de los asquerosos mercaderes de la política.»—«Murmullos 15
en la mayoría.»
Carmen.—¿Qué mayoría? Á todos comprenden
esos calificativos.
Juan.—(Perdonadlas, Señor, no saben lo que dicen.)
Paula.—Oye, oye. (Lee.) «Arrojemos á esos mercaderes
del templo de la Nación, como fueron arrojados 5
aquellos otros del templo de Dios, y nos encontraremos
limpios de polilla.»
Carmen.—¡Bravo!
Paula.—«Es tan grande en este momento el ruido
que se produce en la Cámara, que nos impide seguir 10
oyendo al joven orador.»
Carmen.—¡Ah! ¿Es joven?...
Paula.—Y por lo visto, un joven de provecho.
Carmen.—Si yo fuera gobierno le daba una cartera
á ese diputado. 15
Paula.—Y yo otra.
Juan.—¡Ea! Y si yo fuera ustedes me ocuparía en
zurcir los calcetines; ó me iría á leer á otra habitación...
porque así es imposible trabajar.
Paula.—¡Qué grosero es tu marido! 20
Juan.—¡Señora!
Carmen.—Si no trabajaras en domingo, como no
tienes obligación, no te sucedería eso.
Juan.—¡Claro! Si no trabajara no había caso.
Paula.—No he visto hombre más trabajador que tu 25
marido, y á quien menos le luzca el trabajo.
Juan.—¡Qué remedio!...
Carmen.—Tiene razón mamá. Métete en política,
conspira, ó dedícate á negocios y sube como suben otros.
Juan.—Ya vivimos en piso cuarto; me parece que 30
he subido bastante.
Paula.—¡Quita de ahí! ¡Tú no serás nunca nada
ni servirás para el caso!
Juan.—Conforme para lo que sea.
Carmen.—¿Qué ha de ser éste? Escribiente en el
ministerio de Hacienda con cinco mil reales de sueldo, 5
como hace catorce años.
Juan.—Esa antigüedad demuestra que soy un hombre
honrado y probo.
Paula.—Eso lo que demuestra, es que eres un tonto.
Juan.—Gracias. 10
Carmen.—Un bobo que no ha sabido aprovecharse
de las circunstancias.
Juan.—Bueno; sea lo que ustedes quieran, pero
déjenme al menos trabajar un rato.
Paula.—¡Trabajar!... ¿Y qué es lo que trabajas, 15
vamos á ver?
Carmen.—Eso; ¿qué es lo que trabajas?
Juan.—Estoy poniendo en limpio una minuta del jefe.
Paula.—¡Poniendo en limpio! Para eso sirves tú,
para ser el mozo de la oficina, para limpiar lo que otros 20
ensucian.
Juan.—¡Señora!
Carmen.—Para llevar el peso de todo, mientras que
los que cobran grandes sueldos se pasean ó conspiran
en provecho propio. 25
Juan.—Señora: poner en limpio una minuta es copiar
en letra clara y correcta una nota del jefe.
Paula.—¡Claro! Como que la mayor parte de los
jefes no saben escribir.
Carmen.—Lo que dice ese diputado: son paniaguados 30
de los
ministros.
Juan.—En fin: ¿me hacen ustedes el favor de dejarme
concluir?
Carmen.—¡Ay! Si yo hubiera sabido para lo poco
que tú servías, no me caso contigo.
Juan.—(¡Ay! ¿Por qué no lo supo?) 5
Paula.—Ni yo consiento en semejante unión.
Juan.—Ni yo hubiera tenido una suegra tan...
amable como usted.
Paula.—Parece que lo dices con retintín.
Juan.—Lo digo como lo siento, señora. 10
Carmen.—No haga usted caso.
Paula.—¿Cómo que no haga caso?
Juan.—(¡Adiós! ¡El diluvio!)
Paula.—Ha de saber tu marido que debe considerarse
muy honrado con haber entrado en una familia 15
como la nuestra. Somos nobles por los cuatro costados.
Juan.—(¡Y sin una peseta!)
Paula.—¿Lo duda usted?
Juan.—No, señora.
Paula.—Y si hoy, por circunstancias de la vida, no 20
nos vemos muy desahogados, nos han envuelto en ricos
pañales, y mi familia ha levantado siempre su cabeza,
aun en presencia de los magnates.
Juan.—No lo dudo, señora, pero...
Paula.—Déjeme usted en paz, mamarracho. 25
Juan.—Gracias.
Carmen.—Tiene razón mamá, tú debes considerarte
honradísimo con haberte casado conmigo.
Juan.—¿Quién lo duda, mujer, quién lo duda?
Paula.—¡Como si mi hija no hubiese tenido más pretendientes30
que usted!
Juan.—Vaya, con permiso de ustedes me voy á
escribir á otra habitación. (Recoge los papeles.)
Paula.—Vaya usted enhoramala.
Juan.—Gracias, señora, gracias. (¡Por vida de mi
debilidad de carácter!) (Vase.) 5
ESCENA II
doña paula y carmen
Paula.—Tú tienes la culpa. Si le hubieras dicho á
tu marido que con cinco mil reales de sueldo, y lo poc
que le dejó su tío el extremeño, no era posible establecer
una familia como la nuestra, no sucedería esto.
Carmen.—¡Es verdad; pero de habérselo advertido 10
antes, no se hubiera casado conmigo!
Paula.—¿Y qué? No te hubieran faltado proporciones
mejores.
Carmen.—¡Llevábamos ya tantos desengaños!
Paula.—Pues mételo en algo; haz que sea algo... 15
hazlo... cualquier cosa, mujer, hazlo, cualquier cosa.
Carmen.—¡Si tiene un carácter tan débil que no
sirve para nada!
Paula.—¡Ay! Si yo llevara pantalones y tu marido
enaguas... 20
Carmen.—Ó yo.
ESCENA III
dichas y luisa
Luisa.—Pues señor, he estado una hora en el balcón
y ése no parece, ni viene por lo visto.
Paula.—¡Otro que bien baila!
Luisa.—Y me he quedado helada. (Se sienta al
brasero.)
Paula.—Ya verás cuando venga como le hablo yo
claro. Hace tres meses que estáis en relaciones, y herrar
ó quitar el banco. Tú ya no estás para perder el tiempo. 5
Que se case con mil diablos.
Luisa.—No, mamá, con mil diablos no; basta que
se case conmigo.
Paula.—Bueno; pero que se decida de una vez.
Carmen.—Si es que ésta no sabe. Yo no tuve relaciones 10
con Juan más que el tiempo preciso para arreglarlo
todo.
Paula.—Y aun eso es mucho.
Luisa.—Sí; pero no vayan ustedes por querer darle
prisa á hacer que se escame. 15
Paula.—¿Cómo que se escame? ¿Y qué más
puede desear él? ¿Qué es el tal Felipe? Un músico,
un pianista sin lecciones, que porque obtuvo un premio
en el Conservatorio ya se cree más músico que
Metternich. 20
Luisa.—No, mamá, si Metternich no fué músico.
Paula.—Bueno; pues Metternach, es igual.
Carmen.—Tiene razón mamá; la solfa da poca
grasa á los garbanzos.
Paula.—Más cuenta te hubiese tenido hacerle caso 25
al teniente de casa de las de González.
Luisa.—¡Toma! Ya le hice todo el caso posible,
pero cuando se enteró que no teníamos un real, se llamó
andana y me dejó plantada.
Paula.—¿Y quién le dijo á él que no teníamos un 30
real?
Luisa.—Las de González, sin duda.
Carmen.—¡Envidiosas! Como ellas no han podido
casarse, y ya son jamonas...
Paula.—¿Qué han de casarse con aquellas narices
que parecen mangas de riego? Y eso que se han pasado 5
la vida dando reuniones para ver si enganchaban á
alguno.
Luisa.—¡Ah! Á propósito; ¿han leído ustedes en
La Correspondencia que esta noche dan una reunión?
Paula.—¡Cómo! ¿Reciben los González y no nos 10
han convidado?
Carmen.—¡Qué grosería!
Luisa.—Aquí, aquí lo dice: (Coge «La Correspondencia»
y lee.) «Mañana,» que es hoy, «inauguran sus
reuniones de invierno los señores de González, para cuya 15
fiesta han invitado á sus numerosos amigos.»
Carmen.—No hay duda.
Paula.—¿Y no nos han convidado á nosotras?
¡Qué grosería!
Carmen.—Serán otros González. 20
Luisa.—Yo le preguntaré á Felipe; él es amigo y
debe saberlo.
Paula.—Ellos serán, los muy...
ESCENA IV
dichos y felipe
Felipe.—Muy buenas noches, señoras.
Luisa.—(¡Él!) 25
Paula.—Buenas noches.
Felipe (Saludando).—Carmencita, ¿y don Juan?
Carmen.—Bueno; por allá dentro.
Luisa.—¡Buena hora de venir!
Felipe.—Vida mía, he tenido que hacer.
Luisa.—No sé qué.
Felipe.—Probar un piano que quiere comprar un 5
discípulo, y cuyas teclas no marchaban bien.
Luisa.—Sí; tú siempre tienes alguna tecla que tocar
para excusarte.
Felipe.—No seas maliciosa.
Paula.—Á propósito, Felipe, ¿tiene usted noticia de 10
si los González reciben esta noche?
Felipe.—Más que noticia, tengo una invitación.
Por eso vengo ya vestido para no tener que volver á casa
é ir con ustedes desde aquí.
Luisa.—¿Con nosotras? ¡Estás fresco! 15
Felipe.—¿Qué? ¿Acaso no las han invitado á
ustedes?
Paula.—¿Cómo que no? ¡Pues no faltaba más!
Estamos invitadas desde hace ocho días.
Felipe.—Entonces... 20
Paula.—Pero no vamos; á mí me duele mucho la
cabeza.
Carmen.—Y á mí.
Luisa.—Y á mí.
Felipe.—¡Caracoles! ¡Esta casa es un hospital! 25
¡Ah! Tal vez el tufo del brasero...
Paula.—Sí; puede.
Felipe.—He oído decir á un médico amigo, que el
brasero es una cosa muy malsana.
Carmen.—¡Bah! Nuestros antepasados no tenían 30
otro fuego.
Felipe.—Por eso se han muerto todos.
Luisa.—¿De modo que no yendo nosotras, supongo
que tampoco irás tú?
Felipe.—Hija... estoy comprometido á presentar
á un amigo; y además á tocar el piano para que bailen. 5
Luisa.—Eso es; pues que lo toque otro.
Felipe.—Ya cuentan conmigo.
Luisa.—Bueno; ¿y por dar gusto á esos cursis de
González, me has de disgustar á mí?
Felipe.—Mujer, yo creí... 10
Paula.—Tiene razón la niña; un joven que está en
relaciones y en relaciones tan formales como las de usted
con mi hija, no se pertenece, ni puede comprometerse á
nada sin contar con su futura.
Felipe.—Pero considere usted que hay 15
compromisos...
Carmen.—No le hubiera yo consentido á Juan semejantes
libertades.
Luisa.—Ni yo á éste... Si quieres ir... hemos
concluído. 20
Felipe.—Pero mujer...
Paula.—Tiene razón Luisa. Todo Madrid sabe
con la frecuencia que visita usted esta casa, y por lo
tanto, deducen lo próxima que está la boda.
Felipe.—(¡Caracoles!) 25
Paula.—Y eso de que en vísperas de casarse vaya
usted á un baile, mientras nosotras nos quedamos en
casa, ha de chocar á todo el mundo.
Felipe.—Pero, doña Paula, yo no he dicho que pensaba
casarme en seguida. 30
Paula.—¡Cómo es eso! ¿Trata usted, por ventura,
de entretener á mi hija, de ponernos en ridículo y de
abusar de nuestra bondad y confianza?
Felipe.—¡Señora!
Paula.—Esa conducta es indigna de un caballero; y
sepa usted que en esta casa hay hombre que pueda pedir 5
á usted una satisfacción.
Carmen.—¡Ya lo creo que se la pedirá!
Felipe.—Pero señora, ¿qué he dicho yo desde el
primer día?
Paula.—Lo que sin duda no pensaba usted cumplir. 10
Felipe.—¿Yo?
Luisa.—No; no se altere usted. Éste busca sin
duda un pretexto para concluir, y como á mí no me
duelen prendas... Puede usted ir á ese baile y á donde
le acomode. (Llorando.) 15
Paula.—Incluso á... ¡Qué barbaridad! ¡Lo que
iba á decir!
Felipe.—¡Pero señora!
Paula.—¡Ay, ay!... ¡Agua!... ¡Agua!...
Luisa.—Por Dios, mamá... 20
Felipe.—Pero ¿qué motivo hay para esto?
Carmen.—Usted es la causa de todo.
Felipe.—(¡Cáspita!)
Luisa.—¡Infame! Toma, mamá; toma. (La da
agua.) 25
Felipe.—Pero, por Dios, doña Paula...
Carmen.—¡Jesús!... ¡Está sin sentido!
Felipe.—Aflójela usted el corsé.
Paula.—¿Cómo es eso? ¿Quiere usted que me aflojen el corsé en su
presencia? 30
Felipe.—¡Señora!...
Paula.—¡Desvergonzado! ¿Para eso le he abierto
á usted las puertas de mi casa? Si cuando yo os decía
que sus intenciones no eran buenas...
Felipe.—(¡Demonio!...)
Luisa.—¡Infame! 5
Paula.—Puede usted marcharse cuando quiera.
Carmen.—Y ya irá Juan á entenderse con usted.
Luisa.—Eso es: á pedir á usted una satisfacción.
Felipe.—Pero vamos á ver: ¿qué ha pasado aquí? 10
Paula.—Usted lo dirá.
Felipe.—¿Que no les parece á ustedes bien que vaya
á esa reunión no yendo Luisa?
Luisa.—Claro.
Felipe.—Pues bien; no voy. 15
Luisa.—¿De veras?
Paula.—No; si por nosotras puede usted ir donde
le acomode.
Felipe.—Nada; no voy, no señora. Pero tendré
que ir á avisar al amigo que había citado, y al propio 20
tiempo escribir á los González para que busquen otro
que toque el piano.
Paula.—¿Y para qué avisar? Que toque el dueño
de la casa si quiere.
Felipe.—¡Si don José no es pianista! 25
Paula.—Bien ¿y qué?
Felipe.—Vaya, voy en un vuelo á avisar á ese
amigo, y vuelvo en seguida.
Luisa.—Pero no tardes.
Felipe.—No. ¿Están ustedes contentas? 30
Paula.—No hace más que lo que debe.
Felipe.—Ya lo sé, señora. (¡Caracoles, en la que
me he metido!)
Luisa.—Y múdate de ropa, porque si no, voy á creer
que vas después.
Felipe.—Bueno, mujer. 5
Luisa.—Adiós, vidita.
Felipe.—Adiós. (¡Caspitina! ¡Qué familia!) (Vase.)
ESCENA V
doña paula, carmen, luisa y después juan
Luisa.—¡Qué bueno es!
Paula.—Eso es: así estropeáis á los hombres con
llamarlos buenos. ¿Qué sería de vosotras sin mí? Al 10
hombre hay que tratarlo á puntapiés y sin consideración
ninguna para que nos respete. ¡Parece mentira que
hayáis estado á mi lado en vida de vuestro padre!
Luisa.—Pero, en fin, ha renunciado á ese baile por mí. 15
Carmen.—¿Qué más puede hacer?
Paula.—No haberse comprometido con esas cursis
de González sin haberlo consultado antes con nosotras.
¡Una familia que no se acuerda de invitarnos á una
reunión! ¡Unos trapisondistas que porque han hecho 20
dinero, no se sabe cómo, y por lo tanto de mala manera,
se dan más tono que el señor de Rodrigo en la horca!
¡Unos mamarrachos!
Juan.—¡Hola! ¿Hablan ustedes de los señores de
González? 25
Paula.—Sí, señor; hablamos de esos... trapisondistas.
Á menos tendría yo en ir á su casa.
Juan.—¡Ah! ¿Ya saben ustedes que dan una reunión
y no las han convidado?
Carmen.—Lo cual es una grosería.
Paula.—Pero que me complace en extremo. Así
me evitan el trabajo de contestarles que no admito su 5
convite.
Juan.—¡Ah! ¿No iban ustedes de todos modos?
Paula.—¿Nosotras? No podemos frecuentar semejante
sociedad.
Carmen.—Tiene razón mamá. 10
Juan.—Muchísima. Y como la veo á usted en
terreno muy firme y pensando muy cuerdamente por
primera vez en su vida...
Paula.—¡Caballero!...
Juan.—Permítame usted que la haga justicia. 15
Paula.—Yo he pensado siempre como ahora.
Juan.—Bueno; pues ya no tengo inconveniente en
decirle que acabo de recibir en este momento el convite
de los señores de González. (Sacando un papel.)
Paula.—¡Eh!... 20
Carmen.—¿El convite?
Luisa.—¿El convite para esta noche?
Juan.—Sí; con una nota muy expresiva, excusándose
de haberlo mandado tan tarde.
Paula.—¿Á ver? (Lo toma.) 25
Luisa.—¡Qué gusto!
Carmen.—Si no podía ser otra cosa.
Juan.—Pero como no han de ir ustedes, de todos
modos...
Luisa.—¿Eh? 30
Paula.—¡Oh! ¡Qué finura! Oíd, oíd lo que dice
Isabel de su puño y letra. (Leyendo.) «Si esta invitación,
que por un error llega tarde á ustedes, no les basta,
irá mi marido en persona á rogarles no falten á esta su
casa.»
Luisa.—¡Qué amabilidad! 5
Carmen.—¿Quién se niega?
Juan.—Nosotros por supuesto.
Paula.—¡Qué hemos de negarnos, hombre! ¡Pues
no faltaba más!
Juan.—¡Señor, Señor! ¡Éste es el mundo! 10
Paula.—Y como yo sé lo que me debo á mí misma,
iremos á ese baile.
Juan.—¡Ésta es la sociedad!
Carmen.—- Y tú también vendrás.
Juan.—¿Yo? 15
Paula.—¡Ya lo creo! Te conviene tratar á las
gentes, si has de llegar á ser algo alguna vez.
Carmen.—Y frecuentar la sociedad.
Paula.—Ahí tienes el ejemplo de González, que no
era nada, y ahora es todo un... 20
Juan.—¡Señora!... ¡Por las once mil vírgenes!
Paula.—Nada, nada, iremos.
Luisa.—¡Qué gusto! ¡Y el pobre Felipe que se
habrá quitado el frac!
Paula.—Pues se lo vuelve á poner, ¿qué más 25
quiere?
Luisa.—Claro: ha de tocar el piano para que
bailemos.
Paula.—Y que no puede dejar de ir.
Luisa.—Y que nadie toca como él. 30
Juan.—(Otra víctima como yo.)
Luisa.—Á mí me hacen falta guantes largos
de catorce botones.
Paula.—Es verdad; y á mí horquillas.
Carmen.—Y á mí polvos de arroz, y el abanico que
está á componer. 5
Paula.—Nada; éste va en un vuelo y lo trae todo.
Juan.—Pero señora, ¿y no los llamó usted cursis
y trapisondistas y...?
Paula.—¿Y qué tenemos nosotras que ver con lo
que inventan las gentes? Vamos, anda; guantes, horquillas 10
y polvos de arroz.
Juan.—(Y una soga para ahorcarme.)
Luisa.—Los guantes de catorce botones y color lila,
¿sabes?
Juan.—Ese color, sin pedirlo, me lo dan á mí en 15
cuanto me vean entrar en la tienda.
Paula.—Bueno; vamos, que tenemos que peinarnos
todavía, que no tardes, ¿eh? (Vanse doña Paula y
Luisa.)
Juan.—En seguida. (¡Por vida de mi carácter!) 20
ESCENA VI
carmen y juan
Juan.—Tu madre está dejada de la mano de Dios.
Carmen.—¡Dale con mi madre! Á tí no te parece
bien nada de lo que hace mi madre.
Juan.—Como que nada de lo que hace tiene sentido
común. 25
Carmen.—¡Juan, Juan!... Calla, y ve á comprar
todo eso.
Juan.—¿Á comprar? Pero ¿tú crees que yo fabrico
dinero?
Carmen.—No empecemos.
Juan.—Bueno; sea lo que quieras. ¡Ah! Pero yo
no puedo ir á esa reunión. 5
Carmen.—¿Por qué?
Juan.—Á menos que te tomes el trabajo de cortar
cuatro dedos de largo de mi pantalón negro.
Carmen.—¿Ahora?
Juan.—Ahora. El otro día, al entrar en la oficina 10
después del duelo de D. Andrés, me preguntaron los
compañeros si había comprado el pantalón en el Rastro,
y si el difunto era mayor. Como que tiene cola el
tal pantalón.
Carmen.—¿Y vas tú á presumir acaso? 15
Juan.—Una cosa es presumir, y otra no ir en ridículo.
Carmen.—Bueno; pues mañana se corta.
Juan.—Bueno; pues que se suspenda ese baile hasta
mañana.
Carmen.—¿Cómo se entiende? Tú vas á esa reunión 20
y llevas el pantalón como está.
Juan.—Considera que se ríen de tu marido.
Carmen.—¡Bah! Déjame en paz.
Juan.—Pero considera...
Carmen.—Ve á paseo. (Sale.) 25
ESCENA VII
juan, después luisa
Juan.—Al Congo me iría yo con tal de no veros.
Cualquiera se casa, sí señor, y se encuentra con una
mujer más ó menos buena; pero con una. Yo me he
casado con tres... y cada una de ellas es un grupo...
de fieras. ¡Ay! ¿Por qué me ha dado Dios tan poca
energía?
Luisa.—¡Calle!... ¿Aún estás aquí? 5
Juan.—¿Qué? ¿Habéis pensado por ventura no ir
á casa de González?
Luisa.—¿No ir? ¡Pues no faltaba más!
Juan.—¿Sí? Pues si tenéis empeño en que yo os
acompañe, me vas á hacer un favor. 10
Luisa.—¿Qué favor?
Juan.—Cortar mi pantalón cuatro dedos.
Luisa.—¿Yo? Pero hombre, ¿tú crees que yo no
tengo otra cosa que hacer que ocuparme de tu pantalón?
Juan.—Si es un momento. 15
Luisa.—Déjame en paz, y córtalo tú si quieres.
¡Vaya con el hombre! (Vase.)
Juan.—Gracias, mujer, gracias. Ésta también hará
feliz á su marido. ¡Ah! Mi suegra ha dicho muchas
veces que tiene afición á la ropa de hombre. Si por uno 20
de esos fenómenos extraños en ella quisiera complacerme...
Debe de estar en su cuarto. Probemos. (Sale.)
ESCENA VIII
felipe, después juan
Felipe.—¡Ea! Ya estoy de vuelta. ¿No hay nadie?
¡Esperaré! Me parece que he hecho mal en ceder;
pero á doña Paula le da un soponcio por mí; Carmen me 25
amenaza con su marido, y Luisa con concluir las relaciones...
¿Concluir? Quizás esto me conviniera.
Don Juan no parece muy feliz, y quién sabe si me espera
á mí igual suerte.
Juan (Saliendo con unos pantalones negros en la mano).—Nada;
me ha mandado á escardar cebollinos. ¡Qué
remedio! Lo voy á cortar yo y mañana se cose. 5
Felipe.—Hola, señor don Juan.
Juan.—Hola, víctima... digo, compañero de fatigas
sin glorias.
Felipe.—¿Compañero?
Juan.—Hombre, en cuanto se case usted; yo ya lo 10
estoy.
Felipe.—¡Ah! (Pues señor, me casan sin remedio.)
Juan.—Con permiso de usted, ¿eh? (Extendiendo
el pantalón sobre una
mesa.)
Felipe.—¿Va usted á quitar alguna mancha? 15
Juan.—No; á quitar paño que le sobra á este
pantalón.
Felipe.—¿Usted? ¿No hay mujeres en la casa?
Juan.—No; aquí no hay mujeres, son fieras.
Felipe.—¿Eh? 20
Juan.—Es decir; hago una honrosa excepción. (Me
conviene no escamarlo.)
Felipe.—Luisa, ¿eh?
Juan.—Por supuesto, Luisa, que es un modelo de
bondad y de... mansedumbre. 25
Felipe.—Ya me lo parecía á mí.
Juan.—Pues es usted listo. En fin, cásese usted con
ella, que va usted bien.
Felipe.—¿Cree usted?...
Juan.—Cuando le digo á usted que es un modelo... 30
Felipe.—Pero, sin duda ¿la madre?...
Juan.—¿Mi suegra? ¡Quiá! Después de todo, es
una infeliz. Tiene un carácter... pero no pasa de
ahí.
Felipe.—¿De dónde?
Juan.—De ahí; de... Estoy por aconsejarle á usted 5
que se la lleve cuando se case.
Felipe.—¿Á la suegra? ¡Caracoles!
Juan.—No; si eso no es suegra... eso es... una
madre, una... Yo tendría un sentimiento muy grande;
pero llévesela usted si tiene empeño. 10
Felipe.—No, ninguno.
Juan.—Bueno; pues nos la podemos repartir á
temporadas.
Felipe.—¿Á temporadas?
Juan.—Por ejemplo: puede pasar con usted doce 15
meses del año y el resto conmigo.
Felipe.—Eso es: ó lo contrario.
Juan.—También. El año entero con usted, y lo que
quede conmigo.
Felipe.—Ya hablaremos de eso. 20
Juan.—(Éste se la ha olido.) Vaya, ya está esto.
(Por el pantalón.) Mañana lo cosen para que no se
deshilache. Lo dejaré aquí hasta que vuelva. (Lo deja
sobre la silla.)
Felipe.—¿Á dónde están esas señoras? 25
Juan.—Ahora saldrán. ¿Usted también va de baile?
Felipe.—Iba; pero como se han empeñado en que
no vaya...
Juan.—¿Y no va usted, yendo la novia?
Felipe.—¡Cómo! ¿Van al baile? 30
Juan.—¡Ya lo creo!
Felipe.—¡Demonio! Y me han hecho escribir
excusándome...
Juan.—¿Sí? Pues como no piensen otra cosa van
á casa de González.
Felipe.—¡Por vida!... Eso es jugar conmigo y no 5
me he casado todavía.
Juan.—¡Oh! Eso es ahora; pero en casándose se
cuadra usted.
Felipe.—Ya lo creo que me cuadraré.
Juan.—Vaya; voy á comprar unas friolerillas. 10
Felipe.—¡Después que me he quitado el frac!
Juan.—Con tal que tenga usted los pantalones bien
puestos...
Felipe.—¡Quiá, hombre! Si se me están cayendo;
son anchos. 15
Juan.—¿Su sastre de usted es profeta?
Felipe.—No; es García.
Juan.—Lo mismo da. (¡Pobre chico!) (Vase.)
ESCENA IX
felipe, después doña paula
Felipe.—Después que me hacen escribir pretextando
un fuerte dolor de muelas y rogándoles que busquen 20
otro que toque el piano... salimos con que van ellas.
No; pues conmigo no se juega.
Paula.—¡Hola! Pronto ha dado usted la vuelta.
Felipe.—¡Claro! Como que por lo visto no había
necesidad de la salida. 25
Paula.—¡Ah! ¿Sabe usted ya que vamos al baile?
Felipe.—Sí; ahora que he escrito á esos señores
que un fuerte dolor de muelas me impedía ir á tocar
el piano.
Paula.—¿Qué, usted toca el piano con las muelas,
por ventura?
Felipe.—No, señora; pero toco cielo con las 5
manos cuando me pasan estas cosas.
Paula.—¿Es fuerte el dolor, eh? Arránquesela
usted si está picada.
Felipe.—Quien está picado soy yo.
Paula.—¿Sí? Pues enjuáguese usted. 10
Felipe.—Si no me duele nada.
Paula.—¿En qué quedamos?
Felipe.—Ha sido el pretexto para no ir.
Paula.—Entonces, yendo, ya no necesita usted
pretexto. 15
Felipe.—¿Después que me he quitado el frac y el
pantalón negro?
Paula.—Se lo vuelve usted á poner.
Felipe.—Eso es.
Paula.—¡Ah! Y á propósito: ¿ha visto usted á 20
Juan?
Felipe.—Salió ahora.
Paula.—Me alegro. (Le voy á sorprender cuando
vuelva. ¿Qué me cuesta darle gusto una vez? Le voy
á cortar el pantalón negro. Él dijo que unos cuatro 25
dedos... le cortaré cinco. Puesto que hay tiempo...
¡Ah! Éste debe ser, sí. En mi cuarto tengo tijeras.)
(Coge el pantalón.)
Felipe.—Pero ¿van ustedes al baile, eh?
Paula.—Sí, hombre; vaya usted á vestirse, vaya 30
usted. (Vase por la segunda izquierda.)
Felipe.—¡Caramba, Carambita! ¡Nada! Me zarandean
como les da la gana. ¡Y todavía dice don Juan
que podíamos partirnos á la suegra!... ¡Ya lo creo que
debíamos partirla! Pero por la mitad, y arrojar los
pedazos para que no pudieran aprovecharse... Porque, 5
vamos á ver. ¿Qué hago yo con esta carta, (Sacando una
del bolsillo.) que le he escrito á la de González, excusándome?
Afortunadamente no la he cerrado, ni se la he
mandado todavía; pero... ¡ah!... ¡qué idea! La
pongo una postdata, diciéndole que después de escrita 10
esta carta me encuentro bien, y por tanto, que no haga
caso de lo que la digo en ella... eso es. Ya que está
escrita, no me voy á quedar con la carta en el bolsillo.
¡Ay! ¡En qué lío tan gordo te has metido, Felipe! ¡Soy
lo más lila!... ¡Hasta don Juan ha conocido que se me 15
caen los pantalones, y no me he atrevido á devolvérselos
al sastre! ¡Ay! ¡Qué carácter tenemos algunos hombres!
¡Caracoles!... ¡Caracolitos!... (Sale por el
fondo.)
ESCENA X
carmen, vestida algo ridícula, sale y se mira al espejo. luego pepa
Carmen.—El espejo de mi cuarto es muy pequeño y 20
no me he podido hacer cargo de mi vestido. Vamos; no
está mal del todo... Pero si dan otro baile es preciso
que me haga uno nuevo... ¡nuevo!... ¿Cuándo será
algo mi marido? ¿Cuándo ascenderá al menos?
Pepa (Con el pantalón negro de Juan en la mano).—¡Anda,25
anda!... ¡Y qué maja se ha puesto usted!...
Carmen.—¿Qué te parece, Pepa, estoy bien?
Pepa.—Mejor que la sobrina del médico de mi
pueblo, cuando salía en la procesión del Jueves Santo.
Carmen.—No me satisface mucho el elogio; pero, en
fin... 5
Pepa.—¡Pues si es la más rica de Alcobendas!
Carmen.—¡Ah! Entonces... ¿Qué llevas ahí?
Pepa.—El pantalón del señor, que me lo ha dado su
mamá de usted para que lo lleve al cuarto.
Carmen.—¡Ah! ¿Lo has cortado tú? 10
Pepa.—¿Yo?... Yo no lo he tocado.
Carmen.—¡Pobre Juan! Voy á darle gusto siquiera
una vez; ¿qué me cuesta? Dame ese pantalón. Se lo
cortaré para que pueda ir al baile. (Vase por la primera
izquierda.) 15
ESCENA XI
pepa y luisa también vestida para la reunión
Pepa.—¡Digo! ¡Quién fuera señora para poder
llevar todos esos perifollos! (Viendo á Luisa.) ¡Anda!
¿También usted está compuesta?
Luisa.—¿Qué te parezco? ¿Me encuentras bien?
Pepa.—¡Ya lo creo! Parece usted Santa Fislomena, 20
la de la iglesia de mi pueblo.
Luisa.—¡Qué ocurrencia!
Pepa.—Que sí señora; que está usted pintiparada.
Luisa.—¿Cómo? ¿Pintada? ¿Se conoce mucho el
colorete? 25
Pepa.—¿El clorete?
Luisa.—¿Se ve mucho?
Pepa.—Pero ¿aonde tiene usted eso?
Luisa.—¡Aquí, en la cara, mujer!
Pepa.—¡Ah! Ahí no se conoce nada. Parece una
rosa.
Luisa.—¡Qué susto me has dado! 5
Pepa.—Yo quisiera vestirme así.
Luisa.—¡Buena estarías! ¿Has visto al señorito
Felipe?
Pepa.—Sí; volvió hace poco; pero se fué otra vez.
Luisa.—¡Ah! ¿Hablaría con mi madre, eh? 10
Pepa.—Creo que sí. Voy... (Contestando á la voz
de Carmen, que llama á Pepa.) Que sí, que está usted
muy guapa, vamos. (Sale primera izquierda.)
ESCENA XII
luisa, después pepa
Luisa.—Si no fuera por el pobre Felipe, esta noche
era ocasión de coquetear un poco con el teniente y darle 15
una lección. Pero Felipe es de los que se casan, y el
otro es un trucha.
Pepa.—Bueno; en su cuarto, ya sé.
Luisa.—¿Dónde vas?
Pepa.—Á dejar el pantalón negro del señor en su 20
cuarto.
Luisa.—¡Ah! (¡Qué trabajo me cuesta darle
gusto!) Yo lo llevaré. Allí habrá tijeras. (Vase
por el foro.)
Pepa.—¡Oh! Todas se llevan el pantalón. Por eso 25
dice el señor que aquí todos llevan pantalones menos él.
¡Y yo que no sabía por qué lo decía!
ESCENA XIII
pepa y juan trayendo varios paquetes
Juan.—Cuarenta y ocho reales de gasto un hombre
que no tiene más que treinta diarios. ¡Por vida de los
bailes!
Pepa.—Señor, ¡si viera usted qué guapas están las
señoritas! 5
Juan.—¿Sí, eh? Pues si vieras cómo estoy yo...
Pepa.—¿Qué? ¿También se va usted á poner disclotao
como la señorita?
Juan.—Sí, me voy á poner en guardia contra todos
estos despilfarros. 10
Pepa.—¿Qué traje es ése?
Juan.—Bueno; anda á fregar, hija mía, anda á
fregar.
Pepa.—¿Está usted mal humorado?
Juan.—No, cuestión de carácter. 15
Pepa.—¡Pues si es usted más bueno que el pan!
Juan.—¿Que el pan bueno, eh? Sí, desgraciadamente.
¿Has visto tú mi pantalón negro?
Pepa.—Sí; la señorita Luisa lo llevaba ahora á su
cuarto de usted. 20
Juan.—Bueno; pues entrégales todo esto á las señoras
cuando salgan, y di que estoy vistiéndome. ¿Hay
luz en mi cuarto?
Pepa.—Las luces las tienen todas ocupadas las
señoras. 25
Juan.—Bueno; me vestiré á obscuras, ¿qué remedio?
¡Ay! ¡Dichoso bailecito!
ESCENA XIV
pepa, doña paula y después carmen y luisa
Pepa.—No me parece que el señor tiene muchas
ganas de componerse.
Paula (Vestida con exageración).—¡Ea! Ya estoy corriente. ¿Dónde
están las niñas?
Pepa.—Por ahí drentro. 5
Paula (Mirándose al espejo).—Me parece que voy á
dar golpe esta noche. Diles que salgan. ¡Ah! Ven,
clávame un alfiler aquí detrás.
Pepa.—¿Detrás?
Paula.—En la falda, mujer. Espera... ¿Tienes 10
las manos limpias?
Pepa.—Me parece que sí.
Paula.—Lo dudo.
Pepa.—Sí, señora; me las lavé el domingo para salir
á paseo. 15
Paula.—Bueno; ya está bien.
Carmen (Saliendo con el abrigo puesto).—Cuando
quieras.
Paula.—¿Está ya tu marido?
Carmen.—Debe estar. 20
Paula.—Pues venga el abrigo y en marcha. (Se
pone el abrigo.)
Luisa.—¡Ah! ¿Ya están ustedes?
Paula.—Sí, anda, arréglate.
Luisa.—Volvió Felipe y le dijo usted que íbamos al 25
baile, ¿eh?
Paula.—Naturalmente.
Luisa.—¡Pobre chico! Se habrá incomodado
de nuestra informalidad.
Paula.—¿Incomodado? ¡Vamos, cuando yo digo
que sois vosotras las que estropeáis á los hombres!
Luisa.—Pero como le dijimos que nos dolía la 5
cabeza...
Paula.—¡Claro! Y ya no nos duele.
Carmen.—Pepa, tírame un poco del vestido. (Pepa
lo hace.)
Paula.—Lo que tú has de hacer es poner buena cara 10
al teniente esta noche y no dormirte en las pajas.
Luisa (Mirándose los guantes).—¡Ay!... ¡Por
vida!...
Carmen.—¿Qué pasa?
Luisa.—Que tu marido es un torpe. Le digo que 15
sean de catorce botones, y no tienen más que doce.
Paula.—Es un imbécil, hay que confesarlo.
Carmen.—¡Bah! Lo mismo da.
Luisa.—Eso es; como no te los has de poner tú...
Paula.—Lo ha hecho por fastidiar. 20
Luisa.—Después que acabo de cortarle el pantalón
para que no vaya ridículo.
Carmen.—¡Cómo! ¿Se lo has cortado más?
Luisa.—No; cuatro dedos sólo, lo que él me dijo.
Paula.—¡Adiós! ¿Á que el muy animal nos lo ha 25
encargado á las tres?
ESCENA XV
dichos, juan vestido de frac y con los pantalones negros cortos hasta la rodilla.
Juan.—¡Ea! Cuando ustedes quieran.
Carmen.—¡Jesús! (Al verle los pantalones.)
Luisa (Idem).—¡Já, já! ¡Qué facha!
Paula.—Pero ¿qué es eso?
Juan.—¡María Santísima! (Mirándose.) 5
Paula.—¡Si me lo estaba temiendo!
Juan.—Pero ¿qué les ha pasado á estos pantalones?
¡Si yo no los corté más que cuatro dedos!
Luisa.—¡Ah! ¿Tú también?
Juan.—Sí. 10
Carmen.—Y yo.
Juan.—¿Eh?
Paula.—Y yo, mameluco, y yo.
Juan.—¡Demonio!
Paula.—¿Á quién se le ocurre encargar á las tres 15
que te cortemos
los pantalones?
Juan.—¡Ay, ay, ay! ¡Una vez que han querido
ustedes complacerme, se han lucido! Prefiero que continúen
negándose á todo.
Carmen.—¡Por torpe! 20
Juan.—¡Un pantalón nuevo!
Luisa.—¿Y cómo vas á venir así?
Juan.—¡Yo qué he de ir!
Paula.—¿Cómo que no? Sácale unas medias mías,
y va de calzón corto. 25
Juan.—¡Señora!
Paula.—¿Qué tememos?
Carmen.—Tiene razón mamá; si ahora es moda.
Juan.—Basta, señoras, basta. Si están cortos,
no implica eso para que yo les sepa llevar una vez siquiera
é impida que en mi casa mande nadie más que yo, ni se 5
me ponga en ridículo, ni se me...
Paula.—¡Cómo! ¿Tú te atreves?
Juan.—Sí, señora; me atrevo á todo.
Paula.—¡Ay! ¡Ay! ¡Agua! ¡Agua!
Luisa.—¡Mamá! ¡Mamá! 10
Paula.—¡Asesino!
Carmen.—¡Infame!
Juan.—(¡Adiós! ¡Metí la pata con calzón corto y
todo!)
Paula.—Pero no; sé cuál es tu intento: dejarnos sin 15
ir al baile, y no lo conseguirás. Vamos nosotras, vamos
nosotras.
Carmen.—Pero, mamá.
Paula.—Vamos, vamos.
Juan.—(Me alegro.) 20
Paula.—Y usted viene por nosotras después.
Juan.—Sí, vestido de lacayo.
Paula.—Vamos, vamos.
ESCENA ÚLTIMA
dichos y felipe
Felipe.—Deténganse ustedes.
Juan.—¿Eh? 25
Paula.—¿Qué pasa?
Felipe.—Nada; que me han hecho ustedes poner el
frac otra vez; y ya no era necesario.
Paula.—Pero, ¿qué ocurre?
Felipe.—Que los de González acaban de recibir la
noticia de la muerte de un pariente, y se ha suspendido 5
la reunión hasta nuevo aviso.
Luisa.—¡Qué fastidio!
Juan.—(¡Me alegro!)
Carmen.—¡Qué chasco!
Paula.—¡Pariente... pariente! Eso es que los 10
muy trapisondistas quieren darse tono sin gastar un
cuarto de esos que han hecho no se sabe cómo. Si yo
lo temía.
Juan.—¡Pero señora, por Dios!
Paula.—¡Vaya usted enhoramala, mamarracho! 15
Felipe (Mirándole los pantalones).—¡Calle! ¿Está
usted de manga corta?
Juan.—Para lo que me sirven... (Á Felipe.)
No se haga usted ilusiones.
Si insiste usted en casarse, 20
no hay más medio que entregarse
y abdicar los pantalones.
(Al público.)
Y si este cuento en acción
á ustedes no desagrada, 25
concedan una palmada
antes que caiga el telón.
NOTES
The large, heavy figures indicate pages; the light figures, lines.
LA MUELA DEL JUICIO
[1.]—3. Franciscoo; notice the emphatic lengthening of the final vowel.
5. Voy á ponerte á la puerta de la calle (i.e., discharge).
[2.]—9. Unos por torpes... no se os puede sufrir, literally, "some of you on account of (being) stupid, and others, on account of (being) indolent, cannot be endured"; trans. freely, the stupidity of some of you servants, and the insolence of others, make you simply unbearable; no se os puede sufrir, one cannot endure you, or you cannot be endured; the reflexive construction is widely used as a substitute for the passive voice. It is frequently rendered in English by the indefinite pronoun "one"; cf. French "on" and German "man."
10. ¡Vaya con los criados! see voc. under ir.—pagarles bien y tratarles bien; the objective forms of the personal pronouns of the third person admit of double or alternate forms, which, though hardly sanctioned by the best usage, are found in reputable authors. Les for los, as direct object plural (see above, pagarles, etc.), and le for lo as direct object singular when reference is made to things, are somewhat infrequent. Commoner are the forms lo for le as direct object masculine with reference to persons, and la for le (pl. las for les) as indirect object feminine with reference to both persons and things. The student would do well to avoid these alternate forms.
13. ¡Se necesita más paciencia! what a lot of patience one needs! For se, see note 2, 9.
[3.]—4. ¡Pero...! Goodness...!; pero may be used as an emphatic interjection introducing exclamatory or interrogative phrases.
6. Vamos, hombre, que no es para mi genio, well, it's simply this: my disposition won't stand for it; que may be used elliptically at the beginning of a sentence or clause, frequently with an emphatic force that does not admit of translation. Its syntactical status may be explained by supplying a verbal expression, such as no cabe duda, upon which the clause introduced by que may depend. For hombre, as an interjection, see line 17 of this page.
8. ¿Se puede? see voc. under poder. For se, see note 2, 9.
11. Estoy sirviendo aquí hace tres meses, I have been employed here for three months; an action begun in past time and continued in the present is expressed in English by the present tense, and the time-idea by "for." In Spanish the present tense is required and the time-idea is expressed by hace or desde hace. Similarly, estaba sirviendo aquí hacía tres meses would mean "I had been employed here for three months." But if the main verb is in the preterite, hace followed by a time-clause is equivalent to "ago"; thus, ESTUVE sirviendo aquí hace tres meses, "I was employed here three months ago." For further examples of these two constructions, see voc. under hacer.
12. Ya supe, I found out; the preterite of saber may express the idea of "learning," "finding out." The imperfect sabía usually means "I knew."
17. Hombre, why, what are you saying?; hombre as an interjection expresses surprise or remonstrance. It is addressed without connotation of sex to a woman as well as to a man, e.g., hombre, ¿estás loca? "why, are you crazy, (woman)?"
18. De que, that; Spanish verbs usually retain before substantive clauses the prepositions which are associated with them before ordinary substantives. Here de is retained as a reminiscence of its presence in such an expression as alegrarse de una cosa, "to be glad of a thing."
26. confío en que; for en, see previous note.
[4.]—7. sigo la máxima del pobre porfiado... Erre que erre, I follow the maxim of the insistent beggar... keep at it. The maxim referred to is pobre porfiado saca mendrugo, "the insistent beggar gets his crust of bread," i.e., "he who persists, wins his point."
9. Lo que es á paciencia... le gane á usted, in the matter of being patient, there is no one who can get ahead of you.
11. ¿Verdad que no? isn't that true? A conjunctive clause may be inferred after que. Atilano might say in full, continuing the idea of the previous statement, ¿Verdad que no hay quien me gane?
16. me he venido; a few intransitive verbs undergo a change of meaning on being made reflexive. There may be a decided change of meaning; e.g., ir, "to go," irse, "to go away"; dormir, "to sleep," dormirse, "to go to sleep"; marchar, "to march," marcharse, "to go away." In a few verbs the change of meaning is imperceptible; e.g., venirse (see above), which is practically equivalent to venir, "to come."
18. ¿Me das...? will you give me...? In familiar speech, the present is substituted for the future, to express vividly a future action and to emphasize the certainty of its occurrence.—cerillita (dim. of cerilla); the diminutive conveys to the Spaniard many fine distinctions not easy for the foreigner to seize. Besides their obvious diminutive sense, these diminutive endings may imply sympathy, familiar or intimate relations, comradeship, affection, pity, playful irony, entreaty, as well as depreciation or contemptuous pity. At times they merely create a mood or atmosphere. Thus mothers will address their children, and lovers each other, with an abundance of diminutives as a means of displaying tenderness, without causing any alteration of meaning in the word itself. Specific instances of the diminutive will be discussed later in their relation to the context. cerillita here would help to show that don Atilano desires to be friendly and informal with Francisco, though it would not be impossible, were it intelligible in the context, for it to mean a "small match."
21. Por lo visto... cuarta pregunta. Atilano.—No, hijo mío... á la quinta, evidently you are "hard up." Atilano.—No, my dear fellow, I'm worse than "hard up." For hijo mío, see voc. under hijo.
[5.]—3. ¡Cuidado con lo que beben los empleados públicos! my, what a lot these government employés drink!
5. ¡Qué cosas tiene don Atilano! how Atilano does carry on!
11. á todo el que venga, to whoever may come.
16. y tiene un genio que ya, ya; it is difficult to give an exact rendering of this use of ya, ya, which conveys the idea that Raigón has a temper so bad that words cannot express it; trans. freely, and Great Scott, what a temper he has!
17. recibe, see note 4, 18.
18. hace que no nos vemos muchos años, we have not seen each other for many years; see note 3, 11. Notice the syntactical dislocation of hace muchos años.
21. Francisquito; the diminutive ending is used here with a cajoling purpose; see note 4, 18.
24. hombre, see note 3, 17.
28-29. regaña,... recibe, see note 4, 18.
29. ¡Pues poquito gusto que tendrá en verme! why, he will be simply delighted to see me! Poquito, "quite a little," "a good deal": the inflection of the voice and the context give the above meaning to poquito, rather than the usual "very little."
[6.]—2. ... Atilano Fuentesaúco; acuérdate de los garbanzos. Fuentesaúco is a town in the province of León, about twenty-five miles southeast of Zamora. Fuentesaúco and its neighborhood are known for the excellent quality of the chick-peas (garbanzos) raised there. Atilano jokingly implies that if Francisco will remember where the chick-peas are raised, he will not forget his (Atilano's) name.
7. llegan muy adentro, go far in, i.e., reach the heart.
12. lo de, see voc. under lo.—pobrecita, diminutive implying pity and affection; see note 4, 18.
[7.]—3. Raigoncillo; here the diminutive brings out the idea of affection (feigned, of course) and comradeship; you dear old Raigón approximates the Spanish.
5. Así lo entretenga dos horas, I hope to goodness he'll keep him for two hours; for lo, see note 2, 10.
18. Bien, pues usted dirá..., well, what do you wish? i.e., "come to the point."
19. ¿Qué es eso de usted? the idea of using "usted" with me! i.e., "you ought to 'thee-and-thou' me, you know me so well." Former schoolmates would hardly address each other with the formal usted, but Raigón is disinclined to recall his early friendship with Atilano, divining, doubtless, the purpose of the latter's visit.
22. bachillerato; the bachillerato is not to be confused with the degree of Bachelor of Arts conferred by reputable American colleges. It is a much more elementary course, more or less equivalent to that of our high schools, including, perhaps, some of the work of our Freshman and Sophomore years in college. Candidates prepare for the degree of bachiller in the public and private colegios and institutos. The degree itself is conferred after examination by the university.
[8.]—10. Ése sí que ha hecho suerte, that fellow certainly has been lucky!; sí may be used as an expletive to emphasize an assertion. It is usually followed by que, and is best translated by "yes," "indeed," "certainly," or by some form of the emphatic auxiliary "do."
17. Raigón, see voc. for the joke on the meaning.
29. dale que le das á la máquina, always working away at the machine.
[9.]—8. ni aun dispongo para, I haven't even the wherewithal to.
10. ¡Acabáramos! we have got to the end of it at last, have we! This seems to be a use of the -ra form with the force of a simple preterite of the indicative (from the Latin pluperf. indic.), here with ironical effect.
[10.]—1. Si siempre fué un adoquín, why, he always was a blockhead!; the conjunction si is frequently used at the beginning of a phrase to express surprise or expostulation.
3. ¡Cualquiera le pide nada á ese hombre! imagine anyone asking a favor of that man!
9. ¿Qué ha de pasarme? what do you suppose is the matter with me?
14. sacarse una muela, to get a tooth pulled.
16. ¡Qué sé yo! literally, "what do I know?" Trans. freely, I can't imagine!
[11.]—1. si, see note 10, 1.
3. va de veras, see voc. under veras.—¡Que lo aguante su abuela! let his grandmother put up with him (i.e., "I won't").
8. Esta casa es una romería, i.e., in that Raigón's patients are as numerous as pilgrims at a shrine.
19. ¿Y tacaño? Es de lo que no hay, and stingy? why there is nothing like him.
20. Con decirle á usted que..., I have only to tell you; a conclusion such as todo queda dicho is necessary to complete the sentence.
21. Es así. (Cerrando el puño.), meaning by the gesture that Raigón is "tight-fisted."
[12.]—9. ganándonos; nos is the dative of advantage; express the idea with the preposition "for," making for ourselves, or omit in translation.
18. si, see note 10, 1.
22. Á ver, let's see; vamos á ver would be the full form.
25. ¡Y así, un jubileo y venga guita! literally, "a jubilee and let money come"; trans. freely, and so there will be a high old time and plenty of cash as well; for further examples of this use of venga, see voc. under venir.
[13.]—2. que, see note 3, 6; supply a verb like mira, "consider," upon which que may depend.
18. ¿á qué viene...? see voc. under venir.
22. moría... mataba; in the conclusion of a present condition "contrary to fact," we should expect the conditional (here, moriría, mataría), or the first form of the imperfect subjunctive (muriera, matara). The imperfect indicative may replace these subjunctive and conditional forms, especially in familiar and conversational style, adding emphasis and vividness to the verbal idea.
[14.]—10. Verás, it's this way, you see...; verás, verá usted, verán ustedes are used to introduce or announce an explanatory statement.
28. Si lo descubre, lo descubro todo, if she finds it out, I shall disclose everything; a play on the two meanings of descubrir.
[15.]—1. Pues para todo igual, I'm just that way in everything.
2. yo soy muy hombre para decirles, I'm thoroughly man enough to tell them; muy used immediately before nouns has the same value as when placed before adjectives; cf. muy señor mío, "dear Sir."
4. La vecinita de la derecha... á la izquierda, my little neighbor who lives on the right (i.e., Inocencia) has stolen from me what I have on the left (i.e., my heart).
10. ya poco podemos tardar, we shall only have to wait a little longer.
18. muelita, dear little tooth; here the diminutive does not necessarily imply that Inocencia's tooth is small, but that Lelis, the lover, views it with affection.
22. Me voy á hacer; me, the dative of advantage, is the indirect object of hacer. Its position before voy is explained as follows: when a pronoun is governed by an infinitive, which is itself dependent upon another verb, the pronoun may be affixed to the infinitive or precede the main verb. Hence voy á hacerme would be the alternate order.
[16.]—18. figura irle instruyendo, (Francisco) is represented as giving him instructions, one after the other; ir, in conjunction with the present participle, may denote progressive action.
20. Se conoce que va á salir el que está, apparently, the person (inside) there is going to come out.
[17.]—16. juntitos, close together; an elusive use of the diminutive which hardly admits of translation. It suggests here the amorous attitude of the two lovers. Men speaking of "being together" would naturally use juntos, or muy juntos; lovers, juntitos, with the added suggestion of being pretty near together.
19. ¿Cuándo meteré yo la cabeza en alguna parte? when shall I ever accomplish anything?
[18.]—7. ¿Pues no han de venir? why, of course they will come.
17. acento andaluz; the speech of Andalucía, the southern-most province of Spain, is not a dialect in the sense that the languages spoken in León, the Asturias, and Aragón are. Andalusian has had no distinct historical development apart from Castilian, and its peculiarities indicate generally a distortion of Castilian sounds rather than the existence of independent forms. Besides having a characteristic intonation, the speech of Andalucía possesses, among others, the following characteristics: c and z are equivalent to s, and s is frequently given the sound of z (i.e., dise for dice, sapato for zapato, uzté for usted, and ezo for eso; ll is pronounced as y i.e., cabayo for caballo); there may be an interchange of liquids like l and r (i.e., er for el, Albelto for Alberto); there is a persistent suppression or weakening of initial, medial, and especially final consonants (i.e., ute for usted, lo' rato' for los ratos, ice for dice, andao for andado, pagá for pagada). Needless to say the speech of the educated Andalusian is free from most of these peculiarities. Many of the characteristics of Andalusian pronunciation persist in the speech of the Spanish-American countries which were settled to a considerable extent by southern Spaniards.
22. soleá, see voc. under soleá for the play on the meanings of the word.
27. ¡Qué barbaridad, cómo viene este hombre! how awful, the condition this man is in!
[19.]—1. Gracias á que, thank goodness that; á is retained before the substantival clause as a reminiscence of its use in expressions like gracias á Dios, where it precedes a substantive.
2. Yo no puedo más, see voc. under poder.
16. Buenas ganas de conversación tengo yo ahora, I feel a lot like talking, I must say.
20. Será de los nervios, it is probably caused by your nerves; the future may be used in place of the present, and the conditional in place of the imperfect, to express conjecture or probability.
23. ya; for the expletive use of ya, see voc.
[20.]—1. ¡Qué me he de reir...! I, laugh? I should say not!
6. No me retientan ni por casualidad, they show no signs of attacking me again; not in the least.
23. se me va calmando; se is the object of calmar; me is the dative of advantage.
[21.]—25. ¡pero si tiene usted ahí la cueva de Montesinos! why, you have a regular cave of Montesinos in there! (i.e., the cavity); cueva de Montesinos, famous through Cervantes' reference to it in Don Quijote (Part II, chapters 22-23), lies about three miles from the village of Osa de Montiel in La Mancha. Being about 40 yards wide and 60 deep, we may assume that the impression made upon Rocío by the cavity in the Caballero's tooth was considerable.
[22.]—1. Vaya si es graciosa la mujer, my, but this woman is funny!
5. Para valiente cosa le serviría yo á usted, precious little good I'd be to you.
8. perdió usted á su esposo... No lo perdí yo; se perdió él, you lost your husband... I didn't destroy (or lose) him; he destroyed himself. A play on the two meanings of perder.
15. Tengo aquí un plato de calamares, I have here (within my breast) a dish of squids; the squid, or calamary, emits a black fluid, and when served as a food is known in Spanish as calamares en su tinta, "squids in their ink." Rocío uses this essentially Andalusian exaggeration to signify that her heart is in mourning.
[23.]—5. Servidora, I, Sir; a briefer form of servidora de usted, "your servant," a polite substitute for "I."
22. De los más chiquirrititos. De aquéllos, de los de dos pesetas, the very smallest you have. Those (you know) that (you sell) for two pesetas; chiquirrititos, combinations of diminutive terminations with a cumulative value are common in Spanish, especially in conversation. Starting with chico, the gradations of smallness are expressed by chiquito, chiquitito, and chiquirritito.
[24.]—5. ¿Dónde habrá papeles? I wonder where there is any paper; see note 19, 20.
7. y ponerme ahora á que me den un par de tirones, and to allow myself now (i.e., after the pain has gone) to be given a couple of yanks; supply as a conclusion something like "would be quite foolish."
10. Vaya, que me largo, there now, I'm off.
20. De parte de usted, "on your behalf," i.e., I'll be glad to do so for you.
22. como si lo viera: está..., I am as sure as can be (literally, "as if I saw it") (that) he is...
[25.]—13. Habrá, see note 19, 20.
[26.]—2. á que, in order that; see note 3, 18.—la; le instead of la would be expected as indirect object; see note 2, 10.
11. ¿Es bueno, eh? it's a pretty sight, isn't it?
15. media estocada, in bull-fighting parlance, the media estocada is a thrust made by the matador that causes only half the blade to enter the bull. Here Atilano uses the expression to mean that no ordinary pinchazo will suffice to cure such an abscess as Isidra's, which must be opened by the sort of thrust that will kill a bull.
28. ¡Qué sé yo, qué sé yo! I'm not so sure.
29. calarlo, see voc. under calar, connect calar with melón in ¡Si esto es un melón! for the play on words.
[27.]—12. dejarlo; the infinitive may be used as an imperative in sudden exclamations or brief commands.
[28.]—9. Ni que robara uno el dinero, why, if one actually stole money (i.e., "get it easily, as by stealing"); supply he wouldn't ask such a price as that.
16. si no quiere que le iguale los dos carrillos, if you don't want me to make your two cheeks look alike (i.e., by cuffing the other cheek and making it swell).
19. ¡Ni en Sierra Morena! trans. freely, even the bandits in the Sierra Morena Mountains wouldn't rob one to that extent.
[29.]—2. Venga, see voc. under venir.
15. no es de los que, is not of the sort that.
[30.]—11. ¡estoy perdido!... ¡Es verdad, perdido! I'm in a fearful condition (i.e., "my teeth are, etc.")... That's right, you are done for ("when I get hold of you"): a pun on the two meanings of perdido.
30. Déjese de tratamientos, drop your ceremony (i.e., the use of usía); see voc. under usía and tratamiento.
[31.]—2. tranquilito, nice and quiet; the diminutive gives a soothing and persuasive tone to the suggestion.
3. se aguanta; notice the imperative force here of the present indicative.
30. hija del respeto, due to respect.
[32.]—12. por si acaso, to make sure; an elliptical expression, the rest of which must be inferred in each case from the context. Here the complete idea could be por si acaso tirara yo demasiado, "in case I might pull too hard."
13. Ya estoy, ya (supply agarrado), I am (holding on).
[33.]—4. unas, need not be translated; unos, -as is more indefinite than algunos, being frequently equivalent to the French partitive construction with des, etc.; it is also equivalent to the English "a pair of," "a couple of."
7. Nada, nada, como que retiro mi promesa, why, I should say you did have a clever hand, and such a clever one that I withdraw my promise; this use of nada, nada cannot be translated literally into English; its general sense is "there's no getting out of it" or "there is no help for it." Peláez thinks Atilano such a skilful dentist that it is quite unnecessary to get him a government job.
30. lo ponga de su bolsillo, you should make it up out of your own pocket.
[34.]—7. yo te pondré seis velas, I shall offer up to thee six candles; it is a Catholic custom to make an offering of candles for some special intention, or by way of petition or thanks-giving. In many churches candles are to be found unlighted near the altar. The offering is a coin dropped in a box near by, after a candle has been lighted.
14. Eso ha sido del cabello de ángel, the sweets caused it (i.e., the tooth-ache); see voc. under cabello.
25. auxiliar tercero de la clase de quintos, a third assistant civil employé of the government of the fifth grade; the auxiliar tercero de la clase de quintos (the position no longer exists) was an office-holder drawing a salary of three thousand reales (about $150) annually, and consequently was one of the humblest clerks in the Spanish bureaucracy. The author is evidently trying to emphasize the abject category of Atilano, the cesante, and to ridicule a condition of affairs which maintains such poorly paid positions.
[37.]—2. Ande usted con él, you go ahead and tackle him.
18. ¡Los innumerables mártires de Zaragoza! Atilano compares Francisco's victims to the ill-fated defenders of the city of Saragossa in the famous siege of 1808-1809, when the city held out against the French from the 15th of June, 1808, to the 19th of February, 1809. More than half of the inhabitants (about 50,000) perished in the defence.
>LAS SOLTERONAS
[41.]—Stage direction, de junto á, near; de governs the clause junto á la chimenea and combined with it forms an adjectival clause modifying butacas.
3. siempre te llevas más de lo que dejas, you keep taking away more than you leave.
[42.]—2. ejercicios, see voc. for the play on meanings.
[43.]—13. Te, see note 15, 22.
19. Lo dicho, it's just as I said.
24. á qué viene, see voc. under venir.
26. ¡Lo que son las mujeres! what a queer lot women are!
27. Que may be explained as depending upon some verbal expression like dices, understood.
29. de que sus novios hayan dado media vuelta, that their suitors have turned their backs on them (i.e., have spurned them).
31. Puede que sí, see voc. under poder.
[44.]—7. que, trans. by if, or in case.
12. á no ser que, unless.
18. Estoy poniendo los puntos sobre las íes.—Di más bien: los pies sobre los callos, trans. freely, I am speaking to the point.—You mean that you are making matters worse (Sandalia also implies that he is treading on corns by assuming his daughters to have them).
[46.]—10. Ni tú á la tuya, nor do you resemble yours (i.e., your mother).
25. Lo que es hoy, elliptical for por lo que es hoy, "as far as to-day is concerned"; trans. to-day, at least.
[47.]—2. ¡Pues bonitos son los hombres! a fine lot men are, I must say!—¡Qué han de ser bonitos! pretty? I should say not! A play on the two meanings of bonito, "fine" (ironical), and "pretty."
10. señor don Procopio Canchalagua; don precedes the baptismal name, e.g., don Procopio; señor, the family name, e.g., señor Canchalagua. The use of the double form señor don, before either the baptismal name or the baptismal and family name combined, conveys an idea of greater respect than the use of either form singly. The possible combinations are: don Procopio, señor don Procopio, señor Canchalagua, señor don Procopio Canchalagua; but not don Canchalagua, or señor Procopio. This last form is used by the illiterate, as when doña Paula refers to "señor de Rodrigo en la horca," Los Pantalones, 82, 22.
22. ¿Su gracia de usted?—Ninguna, what is your name?—I haven't any; Casta uses gracia in the sense of "name"; Claudio stupidly takes it to mean "wit," and tells her he hasn't any.
[48.]—1. unos, do not translate; cf. French, des yeux.
[49.]—6. ¡Ya; vamos! yes, yes, of course.
19. Pues nada, no trouble at all.
24. ¡Que si lo sé! do I know it!
25. Calle usted, would you believe it, why...; calle usted prepares and enhances the following assertion.
30. tortícolis; there seems to be considerable confusion as to the accentuation and gender of the word. The Dictionary of the Spanish Academy gives the gender as masculine (from Lat. tortum collum) and places the accent on the penultimate syllable. The word is doubtless properly masculine, but through the analogy of feminines ending in unaccented is (cf. tisis, crisis, etc.), it is erroneously made feminine, especially in the plural.
31. ¡Digo, digo! I declare!
[50.]—9. ¡Así fuese mañana! would that it were to-morrow.
27. Posada del Peine, a hotel in the calle de Postas in Madrid, patronized extensively by Spaniards from the country to whom it represents all that is best in urban luxury and refinement. The Madrileños themselves poke fun at the hotel as a third-rate hostelry and a gathering-place for provincials.
[51.]—2. ¡No faltaba más! the very idea!; see also line 21, where it means why, of course.
[52.]—1. ¡Es que son guapas! they really are good-looking.
11. Por, referring to.
28. ¡Miren la de las convicciones arraigadas! just see the woman with the deep-rooted convictions! Pura is referring sarcastically to Casta's remark on page 47, lines 4 and 5, where she declares her contempt for man.
[53.]—7. se está; se is untranslatable; see note 4, 16.
10. Á ver, niñas, corriendo, decid..., come now, girls, hurry and tell.
13. almorzado; the almuerzo, frequently confused with our breakfast or first meal of the day, is a substantial meal eaten near midday. The Spanish breakfast is the desayuno, a light meal taken early, and consisting usually of coffee or chocolate and bread.
26. Pues que no te lo parezca; tenlo por seguro. Mejor. Éstos caen en seguida, there is no thinking at all in the matter, it is an absolute fact. So much the better (that he is stupid), for these (stupid men) fall into the trap right off.
[54.]—3. arrimo... sardina, see voc. under arrimar.
16. Matalavieja, i.e., mata-la-vieja; Procopio implies facetiously that the Claudio will "kill (i.e., help him get rid of) the old maid"; that is, he will take one of the daughters off his (Procopio's) hands.
[55.]—5. ¡ni que las llevaras á cuestas! trans. freely, not even though you were actually carrying them on your back could you make such a fuss about it.
7. ¡... cuándo nos veremos en otra! i.e., when we'll get another chance (to marry them); otra is the indefinite feminine pronoun.
12. por su casa, through his family estate.
19. comiéndose; distinguish from the reflexive construction of intransitive verbs (note 4, 16). Here se is indirect object, or dative of advantage, and conveys the idea of "eating up."
[56.]—7. ¡Vamos, que estoy animadete! the fact is, I'm feeling a bit lively.
31. Está usted en su casa, a play on the literal and figurative meaning of the expression. In Spanish you courteously inform your guest, to make him feel at home, that he is in his own house. Claudio, fresh from the country, overworks the expression. He wants to make Procopio feel "at home," which is not difficult under the circumstances.
[57.]—9. cuando pasé por Toro; if the student will bear in mind that toro means "bull" and that Toro is a town in the province of Zamora; that pasar por means "to pass through" and "to pass as," he will be able to enjoy this seventh-rate pun.
26. no es maleja, is not so bad.
[59.]—4. Soy lo más topo, how stupid I am!
6. Esto ya es otra cosa, this is quite different.
9. ¿En cuál?; supply medio.
20. Pues si tiene usted unos ojos, why, you have such (lovely) eyes; some word or phrase qualifying ojos must be understood to explain the intensive force of unos, e.g., ojos incomparables. The Spaniard, of course, does not feel the incompleteness of the construction; to him unos itself conveys the idea of "admirable," "exquisite," etc.
28. Vaya, see voc. under ir.
[60.]—10. Ésa; ése, -a, frequently implies contempt.
12. No sale de ahí, she is always at the same old tune.
18. caigo en que, I understand.
23. ¿Que es guapa? i.e., ¿dice usted que es guapa?
[61.]—6. ¡Esto va de veras! see voc. under veras.
[62.]—2. Pues con no haber venido, an elliptical expression meaning si no hubieses venido no habrías interrumpido; trans. freely, why did you come, then?
26. No te has dado poca prisa... Por si acaso, you were not at all slow about it (i.e., making eyes at Claudio). Yes, because of what might have happened (i.e., "You might have got ahead of me").
[63.]—2. primer; bueno, malo, primero, tercero, uno, alguno, ninguno lose their final o when they stand as attributes before a noun in the masculine singular. The same law is applicable in familiar speech before nouns in the feminine singular, especially before a and ha.
5. Empezaste á hacerle tanta monada, you began to cast such sheeps' eyes on him; tanta monada, singular nouns accompanied by words denoting quantity, such as mucho, tanto, cuanto, are used as emphatic plurals.
7. Si eres el perro del hortelano, why, you are just like the dog in the manger.
11. Conocemos el personal, we know with whom we are dealing.
20. perdone, hermana, I can do nothing for you, sister; it is customary to say to beggars, when refusing their request for alms,—perdone hermano (hermana). Pura implies that she will give Casta no opportunity in the affair with Claudio; at the same time her manner of denial (as to a beggar) expresses her contemptuous attitude towards her sister.
[64.]—17. que performs here the double function of "than" and "that"; literally, there is no other remedy than that he should choose.—á quien Dios se lo dé, the first part of the saying á quien Dios se lo dé, San Pedro se lo bendiga, a saying which expresses the idea that we should be content with the decrees of fate, whether they are to our advantage or not. Here Procopio implies that he will be well pleased if Claudio chooses either one of his daughters.
[65.]—20. ¿Cómo que quién piensa en eso? what do you mean by saying "who is thinking of that"?
24. ¿Que no? you are not, eh?; ¿que no? = ¿dice usted que no?
[66.]—11. eso se dice, it is customary to say (that one is married).
24. Con decirle á usted que allí tienen gran partido..., I have only to tell you that the... are great favorites there, see note 11, 20.
LOS PANTALONES
[71.]—7. señores, see voc. under señor.
9. Por vida de la política, see voc. under vida.
[72.]—14. daba, see note 13, 22.
26. á quien menos le luzca el trabajo, whose work shows to less advantage.
[73.]—7. antigüedad, length of service.
18. Estoy poniendo en limpio una minuta, I am making a fair copy of a memorandum.
19. ¡Poniendo en limpio! cleaning up, are you? Paula takes the expression literally.
[74.]—3. para lo poco que tú servías, how little you are good for.
4. me caso, the present, instead of the conditional perfect me habría casado, imparts emphasis and certainty to the statement.
6. consiento = habría consentido; see previous note.
13. ¡Adiós! ¡El diluvio! It's no use! Now there will be a storm about my ears!
16. Somos nobles por los cuatro costados, we are of noble birth on both our father's and our mother's side.
21. nos han envuelto en ricos pañales, literally, "we were wrapped in rich swaddling-clothes," trans., we were born in opulence.
[75.]—4. ¡Por vida de mi debilidad de carácter! the deuce take this weak character of mine!
10. pero de habérselo advertido = si se lo hubiese advertido.
15. mételo en algo; haz que sea algo, get him started in something; make something out of him.
22. Pues señor, just think!; "well, sir" is occasionally used in English in this sense.
24. ¡Otro que bien baila! another of the same stamp; this expression implies that one person resembles another in some defect or quality not praiseworthy. Here Paula contemptuously compares Felipe, Luisa's lover, to Juan, Carmen's husband. Colloquially we might say "another bad egg."
[76.]—4. herrar ó quitar el banco, either bring the matter to a head or drop it, i.e., "marry Felipe or give him up."
5. Tú ya no estás para, you are not in a condition to.
10. Si es que ésta no sabe, it's simply this; this girl doesn't know (how to go about it).
16. ¿Cómo que se escame? what do you mean by saying that he may take offence?
19. Metternich, an Austrian statesman, 1773-1859.
22. Metternach, unknown except to Paula.
23. la solfa da poca grasa á los garbanzos, literally, "music gives the chick-peas but little fat"; trans. freely, music provides but poor fare, i.e., it is not easy for a musician to support a family.
25. Más cuenta te hubiese tenido... de casa de las de González, it would have been more profitable for you to have taken notice of the lieutenant (whom you met) at the house of the González women.
[77.]—5. Y eso que se han pasado, and that, in spite of the fact that they have spent.
15. cuya; cuyo, -a (Latin cujus), is a relative possessive adjective. Being essentially a genitive its only equivalents in Spanish are de quien, del cual (English, "whose," "of which," "of whom"). It is incorrectly used here in the sense of el (la) cual. This misuse of cuyo is not uncommon.
20. Serán otros González, it may be another González family.
23. Ellos serán, los muy..., it's probably they, the (understand some disparaging epithet like "upstart").
[78.]—1. Por allá dentro, somewhere inside there.
15. ¡Estás fresco! see voc. under fresco.
[79.]—23. con la frecuencia que = la frecuencia con que.
24. lo próxima que está, how near... is; notice that in this construction the adjective does not agree with the neuter lo, but with the subject of the conjunctive clause.
26. Y eso de que, see voc. under ése.
[80.]—13. como á mí no me duelen prendas, as I don't care at all; cf. the expression al buen pagador no le duelen prendas.
[81.]—11. Usted lo dirá, that is for you to say.
17. si por nosotras, indeed, for all we care.
[82.]—1. ¡Caracoles, en la que me he metido! Great Scott, what a mess I have got into! The feminine object pronouns la, las may be used with the force of an indefinite pronoun; some word suitable to the context may be inferred; here, perhaps, la (situación).
10. ¿Qué sería de vosotras...? see voc. under ser.
22. se dan... señor de Rodrigo en la horca, put on more airs than the proudest person that ever lived; this is Paula's illiterate paraphrase of the expression tener más humos que don Rodrigo en la horca, "to be prouder than don Roderick on the gallows." The saying may have arisen in connection with the hanging of some noble who kept up his pride to the end by insisting that he be hanged with a silken cord, as the law allowed, instead of by the plebeian rope. Notice Paula's incorrect use of señor (see note 47, 10) and of de before the baptismal name.
[84.]—3. rogarles no falten á esta su casa, trans. freely, to beg you to be sure to honor us with your presence: rogarles (que) no falten, que may be omitted after verbs denoting request, permission, or entreaty; á esta su casa, see 56, 31.
8. ¡Qué hemos de negarnos, hombre! I should say we are not going to refuse!
20. ahora es todo un..., now he is a real (understand some word like potentado).
22. Nada, nada, it's settled.
29. que; supply some expression like es cierto, or es claro, upon which the clause introduced by que may depend.
[85.]—5. está á componer, is being repaired.
6. nada, no trouble about that.
15. Ese color (i.e., color lila), sin pedirlo, me lo dan á mí..., I sha'n't have to ask them to give me that color, i.e., they will put me down as a dolt, of their own accord; lila, "lilac," is used colloquially to mean "dolt," "fool."
21. dejada de la mano de Dios, literally, "abandoned by God's hand"; trans., past recall, or a hopeless case.
22. ¡Dale con mi madre! you are always harping on the subject of my mother! or let my mother alone, won't you?
[86.]—11. me preguntaron... si el difunto era mayor. Como que tiene cola el tal pantalón, they asked me whether the deceased was a bigger man than I, since the trousers in question have a train (they drag so on the ground); the question is sometimes facetiously put to one wearing a badly fitting garment, si el difunto era mayor, implying that the garment is second-hand.
15. ¿Y vas tú á presumir acaso? you don't mean you are going to put on airs?
20. ¿Cómo se entiende? why, what do you mean? (implies that the speaker is displeased at a previous statement).
[87.]—15. Si es un momento, why, it will only take a moment.
22. Debe de estar, is probably; debe de expresses the probable fulfilment of the action of the infinitive: governing the infinitive directly it denotes obligation, i.e., debe estar en su cuarto, "it is her obligation to be in her room." This distinction, however, is more theoretical than practical. In current speech, Spaniards use the two constructions interchangeably.
[88.]—6. señor don Juan, see 47, 10.
16. que le sobra á este pantalón, of which these trousers have enough and to spare.
28. que va usted bien, trans. freely, and you will make no mistake.
[89.]—12. nos la podemos repartir á temporadas, literally, "we can share her by periods"; trans., we can take turns at having her.
21. Éste se la ha olido, this fellow has smelled a rat; for la, see note 82, 1.
25. esas; in English we should use here the definite article, i.e., "where are the ladies?" cf. Fr. où sont ces dames? The definite article is also possible in Spanish.
26. va de baile; the distinction between ir de baile, as used in the context, and ir al baile is more easily explained than translated. Both seem to mean simply "are you going to the dance?" But meeting a friend on the street in evening clothes it might occur to us to say: hola, ¿va usted de baile? "Ah, so you are off to a dance, are you?" though not knowing to what particular dance he is going; but should we ask ¿va usted al baile? we have in mind a specific dance. The English "on a" sometimes translates de in this construction, cf. ir de gira, "to go on a picnic."
[90.]—12. Con tal de que tenga usted los pantalones bien puestos, etc., etc.; the point of this dialogue lies in the double entente of the observations concerning los pantalones; Felipe expresses himself, and understands Juan literally; to the latter the manner of wearing one's trousers indicates a man's status as a husband and family-man:—Con tal de que tenga usted los pantalones bien puestos, if only your trousers fit well (implied, "you will be a man of character where the women are concerned").—¡Quiá, hombre! Si se me están cayendo; son anchos, but they don't! why, they are falling off! they are too loose (interpreted by Juan to mean that when a man's trousers won't stay on, he is sure to be henpecked).—¿Su sastre de usted es profeta? is your tailor a prophet? (implied, "when he made your trousers too loose, was he a prophet to foresee that you, too, would be under a woman's (i.e., Luisa's) thumb.)—No; es García, no, his name (is not prophet, it) is García.
21. salimos con que, it turns out that.
[91.]—8. picada, decayed; picado (line 9), provoked.
12. ¿En qué quedamos?—Ha sido el pretexto para no ir, what is to be assumed? ("have you, or have you not, a toothache?").—(Assume) that it was merely a pretext to avoid going.
[92.]—1. Nada, it's no use.
3. ¡... partirnos á la suegra!... ¡Ya lo creo que debíamos partirla! Pero por la mitad, share your mother-in-law! I should say we ought to split her, and right in two!
10. después de escrita, a compact equivalent of después de haber escrito.
14. ¡Soy lo más lila! I'm the biggest fool!
15. se me caen los pantalones, see note 90, 12.
26. ¡Y qué maja se ha puesto usted! my, how you've spruced up!
[93.]—8. que me lo ha dado; notice that dar has as direct objects the relative pronoun que and the personal pronoun lo. The redundant use of the relative pronoun is common in Spanish.
16. ¡Quién fuera señora...¡ don't I wish I were a lady!
23. Que sí = digo que sí ... que está usted = le aseguro que está usted; see note 3, 6.—pintiparada, exactly like her (i.e., Santa Fislomena).
[94.]—10. Hablaría, see note 19, 20.
25. se llevan, are carrying off; llevan (line 26), wear.
[95.]—1. hombre, evidently the object of a preposition like para understood.
24. las; notice the redundant construction.
27. ¡Dichoso bailecito! confounded dance!; both the adjective and the diminutive are used ironically.
[96.]—20. Debe, debe de would be expected; see note 87, 22.
21. venga, see voc. under venir.
[97.]—25. ¿Á que...? I'll bet.
[98.]—20. ¡Por torpe! trans. freely, what an ass!
23. ¡Yo qué he de ir! but I'm not going, I tell you!
24. ¿Cómo que no? you're not, eh? a compact equivalent of some expression like ¿cómo te atreves á decir que no vas?
[99.]—3. no implica eso para que yo les sepa llevar, that doesn't prevent my being able to wear them.
15. dejarnos sin ir, prevent us from going.
[100.]—10. Eso es que los muy trapisondistas, the fact is these fine mischief-makers.
16. ¿Está usted de manga corta? are you wearing short sleeves? (referring to the trousers).
18. Para lo que me sirven, and little good they will do me (Juan says this resignedly implying that his trousers se le caerán siempre, i.e., that he will always be under a woman's thumb).
VOCABULARY
A
á, to, in, at, on, upon, for, into, by; — que, until (after verbs of waiting, etc.); ¿— qué? why?
abajo, below.
abandonar, to abandon, yield.
abanico, m., fan.
abdicar, to abdicate, give up.
abierto, see abrir.
abogada, f., advocate, patron.
abogado, m., lawyer.
aborrecer, to abhor, hate.
aborrezco, see aborrecer.
abrazar, to embrace.
abrazo, m., embrace.
abreviar, to abridge, cut short; abrevia, be brief, cut it short.
abrigo, m., overcoat.
abrir, to open; —se paso, to burst forth, break out.
absolutamente, absolutely.
absoluto, -a, absolute; en —, absolutely.
abstraído, -a, absorbed.
abuela, f., grandmother.
aburrido, -a, bored, impatient, vexed.
aburrimiento, m., tedium, ennui.
aburrir, to bore, tire.
abusar (de), to abuse, take advantage of.
acá, here, hither.
acabar, to end, finish, be done; — de, to have just, finish; —se, to end; ... y se acabó, and that's all there is to it, and that's enough.
acabose, m. (acabó-se), end of it all.
acaparador, m., forestaller, monopolist, cornerer (of the market).
acariciar, to caress.
acaso, perhaps, perchance; ¿— (followed by an interrogative phrase), can it be that...?; por si —, with a view to contingencies, in case that (the rest to fit the context).
acatar, to respect, revere.
acción, f., action; cuento en —, dramatized story, play;
poner en —, to dramatize, play.
acento, m., accent, pronunciation.
aceptar, to accept.
acercar, to bring near; —se (á), to approach, draw near, go up to.
acomodar, to suit, please.
acompañar, to accompany, conduct.
acompasadamente, rhythmically.
aconsejar, to counsel, advise.
acordar, to remind; —se (de), to remember.
acordeón, m., accordion.
acostar, to put to bed; —se, to go to bed.
acostumbrar (á), to be accustomed, be in the habit.
actitud, f., attitude.
acto, m., act.
actor, m., actor.
actual, actual, present.
acuerd-a, -as, see acordar.
acuerdo, m., agreement, harmony; estar de —, to be of one mind, be agreed.
acueste, see acostar.
adefesio, m., ridiculous person, "fright."
adelante, forward; used imperatively, come in.
además, adv., besides; — de, prep., besides.
adentro, within, inside.
adiós, good-bye; ¡—! that's the last straw! it's no use!
administración, f., administration.
admirable, admirable.
admiración, f., admiration, wonder.
admitir, to admit, accept.
adonde, whither, where.
adoquín, m., paving-stone, blockhead.
adormidera, f., poppy, essence of poppies.
adulador, m., flatterer.
advertir, to warn, inform.
afabilidad, f., affability.
afán, m., eager desire, eagerness.
afectuoso, -a, kind, gracious.
afición, f., liking, fondness.
aficionado, -a (á), fond (of).
afligir, to afflict, grieve, mortify.
aflojar, to loosen.
afortunadamente, fortunately.
agarrar, to grasp; —se, to hold on, catch hold.
agradable, agreeable.
agradar, to please, suit.
agradecer, to be grateful for; —le á uno una cosa, to thank one for something.
agradezco, see agradecer.
agua, f., water.
aguador, m., water-carrier.
aguantar, to endure, bear, put up with.
aguardar, to await, wait for.
¡ah! ah!
ahí, there (near the person addressed); — tiene usted, there is; — me tiene usted, there I am; — van..., there are...
ahogar, to choke; —se, to choke (intrans.).
ahora, now, presently; — mismo, just now; hasta —, so far; por —, just now, for the present.
ahorcar, to hang.
ahorrar, to save, economize.
airado, -a, angry.
aire, m., air.
¡ajajá! haha!
ajusticiar, to execute, put to death.
al = á + el or á + él.
alcalde, m., mayor.
alces, see alzar.
alcoba, f., bedroom.
Alcobendas, prop. noun.
alcohol, m., alcohol.
aldaba, f., knocker (of a door); tener muy buenas —s, to have influential friends, have a "pull."
alegrar, to cheer, enliven; —se, to be glad, rejoice.
alegre, happy, joyful, cheerful, gay, joyous.
alegría, f., joy, joyfulness, happiness.
alejarse, to withdraw, go away.
aleve, base, perfidious.
alfiler, m., pin.
algo, something, anything; adv., somewhat.
algodón, m., cotton.
algodoncito, m., small piece of cotton.
alguien, someone, anyone, somebody; ¿hay —? is someone there?; ¿habrá —? I wonder if someone is there.
algún, see alguno.
alguno, -a, some, any, someone, anyone.
alimentar, to nourish, feed.
aliviar, to alleviate, relieve; —se, to be relieved, get relief, feel better.
alivio, m., relief.
alma, f., soul.
almorzar, to eat the first heavy meal of the day, lunch.
alojarse, to stop, lodge (in a hotel).
alpiste, m., canary-seed.
alterarse, to get angry, get irritated.
alto, -a, high; en —, raised, in the air.
alzar, to raise; — el gallo, to speak loudly and insolently; —se, to rise.
allá, thither, there; ¡— tú! that is your lookout; vamos —, come on, let's be about it.
allí, there; por —, over there.
amabilidad, f., amiability, kindness, kind act.
amable, amiable, pleasant, agreeable.
amar, to love.
amargar, to embitter.
amargura, f., bitterness.
ambos, -as, both.
amenazador, -ora, threatening.
amenazar, to threaten.
amenizar, to make agreeable, adorn, grace, beautify.
ameno, -a, pleasant, agreeable.
americana, f., sack-coat.
amigo, m., friend.
amo, m., master.
amor, m., love; — propio, personal pride; al — de la lumbre, by the fireside.
amueblar, to furnish.
ancho, -a, broad, wide.
anchura, f., width; pl., width, fulness, breadth.
andaluz, -uza, Andalusian.
andana; llamarse —, to fail to do what is expected of one, back out (of an obligation or situation).
andar, to go, walk; ¡anda! interj., emphasizes persuasive force of a request, go on; come now, well, well; has a conciliatory force, there now, there, there; expresses surprise, ¡Anda, como arde! Gracious, how it burns!; andando, go ahead; ¡ande usted pronto! be quick about it!
ángel, m., angel; cabello de —, a confection made with the fruit of the calabash-tree and shredded to resemble strands of hair.
ángulo, m., angle, corner.
anhelante, eager, anxious.
animadamente, excitedly, in an animated manner.
animadete, rather lively.
animal, m., animal; dunce, blockhead.
animar, to animate, cheer, encourage; —se, to become animated, get courage, cheer up.
ánimo, m., courage.
anoche, last night.
ante, prep., before, in front of, in the presence of.
antecedente, m., antecedent; pl., previous facts, information.
antepasados, m. pl., ancestors, forefathers.
antes, adv., before, ahead; —de, prep., before; — (de) que, conj., before.
anticipadamente, in advance.
antigüedad, f., antiquity, length of service.
antiguo, -a, ancient, old, former.
antipático, -a, antipathetic, unsociable, disagreeable.
anunciar, to announce.
año, m., year; á los quince —s, at the age of fifteen.
aonde, mispronunciation of adónde.
aparador, m., sideboard.
aparato, m., apparatus.
aparecer, to appear, be seen.
aparentar, to feign, pretend.
apartar, to withdraw.
aparte, aside.
apasionadamente, passionately.
apellidar, to call, name.
apellido, m., surname, name.
apenas, hardly, scarcely.
apetito, m., appetite.
apocado, -a, mean-spirited, cowardly.
Apolo, m., Apollo.
aprobación, f., approbation, approval.
apropiado, -a, appropriate.
aprovechar, to make use of, take advantage of, improve, utilize; —se, to be of use; —se de, to take advantage of, profit by.
aproximarse (á), to draw near, approach.
aquel, -la, that.
aquél, -la, -lo, that, the one; aquello de, that (thing, remarks, etc.), about.
aquí, here; hé —, behold; por —, here, hither, this way, around here.
arder, to burn, blaze.
aritmética, f., arithmetic.
armar, to arm, equip, start, raise (said of disturbances or quarrels); — una bronca, to raise a row; —se un lío con, to get tangled up in.
armario, m., cabinet.
arraigado, -a, rooted, fixed.
arrancar, to pull out.
arranque, see arrancar.
arreglar, to arrange; —se, to get ready.
arrepentirse, to repent.
arrepintiéndose, see arrepentirse.
arriba, above, upstairs.
arrimar, to place near; — el ascua á su sardina, to look out for number one.
arrodillarse, to kneel.
arrojar, to throw, throw away, cast.
asaltar, to assault, surprise, strike.
ascender, to rise, advance, be promoted.
ascua, f., glowing coal.
asesino, m., assassin.
así, thus, so, like this; —como —, at any rate; ¡—fuese...! would that it were so...!; ¿es — como...? is this how...? is this the way...?
asiento, m., seat.
asistir (á), to be present, attend.
asomar, to show, present to view; hacer —, to cause to appear, bring out.
aspaviento, m., gesture of affected surprise or fear.
asqueroso, -a, nasty, disgusting.
asunto, m., affair, business matter; gestionar un —, to attend to a business matter.
asustar, to frighten.
atención, f., attention.
atender (á), to attend to, give heed to.
aterrar, to frighten, terrify.
Atilano, prop. noun.
atormentar, to torment, give pain.
atractivo, m., charm, grace.
atragantarse, to choke (from food).
atrapar, to catch.
atreverse (á), to venture, dare.
atrevido, -a, bold.
atrocidad, f., absurdity, nonsense.
atroz, atrocious, fearful.
aturdir, to confuse, bewilder, rattle.
aumento, m., increase.
aun, aún, even, still; —cuando, although; ni —, not even.
aunque, although.
ausentarse, to absent oneself, be away.
autor, m., author.
autoridad, f., authority.
auxiliar, m., assistant.
auxiliar, to aid, assist.
auxilio, m., aid.
avance, m., advance, assault; dar un — á, to accost a person for help of some kind, to give one a "brace."
avanzar, to advance.
Ave (Latin), hail; ¡— María! Good Heavens! Did you ever hear of such a thing!
avilantez, f., audacity, insolence.
avisar, to notify, inform.
aviso, m., notice; hasta nuevo —, until further notice.
¡ay! (interj. expressing pain; not always translatable), oh! alas! Goodness!
ayudante, m., assistant.
ayudar, to aid, help.
ayuntamiento, m., municipal council; secretario del —, town clerk.
azogado, m. (from azogue, quicksilver), one who suffers from a nervous trembling which comes from protracted labor in a quicksilver mine, or from excessive use of mercury as a drug; temblar como un —, to tremble like a leaf.
azucarillo, m., preparation of sugar, whites of eggs, and a flavoring substance. It is made into a long stick which dissolved in water affords a sweetened drink very popular in Spain.
B
bacalao, m., codfish, salt cod.
bachillerato, m., baccalaureate (first academical degree conferred in Spain); baccalaureate course.
¡bah! bah!
bailar, to dance.
baile, m., dance, ball.
bailecito, m. (dim. of baile), (little) dance.
bajar, to go down, descend.
bajito, adv., low, in a low voice.
bajo, -a, low.
bajo, prep., beneath, under, from.
balcón, m., balcony, casement window.
baldado, -a, paralyzed, crippled (with rheumatism).
banco, m., bench; sentarse en el — de la paciencia, to wait with the patience of Job.
banquero, m., banker.
barajar, to shuffle the cards; paciencia y —, patience! and shuffle the cards; be patient and stick to it.
barato, -a, cheap.
barbaridad, f., barbarity, atrocity, absurdity; ¡qué —! how absurd! how terrible! isn't it frightful? Goodness, just think of it!
bárbaro, -a, barbarian, rude, rough.
barbero, m., barber.
bastante, enough.
bastar, to suffice, be enough, ¡basta! enough! no more!
bastón, m., cane.
batín, m., dressing-gown.
batir, to beat; — palmas, to clap hands, beat time with the hands.
beber, to drink.
belleza, f., beauty.
bendecir, to bless.
bendito, -a, blessed, blest.
¡Berr! interj. expressing impatience or pain, whew!
berrido, m., bellowing; dar un —, to bellow.
bien, m., good; mi —, my adored one.
bien, well, very well, certainly; está —, very well, all right; más —, rather.
billete, m., bank-note.
bizcocho, m., small cake, lady's finger.
bobada, f., folly, (bit of) foolishness.
bobo, -a, m. and f., dunce, fool.
boca, f., mouth.
boda, f., marriage, wedding.
bofetada, f., slap, cuff.
bolsillo, m., pocket.
bondad, f., goodness, kindness.
bondadoso, -a, kind.
bonito, -a, pretty.
bostezar, to yawn.
botella, f., bottle.
botón, m., button.
brasero, m., brazier, pan of coals.
¡bravo! interj., bravo!
brazo, m., arm.
breve, brief.
bribón, m., rascal.
brillante, brilliant.
brindar, to drink one's health, offer; —le con, to offer, afford.
bromita, f. (dim. of broma), joke, jest; pl., joking; ¡para —s está el hombre! the man is in a fine mood for joking!
bronca, f., quarrel, row; armar una —, to raise a rumpus (row).
brujería, f., witchcraft.
bruto, -a, stupid, brainless; subs., stupid fool.
buen, see bueno.
bueno, -a, good, fine, kind, well (said of health); as an interj., well, very well, there now, all right.
buho, m., owl.
burlón, -ona, mocking, sneering.
buscar, to seek, look for, get.
busqu-e, -es, see buscar.
butaca, f., armchair.
C
¡cá! interj., no, no indeed, by no means; humph.
caballeresco, -a, chivalrous, of chivalry.
caballerito, m., young gentleman, Sir; ¡—! my dear young Sir (ironical).
caballero, m., gentleman, sir.
cabello, m., hair; — de ángel, confection made with the fruit of the calabash-tree and shredded to resemble strands of hair.
caber, to be contained, find room; no me caben tantas cosas en la cabeza, my head won't hold so many things.
cabeza, f., head.
cabo, m., end; al — y al fin, after all, after all is said and done.
cacique, m., political boss.
cada, each, every; — cual, each one.
caer, to fall; — en, to understand, comprehend; —se, to fall.
café, m., café.
caig-a, -o, see caer.
cajón, m., drawer.
calamar, m., calamary, squid.
calar, to perforate, pierce; — un melón, to tap a melon (to try its flavor).
calavera, f., skull.
calces, see calzar.
calceta, f., stocking; hacer —, to knit.
calcetín, m., half-hose, sock.
calificativo, m., term, epithet.
calmar, to calm, quiet; —se, to subside.
calor, m., heat.
calzar, to put on (shoes); —se una cosa, to get, obtain.
calzón, m., breeches; — corto, knee-breeches.
callado, -a, silent, quiet, taciturn.
callar, to silence, be silent; ¡calla! hush; ¡calle! well, well! Goodness!; ¡á —! be silent! keep quiet!; —se, to hush, be silent.
calle, f., street.
callo, m., corn (on the foot).
cama, f., bed.
camandulero, m., hypocritical rogue.
Camilo, prop. noun.
camino, m., road, way.
canario, m., canary-bird.
canasto, m., basket; ¡—s! interj., Gee whiz! Gracious!
cancán, m., cancan.
Canchalagua (medicinal herb), prop. noun.
candoroso, -a, guileless.
cansado, -a, tired.
cantar, to sing.
capa, f., cape; hacer de su — un sayo, to do as one pleases.
capricho, m., caprice, whim.
cara, f., face; poner buena —á, to look pleasantly at, be agreeable to.
caracol, m., snail; ¡—es! interj., denoting surprise, Gee whiz! Great Scott!
¡caracolitos! (dim. of caracoles), Gracious! Goodness!
carácter, m., character, disposition.
¡caramba! interj., My! Gracious!
¡carambita! (dim. of caramba), Goodness!
cargamento, m., load.
cargar, to load, annoy, weary, bore; — con, to burden oneself with.
cargo, m., charge; hacerse — de, to form an idea of, look after properly.
cargue, see cargar.
caries, f., caries, decayed tooth.
cariño, m., affection, affectionateness.
cariñoso, -a, affectionate.
Carmen, prop. noun.
Carmencita, prop. noun, dim. of Carmen.
carne, f., flesh, meat.
caro, -a, dear, costly.
carrillo, m., cheek; comer á dos —s, to eat heartily, hold two lucrative offices.
carta, f., letter.
cartera, f., portfolio, office of a cabinet minister.
casa, f., house, home, estates, family; — de préstamos, pawnshop, loan company; á —, home (motion); á —de..., to...'s (house); en —, at home, in (our) home; buscar —, to look for a place (as a servant).
casar, to marry; —se, to get married; —se con, to marry.
casi, almost.
Casilda, prop. noun.
caso, m., case, occasion, opportunity; hacer — de (á), to heed, notice, take notice of; hacer al —, to be to the point; no servir para el —, not to be worth anything, to be good for nothing.
¡cáspita! interj., the deuce!
¡caspitina! (dim. of cáspita), the deuce!
Casta, prop. noun.
castañear, to snap (said of the fingers).
Castilla, f., Castile.
casualidad, f., chance, accident; ¡qué —! what a coincidence!; por —, by chance; ni por —, not in the least.
catorce, fourteen.
causa, f., cause.
causar, to cause.
cayendo, see caer.
cebada, f., barley.
cebollino, m., young onion, chive; mandar á escardar —s, to send to the devil.
ceder, to yield, give in, give up.
celebrar, to be delighted, be glad, rejoice.
cencerrada, f., charivari; tin-pan serenade.
centro, m., center.
cepillo, m., (tooth) brush.
cerdo, m., hog.
cereal, m., cereal, grain.
cerillita, f., (wax) match.
cerrar, to shut, close.
cesante, m., discharged office-holder, ex-government employé; dejar —, to remove from office, discharge; quedar —, to lose one's position.
cesar, to cease, stop.
cielo, m., sky, heaven; poner el grito en el —, to scream, shriek; tocar el — con las manos, to boil over, be furious.
cierra, see cerrar.
cierto, -a, certain, a certain; por —, certainly.
cigarrera, f., cigar factory girl.
cigarrillo, m., cigarette.
cinco, five.
cincuenta, fifty.
circunstancia, f., circumstance.
citar, to cite, quote, make an appointment with.
claro, -a, clear; adv., clearly; ¡—! evidently, naturally.
clase, f., class, kind.
Claudio, Claudius.
clavar, to fix, fasten, stick in.
cliente, m., patient.
clorete, mispronunciation of colorete.
cobrar, to collect, receive (salary).
cocaína, f., cocaine.
cocinilla, f., spirit-lamp.
codo, m., elbow; dar con el —, to nudge.
coger, to take, take up, seize.
cojo, -a, lame, crippled.
cola, f., tail, train (of a gown).
colar, to strain, drain, filter; —se, to run down the throat (said of wine, etc.).
colegio, m., (secondary) school.
colocar, to put, place; ser colocado, to receive a position, get a job.
color, m., color, blush; de — de rosa, rose-colored, bright.
colorete, m., rouge.
combinación, f., arrangement.
comedia, f., play, comedy.
comedor, m., dining-room.
comer, to eat; — á dos carrillos, to eat heartily, hold two lucrative offices; —se algo, to eat, eat up something.
comerciante, m., merchant.
cómico, -a, comic.
como, as, like, as if, since, inasmuch as; followed by subjunctive clause, unless, provided that; — que, since, inasmuch as.
¿cómo? how? what?; ¿— que no? most assuredly.
compañero, m., companion, colleague, associate.
complacer, to please, accommodate.
completamente, completely.
completo, -a, complete; por —, completely.
componer, to compose, repair, arrange, mend; —se, to dress up, "fix oneself up."
composición, f., composition, literary work.
comprar, to buy.
comprender, to understand, comprehend, include, apply to.
comprometer, to compromise; —se (á), to bind oneself, promise; —se con alguien, to enter into an engagement with someone.
comprometido, -a, bound, under obligation.
compromiso, m., bond, obligation, engagement.
compuesto, -a (see componerse), dressed up (a vulgarism in this sense).
común, common.
comunicar, to communicate, make known.
comunicativo, -a, communicative, affable.
con, with, by, in.
conceder, to concede, grant, accord.
concesión, f., concession.
conciencia, f., conscience.
concluir, to conclude, finish, end matters, put an end to; hemos concluído, it's all over between us.
concluyamos, see concluir.
conducta, f., conduct.
confesar, to confess.
confianza, f., confidence, freedom, intimacy.
confiar (en), to confide, trust.
confieso, see confesar.
conformarse (con), to put up with, become resigned to.
conforme, according as; — para, according to, that depends on.
Congo, m., Congo.
congreso, m., congress, congressional hall (i.e., el Palacio del Congreso); Congreso de diputados, Congress, Spanish house of representatives.
congrio, m., conger-eel.
conjunto, m., combination, aggregation, mass.
conmigo, with me.
conmovedor, -ora, affecting, touching.
conmover, to move, touch (said of the emotions).
conocer, to know, perceive, recognize, observe; se conoce, it is evident, it is plain.
conocido, m., acquaintance.
conocido, -a, well-known.
conozco, see conocer.
conque, conj., now then, well then, so.
consecuencia, f., consequence; á — de, as a result of.
conseguir, to get, succeed in.
consentir, to consent, allow; — (en), to consent (to).
conservar, to keep.
Conservatorio, m., Conservatory.
consideración, f., consideration.
considerar, to consider.
consiento, see consentir.
consistir, to consist.
conspirar, to conspire.
constar, impers., to be evident, be proven; conste, be it known.
consuelo, m., consolation, comfort, relief.
consulta, f., consultation.
consultar, to consult; — una cosa con alguien, to ask one's advice about something.
consumatum est (Lat.), it is finished.
contar, to count, tell, relate; — con, to count on.
contemplar, to contemplate.
contento, m., joy, satisfaction.
contento, -a, pleased, satisfied.
contestar, to reply, answer.
contigo, with thee, with you.
continuar, to continue.
contorsión, f., contortion.
contra, against.
contrariar, to vex, disappoint.
contrariedad, f., bad humor, dissatisfaction, vexation.
contrario, -a, contrary; al —, (the) opposite, on the contrary.
convendría, see convenir.
convenir, to be fitting, be expedient, be well, suit, behoove; me conviene, it behooves me; no conviene, one should not.
conversación, f., conversation.
convicción, f., conviction.
convidar, to invite.
conviene, see convenir.
conviniera, see convenir.
convite, m., invitation.
copa, f., goblet, cup; sombrero de —, high hat.
copiar, to copy.
copita, f., small glass, (small) wine glass.
coquetear, to flirt.
coquetismo, m., coquettishness.
corazón, m., heart.
corbata, f., scarf, necktie.
correcto, -a, correct.
corregir, to correct; —se, to amend one's ways.
correr, to run; — prisa, to be urgent; no me corre prisa, I am not in a hurry; corriendo, run on, hurry.
Correspondencia, f., name of a Madrid newspaper.
corresponder (á), to reciprocate, return (a favor), requite; — á, to belong to, fall to.
corriente, ready; adv., all right, very well.
corriges, see corregir.
corrijo, see corregir.
corsé, m., corset.
cortar, to cut, cut off.
cortesano, m., courtier.
cortesano, -a, courtly, polite, complimentary, of the capital.
corto, -a, short.
cosa, f., thing, affair; — hecha, an accomplished fact; otra —, anything else, something else, otherwise; no hay tal —, not at all, nothing of the kind.
coser, to sew.
cosita, f., (little) thing.
Cosme, prop. noun.
costado, m., side; pl., maternal or paternal ancestry.
costar, to cost.
cotorra, f., small parrot, magpie, loquacious woman.
credencial, f., certificate of appointment, appointment.
credo, m., credo, creed.
creer, to believe; ¿Cree usted? Do you think so?; Creo que sí, I think so; ¡Ya lo creo! I should think (say) so!; ¡Ya lo creo que no! I should think not!; ¡Ya lo creo que...! You may bet that...!
criada, f., servant-girl, maid.
criado, m., man-servant.
crónico, -a, chronic.
cuadrar, to square; —se, to show firmness.
cuadro, m., picture, scene, frame, case.
cual, which, what; el —, la —, lo —, who, which; cada —, each one.
¿cuál? cuál (indirect question), which? what? which one? what one?
cualidad, f., quality.
cualquier, see cualquiera.
cualquiera, any, any... whatever, anyone, anybody, either one.
cuando, when; aun —, conj., although.
cuanto, -a, how much, as much, as much as, whatever, all that; pl., as many, so many, as many as, all the; todo —, all that; á cuantas partes sea necesario, everywhere necessary.
¿cuánto? how much?; pl., how many?
¡cuánto! how much! how!
cuanto, adv., as much as; en —, conj., as soon as; en — á, prep., as for.
cuarenta, forty.
cuarto, m., room, small copper coin, cent (used vaguely to express a trifling sum).
cuarto, -a, fourth.
cuatro, -a, four.
cubierto, see cubrir.
cubrir, to cover.
cuclillas (en), adv., in a squatting position; puesto en —, squatting, crouching.
cuela, see colar.
cuello, m., neck.
cuenta, f., count, account; darse — de, to notice, realize; echar la —, to calculate, form an estimate; tener — una cosa, to be profitable, be of advantage.
cuentan, see contar.
cuento, m., story, tale; — en acción, dramatized story.
cuerda, f., cord, string.
cuerdamente, prudently, advisedly.
cuero, m., leather, hide; en —s, naked, destitute.
cuerpo, m., body; tener el diablo en el —, to be lively, be full of mischief.
cuesta, f., back, hill, slope; á —s, on one's back.
cuest-a, -e, see costar.
cuestión, f., question, matter, affair, dispute, quarrel.
cueva, f., cave.
cuidado, m., care; ¡—! notice! take care! beware!; ¡— con...! beware of! look out for! it's a caution!
culpa, f., fault; tener la —, to be to blame, be one's fault.
culpable, guilty, blame-worthy.
cumplido, m., compliment, formality; nada de —s, no formality.
cumplir, to fulfil, carry out.
curar, to cure.
Currito, familiar for Francisco.
cursi, cheap, vulgar, shabby-genteel.
cutis, m., skin.
cuyo, -a, whose, of which.
Ch
chanchullo, m., peculation, fishy transaction, "graft."
chasco, m., joke, disappointment.
chico, m., small boy, lad, young fellow.
chico, -a, small.
chimenea, f., fireplace.
china, f., pebble; a boy's game in which one of the participants guesses which of the other's hands contains the pebble. If he chooses the hand holding the pebble, he loses. Hence, tocarle á uno la —, to draw the unlucky pebble, be the unlucky one.
chiquirritito, very, very small.
chistecito, m. (dim. of chiste), little joke, joke.
chocar, to shock.
D
dañar, to injure, impair, affect.
daño, m., harm, injury; hacer — á, to harm, injure, hurt.
dar, to give, cause, strike, attack, seize (said of pains); — un avance á, to accost a person for help of some kind, give one a "brace"; — con el codo, to nudge with the elbow; — en, to hit, strike; — golpe, to excite admiration, create a furor; — gusto (á), to please; —le á uno intenciones (de), to have a mind to; — media vuelta, to turn half around, turn one's back on a person; — al olvido, to forget, cast into oblivion; — prisa á, to hurry; — la puntilla, to deal the final blow, give the coup de grâce; — vergüenza á, to shame, make ashamed; — voces, to shout; — la vuelta, to return; dale que le das, without stopping, persistently; lo mismo da, it's all the same; me das lástima, I pity you; no me da la gana, I don't want to; como les da la gana, as they please; déle expresiones, remember me kindly to him; —se cuenta de, to notice, realize; —se por, to consider oneself as; —se prisa, to hurry; —se tono, to pose, put on airs.
de, of, as, at, with, by, in, on, to, from, about; than (before numerals or a clause beginning with lo or lo que).
dé, see dar.
debajo de, prep., under.
deber, to owe, should, must, ought; — de (+ inf.), ought, to be to (expresses probability); —se, to be owing, be due.
débil, weak.
debilidad, f., weakness, faintness of the stomach.
decente, decent, proper, nice.
decidido, -a (á), decided, ready.
decidir, to decide; —se, to decide, make up one's mind.
decir, to say, tell; es —, that is to say, I mean; querer —, to mean; digo, I mean, that is (to correct a previous statement); ¡digo! interj., my! I declare! I should say!
dedicar, to dedicate, devote.
dedo, m., finger, finger-breadth.
deducir, to deduce, infer.
dejar, to let, allow, leave, let go, let alone; — cesante, to remove from office, discharge; — de, to cease, quit, fail; — plantado, to desert, drop, give up, "turn down"; —se de, to give up, renounce, cease, leave off.
del = de + el.
delante, adv., in front; — de, prep., before, in front of.
delirio, m., delirium, madness; con —, madly.
demás; por lo —, otherwise.
demasiado, -a, too much, too great, excessive; adv., too, too much.
demente, demented, mad.
demonio, m., demon, devil; ¡—! the deuce!
demostrar, to demonstrate, show.
demuestra, see demostrar.
den, see dar.
dentadura, f., set of teeth.
dentista, m., dentist; profesor —, doctor of dental surgery.
dentro, adv., within, inside.
depender (de), to depend (on).
deplorable, deplorable.
derecho, -a, right; la derecha, the right hand.
desagradar, to displease.
desahogado, -a, in comfortable circumstances.
desahogarse, to unbosom oneself, give vent to one's feelings.
desahogo, m., ease, comfort.
desahogue, see desahogarse.
desaparecer, to disappear.
desatinar, to bewilder, perplex, drive distracted.
descansar, to rest, repose.
descarado, -a, impudent, saucy.
desconocido, -a, unknown.
descorchar, to uncork.
descubrir, to discover, make known, disclose.
descuidado, careless, negligent.
descuidar, to neglect; descuide usía, have no fear.
desde, prep., from, since; — que, conj., since, from the moment that; — chico, from the time he was a small boy; — luego, naturally, of course.
desdén, m., disdain, scorn.
desear, to desire.
desempeñar, to redeem; to fill or discharge (an office).
desengaño, m., disillusion.
deseo, m., desire.
deseoso, -a, desirous.
desesperado, -a, desperate, in despair.
desgracia, f., misfortune.
desgraciadamente, unfortunately.
desgraciado, -a, unfortunate, wretched.
deshilacharse, to ravel, fuzz.
despacio, slowly, leisurely.
despecho, m., pique, spite, chagrin, mortification.
despedir, to dismiss, discharge, emit, radiate.
despide, see despedir.
despilfarro, m., prodigality, waste, extravagance; pl., idem.
desplegar, to unfold, display.
después, adv., later, afterwards; — de, prep., after; — que, conj., after.
desterrar, to drive away, dispel.
destinar, to destine, intend.
destino, m., employment, position, (government) job, public office.
desvanecerse, to faint.
desvanecido, -a, fainting.
desvergonzado, -a, shameless, impudent.
detalle, m., detail.
detener, to detain; —se, to stop, stay.
detengan, see detener.
detiene, see detener.
detrás, adv., after, behind; — de, prop., behind.
devanadera, f., spool, bobbin; tener las tripas como una —, to be in a state of worry and anger, be ready to burst with rage.
devocionario, m., prayer-book.
devolver, to return.
di, see decir.
día, m., day; el — menos pensado, some fine day, when least expected; (muy) buenos —s, good morning, good day, how do you do?; de —, by day, in the daytime; ocho —s, a week.
diablo, m., devil; tener el — en el cuerpo, to be very lively, be full of mischief.
diabólico, -a, diabolical.
diálogo, m., dialogue.
diario, -a, daily.
dic-e, -en, -es, -iendo, see decir.
dicho, -a (see decir), the said, aforesaid, the same.
dichoso, -a, happy, blessed.
diente, m., tooth.
d-iera, -ierais, -ieron, see dar.
diez, ten.
diferenciar, to differentiate, distinguish.
difícil, difficult.
difunto, -a, defunct, deceased.
dig-a, -as, -o, see decir.
digno, -a, worthy.
dij-e, -era, -imos, -iste, -o, see decir.
diluvio, m., deluge.
dineral, m., large sum of money.
dinero, m., money.
Dios, m., God; — mío, Good heavens! Oh dear!; hombre de —, man alive!; por —, for heaven's sake.
diputado, m., deputy, representative.
dir-é, -éis, -á, see decir.
dirección, f., direction.
dirigir, to direct; —se á, to move towards, address.
discípulo, m., pupil.
disclotao, mispronunciation of descotado, -a, in low neck, decolleté.
discurso, m., discourse, speech.
disgustar, to disgust, displease, disgruntle.
disgusto, m., disgust, displeasure, annoyance, worry.
disparate, m., nonsense, absurdity.
dispensar, to pardon, excuse; dispense usted, pardon me.
disponer, to dispose, dispose of, get ready.
dispongo, see disponer.
disposición, f., disposition, inclination, condition.
dispuesto, -a (see disponer), ready.
distraer, to distract, divert.
distrito, m., district.
dividir, to divide.
doce, twelve.
doctor, m., doctor.
doler, to ache, pain.
dolor, m., pain; — de muelas, toothache.
dominar, to dominate, control.
domingo, m., Sunday.
don, m., Don, Sir (followed by a Christian name).
donde, where; por —, whence; ¿dónde? where?
doña, f., Doña (followed by a Christian name).
dorado, -a, gilt, gilded.
dormir, to sleep; —se, to go to sleep; no —se en las pajas, to be vigilant, keep one's eye open.
dos, two; los —, las —, both.
dote, f., dowry.
doy, see dar.
drentro, mispronunciation of dentro.
duda, f., doubt; sin —, doubtless.
dudar, to doubt, hesitate.
duele, see doler.
dueño, m., owner, master.
duerma, see dormir.
dulce, sweet, soft, gentle.
dulzura, f., gentleness, tenderness.
durante, during.
durmiendo, see dormir.
duro, m., dollar.
E
é, and (before i- and hi-).
¡ea! there now, well.
económico, -a, economic.
echar, to throw, toss, cast; — la cuenta, to calculate, form an estimate; — mano, to put out one's hand; —de menos, to miss; — ojos, to cast eyes; —se, to lie down.
edad, f., age.
eh, eh, what?; ¿si, —? indeed? really?
ejem, interj., ahem.
ejemplo, m., example.
ejercer, to exercise, practice, follow (a profession, etc.).
ejercicio, m., exercise; pl., devotional reading, (military) drill.
el, la, lo, the; el que, la que, lo que, los que, las que, he who, the one who, etc.
él, la, lo, dem. pron., that.
él, ella, ello, he, him, she, her, it.
eléctrico, -a, electric.
elegir, to choose.
elemento, m., element.
elija, see elegir.
elixir, m., elixir; a compound tincture or medicine.
elocuente, eloquent.
elogio, m., eulogy, praise.
embargo, m., hindrance; sin —, nevertheless.
embrollar, to entangle, confuse.
embustera, f., liar.
emoción, f., emotion.
empapar, to soak, saturate.
empecemos, see empezar.
empeñar, to pledge, pawn; —se (en), to insist.
empeño, m., eagerness, determination, persistence; tener — (en) que, to be anxious, desire earnestly.
empezar, to begin.
empieza, see empezar.
empleado, m., employé, government clerk, office-holder.
emplear, to employ, engage, appoint (to public office).
empleo, m., employment, position, (government) job.
empujar, to push, shove.
en, in, on, to, at.
enaguas, f. pl., underskirt, petticoat.
enamorado, -a, enamoured, in love.
encanto, m., charm.
encargar, to charge, recommend, commission, enjoin.
encerrona, f., trap, snare (for persons), cf. pop. "put-up job."
encima, adv., above, on top; quitarle á uno de —, to remove, take off one's mind.
encontrar, to find, meet, consider; —se, to be; —se bien, to feel well; ¿me encuentras bien? Do I look well?; —se con, to meet, run across.
encuentr -a, -as, -o, see encontrar.
energía, f., energy.
enfermo, m., patient.
enfermo, -a, ill.
enganchar, to hook, entrap, catch.
engañador, -ora, deceitful, deceiving.
engañar, to deceive.
enhorabuena, f., congratulation; adv., happily, prosperously; quede usted — (polite phrase of leave-taking), good day, or my best wishes.
enhoramala, adv., in an evil hour, unpropitiously; vaya usted —, Go and bad luck to you! Go to blazes!
enjuagarse, to rinse one's mouth or teeth.
enjuague, m., tooth-wash, mouth-wash, water for rinsing the teeth, cup for rinsing.
enjuague, see enjuagarse.
enjugar, to wipe, dry.
ensayo, m., trial, rehearsal; haz tus ensayos, rehearse your part.
enseñar, to teach, show.
enseres, m. pl., implements, instruments.
ensuciar, to dirty.
entender, to understand; —se con, to come to an understanding with.
enterar, to inform; —se (de), to learn, find out.
entero, -a, entire, whole.
entiendo, see entender.
entonces, then.
entrar (en), to enter, go in; —se, to enter.
entre, between, among.
entreabrir, to half open.
entregar, to deliver, hand (over), give; —se, to surrender, submit.
entregue, see entregar.
entretener, to entertain, divert, amuse, occupy, keep, detain, take up one's time, dally with; —se, to while away time; no puedo —me, I can't delay.
entretenga, see entretener.
entristecer, to sadden.
entusiasmo, m., enthusiasm.
envidia, f., envy.
envidioso, -a, envious.
envolver, to wrap.
envuelto, see envolver.
época, f., epoch, time.
equipaje, m., baggage.
equivocarse, to be mistaken.
er-a, -amos, -as, -es, see ser.
erre, f., the letter R; — que —, obstinately, persistently, keep it up!
error, m., error, mistake.
es, see ser.
escalera, f., staircase, stairway.
escamar, to make distrustful; —se, to become distrustful, take offence, show resentment.
escándalo, m., scandal, commotion, fuss, row.
escardar, to weed, weed out; mandar á — cebollinos, to send (one) to the devil.
escasear, to be scarce.
escena, f., scene, stage.
Escorial, m., town of about three thousand inhabitants, situated some thirty miles northwest of Madrid, containing the famous Real sitio de San Lorenzo del Escorial, founded by Philip II.
escribiente, m., clerk.
escribir, to write.
escrito, -a, see escribir.
escritorio, m., writing-desk.
escuchar, to listen, listen to, hear.
ese, esa, that (near the person addressed).
ése, ésa, eso, that (near you), that one, the former, the aforesaid; eso es, that's right; eso de que..., the idea that..., the fact that...; y eso que..., and then, too, just think that...; por eso, on that account.
espacio, m., space.
espalda, f., back, shoulders; de —s á, back to.
espantajo, m., scarecrow, "fright."
España, f., Spain.
especialidad, f., specialty, master, adept.
espectáculo, m., spectacle, sight.
espejo, m., mirror.
espera, f., wait; sala de —, waiting-room.
esperanza, f., hope.
esperar, to hope, wait, await, wait for.
espíritu, m., spirit.
esposo, m., husband.
establecer, to establish.
estado, m., state, condition (whether married, single, or widowed).
estar, to be, remain, be present, be at home, be here, be there, be finished; está bien, very well, all right; — bien, to be well, look well; — de acuerdo, to be of one mind, be agreed; ¡estás fresco! you'll be disappointed; — en la gloria, to be in heaven (for joy), be in bliss; — en un grito, to be in constant pain; — para (+ inf.), to be about to; ¡Para bromitas está el hombre! The man is in a fine mood for jests!; — por (+ inf.), to be almost ready to, be inclined to; — en relaciones, to be engaged in a love-affair; — de vuelta, to have returned, be back; —se, to be, remain; estése usted quieto, behave yourself.
estatua, f., statue.
este, esta, this, the latter.
éste, ésta, esto, this one, this, this fellow, the latter.
est-é, -és, see estar.
estocada, f., stab, thrust.
estómago, m., stomach.
estorbar, to annoy, bother, be in the way.
estoy, see estar.
estrechar, to press, squeeze.
estrella, f., star.
estropear, to maim, spoil.
estuche, m., case; — de operaciones, instrument-case.
estudiar, to study.
estufa, f., stove.
estúpido, -a, stupid.
estuv-iera, -iese, see estar.
etcétera, et cetera, etc.
exageración, f., exaggeration.
exagerado, -a, extreme, exaggerated (in one's ideas or actions).
examinar, to examine.
excelencia, f., excellency.
excepción, f., exception.
exclamar, to exclaim.
exclusivamente, exclusively.
excusar, to excuse; —se (de), to apologize, ask to be excused.
explicar, to explain.
exponer, to expose; —se á, to run the risk of.
expresión, f., expression; pl., remembrance, respects; déle usted expresiones, remember me to him, give him my regards.
expresivo, -a, expressive, affectionate, cordial.
extender, to extend.
exterior, exterior, outside.
extracción, f., extraction.
extraer, to extract.
extranjero, m., foreigner, foreign countries; en el —, abroad.
extranjero, -a, foreign.
extraño, -a, strange, odd, rare.
extremeño, m., native of Extremadura (a province of Spain).
extremo, -a, extreme; en —, exceedingly.
F
fabricar, to manufacture.
facciones, f. pl., features.
fácilmente, easily.
facha, f., appearance, aspect, sight.
falda, f., skirt.
falso, -a, false, deceitful.
falta, f., lack, want, need; hacer —, to be necessary, be needed; ni hace —, it isn't necessary; á mí me hacen —, I need.
faltar, to fail, be lacking, be absent, fail to go; — á la verdad, to tell an untruth; ¡no faltaba más! that would be too much! the very idea!
familia, f., family.
famoso, -a, famous.
fantasma, m., fancy, chimera.
fastidiar, to annoy, bother, give annoyance.
fastidio, m., annoyance, nuisance; ¡Qué —! How annoying!
fatiga, f., fatigue; pl., hardship, anguish.
favor, m., favor; es —, you are very kind (in answer to a compliment); hacer el — de, to be so kind as to.
favorecer, to favor.
felicidad, f., joy, happiness.
Felipe, Philip.
feliz, happy.
felpudo, m., mat.
fenómeno, m., phenomenon.
feo, -a, ugly.
fervor, m., fervor.
fiel, faithful, true, exact.
fiera, f., wild beast.
fiesta, f., feast, holiday, entertainment; hacer —s á, to fondle, dandle, play with.
figura, f., figure, form.
figurar, to figure, be represented as; —se, to imagine.
fijar, to fix; —se en, to notice closely.
filosofar, to philosophize.
fin, m., end; en —, finally, after all, in short; al cabo y al —, after all, after all is said and done; por —, finally.
fingir, to feign, dissemble.
finjamos, see fingir.
fino, -a, delicate, smooth.
finura, f., delicacy, courtesy.
firme, firm, solid.
físicamente, physically.
físico, -a, physical.
Fislomena, prop. noun, a mispronunciation of Filomena.
flechar, to pierce with an arrow; inspire love at first sight.
flor, f., flower.
Flores, prop. noun.
fluxión, f., inflammation, abscess.
fonda, f., hotel, tavern.
fondo, m., background.
forcejear, to struggle.
forceps, m., forceps.
forma, f., form, manner.
formal, formal.
foro, m., back (of a stage).
fortuna, f., fortune; por —, fortunately.
frac, m., dress-coat.
francamente, frankly, candidly.
Francisco, Francis.
Francisquito (dim. of Francisco), Francis.
franco, -a, frank, open.
franqueza, f., frankness.
frasco, m., flask, vial, bottle.
frasquito, m., small flask, small bottle.
Frasquito, colloquial for Francisco.
frecuencia, f., frequency.
frecuentar, to frequent.
frecuente, frequent.
fregar, to scrub, scour.
frente, f., forehead.
frente, m., front; — á, in front of, before.
fresco, -a, fresh; ¡estás —! You'll be disappointed!
frialdad, f., coldness, coolness.
frío, m., cold, chill; tener —, to be cold, be chilly.
friolerilla, f. (dim. of friolera), trifle.
frotar, to rub.
fruto, m., fruit.
fu-é, -era, -eron, -ese, see ser or ir.
fuego, m., fire.
Fuentesaúco, prop. noun.
fuera, adv., out, outside; ¡—con! out with!; — de, out of.
fuerte, strong, severe.
fuerza, f., force, strength; de por —, violently, necessarily, without any doubt.
fumar, to smoke.
furioso, -a, furious, raging.
futura, f., betrothed, future wife.
futuro, -a, future.
G
gabinete, m., sitting-room, private office; — de operaciones, operating-room.
galante, gallant.
galantería, f., gallantry, courtesy.
gallinita, f., pullet.
gallo, m., cock; alzar el —, to speak loud and insolently.
gana, f., desire, inclination; pl., idem; tener —s (de), to desire, wish; como les da la —, as they please; no me da la —, I don't want to.
ganar, to gain, win, earn, make, surpass; á listo no te gana nadie, no one can surpass you in cleverness.
gancho, m., colloquial, charm, attractiveness, art of pleasing.
garbanzo, m., chick-pea.
García, prop. noun.
Garlopa (f., jack-plane), m., prop. noun.
gastar, to spend.
gasto, m., expense.
gazmoñería, f., hypocrisy, prudery.
generalmente, generally.
genio, m., temper, disposition.
gente, f., people; pl., idem; tratar á las —s, to go into the world, go into society.
gestionar, to arrange, look after; — un asunto, to attend to a business matter.
gesto, m., gesture.
gloria, f., glory, bliss, heaven; pl., glory; estar en la —, to be in bliss, be in heaven (for joy).
gobierno, m., government, administration.
goce, see gozar.
golpe, m., blow, shock; dar —, to excite admiration, create a furor.
golpecito, m., tap, light blow.
González, prop. noun; las de —, the González women.
gordo, -a, big, fat.
gozar (en), to enjoy, delight in.
gozoso, -a, joyful, gleeful.
gracia, f., grace, name; pl., thanks; —s á que no hay, thank goodness there is no...; ¿su — de usted? what is your name?; no hacerle — á uno, to displease one, not to please one, not to seem funny to one.
gracioso, -a, gracious, amusing, funny, witty.
gran, see grande.
grande, great, large, big.
grasa, f., grease, fat.
gratis, adv., gratis, free.
grato, -a, pleasant, pleasing, agreeable.
grave, grave, serious.
griego, -a, Greek.
gritar, to shout.
grito, m., shout, cry; á —s, shouting; estar en un —, to be in constant pain; poner el — en el cielo, to scream, shriek.
grosería, f., coarseness, rudeness, ill manners, act of discourtesy.
grosero, -a, rude, rough, coarse, uncivil.
guante, m., glove.
guapo, -a, good-looking, handsome, pretty, elegant.
guardar, to keep; —se, to hold back, keep back.
guardia, f., guard.
guasón, m., jester, joker.
guita, f., (slang) money.
gustar, to taste, enjoy, please, be agreeable, like; ¿le gusta á usted? Do you like?; á mí no me gusta, I do not like; ¡me gusta! how absurd! I like that!
gusto, m., taste, pleasure; dar — (á), to please; á —, pleasantly, in comfort; ¡qué —! how nice! isn't that fine!
H
h-a, -an, -as, see haber.
haber, to have; impers., to be; hay, there is, there are; ¿habrá alguien? I wonder if anyone is there?; — de (+inf.), to have to, be obliged, must, should, to be to; expressing futurity or likelihood, as usted no ha de volver, you will never return.
habilidad, f., ability, skill, accomplishment.
habitación, f., room.
hablar, to speak.
habr-á, -é, see haber and hay.
hacer, to do, make, cause, perform, render; — asomar, to bring (to view); — calceta, to knit; — de su capa un sayo, to do as one pleases; — caso de (á), to heed, notice, take notice of; — al caso, to be to the point; — daño á, to hurt, injure, harm; — falta, to be necessary, be needed; — el favor de, to be so kind as to; — fiestas á, to fondle, dandle, play with; no —le gracia á uno, to displease, not to please; —le á uno monadas, to ogle, cast sheep's eyes on; — un papel, to play a rôle; —suerte, to be lucky, successful; — traición, to be untrue, be disloyal; tener que —, to be busy, be occupied; —se cargo de, to form an idea of; —se ilusiones, to be deluded, deceive oneself; hace with expressions of time, for, ago: estoy sirviendo aquí — tres meses, I have been employed here for three months; — ocho días que no descanso, I have not rested for a week; — que no nos vemos muchos años, we have not seen each other for many years; — cuatro días que apenas como, I have hardly eaten for four days; — catorce años, fourteen years ago; — dos años, two years ago; — cuatro días, four days ago; — ya mucho que perdió usted, you lost... a long time ago; — poco, a short while ago.
hacia, prep., towards.
hacienda, f., property, estate, finance; Ministerio de —, Treasury, Department of Finance.
hache, f., the letter h.
hag-a, -an, -o, see hacer.
har-á, -é, -emos, see hacer.
haragán, -ana, idle, indolent.
hasta, prep., until, to, up to, as far as; — ahora, so far; — que, conj., until; adv., even.
hay (see haber), there is, there are; — que (+inf.), it is necessary, one must; ¿— alguien? is someone there?; ¿habrá alguien? I wonder if someone is there?; no ha habido, there has not been; no — quien..., there is no one who...; no — tal cosa, not at all, nothing of the kind.
hay-a, -áis, -an, see haber.
haz, see hacer.
hazaña, f., exploit.
he, see haber.
hé (probably imperative of ver); — aquí, behold.
hecho, see hacer; cosa hecha, an accomplished fact; esto es —, the thing is settled.
helado, -a, chilled, frozen.
hemos, see haber.
hermana, f., sister.
hermano, m., brother.
hermoso, -a, beautiful, lovely.
herrador, m., farrier, horse-shoer.
herrar, to shoe (horses).
hija, f., daughter; sometimes used without reference to relationship, as in pero hija, llegas tarde, but my dear girl, you come too late.
hijo, m., son, child; —s míos, my children; sometimes used without reference to relationship, as in hijo mío, my dear fellow.
hilo, m., thread.
hipócrita, f., hypocrite.
historia, f., history.
hizo, see hacer.
hojear, to turn the leaves (of a book), glance over.
hola, interj. (expresses surprise or familiar greeting), Hello! Look here! well, well, haha!
holgazán, -ana, lazy.
hombre, m., man; interj., man alive! goodness! why!; —de Dios, man alive!
hombro, m., shoulder.
hondo, -a, deep, profound.
honradez, f., honesty.
honrado, -a, honest, honorable.
honrar, to honor.
honroso, -a, honorable.
hora, f., hour.
horca, f., gallows, gibbet.
horquilla, f., hair-pin.
horrible, horrible.
horror, m., horror.
hortelano, m., gardener; el perro del —, the dog in the manger.
hospedar, to give lodging to, harbor, entertain.
hospital, m., hospital.
hospitalidad, f., hospitality.
hoy, to-day.
hub-iera, -iéramos, -an, -as, -iese, see haber.
hueso, m., bone, tooth.
huir, to flee.
humor, m., humor, disposition.
humorado, -a; mal —, ill-humored.
I
i, f., the letter i; poner los puntos sobre las íes, to speak to the point.
ib-a, -amos, -an, see ir.
idea, f., idea.
idem, idem, likewise.
idilio, m., idyl.
iglesia, f., church.
ignorar, not to know.
igual, equal, like, alike, same, the same, similar.
igualar, to equalize, make alike, match.
igualmente, equally.
ilusión, f., illusion; hacerse —es, to be deluded, deceive oneself.
imaginación, f., imagination.
imbécil, m., fool, imbecile.
imbécil, silly, stupid.
impedir, to prevent.
impid-a, -e, see impedir.
implicar, to prevent.
importante, important.
importar, to import, matter.
imposible, impossible.
impresión, f., impression.
imprimir, to imprint, impress upon, stamp, impart.
inaugurar, to inaugurate, begin.
incluso, including.
incomodado, -a, angry.
incomodar, to disturb, inconvenience, offend, displease.
inconscientemente, unconsciously.
inconveniente, m., inexpediency, objection.
incorrecto, -a, imperfect, irregular.
independiente, independent, separate.
indicar, to show.
indiferente, indifferent.
indignación, f., indignation.
indigno, -a, unworthy.
inepto, -a, incompetent.
infame, m., wretch, scoundrel.
infamia, f., infamy, infamous act.
infancia, f., infancy, childhood, boyhood.
infeliz, m. and f., poor creature.
infeliz, unhappy, unfortunate.
inflamación, f., inflammation.
inflamado, -a, inflamed.
inflamar, to inflame.
informalidad, f., unconventionality, etiquette.
ingenuidad, f., candor, frankness.
ingrato, -a, ungrateful.
inhumano, -a, heartless, cruel.
inmediatamente, immediately.
inmenso, -a, immense.
innumerable, numberless.
Inocencia, prop. noun.
inocente, innocent.
insinuación, f., insinuation, innuendo.
insistir, to insist.
insolente, insolent.
insoportable, unbearable.
inspirar, to inspire.
instalar, to instal, quarter; —se, to come to live, take quarters.
instante, m., instant; al —, at once, immediately.
instruir, to instruct.
instrumento, m., instrument.
instruyendo, see instruir.
intención, f., intention, purpose, desire, significance; me dan —es de, I have a mind to.
intento, m., purpose.
interesante, interesting.
interesar, to interest.
interior, interior, inside.
interpelación, f., question put by a member of a legislative assembly to a minister or member of the government.
interrumpir, to interrupt.
íntimo, -a, intimate.
inútil, useless.
inventar, to invent, concoct.
invierno, m., winter.
invitación, f., invitation.
invitar, to invite.
ir, to go, go on, continue; — á (+inf.), to be going to; ir+gerund expresses progressive action, vamos viviendo, we go on living, we manage to get along; que voy pagando á plazos, which I am paying on the instalment plan; — á paseo, to go for a walk; —en un vuelo, to go with all speed, go like lightning; vamos, interj., come now, see here, there now, well, indeed! I should say!; vamos á ver, let's see; ahí van..., there are...; ahora va de veras, now it's really settled, now it's serious; vaya con Dios, God be with you, a polite formula of leave-taking = good-bye; vaya, interj., there! there now! well! (denotes impatience, displeasure, or sudden resolution); vaya con expresses ironical contempt, derision or disapproval, as ¡vaya con los criados! a fine lot these servants are!; ¡vaya con el hombre! just listen to the man! used emphatically, as ¡vaya una mano linda! there's what I call a pretty hand!; —se, to go, go away, go off, leave.
ira, f., wrath, anger.
irresistible, irresistible.
Isabel, Elizabeth.
Isidra, prop. noun.
izquierdo, -a, left; la izquierda, the left (hand).
J
¡ja! ¡ja! ha! ha!
jamona, f., a buxom woman no longer young.
¡je, je, je! interj., denoting laughter.
jefe, m., chief, head.
Jesús, m., Jesus; ¡—! Goodness! Lord! Good heavens!
Jiménez, prop. noun; «Pedro Jiménez,» a brand of Sherry wine.
jorobado, -a, humpbacked.
José, Joseph.
joven, m. and f., youth, young man, young woman.
joven, young, youthful.
Juan, John.
jubileo, m., jubilee, merry-making, thronging of people.
juega, see jugar.
jueves, m., Thursday; —Santo, Holy Thursday.
jugar, to play; — con, to mock, make game of.
juguete, m., trifle, play-thing; — cómico, comedietta.
juicio, m., judgment, sense, wits, senses, good sense; el día del juicio, the Day of Judgment; muela del —, wisdom-tooth.
juicioso, -a, judicious, sensible, discreet.
juntito, -a (dim. of junto), united, together.
junto, -a, together; muy —s, very close together.
junto, adv., near, at hand; —á, prep., near, by.
justicia, f., justice.
justo, -a, just, proper.
juzgar, to judge, deem.
juzgue, see juzgar.
L
labrar, to cause, work out.
lacayo, m., lackey, groom.
lado, m., side; de al —, near by.
lágrima, f., tear.
lamentar, to lament, regret.
largarse, to leave, go away, be off.
largo, -a, long; cuatro dedos de —, a length of four finger-breadths.
lástima, f., pity; me das —, I pity you.
lastimar, to hurt.
lateral, lateral, side.
lavabo, m., washstand.
lavar, to wash.
lección, f., lesson.
leer, to read.
lejos, far.
Lelis, prop. noun (suggests the meaning of lelo, ninny, fool).
leña, f., fire-wood.
letra, f., letter, handwriting; de su puño y —, in her own handwriting.
levantar, to raise; —se, to rise.
leve, light, slight.
levita, f., frock-coat.
ley, f., law.
leyendo, see leer.
librar, to free, deliver, preserve.
libro, m., book.
lila, f., lilac, lilac color; colloquial, foolish, stupid.
limpiar, to clean.
limpio, -a, clean, free, clear; poner en —, to make a fair copy of.
lindo, -a, pretty.
lío, m., imbroglio, confusion, scrape; armarse un —con, to get tangled up with, not to understand a jot about; meterse en un —, to get into a scrape.
listo, -a, prompt, bright, clever, shrewd.
literata, f., literary woman, bluestocking.
literatura, f., literature.
lo, ntr., the.
lo, it, so.
lo, that; — de, the affair of, the business of; —de siempre, the same old thing; — que, what (that which), that (after todo); — que es hoy, as for to-day.
lograr, to succeed in, accomplish.
lucero, m., morning-star.
lucir, to shine, appear to advantage; —se, to be eminently successful, make a fine showing; ironically, to make a mess of it.
luego, then, next, presently, afterward; desde —, at once, of course, naturally.
lugar, m., place.
Luisa, Louisa.
lujo, m., sumptuousness, elegance.
lujosamente, sumptuously.
lumbre, f., fire; al amor de la —, by the fireside.
luna, f., moon; — de miel, honeymoon.
lunes, m., Monday.
luto, m., mourning.
luz, f., light.
luzca, see lucir.
Ll
llamar, to call, attract; ¿Cómo se llama usted? What is your name?
llegar, to arrive, reach; — á, to arrive at, reach, get to, happen to.
llenar, to fill.
lleno, -a, full, filled.
llevar, to carry, take, take away, charge, ask (a price), endure, suffer (disappointments), wear, raise (the hand to the face), — á cuestas, to carry on one's back; —se (algo), to take, carry away, carry off.
M
madre, f., mother.
Madrid, prop. noun.
maduro, -a, ripe.
magnate, m., magnate; pl., the nobility, the great.
magnífico, -a, magnificent, fine; ¡—! that's fine!
majadero, -a, foolish, silly.
majestad, f., majesty, majestic bearing.
majo, -a, spruce, trim, fine.
mal, adv., poorly, ill.
mal, see malo.
maldito, -a, accursed, confounded.
malejo, -a, rather bad.
malicioso, -a, malicious, spiteful.
malo, -a, bad, evil, poor, uncivil.
malsano, -a, unhealthful.
malvado, m., wicked person.
malvavisco, m., marsh-mallow (an emollient is made from a preparation of the root).
mamá, f., mamma.
mamarracho, m., fool, clown.
mameluco, m., dolt, simpleton.
mampara, f., screen, screen-door.
mancha, f., stain.
mandar, to send, order, give orders; ¿Qué manda usted? What is your pleasure?
manera, f., manner, way; de ninguna —, by no means.
manga, f., sleeve, hose; — de riego, hose, watering hose.
mano, f., hand; echar —, to put out one's hand.
Manolito, familiar for Manuel.
mansedumbre, f., gentleness, mildness.
Manuel, prop. noun.
mañana, f., morning.
mañana, adv., to-morrow; —mismo, no later than to-morrow; pasado —, the day after to-morrow.
máquina, f., machine, sewing-machine.
mar, m. and f., sea; la — de, a lot of, a great number of.
marcado, -a, pronounced.
marcar, to mark, pronounce.
marco, m., frame.
marcha, f., march; en —, let's be off.
marchar, to march, progress; la cosa marcha, the affair is progressing; — bien, to work well; —se, to go away, leave.
marear, to tire, annoy, vex.
maremagnum, m. (Latin word used in current Spanish), confusion, disorder; ¡qué —! what a lot of people!
María, f., Mary; ¡— santísima! For heaven's sake!
marido, m., husband.
mártir, m., martyr.
más, adj., more, other, another.
más, adv., more, most, longer; — bien, rather; ¡qué (noun) — (adj.)! what a (adj. and noun)!; ni — ni menos, just exactly, precisely; no — que, only.
Matalauva, prop. noun.
Matalavieja, prop. noun.
matar, to kill.
matemáticas, f. pl., mathematics.
materialista, m., materialist, literalist.
matrimonio, m., matrimony, marriage, married couple.
máxima, f., maxim.
mayor, greater, larger, greatest, utmost.
mayoría, f., majority.
mechita, f. (dim. of mecha), a small wad (of cotton or lint).
media, f., stocking.
médico, m., doctor.
medida, f., measure, moderation.
medio, m., middle, way, means; pl., means; por —, in the way, between (one).
medio, -a, half.
mejilla, f., cheek.
mejor, adj., better, best.
mejor, adv., better, best.
melón, m., melon.
menester, m., necessity; es —, it is necessary.
menor, less, least, slightest.
menos, adj., less, least.
menos, adv., less, least; á — que, conj., unless; al —, at least; lo —, at least; echar de —, to miss; tener á —, to consider as beneath one's dignity.
menos, prep., except.
mentira, f., lie; parece —, it does not seem possible.
mercader, m., trader, trafficker, manipulator.
merced, f., favor.
mérito, m., merit.
mes, m., month.
mesa, f., table; — de escritorio, writing-desk.
metálico, -a, metallic.
meter, to put; — la pata, to put one's foot in it; —se en algo, to get mixed up in something; —se en un lío, to get into a scrape; —se en política, to go into politics.
Metternach, prop. noun.
Metternich, prop. noun.
mezclar, to mix, mingle.
mi, my.
miedo, m., fear; tener —, to be afraid.
miel, f., honey.
mientras, while; — no, until; — que, while.
mil, thousand.
ministerio, m., ministry, governmental department, the buildings (or offices) of a governmental department; — de Hacienda, Treasury, Department of Finances.
ministro, m., minister.
minuta, f., first draft, memorandum.
minuto, m., minute.
mío, -a, my, of mine.
mirada, f., glance, look.
mirar, to look, look at, see, consider; mira, look here, see here.
mismo, -a, same, very, self.
mismo, adv., same, very; ahora —, just now; lo —, likewise, in the same manner; es lo —, it is just the same; lo — da, it is all the same; mañana —, no later than to-morrow.
misticismo, m., mysticism, religious fervor.
místico, -a, mystic.
mitad, f., half, middle; partir por la —, to split in two.
moda, f., style, fashion; á la —, stylishly, in fashion.
modales, m. pl., manners.
modelo, m., model.
modestia, f., modesty.
modesto, -a, modest.
modo, m., mode, manner, degree, urbanity; de — que, so then, so; con malos —s, uncivilly; de todos —s, at any rate, anyhow.
mohín, m., grimace.
mohino, -a, peevish, grouchy, sulky.
molde, m., mould, form.
molestar, to annoy, disturb, bother.
momento, m., moment; al —, at once.
monada, f., flattery, blandishment; hacerle á uno —s, to ogle, cast sheep's eyes on.
monín, -ina (dim. of mono), cunning, cute, darling, dearest, sweetest.
monjita, f. (dim. of monja), little nun.
mono, -a, pretty, nice, "cute."
monotonía, f., monotony, monotonous mode of living.
monstruo, m., monster.
Montesinos, prop. noun.
moral, moral; lo —, moral qualities.
moralizar, to render moral, reform.
moralmente, morally.
moreno, -a, dark; Sierra M—a, a chain of mountains in Southern Spain.
morir, to die; —se, to die, be in a dying condition.
mosquita, f., little fly; — muerta, a person of meek and timid manner, who is at bottom resourceful and disingenuous.
mostrar, to show.
motivo, m., motive.
mover, to move; —se, to move (intrans.), stir.
movimiento, m., movement, motion.
mozo, m., boy, servant.
mu, m., sound imitating the bellowing of a bull.
mucho, -a, much; pl., many.
mucho, adv., much, very, greatly, a long time.
mudar, to change; —se de ropa, to change one's clothes.
muela, f., grinder, back tooth; — del juicio, wisdom-tooth.
muelita, f. (dim. of muela), (dear) little tooth.
muelle, m., spring.
muerte, f., death.
muerto, -a (see morir), dead.
muestra, see mostrar.
muestra, f., sign.
mueven, see mover.
mugir, to bellow.
mujer, f., woman.
mundo, m., world; todo el —, everybody.
muñeca, f., wrist.
murmullo, m., murmur, murmuring.
música, f., music.
músico, m., musician.
muy, very, very much, very much of, enough of, dear.
N
nación, f., nation.
nada, nothing, anything (with negative expressed or inferred), not at all, I should say not! no use; — de eso, not at all; no... —, not... at all; pues —, no trouble at all, that is very simple; ¡—! not at all, by no means.
nadie, no one; anyone, anybody (with negative).
nariz, f., nose.
natural, natural.
naturalidad, f., naturalness, candor.
naturalmente, naturally.
necesario, -a, necessary.
necesidad, f., necessity.
necesitar, to need, must.
necio, -a, stupid, idiotic.
negar, to refuse, deny; —se (á), to refuse.
negocio, m., business, matter; pl., business.
nervio, m., nerve.
nervioso, -a, nervous.
ni, neither, nor, not, not even, even, or; — aun, not even; — que + subj., not even though.
niegue, see negar.
ninguno, -a, no, none, no one, not any, any (with negative).
niña, f., girl.
niñez, f., childhood.
niño, m., child.
no, no.
noble, noble.
noche, f., night; esta —, to-*night, last night; (muy) buenas —s, good evening; de —, by night, in the night-time.
nombrar, to appoint.
nombre, m., name, Christian name.
nosotros, -as, we, us, ourselves.
nota, f., note, memorandum.
notable, remarkable.
noticia, f., news, information.
novedad, f., novelty, news, trouble, accident; tener —, to have anything the matter with one, have any trouble, be ill.
novela, f., novel, romance.
novena, f., novena (Catholic church service lasting nine days).
novia, f., sweetheart.
novio, m., sweetheart, lover, suitor.
nuestro, -a, our, ours, of ours.
nuevo, -a, new.
numeroso, -a, numerous.
nunca, never, ever (after negative).
nupcias, f. pl., marriage, nuptials.
O
ó, or.
obligación, f., obligation; tener —, to be obliged.
obligar, to oblige, compel.
obligue, see obligar.
obscuro, -a, obscure, dark; á obscuras, in the dark.
observación, f., observation.
obtener, to obtain.
obtuvo, see obtener.
ocasión, f., occasion, opportunity.
ocultarse, to hide.
ocupar, to occupy, engage, busy; —se de, to busy one-self with, look after.
ocurrencia, f., occurrence, witty remark; ¡Qué —! what a comical idea! how funny!
ocurrir, to occur, happen; ¿Qué ocurre? What is the matter?
oficina, f., office.
ofrecer, to offer.
¡Oh! interj., oh.
oig-a, -o, see oir.
oir, to hear, listen.
ojalá, interj., would to God...! used independently, would to God (it were so)!
ojo, m., eye; echar —s, to cast eyes.
oler, to smell, scent, discover.
olvidar, to forget.
olvido, m., forgetfulness, oblivion; dar al —, to forget, cast into oblivion.
once, eleven; las —, eleven o'clock.
operación, f., operation; gabinete de —es, operating-room; sillón de —es, operating-chair, dentist's chair.
operar, to operate, operate on.
opinar, to have an opinion, think; ¿opina usted? do you think so?
oponer, to oppose.
opuesto, -a (see oponer), opposite.
oración, f., prayer.
orador, m., orator.
orden, f., order, command.
orden, m., order, classification, system, regularity.
ordenanza, m., messenger.
ordinario, -a, ordinary, common.
orificar, to fill with gold.
original, original.
ortografía, f., spelling.
otro, -a, other, another; —a cosa, anything else; —a vez, again.
oy-e, -endo, see oir.
P
paciencia, f., patience; — y barajar, Patience! and shuffle the cards, be patient and stick to it.
paciente, m., patient.
padecer (de), to suffer (with).
padre, m., father.
pagar, to pay.
paja, f., straw; no dormirse en las —s, to be vigilant, keep one's eyes open.
pájaro, m., bird.
palabra, f., word.
palabrota, f., rough, offensive word.
palangana, f., wash-basin.
palma, f., palm of the hand; batir —s, to clap the hands, beat time with the hands.
palmada, f., clapping of the hands, applause.
palmito, m., a woman's face.
pamema, f., sham, twaddle.
pan, m., bread; más bueno que el —, as good as gold.
Pandereta (tambourine), prop. noun.
paniaguado, m., protégé, intimate.
pantalón, m., trousers, pair of trousers; pl., idem.
pañales, m. pl., swaddling-clothes.
paño, m., cloth.
pañuelo, m., handkerchief.
papá, m., papa.
papel, m., paper, rôle; hacer un —, play a rôle.
papelillo, m., small piece of paper.
paquete, m., package, parcel.
Paquito (colloquial for Francisco).
par, m., pair, couple.
para, for, to, in order to, towards; — que, conj., that, in order that.
parado, -a, standing; quedarse —, to stop.
parar, to stop.
parecer, to seem, appear, look, look like; parece mentira, it does not seem possible; á tí no te parece bien, you are not pleased with; ¿Qué te parece? What do you think?; —se á, to resemble.
parecido, -a, appeared, resembling; bien —, good-looking.
pared, f., wall; — por medio, (with) a wall in the way, (with) a wall between us.
parezc-a, -o, see parecer.
pariente, m., relative.
parricida, m. and f., parricide.
parroquiano, -a, m. and f., customer.
parte, f., part, place; á cuantas —s sea necesario, everywhere necessary; en alguna —, somewhere; de — de, on behalf of, from; todas —s, everywhere.
participar, to communicate, inform, report.
particular, particular, peculiar; ¿Qué tiene de —, what is there peculiar about...?
partido, m., (political) party, advantage; tener gran —, to be a great favorite, be very popular.
partir, to split, divide, share, allot, leave; —se algo, to share something.
pasado, -a, passed, past; — mañana, the day after to-morrow.
Pasalodos, prop. noun.
pasar, to pass, enter, go in, come in, go, spend (time), give, deliver (a message), to happen; — de (with expressions of time), to exceed, go beyond, last longer than; pero no pasa de ahí, but that is as far as it goes; —lo muy bien, to get along nicely; — por, to pass as, appear as, be taken for; pasen ustedes, after you; eso ya pasó, it's all over; ¿Qué pasa? what is the matter?; ¿Qué le pasa á usted? what is the matter with you?; —se, to happen; —sele á uno algo, to leave one, go away (said of pains, etc.); de pronto se me pasan, they immediately leave me.
pasear, to walk, pace, walk about; —se, to take a walk, idle away time.
paseo, m., promenade, walk; ir (salir) á paseo, to go for a walk; ve á —, be off with you!
pasillo, m., brief comedy of farcical tendencies, comedietta.
paso, m., step, passage; abrirse —, to burst forth, break out.
pata, f., leg and foot (of animals); colloquially, leg and foot of human beings; meter la —, to put one's foot in it.
Paula, prop. noun.
pausa, f., pause.
paz, f., peace.
pedir, to ask, ask for.
Pedro, Peter; «Pedro Jiménez,» a brand of Spanish sweet wine.
pegar, to join, stick, glue.
peinarse, to comb the hair, dress the hair.
peine, m., comb.
Peláez, prop. noun.
pelo, m., hair; pl., hair.
penetrante, penetrating, piercing.
pensamiento, m., thought.
pensar, to think, expect, intend, have in view; — en, to think of; menos pensado, least expected.
peor, adj. and adv., worse.
Pepa, prop. noun (colloquial for Josefa, Josephine).
pequeño, -a, small, little.
perder, to lose, ruin, undo; — de vista, to lose sight of.
perdido, -a, lost, done for, ruined.
perdón, m., pardon.
perdonar, to pardon, forgive.
Pérez, prop. noun.
perfección, f., perfection.
perfectamente, perfectly.
perifollos, m. pl., frippery, finery.
periódico, m., newspaper.
periodista, m., journalist.
periquete, m., short time, jiffy.
perjudicar, to injure, harm.
perjuro, -a, perjured, untruthful.
perla, f., pearl.
permanecer, to remain.
permiso, m., permission; con —, by your leave, allow me.
permitir, to permit, allow; me permito..., I take the liberty to...
pero, but, now; ¡—! why!
perro, m., dog; — del hortelano, dog in the manger.
perseguir, to pursue.
persona, f., person.
personaje, m., personage; pl., dramatis personæ.
personal, m., personnel, caste.
pertenecer, to belong.
pescar, to catch.
pesebre, m., manger, feed-trough.
peseta, f., peseta (about 20 cents).
peso, m., weight, burden.
pianista, m., pianist.
piano, m., piano.
picar, to prick, puncture, pique, provoke, irritate; estar picada una muela, to be decayed, have a cavity.
picarillo m. (dim. of pícaro), little rogue.
pícaro, m., rogue.
pid-a, -e, -o, see pedir.
pie, m., foot; en —, standing.
piens-a, -en, see pensar.
pierd-e, -o, see perder.
pinchazo, m., prick, puncture.
pintar, to paint; —se solo para una cosa, to be especially good at a thing.
pintiparado, -a, just like, closely resembling, identical.
piñoncito, m., small pine-nut kernel (suggestive of something small and pretty).
pisar, to tread on.
piso, m., floor, story.
planta, f., plant.
plantar, to plant; dejar plantado, to desert, drop, give up.
plato, m., plate.
plazo, m., time, term, date, instalment.
pobre, poor.
pobre, m. and f., poor man, poor woman, beggar.
pobrecito, -a (dim. of pobre), poor little, poor dear; subs., m. and f., poor fellow, poor woman; ¡—s! poor dear people!
poco, -a, little, a little; pl., few.
poco, adv., little, a little, but little; á —, presently, almost, for a little.
poder, to be able, can, may; puede, it may be; puede que sí, it may be, may be so; puede que esté..., it may be...; yo no puedo más, I can't endure this any longer, cf. Fr. «je n'en peux plus»; ¿se puede? may I (come in)?
podré, see poder.
poesía, f., poetry.
poético, -a, poetic.
Policarpo, prop. noun.
polilla, f., moth, moths, waster.
política, f., politics; meterse en —, to go into politics.
Polonia, prop. noun.
polvo, m., dust, powder; pl., face-powder; —s de arroz, rice-powder (for the toilet).
pondré, see poner.
poner, to put, place, apply; — en acción, to represent, act; — buena cara á, to look pleasantly at, be agreeable to; — el grito en el cielo, to shriek, scream; — en limpio, to make a fair copy of; — en ridículo, to make ridiculous; —se, to become, put on; —se (á), to begin; —se de punta, to stand on end (said of hair).
pong-a, -o, see poner.
poquito, (dim. of poco, adv.), very little.
poquito, -a (dim. of poco, -a, adj.), very little.
por, by, for, on account of (being), in order to, to, on, of, from, over, as, according to, through, referring to, however (followed by adj. and subjunctive clause), as — grande que fuera, however large it might be; — aquí, here, hither, this way, "around here"; ¡— Dios! for heavens sake!; — eso, on that account; — lo demás, otherwise; — lo menos, at least; ¿— qué? why?; — sí sola, of itself, automatically.
porfiado, -a, obstinate, persistent.
porfiar, to wrangle, dispute.
porque, because, for.
portal, m., vestibule, hallway.
portería, f., janitor's lodge, door-keeper's office, main entrance.
porvenir, m., future.
posada, f., inn, hotel.
poseer, to possess.
posible, possible.
posición, f., position.
posma, m., dullard, dunce, bore.
postdata, f., postscript.
postizo, -a, false, artificial.
práctico, -a, practical.
precioso, -a, precious, exquisite, splendid.
precisamente, precisely, exactly.
preciso, -a, necessary.
preferencia, f., preference, favoritism.
prefiero, see preferir.
pregunta, f., question; seguir á la cuarta —, to be without funds, be "hard up."
preguntar, to ask.
premio, m., prize.
prenda, f., quality, trait, garment, article of wear; pl., charms, endowment; no dolerle —s á uno, not to care.
preocupar, to concern, worry; —se, to worry.
preparar, to prepare; —se, to get ready.
presencia, f., presence.
presentar, to present, introduce; —se, to appear.
presidente, m., president, presiding officer, speaker.
préstamo, m., loan; casa de —s, loan company.
presumir, to presume, dare, put on airs.
pretender, to pretend, claim, solicit (a position).
pretendiente, m., candidate, office-hunter, suitor.
pretextar, to allege as an excuse, feign.
pretexto, m., pretext.
prima, f., cousin, simpleton.
primer, see primero.
primero, -a, first.
prisa, f., haste, hurry; correr —, to be urgent; no me corre —, I am not in a hurry; darle prisa á uno, to hurry (one); darse —, to hurry, be in a hurry; tener —, to be in a hurry.
probar, to prove, try, test.
probidad, f., integrity.
probo, -a, upright.
proceder, to proceed.
procesión, f., procession.
Procopio, prop. noun.
producir, to produce, cause, create.
profesión, f., profession.
profesor, m., professor; — dentista, doctor of dental surgery.
profesora, f., professor.
profeta, m., prophet.
prohibir, to forbid.
promesa, f., promise.
pronto, adv., soon, presently, quickly; de —, suddenly, hurriedly.
propio, -a, proper, suited, appropriate, own, same, self; amor —, personal pride.
proponer, to propose; —se, to propose, intend.
proporción, f., proportion, chance, opportunity, match, suitor.
proporcionar, to afford, provide, permit; —se (algo), to procure, get.
propósito, m., purpose, intention; á — de, apropos of, speaking of; á —, by the way.
prosa, f., prose.
protestar, to protest.
provecho, m., profit, advantage; de —, capable, efficient.
próximo, -a, next, near.
prudencia, f., prudence.
público, m., public.
público, -a, public.
pud-iendo, -ieran, see poder.
pudoroso, -a, bashful, sly.
pueblecito, m. (dim. of pueblo), little town.
pueblo, m., village, town.
pued-a, -e, -es, -o, see poder.
puerta, f., door; — de la calle, street-door.
pues, adv., well, then, now, why, accordingly; — bien, well, well then, why, as I was saying; — nada, no trouble at all, that is very simple; ¡— si...! why...!
pues, conj., for, since.
puesto, -a (see poner); — que, conj., since; — en cuclillas, crouching, squatting.
punta, f., point, tip; de —, on end, erect.
puntapié, m., kick.
puntilla, f., dagger (for despatching wounded bulls in the arena); dar la —, to deal the final blow, give the coup de grâce.
punto, m., point, dot.
puño, m., fist; de su — y letra, in her own handwriting.
Pura, prop. noun.
pus-e, -iste, see poner.
Q
que, rel., who, which, what.
¿qué? what? which? how?; ¿á —? why?; ¿á — viene? why? wherefore?; ¿por —? why?; ¿y —? well, what of it?
¡qué! what! what a! how!; ¡— (noun) más (adj.)! what a (adj. and noun)! as in ¡— tío más insoportable! what an unbearable fellow!; ¡— cutis más fino! what a delicate skin!
que, conj., that, for, when (introducing a clause after an expression of time); — and á —, until (after verbs of waiting, etc.).
que, adv., than, as; no... más —, only.
quedar, to remain, be left, be; — cesante, to lose one's position; — en, to agree to, decide upon; ¿en qué quedamos? how do we stand? what are we to agree to?; —se, to remain, be left, be, stay, get, become; —se parado, to stop.
quejarse, to complain.
querer, to wish, want, desire; interrogatively, will...?; — decir, to mean.
querido, -a, dear.
querrás, see querer.
¡quiá! interj. (denoting incredulity, disapproval, or negation), Pshaw! no, indeed!
quien, rel., who, whom, he who, the one who, whosoever, whomsoever; followed by subjunctive clause, someone who; no hay —..., there is no one who...
¿quien? who? whom? which one?
quier-a, -an, -as, -e, -es, -o, see querer.
quieto, -a, quiet; estése usted —, behave yourself, keep still.
quince, fifteen.
quinientos, -as, five hundred.
quinto, -a, fifth.
quirúrgico, -a, surgical.
quisiera (see querer), I should like (cf. Fr. «je voudrais,» and Ger. "ich möchte"); ¡qué más — yo! what more could I ask for!
quiso, see querer.
quitar, to take away, take off, remove; —se, to take off; ¡quita de ahí! Hush your nonsense!; —le á uno de encima, to remove, take off one's mind.
quizás, perhaps.
R
rabiar, to rave, be furious, suffer racking pains; — por, to be crazy to, be most anxious to.
rabioso, -a, furious, raging, mad with pain.
Raigón, prop. noun; as a common noun, big root, stump of a (back) tooth.
Raigoncillo, prop. noun. (dim. of Raigón).
raíz, f., root.
rápidamente, rapidly, quickly.
raro, -a, rare, peculiar, queer.
Rastro, m., a market in Madrid of knick-knacks and second-hand articles.
rato, m., (small space of) time, moment, while; no se pasa mal el —, one doesn't have a bad time.
razón, f., reason; tener —, to be right.
real, m., real (a coin worth about five cents).
realito, m. (dim. of real), real.
realizar, to realize.
rebuz..., for rebuzno.
rebuzno, m., braying of an ass.
recado, m., message.
rece, see rezar.
recibir, to receive, be at home, receive callers.
recoger, to gather, collect, get.
reconocer, to recognize.
recordar, to recall, remember.
recuerdo, m., memory, souvenir.
recursos, m. pl., resources, means.
referir, to relate, tell; —se, to refer.
refiero, see referir.
refiriendo, see referir.
reflexionar, to reflect.
regañar, to scold.
regocijo, m., joy, delight.
reina, f., queen.
reir, to laugh; —se, to laugh; —se de, to laugh at.
relación, f., relation, account; pl., engagement (matrimonial); estar en —es, be engaged in a love affair, be engaged.
relativamente, relatively.
religioso, -a, religious.
remediar, to remedy, help.
remedio, m., remedy, help, cure; no hay más — que, there is nothing to be done but; no voy á tener más — que, there'll be nothing for me to do but; ¡qué —! there's no way out of it, there is no help for it; sin —, irrevocably, without doubt.
renombrado, -a, renowned, famous.
renta, f., income.
renunciar (á), to renounce, give up.
reparar, to notice, look closely; — en, to consider, give heed to, stop for.
repartir, to distribute, divide, share, apportion.
reparto, m., cast.
repetir, to repeat; referring to pains, to return, come back.
repit-a, -e, -o, see repetir.
repondrán, see reponer.
reponer, to replace, reemploy, reappoint.
reprimir, to restrain, repress.
reproducir, to reproduce.
repulgo, m., ridiculous scruple.
requebrar, to make love to, flatter, pay compliments (to a woman).
resolución, f., resolution, determination.
resolver, to resolve, determine; —se, to make up one's mind; estoy resuelto á todo, I am ready for anything.
respecto, m., respect; — á, with respect to, concerning.
respetar, to respect.
respeto, m., respect, regard.
respirar, to breathe.
resto, m., rest.
resueltamente, resolutely.
resuelto, -a, see resolver.
retentar, to threaten to return, suggest a relapse (said of illness and pain).
retient-a, -an, see retentar.
retintín, m., tinkling, sarcastic tone of voice.
retirado, -a, retired, secluded.
retirar, to retire, withdraw, draw back.
retroceder, to draw back, start back.
reunión, f., party, reunion.
reunir, to unite, possess, combine.
revelar, to reveal, show.
revolotear, to flutter, fly about.
rezar, to pray, say (a prayer).
rezo, m., prayer.
rí-a, -e, -en, -iendo, see reir.
Ricardito (dim. of Ricardo), Richard.
rico, -a, rich, delicious.
ridículo, m., ridicule; ir en —, be (look) ridiculous; poner en —, to make ridiculous.
ridículo, -a, ridiculous.
riego, m., watering, irrigation; manga de —, hose.
riqui-riqui-riqui, the sound of scissors cutting.
riquísimo, -a (superl. of rico), most delicious.
robar, to rob, steal.
Rocío, prop. noun.
rocío, m., dew.
rodilla, f., knee.
Rodrigo, Roderick.
rogar, to beg, entreat.
romano, -a, Roman.
romería, f., pilgrimage; a place much frequented.
ropa, f., clothes.
rosa, f., rose.
ruido, m., noise, uproar.
S
saber, to know, know how, learn, find out, be able; ¿qué sabes tú? what do you know about it?; ¡qué sé yo! I'm sure I don't know.
saborear, to enjoy, delight in.
sabréis, see saber.
sacamuelas, m., tooth-puller.
sacar, to draw, pull out, pull (a tooth), take out, bring out, get, earn; —se, to get; —se un diente (una muela), to get a tooth pulled.
sacrificar, to sacrifice.
sacudimiento, m., shake, jerk; hacer los —s, to shake.
sacudir, to shake.
sajar, to scarify, make a small incision into the flesh.
sala, f., (large) room, hall, parlor; — de espera, waiting-room.
saldrán, see salir.
salg-a, -áis, -amos, -an, see salir.
salida, f., going, departure.
salir, to go out, come out, grow out, turn out, result, appear; — de, get rid of, be free of, escape; — á paseo, to go for a walk.
saltar, to leap, jump, knock out (a tooth).
saludar, to bow.
salvaje, savage, barbarous.
Sandalia, prop. noun (sandal).
sano, -a, healthful.
santiguarse, to make the sign of the cross, bless oneself.
santo, -a, holy.
santo, -a, m. and f., saint.
saqu-e, -é, see sacar.
sardina, f., sardine.
sastre, m., tailor.
satánico, -a, satanical.
satisfacción, f., satisfaction.
satisfacer, to satisfy.
sayo, m., coat; hacer de su capa un —, to do as one pleases.
sé, see saber.
sé, see ser.
se, oneself, himself, herself, themselves, one another, to one another.
se-a, -amos, -an, -as, see ser.
seco, -a, dry; en —, curtly, abruptly.
secretaría, f., secretaryship, clerkship.
secretario, m., secretary; — del ayuntamiento, town clerk.
seguida, f., continuation; en —, immediately.
seguir, to follow, continue, continue to be; ¿sigues soltero? are you still a bachelor?; ¿y usted sigue lo mismo? are things about the same as usual with you?
segundo, -a, second.
seguro, -a, sure, certain; de —, surely.
seis, six; las —, six o'clock.
seiscientos, -as, six hundred.
semana, f., week.
semejante, similar, like, such a, such.
senador, m., senator.
sencillo, -a, simple.
sentar, to seat, place; —se, to sit down.
sentémonos, see sentarse.
sentido, -a, as adv., feelingly.
sentido, m., sense; sin —, unconscious.
sentimiento, m., feeling, regret, pain.
sentir, to feel, regret, feel sorry; —se, to feel; me siento otro, I feel like a different man.
señalar (á), to indicate, point out.
señor, m., gentleman, Mr., master (of the house), sir (used absolutely, as in sí, señor); not translated before nouns denoting profession, rank, title, or parentage, as in —es diputados, el — ministro; — mío, my dear sir; los —es (de) ..., Mr. and Mrs....
señora, f., lady, madam, Mrs., wife; muy — mía, my dear madam.
señorita, f., Miss, young lady.
señorito, m., young gentleman, sir, (young) Mr...., master (of the house).
sepa, see saber.
separado, -a, separate; por —, separately.
separar, to separate; —se, to separate.
ser, to be; á no — que, conj., unless; ¿Qué sería de vosotras? What would become of you?; es que, the fact is.
serenata, f., serenade.
sereno, m., night dew; dormir al —, to sleep in the open air.
seriamente, seriously.
seriedad, f., serious air, gravity.
serio, -a, serious.
servidor, -ora, m. and.f, servant; servidor (-ora) de usted, at your service, or what can I do for you?
servir, to serve, be of use, be employed as a servant; — para, to be good for; no — para nada, to be of no use, do no good; para — á usted, at your service.
setenta, seventy.
Sevilla, f., Seville.
si, if, whether; why! indeed! (cf. Fr. «mais!»).
sí, yes, indeed; undoubtedly, certainly (followed by a que clause); ¿—, eh? indeed? really?
sí, oneself, himself, herself, itself, themselves.
sido, see ser.
siempre, always, still; — que, conj., whenever; lo de —, the same old thing.
siendo, see ser.
sient-a, -o, see sentir.
sient-a, -an, -e, -o, see sentar.
sierra, f., chain of mountains, mountains; S— Morena, chain of mountains in Southern Spain.
siete, seven.
sig-a, -o, see seguir.
sigu-e, -en, -es, -iendo, see seguir.
siguiente, following.
silencio, m., silence.
silencioso, -a, noiseless.
silla, f., chair.
sillón, m., armchair; —de operaciones, operating-chair, dentist's chair.
simpático, -a, pleasing, agreeable, attractive, congenial.
simple, simple, mere.
sin, without; — que, conj., without.
sino, except, but (after negative).
sinvergüenza, adj., shameless, impudent.
siquiera, at least.
sirv-e, -en, -es, -iendo, see servir.
sitio, m., place; en su —, in the proper place (spot).
situación, f., situation.
sobrar, to be more than enough, be in excess.
sobre, on, above, over; —todo, above all, especially.
sobretodo, m., overcoat.
sobrina, f., niece.
sociedad, f., society.
soez, mean, vile, base, worthless.
sofoco, m., vexation, chagrin.
soga, f., rope, halter.
sois, see ser.
sol, m., sun.
solamente, only, solely.
soleá, f., Andalusian form of Castilian soledad, solitude; Andalusian song expressing melancholy complaint.
solemne, solemn.
soler, to be wont, be in the habit.
solfa, f., solfeggio, music.
solicitar, to solicit, request, apply for.
solo, -a, sole, single, alone; por sí —, of itself, automatically.
sólo, adv., only, merely.
soltera, f., spinster.
soltero, -a, single, unmarried.
solterona, f., old maid.
sombrero, m., hat; — de copa, silk hat, high hat.
somos, see ser.
son, see ser.
sonámbula, f., somnambulist.
sonreir, to smile.
sonriendo, see sonreir.
sonriente, smiling, pleasant, affable.
sonrisa, f., smile.
soñar, to dream of, imagine; — con, to dream of.
soponcio, m., fainting-fit, swoon.
sorprender, to surprise.
sorpresa, f., surprise.
sosiego, m., quiet.
sostener, to hold, hold open.
soy, see ser.
su, his, her, its, their, your, one's.
suavemente, softly, gently.
subir, to go (or come) upstairs, rise.
subsecretario, m., assistant secretary.
suceder, to happen.
sucesión, f., succession, issue.
sudor, m., sweat, toil, drudgery; ¡Ay, qué —es! what anguish!
suegra, f., mother-in-law.
sueldo, m., salary.
sueles, see soler.
sueñan, see soñar.
sueño, m., dream, fancy.
suerte, f., fate, lot, luck, chance, fortune; hacer —, to be lucky, be successful.
sufrir, to suffer, endure, bear.
sumamente, quite, in the highest degree.
sumar, to add up.
sumisión, f., submissiveness.
sup-e, -o, see saber.
suplicar, to beg, entreat.
suplir (á), to take the place of, act as substitute for.
suponer, to suppose.
supongo, see suponer.
suprimir, to suppose, abolish.
supuesto, -a (see suponer), por —, of course.
susini, m., brand of Cuban cigarette.
suspender, to suspend, delay, put off.
suspirar, to sigh.
suspiro, m., sigh.
sustituir, to substitute, replace, take the place of.
sustituto, m., substitute.
sustituyendo, see sustituir.
susto, m., fright.
suyo, -a, his, hers, its, theirs, yours, one's.
T
tabique, m., thin wall, thin partition.
tacaño, -a, stingy.
tacto, m., touch.
tal, such, such a, so; el —, la —, etc., the aforesaid; el — Felipe, this fine Philip (ironical); con — de, provided (that); con — que, conj., provided (that); no hay — cosa, not at all, nothing of the kind.
también, also.
tampoco, either, neither, not... either.
tanto, -a, so much; pl., so many.
tanto, adv., so much; en — que, conj., until; por —, therefore; por lo —, consequently.
tapar, to cover.
tardar, to delay, linger, wait, be long.
tarde, f., afternoon, evening.
tarde, adv., late; llegar —, to come too late, have no chance.
taza, f., cup.
tecla, f., key (of a piano); tocar una —, to strike a key, resort to some expedient.
telón, m., curtain.
temblar, to tremble.
temer, to fear.
temor, m., fear.
templo, m., temple, church.
temporada, f., period of time.
temprano, early.
ten, see tener.
tendr-á, -é, -ía, see tener.
tener, to have, hold, keep; — muy buenas aldabas, to have influential friends, have a "pull"; — cuenta una cosa, to be profitable, be advantageous; — el diablo en el cuerpo, to be very lively, be full of mischief; — frío, to be cold; — ganas, to desire, wish; — á menos, to consider as beneath one's dignity; — miedo, to be afraid; — obligación, to be obliged; no — para que + inf., to have no reason for; — por, to consider, take for; — prisa, to be in a hurry; — que + inf., to have to, must; — empeño (en) que, to be anxious, desire earnestly; — que hacer, to be busy, be occupied; — que ver con, to have to do with; — razón, to be right; — las tripas como una devanadera, to be in a state of worry and anger, be ready to burst with rage.
teng-a, -an, -as, -o, see tener.
teniente, m., lieutenant.
tentación, f., temptation.
tercero, -a, third.
terminante, conclusive, definite, positive.
término, m., terminus, wing (in stage divisions); primer —, foreground of stage; segundo —, middle of stage; tercer —, background of stage.
terreno, m., land, ground, soil.
terrible, terrible.
tiempo, m., time.
tienda, f., store, shop.
tiento, m., steadiness (of hand).
tierno, -a, tender, affectionate, touching.
tierra, f., earth, region, province, (home) locality.
tieso, -a, stiff, rigid.
tijeras, f. pl., scissors.
tila, f., flowers of the linden-tree or lime-tree, linden-tea, lime-tea.
timidez, f., timidity.
tío, m., uncle, old man, old fellow; used colloquially in a vague depreciative sense, as in ¡qué —...! what a good-for-nothing...; es el — más soez..., he is the vilest fellow (wretch)....
tipo, m., type, appearance, fellow, queer type.
tirar, to pull; — de, to pull, pull at, tighten.
tirón, m., jerk, pull, tug, twitch, twinge.
titular, to entitle, call.
título, m., title, diploma, title of nobility, titled personage, nobleman.
tocar, to touch, play (musical instruments); — el cielo con las manos, to boil over, be furious; —le á uno la china, to draw the unlucky pebble, be the unlucky one; — una tecla, to resort to some expedient.
todavía, still, yet.
todo, m., all, everything; sobre —, above all, especially.
todo, -a, all; —s los, —as las, all the, every; — el..., the whole...; —as partes, everywhere.
tomar, to take; ¡toma! why! well! nonsense! just listen!
tono, m., tone; darse —, to pose, put on airs.
tonto, m., fool.
tonto, -a, foolish, silly.
topo, m., mole, blunderer, stupid person.
toque, see tocar.
torcer, to twist.
torero, m., bull-fighter.
tormento, m., torment, suffering.
Toro, town of about 8000 inhabitants, in the province of Zamora, León.
toro, m., bull.
torpe, dull, stupid.
tortícoli, m., wry neck.
trabajador, -ora, hard-working.
trabajar, to work, work at.
trabajo, m., work, trouble.
traer, to bring, carry, bring back, have.
tragar, to swallow.
trágico, -a, tragic.
traición, f., treason; hacer —, to be untrue, be disloyal.
traidor, -ora, treacherous, faithless.
traje, m., costume, dress.
trampa, f., trap, snare.
trance, m., peril, crisis, pass, predicament, (critical) moment.
tranquilamente, quietly, tranquilly.
tranquilito, -a (dim. of tranquilo), tranquil.
tranquilizar, to tranquillize, calm, relieve.
tranquilo, -a, tranquil; quede usted —, rest easy, have no fear.
transformar, to change.
transición, f., transformation, abrupt change of tone.
transigir, to submit, resign oneself; — con, to submit to, accede to, become resigned to, put up with.
transija, see transigir.
trapisondista, m., mischief-maker.
tras, after; — de, after.
trastornar, to confuse, upset.
trasunto, m., likeness, image.
tratamiento, m., treatment, ceremonious title of courtesy (as usía, excelencia, etc.).
tratar, to try, treat, handle, deal with, act towards (a person), have relations with; — á las gentes, go out into the world, go into society; —se de, to concern, be a question of.
través, m., inclination, bias; á — de, through.
trayendo, see traer.
treinta, thirty.
tres, three.
tripas, f. pl., guts, intestines.
tropa, f., troops.
tropezar con, to stumble upon, collide with.
tropical, tropical.
tropieza, see tropezar.
trovador, m., troubadour.
trucha, f., trout; m., wary chap, rogue.
tú, thou.
tu, thy, your.
tuerto, -a, one-eyed.
tufo, m., vapor, fume, pungent, disagreeable odor.
turno, m., turn.
tuv-e, -iera, -iste, -o, see tener.
tuyo, -a, thy, your; el —, la —a, lo —, thine, yours.
U
¡uf! interj. (denoting pain), oh! ugh! whew!
últimamente, finally.
último, -a, last; lo —, the last thing.
único, -a, one, only, sole, single; lo —, the only thing.
unión, f., union.
unir, to unite.
uno, -a, one; pl., a few, about, approximately.
uno, -a, pron., one, a person; pl., some.
untar, to anoint, rub with ointment, apply an ointment to.
uña, f., finger-nail.
urgencia, f., urgency; con —, urgently, pressingly.
usar, to use.
usía, you (very formal; a corruption from Vuesa Señoría).
usted, you.
V
v-a, -an, -as, see ir.
vacilar, to vacillate, hesitate, totter, stagger.
vacío, -a, empty.
valer, to be worth; más vale, it is better; —se de, to avail oneself of, use.
valiente, brave, excellent, fine.
valor, m., courage.
vámonos, see irse.
vamos, see ir; ¡—! interj., see ir.
vario, -a, various; pl., several.
vaso, m., glass.
vay-a, -an, -as, see ir.
¡vaya! interj., see ir.
ve, -a, -mos, -n, -o, -s, see ver.
ve, see ir.
vecinita, f. (dim. of vecina), little neighbor.
veinte, twenty.
veinticinco, twenty-five.
veintinueve, twenty-nine.
vela, f., candle.
velador, m., stand, small round table.
ven, see venir.
vencer, to conquer, overcome.
vendr-án, -ás, see venir.
veng-a, -an, -o, see venir.
vengar, to avenge; —se de, to take vengeance on.
venguemos, see vengar.
venir, to come, go, let come; — á, to happen to; bien venido, welcome; ¿á qué viene...? wherefore...? why...?; venga mi duro, hand over my dollar; venga el abrigo, let's have the overcoat; —se, to come.
ventura, f., happiness, chance; por —, by chance, perchance, perhaps.
ver, to see; ¡vea usted! just see!; á —, let's see; tener que — con, to have to do with; —se, to be.
veranear, to spend the summer.
verano, m., summer.
veras, f. pl.; ¿de —? really?; ahora va de —, now it's really settled; ¡esto va de —! This (affair) is making headway! This is really serious!
verdad, f., truth; ¿— que no? Isn't that true?; la —..., indeed, in truth....
verdadero, -a, true, real.
vergüenza, f., shame; darle á uno —, to shame, make ashamed.
verso, m., verse.
vestal, f., vestal virgin.
vestido, m., dress.
vestir, to clothe, dress; —se, to dress.
veterinario, m., veterinary.
vez, f., time; cada — más, more and more; de una —, once for all; otra —, again; tal —, perhaps; una —, once.
ví, see ver.
viaje, m., trip, journey.
víctima, f., victim.
vida, f., life, living; — mía, darling; en — de, during the lifetime of; en mi —, never (in my life), negative omitted when the phrase precedes the verb or stands alone; ¡por —! heavens! well, I never!; por — de la política, the deuce take politics!; ¡por — de mi carácter! confound my character!
vidita, f. (dim. of vida), dearest.
viejo, -a, old.
viendo, see ver.
vien-e, -en, see venir.
vie-ra, -as, see ver.
villano, m., villain.
vine, see venir.
vinillo, m. (dim. of vino), wine.
vino, m., wine, any alcoholic drink.
violentar, to be disagreeable to, go against.
violento, -a, violent, furious.
violín, m., violin.
virgen, f., virgin; ¡— santísima! Heavens above!; ¡por las once mil —es! Heavens and earth!
virtud, f., virtue.
visitar, to visit.
víspera, f., day before, eve; en —s de, on the eve of.
vista, f., sight, view; perder de —, to lose sight of.
vistiendo, see vestir.
visto, -a (see ver); por lo —, evidently, apparently, I suppose.
viuda, f., widow.
viudo, m., widower.
viudo, -a, widowed.
volver, to turn, return, come back; — á+inf., to repeat an act, do it again, as vuelve á sentarse, she sits down again; — en sí, to revive, come to; —se, to turn, turn around, return, become.
vosotros, -as, you.
voy, see ir.
voz, f., voice; á voces, shouting, in a loud voice; dar voces, to shout.
vuelo, m., flight (in the air); ir en un —, to go with all speed, go like lightning.
vuelta, f., turn, return; dar la —, to return; dar media —, to turn half around, turn one's back on a person; estar de —, to be back, have returned.
vuelto, -a, see volver.
vuelv-a, -an, -e, -en, -o, see volver.
vuestro, -a, your.
vulgar, vulgar, common.
vulgarmente, vulgarly.
Y
y, and.
ya, already, now, presently, indeed, certainly, to be sure, no doubt; frequently used with an intensive or emphatic force not always translatable; ¡ya! interj., I see, yes, yes, yes, of course; ¡—, —! of course, yes, yes, well, never mind; — no, no longer; — no... más, no longer, not... any more; no —, no longer; — que, conj., since, now that, seeing that.
yendo, see ir.
yerno, m., son-in-law.
yo, I.
Z
¡zambomba! interj., whew! my goodness!
Zaragoza, f., Saragossa.
zarandear, to winnow, move about; —le á uno, to twist a person about one's fingers.
zurcir, to darn.