Business Spanish - Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns

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LESSON XV.
(Lección décima quinta.)

INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS.

(Those marked with an asterisk are Pronouns only.)

Alguno, *alguien (pronounced álguien), (some, somebody, anybody)
*Algo, alguna cosa (something, anything)
*Uno-a,-os-as (one, a person, some, some persons)
Uno á otro (one another, each other)
Uno ú otro (one or the other, either)
Uno y otro, ambos, entrambos (both)
Ni uno ni otro (neither the one nor the other)
Ni uno (not a single one)
Los otros, los demás (the others)
Mismo (same, self)
Cierto-a,-os-as (a certain, certain)
Cada (each)
*Cada uno, *cada cual (each, each one)
Otro (other, another[108])
Todo (all, everything, every)
Todos (everybody, all)
Poco (little)
Pocos (few)
Unos pocos, unos cuantos (a few)
Mucho-a,-os-as (much, many)
Varios (several)
Cualquiera (_sing._), Cualesquiera (_pl._), (any, whichever)
*Quienquiera (_sing._), quienesquiera (_pl._), (any, whoever, whomever)
*Cualquiera cosa (anything, whatever)
Propio-a, os-as (own, self, same)
Tal (_sing._), tales (_pl._ such a, such)
*Fulano, zutano, mengano (So-and-So)
Cuanto (todo lo que), (all that which)
Cuantos (todos los que), (all those who)
Ninguno (no one, nobody, not any)
*Nada (nothing), *nadie (no one, nobody)
*Quien ... quien, *cual ... cual (some ... some)

[Footnote 108: "Another" is "otro," not "un otro."]

_Cada_ is an adjective only, as--

Cada huelga de obreros daña la industria nacional: Each workmen's strike
injures national industry.

_Alguien, algo, cada, nada, nadie_ are invariable, and the verb
accompanying them is always singular, as--

Alguien hizo un error de pluma: Somebody made a slip of the pen.

Algo es mejor que el dinero, el honor: There is something better than
money, honour.

¿Hay algo peor que la ingratitud? Is there anything worse than
ingratitude?

Nada es absolutamente perfecto y nadie es infalible: Nothing is
absolutely perfect and nobody is infallible.

Further difference in meaning between _alguien_ and _alguno_--

_Alguien_ refers to persons only, and cannot be followed by _de_.
_Alguno_ to persons or things, and may be followed by _de_,[109] as--

Alguien _or_ Alguno se ha quejado: Somebody has complained.

Quiere naranjas y melocotones y yo tengo algunos: He wants oranges and
peaches, and I have some.

Alguno de ellos lo hará: Someone amongst them will do it.

The English "any," "anything," are translated by _alguno, alguna cosa
(algo)_ when interrogative; _ninguno, ninguna cosa (nada)_ when
negative; and _cualquiera, cualquiera cosa_ when affirmative, as--

¿Quiere V. algún refresco ó algo que comer? Do you want any
refreshments[110] or anything to eat?

No quiero ningunos Holandillos: I do not want any Hollands.

Cualquier(a) muchacho de escuela echaría de ver que estas Batistas
Victoria son más ordinarias: Any schoolboy could see that these Victoria
Lawns are of lower quality.

_Alguno_ and _Ninguno_ are left understood oftener than in English, as--

¿Comprará V. (algunos) títulos de la nueva emisión? Will you buy any
stock of the new issue?

Él no pide consejos: He does not ask any advice.

When _nadie_ and _ninguno_, or any other =negative word=, as the adverb
_nunca_ (never), etc., precede a verb, no other negative is required;
but when they =follow= it, =no= (not) must precede the verb, as: No he
visto á nadie _or_ á nadie he visto: I have seen nobody.

[Footnote 109: Same difference between _nadie_ and _ninguno_.]

[Footnote 110: In Spanish the singular is found instead of the plural,
as: ¿Tiene V. algún libro que prestarme? (have you any books to lend
me?).]

Verbs ending in _car_ or _gar_ change the _c_ and _g_ into =qu= and =gu=
respectively before =e=, as--

+------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| | =Embarcar=[111] | =Cargar=[111] |
| |(to embark, to ship) | (to load) |
| _Past Def._ |Embarqué |Cargué |
| _Pres. Subj._ |Embarque,-ques, que, |Cargue,-gues,-gue, |
| |-quemos,-quéis,-quen.|-guemos,-guéis,-guen.|
+------------------+---------------------+---------------------+

[Footnote 111: The primary parts (except, of course, the Infinitive) will
be omitted in future _when they are regular_. The derivative parts will
also be omitted when they are _regularly formed from their primary
parts_ according to the rules given. See synopsis at the end of the
book.]

VOCABULARY.

=agricola=, agricultural
=amontonar=, to pile up
=apertura=, opening
=bajar=, to lower, to go or come down
=bonito=, pretty
=comarca=, region, district (of a country)
=detenidamente=, at length
=duplicar=, to double, to duplicate
=exigua=, slight, trifling
=fábricas de algodón=, cotton mills
=géneros alimenticios=, food stuffs
=*hacer caso=, to take notice
=hilador=, spinner
=impuesto=, tax
=(la) incertidumbre=, uncertainty
=industria=, industry
=legislatura=, parliamentary session
=ligero=, light (_adj._), slight, small
=limitación=, curtailment
=(la) luz=, light (_n._)
=*mantener=, to hold up, to maintain
=mejora=, improvement
=ministerio=, ministry
=obligaciones=, debentures
=olvidar=, to forget
=para que=, so that
=patria=, country, fatherland
=preferible=, preferable
=*prevalecer, reinar=, to prevail, to rule
=subir=, to go or come up
=tejedor=, weaver
=timbre=, stamp
=tomar la delantera á=, to take the start on.
=trigo=, wheat
=varios=, several
=vinícola=, wine (_adj._)

EXERCISE 1 (29).

Translate into English--

1. Alguien pretende que se duplicará el impuesto del timbre sobre las
acciones y obligaciones de las compañías anónimas y que habrá algunos
que protestarán enérgicamente.

2. Algo hay de eso y uno y otro partido político se interesan de la
cuestión pero ni uno de los periódicos locales echa luz sobre las
intenciones del ministerio.

3. Los demás proyectos de ley con ciertas modificaciones se presentarán
(will be introduced) en esta misma legislatura, y cada uno se discutirá
detenidamente.

4. Se anuncian varias empresas industriales en grande escala.

5. Cuanto se hace es poco cuando se piensa en lo que se debería hacer
para que nuestros competidores no nos tomen la delantera.

6. Cualquiera echa de ver (can see) eso.

7. Cuantos hay que miran al verdadero interés de su patria deben olvidar
sus propios intereses en favor del fomento de la industria vinícola y
agrícola de esta comarca.

8. Cada casa tiene su sistema propio.

9. Yo no imito á Fulano, Zutano y Mengano, soy cauto y evito los
riesgos.

10. Negocio papel extranjero, pero sólo letras bancarias, ó de firmas de
primera clase y con dos endosos, nada más.

EXERCISE 2 (30).

Translate into Spanish--

1. Somebody thinks that the imports of food-stuffs will increase.

2. Some wheat buyers take little notice of the higher American cable
advices (las subidas que se han telegrafiado desde América).

3. Weavers and spinners are all holding up their prices.

4. Each week shows an improvement.

5. We hear the same reports (noticias) from all quarters (partes).

6. Neither of these machines will suit (conviene á) our requirements.

7. We accept these bills but refuse the others.

8. Anybody who has his own interests at heart will contribute to the
realisation of the scheme.

9. I did all I could (podía) so that nothing should be lost (no se
perdiera nada).

10. Some say the market will go up, some say it will go down, and such
is the position that one does not know (no sabe) what to do.

11. Anything is preferable to this uncertainty.

12. I have not seen anything so pretty before.

13. Mail advices (los anuncios por la mala) from America report an
abnormal (anormal) curtailment of production in the United States Cotton
Mills.

14. They cannot take the risk of piling up stocks when the demand is so
slight (exigua).

15. Foreign Bourses.--Berlin. A weak tone ruled at the opening. During
the later dealings (operaciones posteriores) a slight (ligera)
improvement was noticeable (se observó).