Business Spanish - The Verb

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LESSON XVI.
(Lección décima sexta.)

THE VERB.

The verb is a word by which we affirm something. It is the essential
word in a sentence: without it (expressed or understood) no sentence can
be construed.

Verbs are divided into Auxiliary, Transitive and Intransitive.

The Auxiliary verbs in Spanish are: Haber, Tener, Ser, Estar.

_Haber_ is a true auxiliary because it helps to form compound
tenses[112] but it presents the following peculiarities--

1. It is used as an impersonal verb (as well as the verb _hacer_ which
is given here for the sake of completeness) for expressions of time,
as--

Dos años ha (_or_ ha dos años) _or_ hace dos años la exportación de los
Caldos españoles estaba muy floreciente: Two years ago the exportation
of Spanish wines and oils was very flourishing.

Ha dos años (_or_ hace dos años) que la casa Guillermo Fernandez y Cía
está establecida en La Coruña como Comisionistas: The firm, G.F. & Co.,
has been established in Corunna as Commission Agents these last two
years.

¿Cuanto tiempo ha (_or_ hace) que estudia V. el castellano? How long
have you been studying Spanish?

[Footnote 112: The Past Part. following "haber" IS ALWAYS INVARIABLE.]

2. It is also used impersonally as "there to be" (French, "y avoir"),
as--

Hay mucha pimienta, clavos, y canela en el mercado de Londres: There are
much pepper, cloves, and cinnamon in the London market.

Sí, hubo muchas especias el año pasado también: Yes, there were many
spices last year also.

Cuando estaba en El Cairo había miedo de que estallara algún motín: When
I was in Cairo there was the fear of some riots breaking out.

(N.B.--Impersonal verbs are only used in the 3rd pers. singular.)

In English we have "there is" and "there are," because "there to be" is
not used impersonally, the meaning being, e.g., "a man is there"; "two
men are there." In Spanish, however, _haber_ is used impersonally and
both "there is a man" and "there are two men" are translated "Hay un
hombre," "Hay dos hombres."

It will be noticed that _Haber_ used for "there to be" makes _Hay_
instead of _Ha_ for the present indicative. All its other tenses remain
unchanged: _había, hubo, habrá, habría_, etc.

_Hay que_ followed by an Infinitive (French "il faut"), it is necessary
to ..., as--

Hay que tener mucho cuidado: It is necessary to be very careful. I, you,
etc., must be very careful.

_Tener_ is generally a =principal= (viz., not an auxiliary) verb, used
to denote possession; but it is used sometimes as an =auxiliary= instead
of _haber_, as--

Tengo recibido su catálogo ilustrado y lista (or boletín) de precios: I
have received your illustrated catalogue with price list.

Tenemos recibida[113] su apreciable carta de 20 del que rige (or del
corriente): We have received your favour of the 20th inst.

¿Tiene V. recibidas las cotizaciones? Have you received the quotations?

Los presupuestos, que tenemos recibidos del Trapiche para nuestro
Ingenio de la Habana: The estimates which we have received for the Sugar
Mill for our Factory in Havana.

In all the preceding examples _tener_ used instead of _haber_ introduces
an additional idea of "=possession=".

"He recibido su carta" might be followed, in Spanish, by "pero la he
perdido" (but I have lost it). "Tengo recibida su carta" implies that
the receiver holds it now.

[Footnote 113: The Past Part. following "tener" agrees in gender and
number with the _direct object_.]

Sometimes this idea of possession is very distantly implied, as--

¿Qué me dice V.? tengo leído ese proyecto de Ley: What are you talking
about? I have read that (Parliamentary) Bill.

Meaning that the effect of the reading is extant in the mind.

Colloquially the people will use _tener_ for _haber_ without any
allusion to possession, but this should be avoided.

VOCABULARY.

=anteayer=, the day before yesterday
=apresurar=, to hasten, to urge (_a._)
=apresurarse=, to hasten (_n._)
=apresurarse con sus órdenes=, to rush one's orders
=árbol de eje=, axle shaft
=cámara de comercio=, chamber of commerce
=cigüeña, árbol de cigüeña, cigüeñal=, crank-shaft
=compañía de ferrocarril=, railway company
=con manchas=, (designs)--spot
=con puntitas, con bolitas=, (designs) spot
=contestar=, to answer, to reply
=cuadritos=, (designs) checks
=cuenta simulada=, pro forma account
=culpa=, blame, fault
=daño=, damage, injury, breakdown
=de buena tinta=, from a good source
=derecho=, right
=duda=, doubt
=equivocarse=, to be mistaken
=existencias=, stocks of goods
=expedidor=, sender
=fecha de=, dated
=listados=, (designs) striped
=á listas, á rayas=, (designs) striped
=malcontento=, uneasiness, discontent
=mundial=, world (_adj._)
=próximamente=, about, approximately
=pues=, well
=redactar=, to write out
=repentinamente=, suddenly
=representación exclusiva=, sole agency
=responsabilidad=, responsibility
=retardar=, to delay, to be delayed
=*romperse=, to break (_n._)
=roto=, broken
=todavía=, yet
=vivir=, to live, to reside
=ya=, already

EXERCISE 1 (31).

Translate into English--

1. En la Asociación de Agricultores de España (Society of Spanish
Agriculturists) dará mañana viernes á las seis y media de la tarde una
conferencia (lecture) el ilustrado Sr. Fulano.

2. ¿Como mañana? ya la ha dado esta mañana.

3. No sabía que la había dado ya.

4. Pues tengo esta noticia de buena tinta y no hay duda que así es.

5. Tenemos recibida su estimada, fecha de anteayer.

6. Mucho tiempo ha que tengo proyectadas estas empresas.

7. Habrá un mes que me escribió y no le he contestado todavía.

8. La Cámara de Comercio de Londres votó, después de larga discusión,
una protesta contra el nuevo Tratado de Comercio con Cuba y redactó una
petición que será dirigida al gobierno.

9. El vapor inglés "Raleigh" que sale para Montevideo ha recibido un
marconigrama anunciando que reina allí el malcontento político.

10. El aviador acaba de batir el "record" mundial de velocidad y
distancia recorriendo (covering) ciento veintidós kilómetros en hora y
media, á saber (namely) próximamente 80 kilómetros por hora.

11. No se equivoca V. en la interpretación de lo que hemos escrito
acerca de las facturas simuladas.

12. El árbol de eje y el cigüeñal se han roto.

EXERCISE 2 (32).

Translate into Spanish--

1. Have you obtained the sole agency for (de) that firm?

2. Not yet, but I hope to get it.

3. How long have you been living in England?

4. Two weeks ago prices were so high that buyers were rushing their
orders; now they have suddenly fallen to an unprecedented level (nivel
sin precedente).

5. He has examined the samples and found that the designs of the light
grounds (fondos claros) are not as ordered.

6. He also complains of the checks and stripes.

7. The spot muslins have been delayed owing to a breakdown in the works
(la fábrica).

8. The senders are trying to throw the blame on (á) the Railway Company,
but we have no right of claim (derecho de reclamar) against the latter
(ésta); it is they who (son ellos quienes) must indemnify us for the
loss.

9. It is a well-founded (bien establecida) and respectable firm and they
will not deny their responsibility--there is no doubt about (de) that.

10. Is it long since you received their last (última) letter?

11. Have they been long established? (Hace mucho tiempo que....)

12. They have been for 15 years.

13. Our friends have large stocks but they say the market is looking up
(mejorando).