Business Spanish - The Adverbs

. Learn Spanish Grammer .

LESSON XXVIII.
(Lección vigésima octava.)

THE ADVERBS.

Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

The following are the principal Spanish adverbs--

Abajo (below)
Además (besides)
Adelante, delante (before, in point of place)
Ahora (now)
*Alrededor, *entorno (around)
Amenudo, á menudo (often)
*Antes (before, in point of time)
Antes, antes bien (rather)
Anoche (last night)
Anteanoche (the night before last)
Apenas, así que (as soon as)
Aquí, acá (here, hither)
Allí, allá (there, thither)
De aquí, de allí (hence, thence)
Aun, todavía (still, yet)
Ayer (yesterday)
Anteayer (the day before yesterday)
Bastante (sufficiently)
Bien (well)
*Cerca (near)
*Debajo (under)
*Por debajo (underneath)
Demasiado (too, too much)
*Dentro (within)
*Después (after, afterwards)
*Detrás (behind)
Donde[160] (where)
En breve (shortly)
*Encima (upon, above)
*Enfrente (opposite)
Entonces (then)
*Fuera (outside)
Hacia (towards)
Hacia adelante (forwards)
Hacia abajo (downwards)
Hasta (till, until)
Hoy (to-day)
*Junto (next)
*Lejos (far)
Luego (presently, soon, then)
Mañana (to-morrow)
Mal (badly)
Más (more)
Mejor (better)
Menos (less)
Mientras (whilst)
Mientras tanto (in the meantime)
Mucho (much)
Muy[161] (very)
Nunca, jamás (never)
Ni ... ni ... (neither ... nor ...)
Ni tampoco (not either)
Peor (worse)
Pronto (soon)
Tal vez, acaso, quizá, quizás (perhaps)
Tan, así (so)
Tanto (so much)
Tarde (late)
Temprano (early)
Ya[162] (already)

[Footnote 160: After verbs of motion also "á donde." After verbs of rest
also "en donde."]

[Footnote 161: Used as in English, but always _muy_ before a past part.,
as: Muy apreciado (much esteemed). Such phrases as "He is rich but not
very" are translated "Es rico pero no mucho _or_ tanto."]

[Footnote 162: _Ya_ is also used for "now." "Ya no"--no longer.]

Those marked with an asterisk may govern a noun or pronoun through the
preposition _de_ with the exception of _junto_, which governs these
words through _á_.

Adverbs may be formed from adjectives as in English.

The English termination _ly_ is rendered by =mente= _added to the
feminine form_ of the adjective, when this changes for the feminine.

Adverbs are compared like the adjectives, but the superlative relative
of adverbs is formed with _lo más_, and _lo menos_, as--

Es el más rico: He is the richest.

Esta adornado lo más ricamente posible: It is ornamented in the richest
manner possible.

Es el menos exacto: He is the least exact.

Cotice lo menos que pueda: Quote the least you can.

Besides the primitive adverbs given in our list, there are many
adverbial locutions--

á toda prisa (with all speed).
á la española (in the Spanish fashion).
á troche y moche, á trochimoche (in a slipshod way).
con blandura (gently).
de mala gana (unwillingly).
de vez (_or_ de cuando) en cuando (from time to time).
tal cual vez (once in a while).
un si es, no es (ever so little).

When an adverb is followed by a verb in English _que_ must be inserted
in Spanish before a finite mood and _de_ before an infinitive, as--

Después de venir (after coming).

Después que vino (after he came).

The phrases "I say so," " I think it is (so)," "I do not think so," are
rendered "Digo que si" (or "lo digo"), "Creo que sí" (or "lo creo"),
"Creo que no" (or "no lo creo").

Some adjectives are used adverbially, as in English, without the
addition of _mente_, as--

Vender barato, caro (to sell cheap, dear).

Hablar alto, bajo (to speak loud, low).

When two or more adverbs ending in _mente_ occur in the same sentence,
the termination is added only to the last, as--

Escribe clara,[163] concisa[163] y elegantemente: He writes clearly,
concisely and elegantly.

[Footnote 163: Notice "clara" and "concisa" in the feminine.]

=Caer= (to fall).

_Pres. Ind._, Caigo -- -- -- -- --
_Pres. Subj._, Caiga, caigas, caiga, caigamos, caigáis, caigan.

VOCABULARY.

=á duras penas=, with great difficulty
=á la larga=, m the long run
=á medida que=, in proportion as
=á mejor andar=, at best
=á plazos=, in instalments
=ajeno=, averse
=apagado= extinguished, dull (colours)
=*asentar=, to book (an order)
=chillones=, gaudy, screaming (colours)
=claro=, light (colours)
=claro y redondo= (quite clearly)
=columna=, column
=con el corazón en la mano=, quite candidly
=confeccionar=, to make up
=*confesar=, to confess
=conservas alimenticias=, preserves
=definir=, to define (also to settle)
=dificultad=, difficulty
=ensayo=, trial, proof, venture
=escoger=, to choose
=exceder=, to exceed
=facilidad=, ease, facility
=fijo=, fixed, firm
=fondos=, grounds (pictures, cloth)
=gana= (=de buena, de mala=), willingly, unwillingly
=ganga=, a bargain
=langosta=, lobster
=mariscos=, shell-fish
=muestrarios=, pattern cards, sets
=oscuro=, dark
=paquete=, packet, parcel
=*(no) poder menos de ..=., not to be able to help
=puntos=, points, spots (in prints)
=restos=, remnants
=sacar=, to pull out, to get out, to get back
=sardinas=, sardines
=satines brochados=, brocaded satins
=serie=, series
=sin mirar á gastos=, regardless of expense
=sobrio=, quiet (colour)
=solidez=, solidity
=tomar á mal=, to take amiss
=vivo=, vivid, bright (colours)

EXERCISE 1 (55).

Translate into English--

1. Tiene V. (there is) tanta variedad de dibujos que verdaderamente
cuesta dificultad (it is difficult) el escoger entre diseños con flores,
con puntos, con rayas, y cuadritos.

2. Con facilidad sin embargo (however) podrá V. hacer un surtido entre
las dos series que le enviamos, de fondos claros y oscuros, y de colores
vivos, chillones, sobrios, y apagados.

3. Desde algún tiempo á esta parte tratan Vs. los negocios tan á
trochimoche que ya no sabemos á que atenernos (what to think of it).

4. Hago esta consignación de mala gana y le confieso claro y redondo que
siguiendo V. á vender tan barato y á plazos tan largos no me tendrá
cuenta hacerle otros envíos sino por su propia cuenta ó contra pedidos
fijos de los clientes.

5. Clara y concisamente es como se deben escribir las cartas
comerciales.

6. Á la par que Vs. (same as yourselves) no somos ajenos á la idea de
hacer algún ensayo en la importación de langosta, mariscos, sardinas, y
conservas alimenticias, pero debemos ir á medias en cualquiera
transacción que se decida.

7. Creo que á duras penas sacará su dinero y á mejor andar tendrá que
perder todo su trabajo.

8. Á medida que aumenten los ingresos se aumentarán los dividendos.

9. Recibirá V. en paquete asegurado los nuevos muestrarios que se han
confeccionado sin mirar á gastos.

10. Estos restos son una verdadera ganga y además, podrá V. pagarlos al
contado ó á plazos largos (easy) como más le convenga.

11. Dejaremos en suspenso su reclamo hasta definirlo personalmente en su
próximo viaje á Inglaterra.

12. No puede menos de admitir (to admit) que á la larga esto no puede
convenirme, y espero que V. no lo tome á mal que se lo exponga con el
corazón en la mano.

EXERCISE 2 (56).

Translate into Spanish--

1. After writing you by last mail we are informed by the maker of the
Brown Linens (lienzos morenos) that he will be able to book your order
which will be delivered before the end of next month.

2. The Brocaded Satins will range between (costarán desde) 4d. and 5d. a
yard, and we shall ship them within six weeks but only after receiving
your letter confirming them.

3. These shapes are not worn (gastan, llevan) outside England.

4. Not far from here and next to the Bank there is the Insurance Office,
which is much admired for its solidity and fine appearance.

5. It cost £20,000 and they never thought it would exceed half that
amount.

6. Perhaps it is too large an outlay (gasto) for the Company, but there
was no money wasted.

7. The columns in the porch have cost so much because they are of the
best Carrara marble (mármol).

8. Whilst we admit that the prints sent may have been just a little bit
(un si es no es) off shade (diferentes al color pedido) your claim is
quite out of the question.

9. Towards the beginning of the autumn our Mr. So-and-So will make a
trip (hará un viaje) to your place, and he will have the honour of
waiting upon you (de visitarles) with our latest novelties (novedades).

10. You do not understand how it is possible that your neighbours are
able to undersell you (vender más bajo que V.), nor can we make it out
(explicárnoslo) either.