Business Spanish - The Adjective 3

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LESSON XXXVI.
(Lección trigésima sexta.)

THE ADJECTIVE (_contd_.).

The adjective _grande_ (great, large) may _precede_ or follow a noun.

If it precedes it _may_ drop the final syllable. When _grande_ (or
_gran_) precedes it generally refers more to quality than to size, but
this rule is not strict _at all_, as much is left to the tone of the
voice and also to gesture.

When "Santo" means "holy" it is always written in full.
When "Santo" means "saint" it drops the "to" before the name following.

EXCEPTIONS--

Santo Tomás (or Tomé), Santo Domingo, and Santo Torribio.

But--La isla de San Tomás (the Island of St. Thomas, West Indies).

Some adjectives alter their meaning according as they precede or follow
a noun, as--

Cierto hombre: A certain man. (Not "un cierto.")
Una noticia cierta: A certain (sure) news.

Un pobre escritor: A poor writer--of little worth.
Un escritor pobre: An impecunious writer.

Un simple favor: A simple favour.
Un favor simple: A simple favour.

Un simple soldado: A simple (plain) soldier.
Un hombre simple: A simple man, a simpleton.

"One" and "ones" after an adjective are always left untranslated. "Man"
and "woman" in the majority of cases are also omitted, as--

Tengo algunos buenos: I have some good ones.
Un francés, una francesa: A Frenchman, a Frenchwoman.

Numeral adjectives used for measurement are translated as follows--

Una plataforma de 30 pies de largo y seis pies de ancho (_also_ de 30
pies por seis): A platform 30 feet long by six feet wide.

Este tanque tiene 16 pies de profundidad: This tank is 16 feet deep.

"In" after a superlative relative is rendered by _de_, as--

Es el negociante más próspero de la ciudad: He is the most successful
merchant in the city.

The proportional adjectives are--

El doble (the double)
El triple (3 fold)
El cuádruplo (4 fold)
El quíntuple (5 fold)
El séxtuple (6 fold)
El décuplo (10 fold)
El céntuplo (100 fold)
Siete veces tanto (7 fold)
Ocho veces tanto (8 fold). Etc., etc.

The adjective is used also adverbially, oftener in Spanish than in
English, as--

Hablar claro, alto, bajo, fuerte: To speak clearly, loudly, softly,
strongly.

Comprar caro, barato: To buy dear, cheap.

Ir derecho: To go straight.

Tener fuerte: To hold fast.

Exclamó ufano, cortés, enfadado, bondadoso: He proudly, courteously,
angrily, kindly exclaimed.

Justo ha llegado una carta: A letter has just arrived.

Adjectives have a governing power through a preposition and then the
preposition to be used belongs to the "idiom" of the language. Practice
will make perfect.

The following are some examples in which the construction differs from
the English--

Afable á, _or_ con, _or_ para con todos: Affable to all.
Agradecido á los beneficios: Grateful for the favours.
Agudo de ingenio: Sharp-witted.
Ajeno de la verdad: Foreign to truth.
Alegre de cascos: Light-headed.
Blanco de tez: fair-complexioned.
Cargado de espaldas: Round-shouldered.
Codicioso, deseoso de dinero: Greedy, wishing for money.
Cercano á su fin: Nearing his end.
¡Desdichado de mí!: Unhappy me!
Difícil de comprender: Hard to understand.
Dotado de buenas partes: Endowed with good parts.
Duro de cabeza (de mollera), de corazón: Hard-headed, hard-hearted.
Evidente para todo el mundo: Evident to all.
Fácil de explicar: Easy to explain.
Falto de juicio: Lacking in judgment.
Hermoso de ver: Beautiful to see.
Lleno de cerveza, de vino: Full of (or with) beer, wine.
Mayor _or_ Menor de edad: Of age, under age.
Pequeño de tamano: Small in size.
Rico de virtudes: Rich in virtues.
Seco (enjuto) de carnes: Spare in flesh.
Sorprendido de la noticia: Surprised at the news.
Tardo á comprender: Slow in understanding.
Triste de aspecto: Sad in countenance.

VOCABULARY.

=á la par=, at the same time
=las Antillas=, the West Indies
=atropellar por=, to infringe,
to trample upon, also to run down (vehicles, etc.)
=blando=, gentle, soft
=chaconada=, jacconet
=ciencia=, science, wisdom
=corto=, short, brief
=desarme=, disarmament
=deseoso=, wishful, eager
=dique=, dock
=doctrina=, doctrine, knowledge
=equivocarse=, to make a mistake
=fletar=, to freight, to charter
=forros estampados=, printed linings
=hidalguía=, chivalry, nobleness, gentlemanly principles
=imponerse á=, to command
=inconveniencia=, unsuitability, impropriety
=el inconveniente=, inconvenience
=ladrillos refractarios=, firebricks
=lástima=, pity, compassion
=nivel=, level
=principal=, principal, chief, leading
=quejarse (de)=, to complain
=responsable=, responsible
=rizados, crespolinas=, crimps
=tío=, uncle, also a coarse fellow[184]
*=tropezar=, to stumble
=ufano=, proud, full of dignity
=velero=, sailing vessel, sailer

[Footnote 184: Also used before names instead of "Señor" among country
folks.]

EXERCISE 1 (71).

Translate into English--

1. Gran lastima es, si lastima grande que las grandes naciones no se
pongan de acuerdo para proclamar el desarme general.

2. Santa vida fué la de San Francisco de Asis.

3. Aun los racionalistas respetan a este Santo como también a la
profunda doctrina de Santo Tom as de Aquino.

4. Ciertos nombres se imponen al respeto universal.

5. Es cosa cierta que la virtud puede ser patrimonio del hombre pobre
como del rico.

6. Pobre excusa seria el pretender haberlo hecho por un simple favor
pues esto no convencería a los hombres más simples.

7. El hombre más sabio del mundo puede equivocarse alguna vez, llegue á
donde llegare su ciencia (however great, etc.)

8. Si V. me diera el doble, el triple, el quintuple, y aun seis, diez ó
cien veces tanto, no cometería esa indelicadeza, atropellando por las
leyes de la hidalguía y del honor.

9. El orador habla claro, metafórico, alto, bajo, fuerte, y blando según
lo exija el argumento y las circunstancias pero se le demanda que tenga
por bianco (to have for his aim) la virtud y el progreso.

10. Ande V. derecho y tenga fuerte que no vaya (lest you) á tropezar y á
caerse.

11. Cortés y ufano á la par, repuso: "soy pobre mas soy honrado."

12. Justo lo que debía contestar.

13. Los estudiantes más agudos de ingenio son á veces un tantico alegres
de cascos.

14. No importa (never mind), son todos deseosos de aprender y afables
con su profesor que además de ser cojo de un pie ya está cercano á su
fin.

15. Este tío es duro de cabeza aunque sea dotado de buenas partes.

EXERCISE 2 (72).

Translate into Spanish--

1. We are open (dispuestos) to charter a small steamer or a sailing
vessel for St. Thomas in the West Indies.

2. We can offer you a small one for a voyage out and home (de ida y
vuelta).

3. The heating surface (superficie de caldeo) is (es de) 20' X 15'.

4. These warehouses are 30' long, 20' wide (de ancho) and 15 feet high
(de alto).

5. Some are built with stone and mortar (son de mampostería), others
with firebricks, and they are the best in the docks.

6. Last week nothing was doing (no se hacía) on 'Change, but' to-day
leading operators are distinctly bullish (trabajan distintamente por la
alza) and have acquired a further large holding (y se han afianzado
mucho más), being more convinced than ever that prices will climb[185]
(subirán) to a much higher level.

7. Meanwhile the market is getting dangerously overbought (el exceso de
compras en el mercado se hace peligroso).

8. He gave me too short a notice (aviso) and the consequence was 20
bales were short shipped (no se expidieron).

9. He now complains of being short of (que le faltan) printed linings,
jacconets and crimps, also of short measure (de falta de medida) in some
of the cloth invoiced.

10. Their orders fall short (son mucho menos) of what we expected.

11. We have run short of (se nos ha acabado) the raw material.

12. Our correspondents are short-staffed (no tienen bastante personal),
hence their delaying often to send out (y por tanto a menudo retardan el
envío de) our invoices, which is a great inconvenience.

[Footnote 185: To climb--_Trepar_.]