Business Spanish - The Verb

. Learn Spanish Grammer .

LESSON XXXIX.
(Lección trigésima nona.)

THE VERB.

All intransitive verbs in Spanish are conjugated with the auxiliary verb
_haber_, as--

Ha venido: He has or is come.

A verb that governs an infinitive through a certain preposition, as--

Convenimos en hacerlo: We agreed upon doing it.

should drop the preposition when a finite verb follows.

N.B.--Many such verbs, however, may preserve the preposition even before
a finite mood, as--

Convenimos que, _or_ en que, lo hiciesen: We agreed that they should do
it.

When the subject of a verb is a collective noun, the verb is placed in
the singular (see Lesson XXXII for exception).

When a compound subject _follows_ the verb, this may agree in number and
person with the first subject only, as--

Nos ha llegado la circular y los impresos que la acompañaban: We
received the circular and the printed matter which accompanied it.

The ambiguity between a Reflexive verb plural and a Reciprocal verb is
avoided thus--

Se comprometen á sí (á sí mismos--emphatic): They commit themselves.

Se comprometen el uno al ótro, _or_ los unos á los otros: They commit
each other.

A Reflexive verb is that in which the second pronoun of the same person
as the subject, is the _direct object_ of the action, as--

Ellos se comprometen: They commit themselves.

But when the second pronoun stands for the indirect object, the verb is
only intransitive pronominal, as--

Él se procuró un empleo: He procured for himself an employment.

=The Passive Voice=.

The Passive voice formed with _ser_ occurs much less in Spanish than in
English.

When the "doer" is not expressed the active voice with _se_ generally
takes its place, as--

Los niños se aman _or_ Se ama[189] á los niños: Children are loved.

[Footnote 189: Notice Sing. number.]

When the "doer" is mentioned the following construction is often used--

Á estos niños los aman sus padres: These children are loved by their
parents.

The English present participle used substantively is rendered in Spanish
by a noun or by the infinitive mood of the verb generally preceded by
the definite article, as--

El cambio de las condiciones: The changing of the terms.
El cambiar las condiciones: The changing of the terms.

Su comunicación á las autoridades de la Aduana,
El escribir _or_ el haber escrito él á las autoridades de la Aduana:
His writing to the custom-house authorities.

El vender á crédito á largos plazos no es un principio sano:
Selling on credit with long terms is not a sound practice.

Prefiero comprar disponible (_or_ las compras de disponible):
I prefer spot buying.

=_The English gerund following "by" is translated by the gerund without
preposition or by the infinitive preceded by _con_, as--_=

Depositando (_or_ con depositar) sus acciones se puso en perfecta regla:
By depositing his shares, he put himself in order.

The Spanish verbal forms ending in _ante_ and _iente_, as: Amante
(lover), tratante (dealer), dependiente (clerk), etc., used to be termed
"present participles," and the analogous forms "amando" (loving),
"tratando" (treating), "dependiendo" (depending), etc., "gerunds," but
this has now taken the place of both forms, used as verbs, and the forms
in _ante_ and _iente_ are classed as other parts of speech, according to
their meaning, as--

Amante de la música (_adj._): Fond of music.
Un tratante en trigos (_noun_): A dealer in wheat.
Un dependiente de comercio (_noun_): A commercial clerk.
Durante la exposicion (_prep._): During the exhibition.
Mediante su ayuda (_prep._): By means of his help.
No obstante que vino (_conj._): Notwithstanding his coming.
¡Corriente! (_interj._): All right! done!

=Huir= (to flee).[190]

_Pres. Indic._, Huyo, huyes, huye ... huyen. _Pres. Subj._, Huya, huyas,
huya, huyamos, huyáis, huyan.

[Footnote 190: Model for all verbs ending in "uir" (with "u" sounded).]

VOCABULARY.

=acabado=, finish (cloth)
=acudir=, to have recourse, to attend, to run to
=á las claras=, plainly, clearly
=apresto=, size, also finish (cloth)
=aprovecharse=, to take advantage
=bomba de doble efecto=, double-acting pump
=burlarse=, to make fun of, to trifle with
=chucherías=, pretty trifles
*=convenir en=, to agree to
=engañifas=, tricks
=escandaloso=, scandalous, shocking
=granjearse=, to win over
*=hacer ver=, to show
*=herir=, to wound, to cut (fig.)
=mediar=, to come between, to intervene, to take place in the meantime
*=no tener pelo de tonto=, not to be a simpleton
=quitar=, to take away
*=reducir á un mínimo=, to reduce to a minimum, to minimise
*=saber á punto fijo=, to know for certain
=sospechar=, to suspect
=suave=, soft, mellow, gentle
=subsanar=, to correct, to rectify
=tacto=, feel (_n._), touch (_n._)
=voluntad=, will, goodwill, favour

EXERCISE 1 (77).

Translate into English--

1. Á mí no me venga con estas engañifas que no tengo pelo de tonto.

2. Me hace regalos de algunas chucherías para granjearse mi voluntad y
aprovecharse después.

3. ¿Sabe V. á punto fijo que son estas sus intenciones?

4. Mediaron algunas cosillas que me han hecho sospechar algo de eso y de
mí nadie se burla.

5. V. debe de equivocarse y sólo por sospechas no debe quitarle su
amistad.

6. Estas hermosas calderas de alta presión las han construido en
Inglaterra y estas bombas de doble efecto las han importado de los
Estados Unidos.

7. El conceder él mayores facilidades á los compradores le ha hecho
conseguir una extensa clientela.

8. Con uniformarse á mis disposiciones (orders, instructions) él
cumplirá con su deber y yo quedaré mas contento.

9. No soy amante de disputas, mis dependientes podrán asegurarle que
durante mi larga carrera y no obstante que no faltaron ocasiones, no
acudí una sola vez á los Tribunales.

EXERCISE 2 (78).

Translate into Spanish--

1. The long and short of the matter is that (en pocas palabras) we had
agreed he was to do it.

2. This is nothing short of dishonesty (esto se llama falta de honradez,
nada menos).

3. No matter what he will say (diga lo que dijere) I am sure he will
have to pay.

4. The estimate and the sketches attached reached us just in (á) time.

5. The cloth was run (plegada) in pieces of 20 yds. exactly, the
consequence being that some pieces were found by the customer to be with
cuts (cortes).

6. It is of no use (es inútil) our struggling any longer (por más
tiempo) against adversity.

7. Your writing in that strain (en aquel tono) shows plainly that their
action has cut you to the quick (profundamente).

8. By selling in time he managed (logró) to minimise the loss.

9. The shocking abuses that existed under the monarchy are being (se
van) corrected by the Republican Government.

10. We shall show them that our firm is not to be trifled with.

11. These stuffs are too heavily sized and the finish is not
sufficiently mellow.

12. Their feel is not clothy (no tienen bastante cuerpo al tacto).

13. This defect will be made right in future deliveries.