Business Spanish - The Verb 2

. Learn Spanish Grammer .

LESSON XL.
(Lección cuadragéseima.)

THE VERB (_contd._).

As in English, several past participles may be used with an active
meaning, as--

Un hombre leído: A well-read man (for a man who has read much and well).

The following are some examples--

Agradecido (grateful)
Atrevido (bold, daring)
Bien hablado (a courteous speaker)
Callado (taciturn)
Cansado (tiresome)
Comedido (thoughtful, considerate)
Corrido[191] (acute, artful)
Divertido (amusing)
Entendido (experienced, conversant)
Experimentado (experienced, expert)
Sufrido (patient)

[Footnote 191: With a passive meaning it is "abashed."]

=The Tenses=.

The periphrastic or progressive conjugation: "I am buying," "I was
selling," "I shall be buying," etc., exists in Spanish with the
following differences from English:--

In the present and the past it is used, but only when the action
embraces a certain length of time, otherwise the simple form "I buy," "I
sold" _(imperf. indic.)_ must be used, as--

Fulano se arrojaba por la ventana (_not_ se estaba arrojando).

The Spanish Academy gives this example as of an action more or less
instantaneous: So-and-So was throwing himself out of the window.

The periphrastic form is inadmissible unless one is _actually engaged_
in the action, as:

Hoy como con mi amigo (_not_ "estoy comiendo," because not actually
engaged in the action): To-day I am dining with my friend.

In the future this construction is permissible only in such cases as--

Cuando venga mañana, yo estaré escribiendo: To-morrow when he comes, I
shall be writing.

The periphrastic form never happens with the verb _ir_ (to go), and
seldom with _venir_ (to come).

The English present perfect (preterite compuesto) "I have done" is often
used in Spanish for the past definite "I did," when the period of time
in which the action took place is not specified.

The Spanish Academy gives--

Siempre que he ido á Madrid he visitado el Prado _for_ Whenever I went
to Madrid I visited the Prado.

We even find "ayer he hecho esto ó aquello" for "yesterday I did this or
that," and this is accounted for by the "nearness" of the period
elapsed. Although colloquially this does not sound at all so badly as in
English, well-educated Spaniards will take care to avoid it.

The second or bye-form of the imperfect subjunctive may be used also for
the conditional mood, as--

Se lo diera si lo tuviese _instead of_ se lo daría, etc.: I should give
it to him if I had it.

It is also found (in books, not in conversation) for the compound
imperfect indicative, especially after _que_, as--

Los consejos que le diera (_for_ que le había dado): The advice which I
had given him.

In old Spanish, and even now in poetry, we find it used for every one of
the compound past tenses.

=General Observations=.

The verb "to come" should be rendered in Spanish by _ir_ when the person
is not in the place in question at the time of speaking or writing, as--

¿Quiere V. venir aquí á mi casa mañana? Will you come here to my house
to-morrow?

Hoy estoy indispuesto pero mañana iré á verle: To-day I am unwell (out
of sorts), but to-morrow I shall come to see you.

La vi escribir: I saw her writing; viz., I saw her write.

La vi escribiendo: I saw her writing; viz., whilst she was writing.

The emphatic word in an English sentence is often and more elegantly
translated by a paraphrase in Spanish--

¿Es verdad que ha comprado los géneros? _Has_ he bought the goods?

¿Es él quien ha comprado los géneros? Has _he_ bought the goods?

¿De veras ha comprado los géneros? Has he _bought_ the goods?

¿Pues son los géneros lo que ha comprado? Has he bought _the goods_?

Esta transacción hubo de arruinarle: This transaction was within an ace
of ruining him.

"I believe myself to be clever," etc., is not translated "Yo me creo ser
hábil," but "Yo me creo (_or_ considero) hábil," or "Yo creo ser hábil,"
or "Creo que soy hábil."

=Decir (to say, to tell)=.

_Pres. Part_., Diciendo. _Past Part_., Dicho.
_Pres. Indic_., Digo, dices, dice,--,--, dicen.
_Pres. Subj_., Diga, digas, diga, digamos, digáis, digan.
_Imp. Mood_, Dí ...
_Past Def. Indic_., Dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron.
_Future Indic_., Diré, dirás, dirá, diremos, diréis, dirán.

VOCABULARY.

=agrupación=, group, muster
=aislado=, isolated, hedged in
=alcalde=, mayor
=arreglo amistoso=, friendly understanding
=capataz=, foreman
=carta de naturaleza=, certificate of naturalization
=cifras=, figures
*=dar pasos=, to take steps
=dedicarse=, to devote oneself
=derechos protectores=, protective duties
=diputación= provincial, provincial council
=elaborar=, to elaborate
=genio=, temper
=inquietarse=, to feel uneasy
*=no tenerlas todas consigo=, to feel uneasy
*=irse en rodeos=, to beat about the bush
=labor indígena=, native labour
=pequeñeces=, trifling matters
=perspectivas=, prospects
=plan=, plan[192] (idea)
=proyecto=, project, scheme
=repasar=, to go through
=resultado=, result
=(de) resultas de=, in consequence of, as a result of
=vecino=, inhabitant, ratepayer[193]
=vuelta de correo (á), (by) return of post

[Footnote 192: Plan, sketch = "Plano."]

[Footnote 193: Vecino = ratepayer who has acquired certain rights after
a certain period of residence.]

EXERCISE 1 (79).

Translate into English--

1. Las leyes de España declaran: Son españoles todas las personas
nacidas en territorio español, los hijos de padre ó madre españoles
aunque hayan nacido fuera de España, y los extranjeros que hayan
obtenido del Gobierno Español carta de naturaleza, ó sean vecinos de
cualquier pueblo de España.

2. Añaden que los extranjeros pueden establecerse y dedicarse libremente
á sus profesiones en territorio español; pero ningún extranjero puede
ejercer en España cargo alguno que represente autoridad.

3. Los miembros del Concejo ó cabildo ó ayuntamiento ó corporación
municipal se llaman Concejales ó regidores.

4. En España el alcalde de Madrid es nombrado libremente por el
Gobierno; el alcalde de las localidades cuya población no baje de 6,000
habitantes es nombrado por el Gobierno de entre los concejales, los
demás alcaldes son nombrados por el voto de su compañeros concejales.

5. Los cargos concejiles son gratuitos.

6. La Diputación Provincial es la agrupación de los varios municipios de
cada provincia, y se reúne dos veces al año en la capital de la
provincia.

EXERCISE 2 (80).

Translate into Spanish--

1. The foreman is grateful for his master's kindness.

2. The Director is elaborating a bold scheme for establishing, in a
foreign country hedged in by protective duties, a factory worked by
native labour under an English manager (gerente) and experienced English
instructors.

3. If this plan reaches concretion (se verifica) he will be going abroad
shortly, when he will find that his agents will be taking already the
preliminary steps.

4. The Director himself is coming towards us, he will tell you more
about it.

5. I am going to attend to several trifling matters which however want
looking after (hay que cuidar).

6. Whenever (siempre que) I decided on (he decidido) a thing, I have
always acted on my decision (la he puesto en ejecución).

7. I tell you if I had a larger stock, I should feel rather uneasy at
(con) the prospects of the market.

8. Come and see me to-morrow at my office and we shall come (llegaremos)
to a friendly understanding without beating about the bush.

9. He told me the figures did not compare well with (no eran buenas en
comparación de) those of last year.

10. Please go through the accounts again and tell me the result by
return of post.

11. Short reckonings make long friends (las cuentas claras y el
chocolate espeso).

12. He lost money as a result of his bad temper.