Business Spanish - The Verb 3

. Learn Spanish Grammer .

LESSON XLI.
(Lección cuadragésima primera.)

THE VERB (_contd._).

_Ser_ and _Estar_. Such expressions as "Smoking is prohibited," etc.,
are translated either "Es prohibido fumar" or "Está prohibido fumar."
Both translations are grammatically correct ("Está prohibido fumar" is
the general expression in this particular case).

If we say "Es prohibido fumar," we are referring to the "doer" of the
action: "Es prohibido _por la ley, por la policia, por los jefes_, etc.,
etc."--a case of passive voice.

If we say "Está prohibido fumar" we have no "doer" in our mind, but only
the thing itself = a case of "a condition of things" resulting from the
action (the prohibition).

=EXAMPLE--=

El fumar es prohibido por el jefe, por esto está prohibido fumar en
nuestro despacho: Smoking is prohibited by our employer (viz., our
employer prohibits smoking), therefore it is not allowed in our office.

_The above example is given for the sake of illustration by contrast; in
practice, of course, such oddities are avoided._

The English expressions, "It is I, you, he, we, they, who ..." must be
rendered in Spanish by "Soy yo, es V., somos nosotros, etc., quien _or_
quienes ..."; i.e., the English impersonal "it is" must be made
personal in Spanish.

We said that verbs may have a different government in the two languages,
as--

Colgar de un clavo: To hang on a nail.

Entrar en una casa: To enter a house.

This, one of the points for which rules cannot be laid, belongs to the
idiom of the language, and practice is the only master (see Appendix V
for a list of the most conspicuous differences) In reading, together
with the meaning of a verb, _ascertain its government._

Some peculiarities of Spanish verbs--

_Acabar de_, followed by an infinitive, translates the English "to have
just," followed by a past participle, as--

Acaba de flotarse una sociedad: A company has just been floated.

_Acertar á_, followed by an infinitive, translates "to happen," as--

Acertaron á pasar cuando ella estaba asomada á la ventana: They happened
to pass when she was looking out of the window.

Acertó a ser viernes aquel día: That day happened to be a Friday.

_Alegrarse de, Celebrar_--"to be glad to," "to rejoice at."

Me alegro mucho de la noticia; Celebro mucho la noticia: I am glad of
the news.

(Before an infinitive _de_ is omitted after "alegrarse," as: Me alegro
decirle: I am glad to tell you.)

_Caber_ (see Lesson XXX) is used figuratively in many locutions--

No cabe en nosotros tal acción: We are not capable of such an action.

No cabe en sí de gozo: He is beside himself with joy.

Le cupo el premio gordo: it was his lot or luck to get the chief prize.

No se puede saber lo que le cabrá á uno en suerte: One cannot know what
one's lot will be.

Esta tela es de calidad que no cabe más: This cloth is perfection
itself.

No caber en sí: To be puffed up with pride.

=Ir= (to go).

_Pres. Part._, Yendo.[194]
_Pres. Indic._, Voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van.
_Pres. Subj._, Vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan.
_Imper. Mood_, Ve ... vayamos _or_ vamos ...
_Imperf. Indic._, Iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban.
_Past Def. Indic._, Fuí, fuiste, fué, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron.

[Footnote 194: No word in Spanish commences with "ie." Hence the change
into "ye."]

=Oir= (to hear).

_Pres. Indic._, Oigo.

Salir (to go out).

_Pres. Indic._, Salgo.
_Pres. Subj._, Salga, salgas, salga, salgamos, salgáis, salgan.
_Imp. Mood_, Sal . . .
_Fut. Indic._, Saldré, saldrás, saldrá, saldremos, saldréis, saldrán.

VOCABULARY.

=arrancar=, to wrench, to squeeze out
=biblioteca=, public library
=codicia=, greed, covetousness
*=darsele á uno de una cosa=, to matter
=desgraciado=, unfortunate
=deslumbrar=, to dazzle
=factura simulada=, pro forma invoice
=fiesta del comercio=, bank holiday
=fomento=, development, encouragement
*=hacer impresión=, to impress
=hacienda=, finance, property
=(no) perdonar nada=, to leave no stone unturned
=próxima=, near, approaching
*=regir=, to rule, to govern, to control
=sacar=, to pull out, to get out
=sin perjuicio de=, excepting
*=tener a su cargo=, to have in charge
*=tener en poco=, to think little of

EXERCISE 1 (81).

Translate into English--

1. El Gobierno en España se compone de ocho ministerios.

2. El Ministerio de Estado trata de las relaciones de España con los
demás Estados y corresponde al "Foreign Office" inglés.

3. El de Gracia y Justicia tiene á su cargo todos los asuntos relativos
á la Administración de Justicia y alorden eclesiástico.

4. El de la Guerra que es lo mismo que nuestro "War Office."

5. El de Hacienda, el Ministerio de Marina, el Ministerio de la
Gobernación (Ministry of the Interior) que vigila y dirige todos los
negocios y asuntos propios del Gobierno y administración civil del
Estado, así generales como locales, sin perjuicio de las atribuciones de
los ayuntamientos y Diputaciones provinciales, el Ministerio de Fomento
(Ministry of P. Works) que rige todo lo relative á la agricultura,
industria, comercio, obras, públicas, montes (forests), minas, y
estadísticas.

6. Este corresponde más ó menos al inglés "Board of Trade;" y el
Ministerio de Instrucción Pública y Bellas Artes que tiene á su cargo
cuanto se refiere á la enseñanza, bellas artes, archivos, bibliotecas, y
museos, y que representa aproximadamente al "Board of Education."

EXERCISE 2 (82).

Translate into Spanish--

1. It is I who shall leave for Paris (saldré para) now that the matter
is arranged.

2. I am going out as I hear somebody calling me.

3. Go, but do not be long.

4. Yesterday you went for a few minutes but it was an hour before you
returned (no volvió antes de).

5. We have just heard of his approaching visit to England.

6. It happened to be on a bank holiday and our offices (oficinas) were
of course closed on that day.

7. We shall be glad if you will kindly instruct (dé instrucciones á)
your cashier to pay our account.

8. We have the pleasure of enclosing the pro forma invoices.

9. I am incapable of so much greed.

10. I am sorry to have to tell you that the cargo by the s.s. "Maria"
was lost through the vessel stranding (por haber varado) on (en) the
Spanish coast.

11. Coming back from having seen (á vuelta de haber visto) the machine
working (en función) he told us how favourably impressed he had been.

12. He was dazzled by the brilliant prospects set before him.

13. This is nothing to me.

14. There is nothing or very little to be got out of that firm.

15. I have left no stone unturned to squeeze something out of this
unfortunate business but it has been of no avail.

16. He thinks nothing of our work.