Alice's Adventures in Wonderland — Page 9
"You couldn't have wanted it much," said Alice; "living at the bottom of the sea."
"No puedes haberlo deseado mucho," dijo Alicia; "viviendo en el fondo del mar."
"I couldn't afford to learn it." said the Mock Turtle with a sigh. "I only took the regular course."
"No podía permitirme el lujo de aprenderlo." dijo la Falsa Tortuga con un suspiro. "Sólo tomé el curso regular."
"What was that?" inquired Alice.
"¿Qué era eso?" preguntó Alicia.
"Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with," the Mock Turtle replied; "and then the different branches of Arithmetic—Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision."
"Tambalear y Retorcerse, por supuesto, para empezar," respondió la Falsa Tortuga; "y luego las diferentes ramas de la Aritmética—Ambición, Distracción, Afeamiento y Burla."
"I never heard of 'Uglification,'" Alice ventured to say. "What is it?"
"Nunca oí hablar del 'Afeamiento,'" se aventuró a decir Alicia. "¿Qué es?"
The Gryphon lifted up both its paws in surprise. "What! Never heard of uglifying!" it exclaimed. "You know what to beautify is, I suppose?"
El Grifo levantó ambas patas con sorpresa. "¡Qué! ¡Nunca oíste hablar de afear!" exclamó. "Sabes lo que es embellecer, supongo?"
"Yes," said Alice doubtfully: "it means—to—make—anything—prettier."
"Sí," dijo Alicia con duda: "significa—hacer—cualquier cosa—más bonita."
"Well, then," the Gryphon went on, "if you don't know what to uglify is, you _are_ a simpleton."
"Bueno, entonces," continuó el Grifo, "si no sabes lo que es afear, eres una tonta."
Alice did not feel encouraged to ask any more questions about it, so she turned to the Mock Turtle, and said "What else had you to learn?"
Alicia no se sintió animada a hacer más preguntas al respecto, así que se volvió hacia la Falsa Tortuga y dijo "¿Qué más tenías que aprender?"
"Well, there was Mystery," the Mock Turtle replied, counting off the subjects on his flappers, "—Mystery, ancient and modern, with Seaography: then Drawling—the Drawling-master was an old conger-eel, that used to come once a week: _he_ taught us Drawling, Stretching, and Fainting in Coils."
"Bueno, estaba el Misterio," respondió la Falsa Tortuga, contando las materias con sus aletas, "—Misterio, antiguo y moderno, con Marografía: luego Arrastrar—el maestro de Arrastrar era una vieja anguila congrio, que solía venir una vez por semana: él nos enseñaba Arrastrar, Estirar y Desmayarse en Espirales."
"What was _that_ like?" said Alice.
"¿Cómo era eso?" dijo Alicia.
"Well, I can't show it you myself," the Mock Turtle said: "I'm too stiff. And the Gryphon never learnt it."
"Bueno, no puedo mostrártelo yo mismo," dijo la Falsa Tortuga: "Estoy demasiado rígido. Y el Grifo nunca lo aprendió."
"Hadn't time," said the Gryphon: "I went to the Classics master, though.
"No tuve tiempo," dijo el Grifo: "Sin embargo, fui con el maestro de Clásicas.
Vocabulary
- No
- No, not
- puedes
- You can, second person singular of poder
- haberlo
- To have it, infinitive haber plus pronoun lo
- deseado
- Desired, past participle of desear
- mucho
- Much, a lot, very
- dijo
- Said, third person singular preterite of decir
- viviendo
- Living, present participle of vivir
- en
- In, on, at
- el
- The, masculine singular definite article
- fondo
- Bottom, depth, background
- del
- Of the, contraction of de plus el
- mar
- Sea, ocean
- podía
- Could, was able to, imperfect of poder
- permitirme
- To afford myself, allow myself, infinitive plus pronoun
- lujo
- Luxury, extravagance
- de
- Of, from, about
- aprenderlo
- To learn it, infinitive aprender plus pronoun lo
- la
- The, feminine singular definite article
- Falsa
- False, fake, feminine form
- Tortuga
- Turtle, tortoise
- con
- With
- un
- A, an, masculine singular indefinite article
- suspiro
- Sigh
- Sólo
- Only, just, solely
- tomé
- I took, first person singular preterite of tomar
- curso
- Course, class
- regular
- Regular, normal, ordinary
- Qué
- What
- era
- Was, third person singular imperfect of ser
- eso
- That, demonstrative pronoun neuter
- preguntó
- Asked, third person singular preterite of preguntar
- Tambalear
- To stagger, to totter, infinitive verb
- y
- And
- Retorcerse
- To writhe, to twist oneself, reflexive infinitive
- por
- For, by, through
- supuesto
- Of course, supposed, past participle of suponer
- para
- For, to, in order to
- empezar
- To begin, to start, infinitive verb
- respondió
- Responded, replied, third person preterite of responder
- luego
- Then, later, afterwards
- las
- The, feminine plural definite article
- diferentes
- Different, various, plural adjective
- ramas
- Branches, fields of study, plural noun
- Aritmética
- Arithmetic, mathematics
- Ambición
- Ambition
- Distracción
- Distraction, entertainment
- Burla
- Mockery, joke, teasing
- Nunca
- Never
- oí
- I heard, first person singular preterite of oír
- hablar
- To speak, to talk, infinitive verb
- se
- Oneself, himself, herself, reflexive pronoun
- aventuró
- Ventured, dared, third person preterite of aventurar
- a
- To, at, preposition
- decir
- To say, to tell, infinitive verb
- es
- Is, third person singular present of ser
- El
- The, masculine singular definite article
- Grifo
- Gryphon, faucet, tap
- levantó
- Lifted, raised, third person preterite of levantar
- ambas
- Both, feminine plural form
- patas
- Paws, legs of animals, plural noun
- sorpresa
- Surprise
- oíste
- You heard, second person singular preterite of oír
- exclamó
- Exclaimed, third person singular preterite of exclamar
- Sabes
- You know, second person singular present of saber
- lo
- It, him, masculine singular direct object pronoun
- que
- That, which, what
- embellecer
- To beautify, to embellish, infinitive verb
- supongo
- I suppose, first person singular present of suponer
- Sí
- Yes
- duda
- Doubt, third person singular present of dudar
- significa
- Means, signifies, third person singular of significar
- hacer
- To do, to make, infinitive verb
- cualquier
- Any, whatever
- cosa
- Thing
- más
- More, most
- bonita
- Pretty, beautiful, feminine form
- Bueno
- Good, well, okay
- entonces
- Then, so, in that case
- continuó
- Continued, third person singular preterite of continuar
- si
- If
- no
- No, not
- sabes
- You know, second person singular present of saber
- eres
- You are, second person singular present of ser
- una
- A, an, one, feminine singular indefinite article
- tonta
- Fool, silly, feminine form
- sintió
- Felt, third person singular preterite of sentir
- animada
- Encouraged, animated, feminine past participle
- preguntas
- Questions, second person singular present of preguntar
- al
- To the, contraction of a plus el
- respecto
- Respect, regarding, concerning
- así
- Thus, so, like this
- volvió
- Returned, turned, third person preterite of volver
- hacia
- Toward, towards
- tenías
- You had, second person singular imperfect of tener
- aprender
- To learn, infinitive verb
- estaba
- Was, third person singular imperfect of estar
- Misterio
- Mystery
- contando
- Counting, telling, present participle of contar
- materias
- Subjects, matters, topics, plural noun
- sus
- His, her, its, their, possessive adjective
- aletas
- Fins, flippers, plural noun
- antiguo
- Ancient, old, former
- moderno
- Modern
- Arrastrar
- To drag, to pull, infinitive verb
- maestro
- Teacher, master
- vieja
- Old, elderly, feminine form
- anguila
- Eel
- solía
- Used to, third person singular imperfect of soler
- venir
- To come, infinitive verb
- vez
- Time, instance, occasion
- semana
- Week
- él
- He, him, subject pronoun
- nos
- Us, to us, object pronoun
- enseñaba
- Taught, third person singular imperfect of enseñar
- Estirar
- To stretch, to extend, infinitive verb
- Desmayarse
- To faint, reflexive infinitive verb
- Espirales
- Spirals, coils, plural noun
- Cómo
- How
- puedo
- I can, first person singular present of poder
- mostrártelo
- To show it to you, infinitive with pronouns
- yo
- I, first person subject pronoun
- mismo
- Same, myself, very
- Estoy
- I am, first person singular present of estar
- demasiado
- Too much, too, excessively
- rígido
- Rigid, stiff
- Y
- And
- nunca
- Never
- aprendió
- Learned, third person singular preterite of aprender
- tuve
- I had, first person singular preterite of tener
- tiempo
- Time, weather
- Sin
- Without
- embargo
- However, nevertheless, usually in phrase sin embargo
- fui
- I was, I went, first person preterite of ser/ir
- Clásicas
- Classics, classical, feminine plural
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