Alice's Adventures in Wonderland — Page 1
Advice from a Caterpillar
Consejo de una Oruga
The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.
La Oruga y Alicia se miraron la una a la otra durante algún tiempo en silencio: por fin la Oruga se sacó la pipa de la boca y se dirigió a ella con voz lánguida y soñolienta.
"Who are _you?_" said the Caterpillar.
"¿Quién eres tú?" dijo la Oruga.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation.
Esta no era una apertura alentadora para una conversación.
Alice replied, rather shyly, "I—I hardly know, sir, just at present—at least I know who I _was_ when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then."
Alicia respondió, bastante tímidamente, "Yo—yo apenas lo sé, señor, en este momento—al menos sé quién era cuando me levanté esta mañana, pero creo que debo haber cambiado varias veces desde entonces".
"What do you mean by that?" said the Caterpillar sternly.
"¿Qué quieres decir con eso?" dijo la Oruga severamente.
"Explain yourself!"
"¡Explícate!"
"I can't explain _myself_, I'm afraid, sir," said Alice, "because I'm not myself, you see."
"No puedo explicarme a mí misma, me temo, señor", dijo Alicia, "porque no soy yo misma, ya ve".
"I don't see," said the Caterpillar.
"No veo", dijo la Oruga.
"I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly," Alice replied very politely, "for I can't understand it myself to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing."
"Me temo que no puedo expresarlo con más claridad", respondió Alicia muy cortésmente, "porque no puedo entenderlo yo misma para empezar; y ser de tantos tamaños diferentes en un día es muy confuso".
"It isn't," said the Caterpillar.
"No lo es", dijo la Oruga.
"Well, perhaps you haven't found it so yet," said Alice; "but when you have to turn into a chrysalis—you will some day, you know—and then after that into a butterfly, I should think you'll feel it a little queer, won't you?"
"Bueno, quizás no lo hayas encontrado así todavía", dijo Alicia; "pero cuando tengas que convertirte en una crisálida—algún día lo harás, ya sabes—y luego después de eso en una mariposa, creo que te sentirás un poco extraño, ¿no?"
"Not a bit," said the Caterpillar.
"Ni un poco", dijo la Oruga.
"Well, perhaps your feelings may be different," said Alice; "all I know is, it would feel very queer to _me_."
"Bueno, quizás tus sentimientos sean diferentes", dijo Alicia; "todo lo que sé es que a mí me parecería muy extraño".
"You!" said the Caterpillar contemptuously.
"¡Tú!" dijo la Oruga con desdén.
"Who are _you?
"¿Quién eres tú?
Vocabulary
- Consejo
- Advice or council
- de
- Of, from
- una
- A, an (feminine singular)
- Oruga
- Caterpillar
- La
- The (feminine singular)
- y
- And
- se
- Reflexive pronoun; oneself, himself, herself, themselves
- miraron
- They looked at (preterite of mirar)
- la
- The, her, it (feminine singular direct object)
- a
- To, at
- otra
- Other, another (feminine)
- durante
- During, for
- algún
- Some, any (masculine singular before noun)
- tiempo
- Time, weather
- en
- In, on, at
- silencio
- Silence
- por
- By, for, through, per
- fin
- End; finally (in phrase por fin)
- sacó
- He/she took out, removed (preterite of sacar)
- pipa
- Pipe (for smoking)
- boca
- Mouth
- dirigió
- He/she directed, addressed (preterite of dirigir)
- ella
- She, her
- con
- With
- voz
- Voice
- lánguida
- Languid, weak, listless
- soñolienta
- Sleepy, drowsy
- Quién
- Who
- eres
- You are (second person singular of ser)
- tú
- You (informal singular subject pronoun)
- dijo
- He/she said (preterite of decir)
- Esta
- This (feminine singular)
- no
- No, not
- era
- Was, used to be (imperfect of ser)
- apertura
- Opening, beginning
- alentadora
- Encouraging, heartening
- para
- For, to, in order to
- conversación
- Conversation
- respondió
- He/she responded, answered (preterite of responder)
- bastante
- Quite, rather, enough
- tímidamente
- Timidly, shyly
- Yo
- I (subject pronoun)
- yo
- I (subject pronoun, lowercase)
- apenas
- Barely, hardly, scarcely
- lo
- It, him (masculine singular direct object pronoun)
- sé
- I know (first person singular of saber)
- señor
- Sir, mister, gentleman
- este
- This (masculine singular)
- momento
- Moment, instant
- al
- To the, at the (contraction of a+el)
- menos
- Less, fewer; at least
- quién
- Who, whom
- cuando
- When
- me
- Me, myself (reflexive/object pronoun)
- levanté
- I got up, lifted (preterite of levantar)
- esta
- This (feminine singular)
- mañana
- Morning, tomorrow
- pero
- But
- creo
- I believe, think (first person singular of creer)
- que
- That, which, who
- debo
- I must, should, owe (first person of deber)
- haber
- To have (auxiliary verb); there to be
- cambiado
- Changed (past participle of cambiar)
- varias
- Several, various (feminine plural)
- veces
- Times, occasions (plural of vez)
- desde
- Since, from
- entonces
- Then, at that time
- Qué
- What
- quieres
- You want (second person singular of querer)
- decir
- To say, to mean
- eso
- That (neuter demonstrative pronoun)
- severamente
- Severely, sternly, harshly
- Explícate
- Explain yourself (imperative of explicarse)
- No
- No, not
- puedo
- I can, am able to (first person of poder)
- explicarme
- Explain myself (infinitive explicar plus reflexive pronoun me)
- mí
- Me (prepositional pronoun)
- misma
- Same, self (feminine)
- temo
- I fear, am afraid (first person of temer)
- porque
- Because
- soy
- I am (first person singular of ser)
- ya
- Already, now, anymore
- ve
- He/she sees; you see (imperative of ver)
- veo
- I see (first person singular of ver)
- Me
- Me, myself (object/reflexive pronoun, capitalized)
- expresarlo
- Express it (infinitive expresar plus pronoun lo)
- más
- More, most, plus
- claridad
- Clarity, clearness
- muy
- Very
- cortésmente
- Courteously, politely
- entenderlo
- Understand it (infinitive entender plus pronoun lo)
- empezar
- To begin, to start
- ser
- To be (permanent/essential qualities)
- tantos
- So many, as many (masculine plural)
- tamaños
- Sizes (plural of tamaño)
- diferentes
- Different, various
- un
- A, an, one (masculine singular)
- día
- Day
- es
- Is (third person singular of ser)
- confuso
- Confusing, confused
- Bueno
- Well, good, okay
- quizás
- Perhaps, maybe
- hayas
- You have (subjunctive of haber, second person singular)
- encontrado
- Found, encountered (past participle of encontrar)
- así
- Thus, so, like this
- todavía
- Still, yet
- tengas
- You have (subjunctive of tener, second person singular)
- convertirte
- Convert yourself, become (infinitive convertir plus reflexive te)
- crisálida
- Chrysalis, pupa
- harás
- You will do/make (future of hacer)
- sabes
- You know (second person singular of saber)
- luego
- Then, later, afterwards
- después
- After, afterwards, later
- mariposa
- Butterfly
- te
- You, yourself (reflexive/object pronoun)
- sentirás
- You will feel (future of sentir)
- poco
- Little, few, a bit
- extraño
- Strange, odd; stranger
- Ni
- Neither, nor, not even
- tus
- Your (informal, plural possessive)
- sentimientos
- Feelings, sentiments
- sean
- Are, be (subjunctive of ser, third person plural)
- todo
- All, everything, whole
- parecería
- It would seem (conditional of parecer)
- Tú
- You (informal singular subject pronoun, capitalized)
- desdén
- Disdain, scorn
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