Cranford — Page 8
True, it was to discover the cause of a smoking chimney, before the fire was lighted; but still Captain Brown walked upstairs, nothing daunted, spoke in a voice too large for the room, and joked quite in the way of a tame man about the house.
Es cierto que fue para descubrir la causa de una chimenea que echaba humo, antes de que se encendiera el fuego; pero aun así el Capitán Brown subió las escaleras sin amilanarse, habló con una voz demasiado potente para la habitación, y bromeó exactamente como lo haría un hombre de la casa bien avenido.
He had been blind to all the small slights, and omissions of trivial ceremonies, with which he had been received.
Había hecho caso omiso de todos los pequeños desaires y de la omisión de las triviales ceremonias con que había sido recibido.
He had been friendly, though the Cranford ladies had been cool; he had answered small sarcastic compliments in good faith; and with his manly frankness had overpowered all the shrinking which met him as a man who was not ashamed to be poor.
Había sido amistoso, aunque las damas de Cranford habían sido frías; había respondido a los pequeños cumplidos sarcásticos de buena fe; y con su varonil franqueza había vencido todo el recelo con que se le recibía por ser un hombre que no se avergonzaba de ser pobre.
And, at last, his excellent masculine common sense, and his facility in devising expedients to overcome domestic dilemmas, had gained him an extraordinary place as authority among the Cranford ladies.
Y, al final, su excelente sentido común varonil y su facilidad para idear recursos con que superar los dilemas domésticos le habían granjeado un lugar extraordinario como figura de autoridad entre las damas de Cranford.
He himself went on in his course, as unaware of his popularity as he had been of the reverse; and I am sure he was startled one day when he found his advice so highly esteemed as to make some counsel which he had given in jest to be taken in sober, serious earnest.
Él mismo continuó su camino, tan ajeno a su popularidad como lo había estado a lo contrario; y estoy segura de que un día se sorprendió al descubrir que su consejo era tan sumamente valorado que algunas palabras que había dicho en broma fueron tomadas con toda seriedad y circunspección.
It was on this subject: An old lady had an Alderney cow, which she looked upon as a daughter.
Fue a propósito de esto: una anciana tenía una vaca de Alderney a la que consideraba como una hija.
You could not pay the short quarter of an hour call without being told of the wonderful milk or wonderful intelligence of this animal.
No se podía hacer una breve visita de un cuarto de hora sin que le hablasen a uno de la maravillosa leche o de la maravillosa inteligencia de aquel animal.
Vocabulary
- cierto
- Certain, true, or a specific thing
- fue
- Was or went (past tense of ser/ir)
- descubrir
- To discover or uncover something unknown
- causa
- Cause or reason behind an event
- chimenea
- Chimney or fireplace in a building
- echaba
- Was emitting or throwing out (imperfect tense)
- humo
- Smoke produced by fire or burning
- antes
- Before, previously, or earlier in time
- encendiera
- Were lit or ignited (past subjunctive of encender)
- fuego
- Fire, flame, or burning heat
- aun
- Even, still (adverb emphasizing unexpected result)
- así
- So, thus, or in this way
- Capitán
- Captain, a military or naval rank title
- subió
- Went up or climbed (preterite of subir)
- escaleras
- Stairs or staircase in a building
- sin
- Without, lacking something (preposition)
- amilanarse
- To be intimidated or discouraged by something
- habló
- Spoke (preterite tense of hablar)
- voz
- Voice, the sound produced when speaking
- demasiado
- Too much, excessively beyond a normal amount
- potente
- Powerful, strong, or loud in effect
- habitación
- Room, especially a bedroom in a dwelling
- bromeó
- Joked or made jokes (preterite of bromear)
- exactamente
- Exactly, precisely as expected or described
- haría
- Would do (conditional tense of hacer)
- hombre
- Man, adult male human being
- casa
- House or home where people live
- avenido
- Getting along well, harmonious in relationships
- Había
- There had been or had (imperfect of haber)
- hecho
- Done or made (past participle of hacer)
- caso
- Case, instance, or attention paid to something
- omiso
- Ignored; hacer caso omiso means to disregard something
- todos
- All, every one of a group
- pequeños
- Small, little, minor in size or importance
- desaires
- Snubs, slights, or acts of social disregard
- omisión
- Omission, a deliberate or accidental leaving out
- triviales
- Trivial, unimportant, or of little significance
- ceremonias
- Ceremonies or formal social rituals and courtesies
- sido
- Been (past participle of ser)
- recibido
- Received or welcomed (past participle of recibir)
- amistoso
- Friendly, in a warm and welcoming manner
- aunque
- Although, even though (concessive conjunction)
- damas
- Ladies, women of social standing or refinement
- habían
- Had (third person plural imperfect of haber)
- frías
- Cold, unfriendly in manner or temperature
- respondido
- Responded or replied (past participle of responder)
- cumplidos
- Compliments, polite expressions of praise or flattery
- sarcásticos
- Sarcastic, mocking with irony or cutting remarks
- fe
- Faith, trust, or sincere good intention
- varonil
- Manly, virile, possessing masculine qualities or character
- franqueza
- Frankness, openness, or candid straightforwardness
- vencido
- Overcome or defeated (past participle of vencer)
- todo
- All, every, or everything (adjective/pronoun)
- recelo
- Suspicion, mistrust, or wariness toward someone
- recibía
- Was receiving or welcoming (imperfect of recibir)
- ser
- To be (permanent states, identity, essential qualities)
- avergonzaba
- Was ashamed or embarrassed (imperfect of avergonzar)
- pobre
- Poor, lacking money or resources
- final
- End, final point or conclusion of something
- excelente
- Excellent, of outstanding quality or ability
- sentido
- Sense or meaning; felt (noun/past participle)
- común
- Common, ordinary, or shared by everyone
- facilidad
- Ease, facility, or natural ability to do something
- idear
- To devise, think up, or create a plan
- recursos
- Resources, means, or clever solutions to problems
- superar
- To overcome, surpass, or get past difficulties
- dilemas
- Dilemmas, difficult situations requiring a choice
- domésticos
- Domestic, relating to home or household matters
- granjeado
- Earned or won over (past participle of granjear)
- lugar
- Place, position, or location somewhere
- extraordinario
- Extraordinary, remarkable, or exceptional in nature
- figura
- Figure, person, or important influential presence
- autoridad
- Authority, power, or position of influence
- entre
- Among, between two or more people or things
- mismo
- Himself, same, or very (emphatic adjective/pronoun)
- continuó
- Continued, went on (preterite of continuar)
- camino
- Road, path, or way to a destination
- tan
- So, as (adverb of degree in comparisons)
- ajeno
- Unaware of, indifferent to, or belonging to others
- popularidad
- Popularity, the state of being widely liked
- estado
- State, condition, or been (past participle of estar)
- contrario
- Contrary, opposite, or conflicting in nature
- segura
- Sure, certain, or safe (feminine adjective)
- sorprendió
- Surprised (third person preterite of sorprender)
- consejo
- Advice or counsel given to help someone
- era
- Was (imperfect tense of ser, third person singular)
- sumamente
- Extremely, highly, or to the greatest degree
- valorado
- Valued, appreciated, or highly regarded by others
- algunas
- Some, a few (feminine plural indefinite adjective)
- palabras
- Words, units of spoken or written language
- dicho
- Said (past participle of decir)
- broma
- Joke or jest intended to amuse others
- fueron
- Were or went (preterite of ser/ir, third plural)
- tomadas
- Taken (past participle of tomar, feminine plural)
- toda
- All, entire, whole (feminine singular adjective)
- seriedad
- Seriousness, gravity, or earnestness in attitude
- circunspección
- Circumspection, careful and cautious consideration before acting
- Fue
- Was or went (preterite of ser/ir, third singular)
- propósito
- Purpose, intention, or goal behind an action
- esto
- This (neuter demonstrative pronoun)
- anciana
- Elderly woman, an old woman
- tenía
- Had (imperfect tense of tener, third singular)
- vaca
- Cow, a female bovine farm animal
- consideraba
- Considered or regarded (imperfect of considerar)
- hija
- Daughter, a female child of a parent
- podía
- Could, was able to (imperfect of poder)
- hacer
- To do or to make (infinitive)
- breve
- Brief, short in duration or length
- visita
- Visit, a trip to see someone somewhere
- cuarto
- Quarter (of an hour) or room in a house
- hora
- Hour, a period of sixty minutes
- hablasen
- Would speak or spoke (past subjunctive of hablar)
- maravillosa
- Wonderful, marvelous, or astonishingly impressive
- leche
- Milk, the white liquid produced by mammals
- inteligencia
- Intelligence, mental ability, or cleverness
- aquel
- That (distant demonstrative adjective, masculine singular)
- animal
- Animal, a living creature other than a plant
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