Crime and Punishment — Page 6
This house was let out in tiny tenements and was inhabited by working people of all kinds--tailors, locksmiths, cooks, Germans of sorts, girls picking up a living as best they could, petty clerks, etc.
Esta casa estaba dividida en pequeños apartamentos y estaba habitada por trabajadores de toda clase: sastres, cerrajeros, cocineros, alemanes de diversa índole, chicas que se ganaban la vida como podían, empleados de poca monta, etc.
There was a continual coming and going through the two gates and in the two courtyards of the house.
Había un continuo ir y venir a través de las dos puertas y en los dos patios de la casa.
Three or four door-keepers were employed on the building.
Tres o cuatro porteros estaban empleados en el edificio.
The young man was very glad to meet none of them, and at once slipped unnoticed through the door on the right, and up the staircase.
El joven se alegró mucho de no encontrarse con ninguno de ellos, y de inmediato se escabulló inadvertido por la puerta de la derecha y subió por la escalera.
It was a back staircase, dark and narrow, but he was familiar with it already, and knew his way, and he liked all these surroundings: in such darkness even the most inquisitive eyes were not to be dreaded.
Era una escalera trasera, oscura y estrecha, pero él ya la conocía bien y sabía por dónde ir, y le gustaban todos aquellos alrededores: en semejante oscuridad ni siquiera los ojos más curiosos eran de temer.
"If I am so scared now, what would it be if it somehow came to pass that I were really going to do it?" he could not help asking himself as he reached the fourth storey.
«Si ahora tengo tanto miedo, ¿qué sería si de algún modo llegara a ocurrir que realmente fuera a hacerlo?», no pudo evitar preguntarse mientras llegaba al cuarto piso.
There his progress was barred by some porters who were engaged in moving furniture out of a flat.
Allí su avance fue bloqueado por unos mozos que estaban ocupados sacando muebles de un apartamento.
He knew that the flat had been occupied by a German clerk in the civil service, and his family.
Sabía que el apartamento había estado ocupado por un funcionario alemán de la administración civil y su familia.
This German was moving out then, and so the fourth floor on this staircase would be untenanted except by the old woman.
Este alemán se mudaba entonces, y así el cuarto piso de esta escalera quedaría desocupado a excepción de la vieja.
"That's a good thing anyway," he thought to himself, as he rang the bell of the old woman's flat.
«De todos modos, eso es bueno», pensó para sí, mientras llamaba al timbre del apartamento de la vieja.
Vocabulary
- casa
- A building where people live; a house.
- estaba
- Past imperfect of 'estar'; was (temporary state).
- dividida
- Split or separated into parts; divided.
- pequeños
- Of little size; small (masculine plural adjective).
- apartamentos
- Individual residential units within a building; apartments.
- habitada
- Occupied or lived in by people; inhabited.
- trabajadores
- People who perform labor for income; workers.
- clase
- A category or group sharing common traits; class/type.
- sastres
- People who make or alter clothing; tailors.
- cerrajeros
- Craftspeople who make and repair locks; locksmiths.
- cocineros
- People who prepare food professionally; cooks.
- alemanes
- People originating from Germany; Germans.
- diversa
- Of various kinds or types; diverse/varied.
- índole
- The nature or character of something; kind/sort.
- chicas
- Young female persons; girls or young women.
- ganaban
- Past imperfect of 'ganar'; they were earning money.
- vida
- The state of being alive; life.
- podían
- Past imperfect of 'poder'; they were able to.
- empleados
- People hired to work for a company; employees.
- poca
- Adjective indicating small quantity; little/few.
- monta
- Importance or significance; worth/importance.
- Había
- Past imperfect of 'haber'; there was/there were.
- continuo
- Without interruption; constant or unceasing.
- ir
- To move from one place to another; to go.
- venir
- To move toward the speaker's location; to come.
- través
- Used in 'a través de' meaning across or through.
- puertas
- Movable barriers used to open or close an entrance; doors.
- patios
- Open outdoor spaces within or beside a building; courtyards.
- porteros
- People who guard or manage a building's entrance; doormen/porters.
- estaban
- Past imperfect of 'estar'; they were (location/state).
- edificio
- A large structure built for occupation; building.
- joven
- A person of young age; young person/youth.
- alegró
- Past tense of 'alegrarse'; became happy or pleased.
- mucho
- To a great degree or quantity; a lot/much.
- encontrarse
- Reflexive verb meaning to meet or encounter someone.
- ninguno
- Negative pronoun meaning not one of a group; none/no one.
- inmediato
- Without delay or hesitation; immediate/right away.
- escabulló
- Past tense of 'escabullirse'; slipped away unnoticed.
- inadvertido
- Without being noticed by others; unnoticed/undetected.
- puerta
- A movable barrier for closing an entrance; door/gate.
- derecha
- The side opposite to left; right side.
- subió
- Past tense of 'subir'; went up or climbed.
- escalera
- A structure with steps for moving between floors; staircase.
- Era
- Past imperfect of 'ser'; it was (permanent characteristic).
- trasera
- Located at or toward the back; rear/back.
- oscura
- Having little or no light; dark/dim.
- estrecha
- Having little width from side to side; narrow.
- ya
- Adverb indicating something has occurred; already/now.
- conocía
- Past imperfect of 'conocer'; was familiar with something.
- bien
- In a satisfactory or skillful manner; well/good.
- sabía
- Past imperfect of 'saber'; knew a fact or skill.
- dónde
- Interrogative or relative adverb indicating place; where.
- gustaban
- Past imperfect of 'gustar'; were pleasing to someone.
- todos
- Referring to the complete set of something; all/everyone.
- aquellos
- Demonstrative adjective pointing to distant things; those.
- alrededores
- The areas surrounding a particular place; surroundings/vicinity.
- semejante
- Of the same or similar kind; such/similar.
- oscuridad
- The state of having no light; darkness.
- ni
- Negative conjunction meaning 'not even' or 'neither/nor'.
- siquiera
- Used for emphasis in negations; not even/at least.
- ojos
- The organs used for seeing; eyes.
- más
- To a greater degree or quantity; more/most.
- curiosos
- Eager to know or learn about things; curious/nosy.
- eran
- Past imperfect of 'ser'; they were (characteristic/identity).
- temer
- To feel anxiety about a possible danger; to fear.
- ahora
- At the present moment in time; now.
- tengo
- First person singular present of 'tener'; I have.
- tanto
- To such a great degree; so much/so many.
- miedo
- An unpleasant emotion caused by perceived danger; fear.
- sería
- Conditional of 'ser'; it would be.
- algún
- Indefinite adjective referring to an unspecified item; some/any.
- modo
- A particular way of doing something; way/manner.
- llegara
- Past subjunctive of 'llegar'; were to arrive/come to.
- ocurrir
- To take place or come about; to happen/occur.
- realmente
- In actual fact, not just in appearance; really/truly.
- fuera
- Past subjunctive of 'ser/ir' or 'outside'; were/to go.
- hacerlo
- Infinitive 'hacer' plus pronoun 'lo'; to do it.
- pudo
- Past preterite of 'poder'; he/she was able to.
- evitar
- To keep something from happening; to avoid/prevent.
- preguntarse
- Reflexive form of 'preguntar'; to ask oneself/wonder.
- mientras
- Conjunction indicating simultaneous actions; while/as long as.
- llegaba
- Past imperfect of 'llegar'; was arriving or reaching.
- cuarto
- One of four equal parts; fourth/quarter (also: room).
- piso
- A level or story of a building; floor/story.
- Allí
- Adverb indicating a place at some distance; there.
- avance
- Movement forward or progress toward a goal; advance/progress.
- fue
- Past preterite of 'ser' or 'ir'; was/went.
- bloqueado
- Prevented from moving forward by an obstacle; blocked.
- mozos
- Young male helpers or assistants; lads/porters.
- ocupados
- Engaged in a task or activity; busy/occupied.
- sacando
- Present participle of 'sacar'; taking out or removing.
- muebles
- Movable objects used to furnish a room; furniture.
- apartamento
- A self-contained residential unit in a building; apartment.
- Sabía
- Past imperfect of 'saber'; he/she knew a fact.
- había
- Past imperfect of 'haber'; there had been/had.
- estado
- Past participle of 'estar'; been (temporary state).
- ocupado
- Being used or lived in by someone; occupied/busy.
- funcionario
- A person holding an official government position; official/civil servant.
- alemán
- Relating to Germany or its people; German.
- administración
- The management of public or organizational affairs; administration.
- civil
- Relating to ordinary citizens rather than military; civil.
- familia
- A group of people related by blood or marriage; family.
- Este
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this one' (masculine); this.
- mudaba
- Past imperfect of 'mudarse'; was moving to a new place.
- entonces
- At that time or as a consequence; then/therefore.
- así
- In this or that manner; so/thus/in this way.
- quedaría
- Conditional of 'quedar'; it would remain or become.
- desocupado
- No longer in use or inhabited; vacant/unoccupied.
- excepción
- Something excluded from a general rule; exception.
- vieja
- A female person of advanced age; old woman/old.
- modos
- Ways or manners of doing things; ways (de todos modos: anyway).
- eso
- Neutral demonstrative pronoun referring to something; that.
- bueno
- Having positive qualities or value; good.
- pensó
- Past preterite of 'pensar'; he/she thought.
- sí
- Reflexive pronoun used after prepositions; himself/herself/oneself.
- llamaba
- Past imperfect of 'llamar'; was calling or ringing.
- timbre
- A device that makes a sound to signal arrival; doorbell.
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