Dracula — Page 5
They wore high boots, with their trousers tucked into them, and had long black hair and heavy black moustaches.
Llevaban botas altas, con los pantalones metidos dentro de ellas, y tenían el cabello negro y largo y unos bigotes negros y espesos.
They are very picturesque, but do not look prepossessing.
Son muy pintorescos, pero no tienen un aspecto atractivo.
On the stage they would be set down at once as some old Oriental band of brigands.
En el teatro serían identificados de inmediato como una vieja banda de bandidos orientales.
They are, however, I am told, very harmless and rather wanting in natural self-assertion.
Sin embargo, según me han dicho, son muy inofensivos y más bien carecen de aplomo natural.
It was on the dark side of twilight when we got to Bistritz, which is a very interesting old place.
Era ya noche cerrada cuando llegamos a Bistritz, que es un lugar antiguo muy interesante.
Being practically on the frontier--for the Borgo Pass leads from it into Bukovina--it has had a very stormy existence, and it certainly shows marks of it.
Al estar prácticamente en la frontera —pues el paso de Borgo comunica con Bucovina— ha tenido una existencia muy agitada, y desde luego muestra las huellas de ello.
Fifty years ago a series of great fires took place, which made terrible havoc on five separate occasions.
Hace cincuenta años se produjo una serie de grandes incendios que causaron terribles estragos en cinco ocasiones distintas.
At the very beginning of the seventeenth century it underwent a siege of three weeks and lost 13,000 people, the casualties of war proper being assisted by famine and disease.
A principios del siglo XVII sufrió un asedio de tres semanas y perdió 13.000 personas, a las bajas propias de la guerra se sumaron el hambre y la enfermedad.
Count Dracula had directed me to go to the Golden Krone Hotel, which I found, to my great delight, to be thoroughly old-fashioned, for of course I wanted to see all I could of the ways of the country.
El conde Drácula me había indicado que fuera al Hotel Golden Krone, el cual encontré, para mi gran deleite, completamente a la antigua usanza, pues naturalmente deseaba conocer todo lo posible las costumbres del país.
I was evidently expected, for when I got near the door I faced a cheery-looking elderly woman in the usual peasant dress--white undergarment with long double apron, front, and back, of coloured stuff fitting almost too tight for modesty.
Era evidente que me esperaban, pues cuando me acerqué a la puerta me encontré con una anciana de aspecto alegre vestida con el traje campesino habitual: prenda interior blanca con un largo delantal doble, por delante y por detrás, de tela de colores que ajustaba casi demasiado ceñida para el recato.
When I came close she bowed and said, "The Herr Englishman?" "Yes," I said, "Jonathan Harker.
Cuando me acerqué, ella hizo una reverencia y dijo: «¿El señor inglés?». «Sí», respondí, «Jonathan Harker.
Vocabulary
- Llevaban
- They were wearing or carrying something on them
- botas
- Boots; footwear covering the foot and ankle
- altas
- Tall or high; describing height or elevation
- con
- With; a preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- pantalones
- Pants or trousers; lower-body clothing garment
- metidos
- Tucked or inserted into something
- dentro
- Inside or within a space or container
- ellas
- They or them; feminine third-person plural pronoun
- tenían
- They had; past imperfect of tener
- cabello
- Hair on a person's head
- negro
- Black; a dark color
- largo
- Long; describing extended length or duration
- unos
- Some or a few; indefinite plural article
- bigotes
- Mustaches; facial hair above the upper lip
- negros
- Black; plural masculine adjective for dark color
- espesos
- Thick or dense; describing heavy or full texture
- Son
- They are; third-person plural present of ser
- muy
- Very; adverb intensifying an adjective or adverb
- pintorescos
- Picturesque; visually charming or quaint in appearance
- pero
- But; conjunction showing contrast or exception
- tienen
- They have; third-person plural present of tener
- aspecto
- Appearance or aspect; how something looks overall
- atractivo
- Attractive; pleasing or appealing in appearance
- teatro
- Theater; a place or art form of dramatic performance
- serían
- They would be; conditional of ser
- identificados
- Identified; recognized or distinguished from others
- inmediato
- Immediate; happening or done without delay
- como
- As or like; used for comparison or identification
- vieja
- Old; describing age, often referring to people or things
- banda
- Band or gang; a group of people with shared purpose
- bandidos
- Bandits or outlaws; criminals who rob or plunder
- orientales
- Eastern or oriental; relating to the East or Orient
- Sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence of something
- embargo
- Used in 'sin embargo' meaning however or nevertheless
- según
- According to; preposition indicating a source or view
- han
- Have; third-person plural present of haber
- dicho
- Said or told; past participle of decir
- son
- They are; third-person plural present of ser
- inofensivos
- Harmless or inoffensive; posing no threat or danger
- más
- More; comparative adverb or adjective
- bien
- Well; adverb describing quality or correctness
- carecen
- They lack; to be without something needed
- aplomo
- Aplomb; self-confidence and composure in difficult situations
- natural
- Natural; existing in or caused by nature
- Era
- It was; past imperfect of ser
- ya
- Already or now; adverb of time
- noche
- Night; the period of darkness after sunset
- cerrada
- Closed or shut; also dark as in fully nightfall
- cuando
- When; conjunction or adverb of time
- llegamos
- We arrived; first-person plural preterite of llegar
- lugar
- Place or location; a specific spot or area
- antiguo
- Ancient or old; of great age or historical significance
- interesante
- Interesting; capturing attention or curiosity
- Al
- Upon or when; contraction of a + el
- estar
- To be; indicates state or condition
- prácticamente
- Practically or almost; nearly entirely the case
- frontera
- Border or frontier; boundary between two territories
- pues
- Well or since; conjunction indicating reason or filler
- paso
- Pass or step; a route through mountains or a step
- comunica
- Connects or communicates; links two places together
- ha
- Has; third-person singular present of haber
- tenido
- Had; past participle of tener
- existencia
- Existence; the state or fact of living or being
- agitada
- Turbulent or agitated; marked by unrest or upheaval
- desde
- Since or from; preposition of time or origin
- luego
- Then or later; adverb of time or sequence
- muestra
- Shows or displays; third-person singular of mostrar
- huellas
- Traces or marks left behind; footprints or signs
- ello
- It; neuter third-person pronoun referring to a concept
- Hace
- Ago or makes; used to express time elapsed
- cincuenta
- Fifty; the number 50
- años
- Years; units of time equal to twelve months
- se
- Reflexive pronoun; used in reflexive or passive constructions
- produjo
- Produced or caused; preterite of producir
- serie
- Series; a sequence or succession of related events
- grandes
- Large or great; describing size or importance
- incendios
- Fires; large destructive blazes or conflagrations
- causaron
- They caused; preterite of causar
- terribles
- Terrible or dreadful; causing great fear or suffering
- estragos
- Havoc or devastation; great damage or destruction
- cinco
- Five; the number 5
- ocasiones
- Occasions; specific times or instances when something occurs
- distintas
- Different or distinct; separate and not the same
- principios
- Beginnings or principles; early stages or foundational ideas
- siglo
- Century; a period of one hundred years
- sufrió
- Suffered or endured; preterite of sufrir
- asedio
- Siege; a military blockade of a city or fortress
- tres
- Three; the number 3
- semanas
- Weeks; periods of seven consecutive days
- perdió
- Lost; third-person singular preterite of perder
- personas
- People or persons; individual human beings
- bajas
- Casualties; losses of personnel in military conflict
- propias
- Own; belonging to oneself or the group mentioned
- guerra
- War; armed conflict between nations or groups
- sumaron
- Added up or totaled; preterite of sumar
- hambre
- Hunger or famine; intense desire or need for food
- enfermedad
- Illness or disease; a medical condition affecting health
- conde
- Count; a European noble title of rank
- había
- Had; past imperfect of haber used as auxiliary
- indicado
- Indicated or directed; past participle of indicar
- fuera
- Outside or away; also subjunctive of ser/ir
- cual
- Which; relative pronoun referring to something mentioned
- encontré
- I found; first-person singular preterite of encontrar
- para
- For or in order to; preposition of purpose or direction
- gran
- Great or grand; adjective expressing size or importance
- deleite
- Delight; great pleasure or satisfaction
- completamente
- Completely; entirely or fully without exception
- antigua
- Old or ancient; feminine form of antiguo
- usanza
- Custom or tradition; an established practice or usage
- naturalmente
- Naturally; in a natural or expected manner
- deseaba
- Desired or wished; past imperfect of desear
- conocer
- To know or meet; to be acquainted with something
- todo
- All or everything; referring to the whole amount
- posible
- Possible; capable of happening or being done
- costumbres
- Customs or habits; traditional practices of a culture
- país
- Country; a nation or territory with its own government
- evidente
- Evident or obvious; clearly seen or understood
- esperaban
- They were waiting or expecting; past imperfect of esperar
- acerqué
- I approached; first-person singular preterite of acercarse
- puerta
- Door; an entrance or exit to a building or room
- anciana
- Elderly woman; an old or aged female person
- alegre
- Cheerful or happy; showing joy and good spirits
- vestida
- Dressed or clothed; wearing particular attire
- traje
- Suit or costume; a set of clothes or outfit
- campesino
- Peasant or rural; relating to country or farm folk
- habitual
- Usual or customary; done regularly or as a habit
- prenda
- Garment or article of clothing
- interior
- Interior or undergarment; inside layer of clothing
- blanca
- White; the lightest color, opposite of black
- delantal
- Apron; protective garment worn over clothes while working
- doble
- Double; twice as much or two layers of something
- por
- By, for, or through; versatile Spanish preposition
- delante
- In front; positioned ahead or before something else
- detrás
- Behind; positioned at the back of something
- tela
- Fabric or cloth; material used for making clothing
- colores
- Colors; visual properties produced by light wavelengths
- ajustaba
- It fitted or adjusted; past imperfect of ajustar
- casi
- Almost or nearly; very close to but not quite
- demasiado
- Too much or too; exceeding what is appropriate
- ceñida
- Tight-fitting; closely fitted around the body
- recato
- Modesty or decorum; reserved and proper behavior
- Cuando
- When; conjunction introducing a time clause
- ella
- She or her; feminine third-person singular pronoun
- hizo
- Did or made; third-person singular preterite of hacer
- reverencia
- Bow or curtsy; a gesture of respect or greeting
- dijo
- Said; third-person singular preterite of decir
- señor
- Sir or mister; respectful title for an adult male
- inglés
- English; relating to England or its language
- respondí
- I replied; first-person singular preterite of responder
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