Dracula — Page 7
It was so near the time of starting that I had no time to ask any one else, for it was all very mysterious and not by any means comforting.
Estaba tan cerca la hora de partir que no tuve tiempo de preguntarle a nadie más, pues todo era muy misterioso y de ningún modo tranquilizador.
Just before I was leaving, the old lady came up to my room and said in a very hysterical way:
Justo antes de marcharme, la anciana subió a mi habitación y dijo de manera muy histérica:
"Must you go? Oh! young Herr, must you go?"
«¿Debe usted irse? ¡Oh! joven señor, ¿debe usted irse?»
She was in such an excited state that she seemed to have lost her grip of what German she knew, and mixed it all up with some other language which I did not know at all.
Estaba tan agitada que parecía haber perdido el dominio del alemán que sabía, y lo mezclaba todo con algún otro idioma que yo no conocía en absoluto.
I was just able to follow her by asking many questions.
Solo pude seguirla haciéndole muchas preguntas.
When I told her that I must go at once, and that I was engaged on important business, she asked again:
Cuando le dije que debía marcharme de inmediato y que estaba ocupado en asuntos importantes, ella preguntó de nuevo:
"Do you know what day it is?"
«¿Sabe usted qué día es hoy?»
I answered that it was the fourth of May.
Respondí que era el cuatro de mayo.
She shook her head as she said again:
Ella sacudió la cabeza mientras decía de nuevo:
"Oh, yes! I know that! I know that, but do you know what day it is?"
«¡Oh, sí! ¡Lo sé! Lo sé, pero ¿sabe usted qué día es?»
On my saying that I did not understand, she went on:
Al decirle yo que no entendía, ella continuó:
"It is the eve of St. George's Day.
«Es la víspera del día de San Jorge.
Do you not know that to-night, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?
¿No sabe usted que esta noche, cuando el reloj dé la medianoche, todas las fuerzas del mal en el mundo tendrán pleno dominio?
Do you know where you are going, and what you are going to?"
¿Sabe usted adónde va, y a qué va?»
She was in such evident distress that I tried to comfort her, but without effect.
Estaba con una angustia tan evidente que intenté consolarla, pero sin resultado.
Vocabulary
- Estaba
- Past tense of 'estar'; was (temporary state)
- tan
- So, as; used for comparisons or emphasis
- cerca
- Near, close; indicating proximity in space or time
- hora
- Hour, time; a specific point or period of time
- partir
- To depart, leave; to set off on a journey
- tuve
- I had; preterite first person of 'tener'
- tiempo
- Time, weather; available duration or atmospheric conditions
- preguntarle
- To ask someone; infinitive with indirect object pronoun
- nadie
- Nobody, no one; indefinite negative pronoun
- más
- More, anymore; indicating addition or continuation
- pues
- Well, since, because; causal or continuative conjunction
- todo
- Everything, all; referring to the totality of something
- era
- Was; imperfect tense of 'ser' indicating a past state
- muy
- Very; intensifying adverb modifying adjectives or adverbs
- misterioso
- Mysterious; strange, secretive, and difficult to explain
- ningún
- No, not any; masculine form of 'ninguno' before noun
- modo
- Way, manner; method or fashion of doing something
- tranquilizador
- Reassuring, comforting; tending to calm or soothe
- Justo
- Just, exactly; precisely at a moment or point
- antes
- Before, earlier; referring to a prior time
- marcharme
- To leave, go away; reflexive infinitive of 'marchar'
- anciana
- Elderly woman; an old woman
- subió
- She went up, climbed; preterite of 'subir'
- habitación
- Room, bedroom; a private room in a building
- dijo
- She/he said; preterite third person of 'decir'
- manera
- Manner, way; the style or fashion of doing something
- histérica
- Hysterical; extremely agitated or emotionally uncontrolled
- Debe
- Must, should; third person of 'deber' expressing obligation
- usted
- You; formal second person singular pronoun
- irse
- To leave, go away; reflexive infinitive of 'ir'
- joven
- Young, young man; adjective or noun for a youth
- señor
- Sir, mister; respectful title for an adult man
- debe
- Must, should; expresses duty or obligation
- agitada
- Agitated, flustered; in a state of nervous excitement
- parecía
- Seemed, appeared; imperfect of 'parecer'
- haber
- To have; auxiliary verb used in compound tenses
- perdido
- Lost; past participle of 'perder'
- dominio
- Command, mastery; control or proficiency over something
- alemán
- German; the German language or relating to Germany
- sabía
- She/he knew; imperfect of 'saber' indicating knowledge
- mezclaba
- She was mixing; imperfect of 'mezclar'
- algún
- Some, any; masculine indefinite adjective before noun
- otro
- Other, another; referring to a different or additional one
- idioma
- Language; a system of communication of a people
- conocía
- I knew, was familiar with; imperfect of 'conocer'
- absoluto
- Absolute; in 'en absoluto' means not at all
- Solo
- Only, just; adverb limiting extent or exclusivity
- pude
- I could, was able; preterite of 'poder'
- seguirla
- To follow her; infinitive with feminine object pronoun
- haciéndole
- Making, doing for her; gerund of 'hacer' with pronoun
- muchas
- Many; feminine plural of 'mucho'
- preguntas
- Questions; plural of 'pregunta'
- Cuando
- When; temporal conjunction introducing a time clause
- dije
- I said; preterite first person of 'decir'
- debía
- I/she had to; imperfect of 'deber' expressing obligation
- inmediato
- Immediate; in 'de inmediato' means right away
- estaba
- I/she was; imperfect of 'estar' for temporary states
- ocupado
- Busy, occupied; engaged in tasks or activities
- asuntos
- Affairs, matters; plural of 'asunto', important business
- importantes
- Important; of great significance or consequence
- preguntó
- She asked; preterite third person of 'preguntar'
- nuevo
- New; in 'de nuevo' means again or once more
- Sabe
- You/she knows; present tense of 'saber'
- día
- Day; a 24-hour period or calendar day
- hoy
- Today; the current day
- Respondí
- I answered, replied; preterite of 'responder'
- cuatro
- Four; the number 4
- mayo
- May; the fifth month of the year
- sacudió
- She shook; preterite of 'sacudir'
- cabeza
- Head; the uppermost part of the human body
- mientras
- While, meanwhile; temporal conjunction of simultaneity
- decía
- She was saying; imperfect of 'decir'
- sé
- I know; first person singular present of 'saber'
- pero
- But; adversative conjunction contrasting two ideas
- sabe
- You/she knows; present tense of 'saber'
- decirle
- Telling her/him; infinitive of 'decir' with pronoun
- entendía
- I understood; imperfect of 'entender'
- continuó
- She continued; preterite of 'continuar'
- víspera
- Eve, day before; the day preceding an important event
- San
- Saint; honorific title for a male saint
- noche
- Night; the period of darkness between dusk and dawn
- cuando
- When; temporal conjunction
- reloj
- Clock, watch; a device for measuring time
- dé
- Strikes, gives; subjunctive of 'dar' for clock striking
- medianoche
- Midnight; twelve o'clock at night
- todas
- All; feminine plural of 'todo'
- fuerzas
- Forces, powers; plural of 'fuerza', strength or power
- mal
- Evil, bad; referring to wicked or harmful forces
- mundo
- World; the earth or all people and things on it
- tendrán
- They will have; future tense of 'tener'
- pleno
- Full, complete; in 'pleno poder' means full power
- adónde
- Where, to where; interrogative adverb of destination
- va
- Goes, is going; third person singular of 'ir'
- angustia
- Anguish, distress; intense anxiety or emotional pain
- evidente
- Evident, obvious; clearly apparent or visible
- intenté
- I tried, attempted; preterite of 'intentar'
- consolarla
- To console her; infinitive of 'consolar' with pronoun
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- resultado
- Result, outcome; the consequence of an action
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