Great Expectations — Page 1
My sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery, was more than twenty years older than I, and had established a great reputation with herself and the neighbours because she had brought me up "by hand."
Mi hermana, la señora Joe Gargery, era más de veinte años mayor que yo, y se había ganado una gran reputación ante sí misma y ante los vecinos por haberme criado «a mano».
Having at that time to find out for myself what the expression meant, and knowing her to have a hard and heavy hand, and to be much in the habit of laying it upon her husband as well as upon me, I supposed that Joe Gargery and I were both brought up by hand.
Teniendo que descubrir por mí mismo en aquel entonces lo que significaba la expresión, y sabiendo que ella tenía una mano dura y pesada, y que tenía por costumbre aplicarla sobre su marido tanto como sobre mí, supuse que a Joe Gargery y a mí nos habían criado a los dos a mano.
She was not a good-looking woman, my sister; and I had a general impression that she must have made Joe Gargery marry her by hand.
No era una mujer de buen ver, mi hermana; y tenía la impresión general de que debía de haber obligado a Joe Gargery a casarse con ella a mano.
Joe was a fair man, with curls of flaxen hair on each side of his smooth face, and with eyes of such a very undecided blue that they seemed to have somehow got mixed with their own whites.
Joe era un hombre rubio, con rizos de cabello lino a cada lado de su rostro liso, y con ojos de un azul tan indefinido que parecían haberse mezclado de algún modo con sus propias escleróticas.
He was a mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow,—a sort of Hercules in strength, and also in weakness.
Era un hombre apacible, bondadoso, de carácter dulce, tranquilo, ingenuo y entrañable, una especie de Hércules en cuanto a la fuerza, y también en cuanto a la debilidad.
My sister, Mrs. Joe, with black hair and eyes, had such a prevailing redness of skin that I sometimes used to wonder whether it was possible she washed herself with a nutmeg-grater instead of soap.
Mi hermana, la señora Joe, de cabello y ojos negros, tenía una rojez de piel tan generalizada que a veces me preguntaba si era posible que se lavara con un rallador de nuez moscada en lugar de jabón.
She was tall and bony, and almost always wore a coarse apron, fastened over her figure behind with two loops, and having a square impregnable bib in front, that was stuck full of pins and needles.
Era alta y huesuda, y casi siempre llevaba un delantal basto, sujeto por detrás sobre su figura con dos presillas, y con un peto cuadrado e infranqueable en la parte delantera, que estaba repleto de alfileres y agujas.
Vocabulary
- hermana
- Female sibling; sister
- señora
- Polite title for a woman; Mrs. or ma'am
- era
- Past tense of 'ser'; was or used to be
- más
- Comparative adverb meaning 'more' or 'most'
- veinte
- The number twenty
- años
- Plural of año; years of age or time
- mayor
- Older or greater in age or size
- había
- Imperfect form of 'haber'; had (auxiliary verb)
- ganado
- Past participle of ganar; earned or won
- gran
- Adjective meaning great or large in importance
- reputación
- One's reputation or standing among others
- ante
- Preposition meaning before or in the presence of
- sí
- Reflexive pronoun meaning oneself or itself
- misma
- Feminine form of mismo; herself or same
- vecinos
- Neighbors; people living nearby
- haberme
- Infinitive haber with me attached; having me
- criado
- Past participle of criar; raised or brought up
- mano
- Hand; the body part at the end of the arm
- Teniendo
- Gerund of tener; having or holding something
- descubrir
- To discover or find out something unknown
- mismo
- Masculine form of mismo; myself or same
- aquel
- Demonstrative adjective meaning that (distant) thing
- entonces
- Adverb meaning then or at that time
- significaba
- Imperfect of significar; meant or used to mean
- expresión
- A word, phrase, or expression used in speech
- sabiendo
- Gerund of saber; knowing or being aware of
- tenía
- Imperfect of tener; had or used to have
- dura
- Feminine adjective meaning hard, harsh, or tough
- pesada
- Feminine adjective meaning heavy or burdensome
- costumbre
- A habit or custom practiced regularly
- aplicarla
- Infinitive aplicar with pronoun; to apply it
- sobre
- Preposition meaning on, over, or about something
- marido
- A woman's husband or spouse
- tanto
- Adverb meaning so much or as much
- supuse
- Preterite of suponer; I supposed or assumed
- habían
- Third person plural imperfect of haber; they had
- dos
- The number two
- mujer
- A woman or wife
- buen
- Shortened form of bueno; good or fine
- ver
- Infinitive meaning to see or to look
- impresión
- An impression or feeling left on someone's mind
- general
- Adjective meaning general or widespread in nature
- debía
- Imperfect of deber; should have or ought to
- haber
- Auxiliary infinitive meaning to have done something
- obligado
- Past participle of obligar; forced or obligated to
- casarse
- Reflexive infinitive meaning to get married
- hombre
- An adult male person; a man
- rubio
- Adjective describing blond or fair-haired coloring
- rizos
- Curls of hair; naturally or artificially curled locks
- cabello
- Hair on a person's head
- lino
- Linen or flax; a light-colored natural fiber
- cada
- Adjective meaning each or every individual one
- lado
- Side; one of two lateral parts of something
- rostro
- Face; the front part of a person's head
- liso
- Adjective meaning smooth or straight (hair or surface)
- ojos
- Plural of ojo; eyes on a person's face
- azul
- The color blue
- tan
- Adverb meaning so or as (in comparisons)
- indefinido
- Adjective meaning undefined, vague, or indeterminate
- parecían
- Imperfect of parecer; they seemed or appeared to
- haberse
- Reflexive infinitive of haber; to have (oneself)
- mezclado
- Past participle of mezclar; mixed or blended together
- algún
- Shortened form of alguno; some or any (masculine)
- modo
- A way, manner, or mode of doing something
- propias
- Feminine plural of propio; own or one's very own
- escleróticas
- Whites of the eyes; sclera of the eyeball
- Era
- Imperfect of ser; he/she/it was (description)
- apacible
- Calm, gentle, and peaceful in manner or nature
- bondadoso
- Kind-hearted and generous toward others
- carácter
- A person's character or personality traits
- dulce
- Sweet or gentle in taste or disposition
- tranquilo
- Calm, quiet, and free from agitation
- ingenuo
- Naive or innocent; lacking worldly experience or guile
- entrañable
- Deeply affectionate and dear to one's heart
- especie
- A kind, sort, or species of something
- cuanto
- As much as or in terms of (quantity)
- fuerza
- Physical strength or force
- también
- Adverb meaning also or as well
- debilidad
- Weakness or lack of strength or willpower
- negros
- Masculine plural adjective meaning black in color
- rojez
- Redness or ruddiness of the skin or face
- piel
- Skin covering the body or an animal hide
- generalizada
- Widespread or generalized across a broad area
- veces
- Times; plural of vez used in expressions of frequency
- preguntaba
- Imperfect of preguntar; I wondered or used to ask
- si
- Conjunction meaning if or whether in a clause
- posible
- Adjective meaning possible or capable of happening
- lavara
- Imperfect subjunctive of lavar; if she/he washed
- rallador
- A grater used to shred food into small pieces
- nuez
- Nut; often refers to walnut or nutmeg
- moscada
- Nutmeg; spice used with nuez (nuez moscada)
- lugar
- A place or location; instead of (en lugar de)
- jabón
- Soap used for washing or cleaning
- alta
- Feminine adjective meaning tall or high
- huesuda
- Bony; having prominent or visible bones
- casi
- Adverb meaning almost or nearly
- siempre
- Adverb meaning always or at all times
- llevaba
- Imperfect of llevar; she wore or used to carry
- delantal
- An apron worn over clothing while working
- basto
- Coarse or rough in texture or quality
- sujeto
- Fastened or held in place; also means subject
- detrás
- Adverb meaning behind or at the back of
- figura
- A person's figure or bodily shape and form
- presillas
- Loops or clasps used to fasten or secure clothing
- peto
- Bib or front panel of an apron or garment
- cuadrado
- Square in shape; having four equal sides
- e
- Variant of 'y' meaning 'and' before i- or hi-
- infranqueable
- Impassable or impossible to get past or through
- parte
- A part, portion, or section of a whole
- delantera
- Front part or forward section of something
- estaba
- Imperfect of estar; was (temporary state or location)
- repleto
- Full to the brim; stuffed or crammed with things
- alfileres
- Pins; sharp pointed fasteners used in sewing
- agujas
- Needles used for sewing, knitting, or medical use
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