Grimms' Fairy Tales — Page 14
' And the master said, 'You have been a faithful and good servant, Hans, so your pay shall be handsome.'
Y el amo dijo: «Has sido un servidor fiel y bueno, Hans, así que tu paga será generosa».
Then he gave him a lump of silver as big as his head.
Entonces le dio un trozo de plata tan grande como su cabeza.
Hans took out his pocket-handkerchief, put the piece of silver into it, threw it over his shoulder, and jogged off on his road homewards.
Hans sacó su pañuelo de bolsillo, metió el trozo de plata en él, se lo echó al hombro y se puso en camino hacia su casa.
As he went lazily on, dragging one foot after another, a man came in sight, trotting gaily along on a capital horse.
Mientras avanzaba perezosamente, arrastrando un pie tras otro, apareció un hombre que trotaba alegremente sobre un magnífico caballo.
'Ah!' said Hans aloud, 'what a fine thing it is to ride on horseback!
«¡Ah!», dijo Hans en voz alta, «¡qué cosa tan buena es montar a caballo!
There he sits as easy and happy as if he was at home, in the chair by his fireside; he trips against no stones, saves shoe-leather, and gets on he hardly knows how.'
Ahí va sentado tan cómodo y feliz como si estuviera en casa, en el sillón junto a la chimenea; no tropieza con piedras, no gasta la suela de los zapatos, y avanza sin apenas darse cuenta».
Hans did not speak so softly but the horseman heard it all, and said, 'Well, friend, why do you go on foot then?'
Hans no habló tan en voz baja como para que el jinete no lo oyera todo, y dijo: «Vaya, amigo, ¿y por qué vas a pie entonces?».
'Ah!' said he, 'I have this load to carry: to be sure it is silver, but it is so heavy that I can't hold up my head, and you must know it hurts my shoulder sadly.'
«¡Ah!», dijo él, «es que tengo que cargar con este fardo: cierto que es plata, pero pesa tanto que no puedo mantener la cabeza erguida, y ha de saber usted que me hace sufrir mucho el hombro».
'What do you say of making an exchange?' said the horseman.
«¿Qué le parece si hacemos un intercambio?», dijo el jinete.
'I will give you my horse, and you shall give me the silver; which will save you a great deal of trouble in carrying such a heavy load about with you.
«Yo le daré mi caballo y usted me dará la plata; así se ahorrará usted muchas molestias al no tener que cargar con un peso tan grande.
Vocabulary
- amo
- Master or employer; one who owns or commands.
- dijo
- Past tense of 'decir'; he/she said something.
- sido
- Past participle of 'ser'; been, as in existed.
- servidor
- Servant or server; one who serves another person.
- fiel
- Faithful, loyal, or trustworthy in service.
- así
- Thus, so, or in this way; used for manner.
- paga
- Pay or wage; money received for work done.
- será
- Future tense of 'ser'; it will be something.
- generosa
- Generous; giving freely or abundantly without hesitation.
- Entonces
- Then, at that moment; used to indicate sequence.
- dio
- Past tense of 'dar'; he/she gave something.
- trozo
- A chunk or piece of something solid or large.
- plata
- Silver; a precious metal or money in general.
- tan
- So or as; used in comparisons to indicate degree.
- cabeza
- Head; the upper part of the human body.
- sacó
- Past tense of 'sacar'; he/she took out something.
- pañuelo
- Handkerchief or small cloth used for wiping.
- bolsillo
- Pocket; small pouch sewn into clothing for storage.
- metió
- Past tense of 'meter'; he/she put or inserted something.
- echó
- Past tense of 'echar'; he/she threw or tossed something.
- hombro
- Shoulder; the joint connecting arm to the torso.
- puso
- Past tense of 'poner'; he/she put or placed something.
- camino
- Road or path; a route taken to reach somewhere.
- hacia
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'.
- Mientras
- While or meanwhile; indicates simultaneous actions occurring.
- avanzaba
- Imperfect of 'avanzar'; he/she was moving forward slowly.
- perezosamente
- Lazily; in a slow, sluggish, effortless manner.
- arrastrando
- Dragging; pulling something heavy along the ground.
- pie
- Foot; the lower extremity used for walking.
- tras
- After or behind; indicating sequence or position.
- apareció
- Past tense of 'aparecer'; he/she appeared suddenly.
- trotaba
- Imperfect of 'trotar'; was trotting at a steady pace.
- alegremente
- Cheerfully or happily; in a joyful, lively manner.
- sobre
- On top of, over, or about; a common preposition.
- magnífico
- Magnificent or splendid; impressively grand or beautiful.
- caballo
- Horse; a large domesticated animal used for riding.
- voz
- Voice; the sound produced by a person speaking.
- alta
- High or loud; used to describe voice or height.
- montar
- To ride or mount; to get on a horse.
- Ahí
- There; indicates a place nearby but not here.
- sentado
- Seated; in the position of sitting down comfortably.
- cómodo
- Comfortable; providing physical ease and relaxation.
- feliz
- Happy; feeling or showing pleasure and contentment.
- estuviera
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'estar'; if he/she were somewhere.
- sillón
- Armchair; a large comfortable chair with armrests.
- junto
- Next to or together; indicating closeness in position.
- chimenea
- Fireplace or chimney; structure for burning wood indoors.
- tropieza
- Stumbles or trips; to lose footing on uneven ground.
- piedras
- Stones or rocks; hard solid mineral matter on ground.
- gasta
- Wears out or spends; uses up resources over time.
- suela
- Sole; the bottom part of a shoe or boot.
- zapatos
- Shoes; footwear worn to protect and cover the feet.
- avanza
- Advances or moves forward; makes progress along a path.
- sin
- Without; indicating the absence of something or someone.
- apenas
- Barely or hardly; almost not at all, scarcely.
- darse
- To give oneself; reflexive form of 'dar', to notice.
- cuenta
- Account or awareness; 'darse cuenta' means to realize.
- habló
- Past tense of 'hablar'; he/she spoke to someone.
- baja
- Low; used to describe low voice or downward movement.
- jinete
- Rider or horseman; a person riding on a horse.
- oyera
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'oír'; so that he might hear.
- Vaya
- Well or my; exclamation expressing surprise or transition.
- entonces
- Then or at that time; indicates a time or result.
- cargar
- To carry or load; to bear a heavy weight or burden.
- fardo
- Bundle or bale; a large tied package of goods.
- cierto
- Certain or true; indicating something definite or confirmed.
- pesa
- Weighs; to have a certain heaviness or be burdensome.
- tanto
- So much; indicating a great degree or quantity.
- mantener
- To maintain or keep; to hold something in position.
- erguida
- Upright or erect; holding oneself in a straight position.
- saber
- To know; having knowledge or awareness of something.
- usted
- Formal 'you'; polite second person singular pronoun.
- sufrir
- To suffer; to experience pain, hardship, or discomfort.
- parece
- Seems or appears; third person of 'parecer'.
- intercambio
- Exchange or swap; trading one thing for another.
- daré
- Future tense of 'dar'; I will give something.
- dará
- Future tense of 'dar'; he/she will give something.
- ahorrará
- Future of 'ahorrar'; he/she will save time or effort.
- molestias
- Troubles or inconveniences; annoying difficulties one faces.
- peso
- Weight; the heaviness of an object or burden carried.
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