Jane Eyre: An Autobiography — Page 6

English → Spanish CHAPTER I Level 7/10

Miles, the master, affirmed that he would do very well if he had fewer cakes and sweetmeats sent him from home; but the mother's heart turned from an opinion so harsh, and inclined rather to the more refined idea that John's sallowness was owing to over-application and, perhaps, to pining after home.

Miles, el director, afirmó que le iría muy bien si le enviaran menos pasteles y golosinas desde casa; pero el corazón de la madre se apartó de una opinión tan severa, e inclinó más bien hacia la idea más refinada de que la palidez de John se debía al exceso de trabajo y, quizás, a la añoranza del hogar.

John had not much affection for his mother and sisters, and an antipathy to me.

John no sentía mucho afecto por su madre y sus hermanas, y tenía antipatía hacia mí.

He bullied and punished me; not two or three times in the week, nor once or twice in the day, but continually: every nerve I had feared him, and every morsel of flesh in my bones shrank when he came near.

Me intimidaba y castigaba; no dos o tres veces a la semana, ni una o dos veces al día, sino continuamente: cada nervio de mi ser le temía, y cada fragmento de carne en mis huesos se encogía cuando se acercaba.

There were moments when I was bewildered by the terror he inspired, because I had no appeal whatever against either his menaces or his inflictions; the servants did not like to offend their young master by taking my part against him, and Mrs. Reed was blind and deaf on the subject: she never saw him strike or heard him abuse me, though he did both now and then in her very presence, more frequently, however, behind her back.

Había momentos en que me sentía desconcertada por el terror que inspiraba, porque no tenía ningún recurso contra sus amenazas ni sus castigos; a los criados no les gustaba ofender a su joven amo tomando mi partido contra él, y la señora Reed era ciega y sorda en ese asunto: nunca le vio golpearme ni le oyó maltratarme, aunque hacía ambas cosas de vez en cuando en su misma presencia, y con mayor frecuencia, sin embargo, a sus espaldas.

Habitually obedient to John, I came up to his chair: he spent some three minutes in thrusting out his tongue at me as far as he could without damaging the roots: I knew he would soon strike, and while dreading the blow, I mused on the disgusting and ugly appearance of him who would presently deal it.

Obediente a John por costumbre, me acerqué a su silla: pasó unos tres minutos sacando la lengua hacia mí todo lo que podía sin dañar la raíz: sabía que pronto me golpearía, y mientras temía el golpe, reflexioné sobre el aspecto repugnante y feo de aquel que estaba a punto de asestarlo.

Vocabulary

el: Definite article 'the' for masculine singular nouns
director: Director, manager, or head of an institution
afirmó: He/she affirmed or stated something as fact
que: Conjunction meaning 'that' or relative pronoun 'which/who'
le: Indirect object pronoun meaning 'to him/her/you'
iría: He/she would go; conditional tense of 'ir'
muy: Adverb meaning 'very,' intensifying adjectives or adverbs
bien: Adverb meaning 'well'; adjective meaning 'good'
si: Conjunction meaning 'if,' introducing conditional clauses
enviaran: They would send; past subjunctive of 'enviar'
menos: Adverb or adjective meaning 'less' or 'fewer'
pasteles: Cakes or pastries, sweet baked goods
y: Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses
golosinas: Sweets, candies, or treats enjoyed as snacks
desde: Preposition meaning 'from' or 'since' a place or time
casa: House or home where one lives
pero: Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrasting idea
corazón: Heart, both the organ and seat of emotions
de: Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
la: Definite article 'the' for feminine singular nouns
madre: Mother, a female parent
se: Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive or passive verbs
apartó: He/she turned away from or set aside something
una: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (feminine)
opinión: Opinion or view held about a topic
tan: Adverb meaning 'so' or 'such,' intensifying a quality
severa: Severe, strict, or harsh in manner or judgment
e: Conjunction meaning 'and,' used before words starting with 'i'
inclinó: She leaned toward or was inclined to a view
más: Adverb or adjective meaning 'more' or 'most'
hacia: Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'
idea: Idea, thought, or notion about something
refinada: Refined, elegant, or sophisticated in quality
palidez: Paleness or pallor of the skin or complexion
debía: He/she owed or must have; imperfect of 'deber'
al: Contraction of 'a' and 'el,' meaning 'to the'
exceso: Excess, an amount beyond what is necessary or normal
trabajo: Work, labor, or a job one performs
quizás: Perhaps or maybe, expressing possibility or uncertainty
a: Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'by'
añoranza: Longing or nostalgia, deep yearning for something absent
del: Contraction of 'de' and 'el,' meaning 'of the'
hogar: Home, hearth, or the place where one lives
no: Negation word meaning 'no' or 'not'
sentía: He/she felt or experienced an emotion (imperfect tense)
mucho: Much, a lot, or a great deal of something
afecto: Affection, fondness, or emotional warmth toward someone
por: Preposition meaning 'for,' 'by,' or 'through'
su: Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' 'your,' or 'their'
sus: Plural possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'their'
hermanas: Sisters, female siblings of a person
tenía: He/she had; imperfect tense of 'tener'
antipatía: Antipathy, dislike or aversion toward a person or thing
mí: Prepositional pronoun meaning 'me,' used after prepositions
Me: Direct or indirect object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'to me'
intimidaba: He/she intimidated or frightened (imperfect tense)
castigaba: He/she punished regularly; imperfect tense of 'castigar'
dos: The number two
o: Conjunction meaning 'or,' presenting an alternative
tres: The number three
veces: Times, occurrences; plural of 'vez'
semana: Week, a period of seven days
ni: Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'not even'
día: Day, a 24-hour period or daytime hours
sino: Conjunction meaning 'but rather,' correcting a negative statement
continuamente: Continuously, without stopping or interruption
cada: Adjective meaning 'each' or 'every'
nervio: Nerve, part of the nervous system; also meaning anxiety
mi: Possessive adjective meaning 'my'
ser: To be; also used as a noun meaning 'being' or 'self'
temía: He/she feared; imperfect tense of 'temer'
fragmento: Fragment or piece of a larger whole
carne: Flesh or meat; the physical body of a living being
en: Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at'
mis: Plural possessive adjective meaning 'my'
huesos: Bones, the hard structures forming the skeleton
encogía: It shrank or cringed; imperfect tense of 'encoger'
cuando: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'
acercaba: He/she approached or drew near (imperfect tense)
Había: There was/were; imperfect tense of 'haber'
momentos: Moments or instances in time
me: Reflexive or object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'myself'
desconcertada: Disconcerted, confused, or thrown off balance
terror: Terror, extreme fear or dread
inspiraba: He/she/it inspired or instilled a feeling in someone
porque: Conjunction meaning 'because,' introducing a reason
ningún: No, not any; negative adjective before masculine nouns
recurso: Resource, recourse, or means available to someone
contra: Preposition meaning 'against' or 'opposed to'
amenazas: Threats, menacing statements warning of harm
castigos: Punishments, penalties imposed for wrongdoing
los: Definite article 'the' for masculine plural nouns
criados: Servants or domestic workers employed in a household
les: Indirect object pronoun meaning 'to them' or 'to you (plural)'
gustaba: It pleased; imperfect tense of 'gustar,' meaning 'liked'
ofender: To offend or upset someone by words or actions
joven: Young; also used as a noun meaning 'young person'
amo: Master or owner, someone in a position of authority
tomando: Taking or siding; gerund of 'tomar'
partido: Side or party; 'tomar partido' means to take sides
él: Subject pronoun meaning 'he'
señora: Mrs. or madam, a respectful title for a woman
era: He/she/it was; imperfect tense of 'ser'
ciega: Blind, unable to see; feminine form of 'ciego'
sorda: Deaf, unable to hear; feminine form of 'sordo'
ese: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (near the listener)
asunto: Matter, issue, or subject being discussed or dealt with
nunca: Never, at no time
vio: He/she saw; preterite tense of 'ver'
golpearme: To hit or strike me; infinitive 'golpear' plus 'me'
oyó: He/she heard; preterite tense of 'oír'
maltratarme: To mistreat or abuse me; 'maltratar' plus 'me'
aunque: Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though'
hacía: He/she did or made; imperfect tense of 'hacer'
ambas: Both, referring to two things or people (feminine)
cosas: Things, objects, or matters in general
vez: Time, occurrence; used in expressions like 'a veces'
misma: Same or herself; feminine form of 'mismo'
presencia: Presence, being in a place at a given time
con: Preposition meaning 'with'
mayor: Greater, larger, or older; comparative of 'grande'
frecuencia: Frequency, how often something occurs
sin: Preposition meaning 'without'
embargo: Used in 'sin embargo,' meaning 'however' or 'nevertheless'
espaldas: Backs; 'a sus espaldas' means behind one's back
Obediente: Obedient, compliant, following instructions without resistance
costumbre: Custom or habit, a regular practice or behavior
acerqué: I approached or drew near; preterite of 'acercarse'
silla: Chair, a seat with a back for one person
pasó: He/she spent time or passed; preterite of 'pasar'
unos: Some or a few; indefinite article for masculine plural
minutos: Minutes, units of time equal to sixty seconds
sacando: Sticking out or pulling out; gerund of 'sacar'
lengua: Tongue, the organ in the mouth; also means 'language'
todo: All, everything, or every; used broadly as adjective or pronoun
lo: Neuter or masculine object pronoun meaning 'it' or 'him'
podía: He/she could; imperfect tense of 'poder'
dañar: To damage, harm, or injure something or someone
raíz: Root of a plant; also means origin or basis of something
sabía: He/she knew; imperfect tense of 'saber'
pronto: Soon, quickly, or before long
golpearía: He/she would hit or strike; conditional of 'golpear'
mientras: Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'as long as'
golpe: A blow, hit, or strike delivered physically
reflexioné: I reflected or thought carefully; preterite of 'reflexionar'
sobre: Preposition meaning 'about,' 'on,' or 'over'
aspecto: Appearance, aspect, or look of a person or thing
repugnante: Repugnant, disgusting, or deeply offensive
feo: Ugly or unattractive in appearance
aquel: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (distant from speaker)
estaba: He/she/it was; imperfect tense of 'estar'
punto: Point or moment; 'a punto de' means 'about to'
asestarlo: To deliver or deal a blow; infinitive 'asestar' plus 'lo'

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