Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 1

Vocabulary

Narrativa

A written account or story of events

de

Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'

la

Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular)

vida

Life; one's existence or way of living

UN

Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (masculine)

ESCLAVO

A person who is enslaved; a slave

AMERICANO

Relating to or from America; American

ESCRITA

Written; past participle of 'escribir' (feminine)

POR

Preposition meaning 'by,' 'for,' or 'through'

ÉL

Third-person singular pronoun meaning 'he'

MISMO

Himself; same; used for emphasis or identity

PUBLICADO

Published; made available to the public officially

EN

Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at'

OFICINA

An office; a place where administrative work occurs

ANTIESCLAVISTA

Relating to opposition against slavery; abolitionist

NÚM

Abbreviation of 'número,' meaning number or no.

REGISTRADO

Registered; officially recorded or documented

CONFORME

In accordance with; according to; conforming to

AL

Contraction of 'a' and 'el,' meaning 'to the'

ACTA

An official act, record, or legal document

DEL

Contraction of 'de' and 'el,' meaning 'of the'

CONGRESO

Congress; a legislative assembly or governing body

EL

Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular)

AÑO

Year; a period of twelve calendar months

SECRETARIO

Secretary; an official who manages records or correspondence

TRIBUNAL

A court of law; a judicial body or bench

DISTRITO

District; an administrative or geographic subdivision

Nota

A note; a brief written remark or annotation

del

Contraction of 'de' and 'el,' meaning 'of the'

archivo

Archive or file; a place storing historical records

original

Original; the first or source version of something

Este

Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this'

libro

Book; a written or printed literary publication

electrónico

Electronic; relating to digital or electronic technology

se

Reflexive pronoun used with verbs for various meanings

publica

To publish; to release content for public access

en

Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at'

este

Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (masculine singular)

momento

Moment; a brief or specific point in time

para

Preposition meaning 'for,' 'in order to,' or 'by'

honrar

To honor; to show respect or admiration for someone

cumpleaños

Birthday; the annual anniversary of someone's birth

Nacido

Born; past participle of 'nacer,' to be born

enero

January; the first month of the year

Celebrado

Celebrated; honored or observed with festivities officially

oficialmente

Officially; in a formal or authorized manner

Contenido

Content; the material or topics included in something

PREFACIO

Preface; an introductory section of a book

CARTA

Letter; a written message addressed to someone

SR

Abbreviation of 'señor,' meaning 'Mr.' or 'sir'

CAPÍTULO

Chapter; a main division of a book or text

APÉNDICE

Appendix; supplementary material added at a book's end

UNA

Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine)

PARODIA

Parody; a humorous or satirical imitation of something

En

Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at'

mes

Month; one of twelve divisions of the calendar year

agosto

August; the eighth month of the year

asistí

I attended; past tense of 'asistir,' to attend

a

Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'for'

una

Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine)

convención

Convention; a formal meeting or assembly of people

antiesclavista

Anti-slavery; opposing or against the practice of slavery

cual

Which; a relative pronoun referring to something mentioned

tuve

I had; first-person past tense of 'tener,' to have

felicidad

Happiness or good fortune; a state of being happy

conocer

To meet or know someone; to become acquainted with

autor

Author; a person who writes books or texts

siguiente

Following; next in sequence or order

Era

He/she/it was; imperfect past tense of 'ser,' to be

un

Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (masculine)

desconocido

Unknown or stranger; a person not previously known

casi

Almost; nearly but not quite completely

todos

All; every one of a group of people or things

los

Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine plural)

miembros

Members; individuals belonging to a group or organization

ese

Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (masculine singular)

cuerpo

Body; a group of people or an organized assembly

pero

But; a conjunction introducing a contrasting clause

habiendo

Having; gerund of 'haber,' used in compound tenses

escapado

Escaped; past participle of 'escapar,' to escape

recientemente

Recently; not long ago; a short time before now

prisión

Prison; a place where people are confined as punishment

sureña

Southern; relating to or from the south (feminine)

esclavitud

Slavery; the condition of being owned by another person

y

Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses

sintiendo

Feeling; present participle of 'sentir,' to feel

su

Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'their'

curiosidad

Curiosity; a strong desire to know or learn something

excitada

Excited or aroused; stirred up by interest or emotion

por

Preposition meaning 'by,' 'for,' or 'through'

principios

Principles; fundamental beliefs or guiding rules of conduct

medidas

Measures; actions taken to achieve a specific goal

abolicionistas

Abolitionists; people who campaigned to end slavery

quienes

Who; relative pronoun referring to persons

había

There was/had; past tense of 'haber,' auxiliary verb

escuchado

Listened to or heard; past participle of 'escuchar'

descripción

Description; a spoken or written account of something

algo

Something or somewhat; used to indicate an undefined thing

vaga

Vague; not clearly expressed or defined (feminine)

mientras

While; during the time that something else was happening

era

Was; imperfect past tense of 'ser,' to be

esclavo

Slave; a person legally owned by another person

fue

Was or went; preterite past tense of 'ser' or 'ir'

inducido

Induced or persuaded; led to do something by influence

hacer

To do or make; a very common Spanish infinitive verb

acto

Act; an action, deed, or formal event or ceremony

presencia

Presence; the state of being present in a place

ocasión

Occasion; a particular time or event of significance

aludida

Alluded to or mentioned; referred to indirectly (feminine)

aunque

Although or even though; a concessive conjunction

residente

Resident; a person who lives in a particular place

Afortunado

Fortunate or lucky; blessed with good luck or fortune

muy

Very; an adverb intensifying adjectives or other adverbs

afortunado

Fortunate; lucky or blessed with a favorable outcome

acontecimiento

Event or happening; a significant occurrence or incident

millones

Millions; a very large number, specifically one thousand thousands

sus

Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'their' (plural)

hermanos

Brothers or siblings; fellow members of a shared group

encadenados

Chained; bound with chains; enslaved or restricted physically

que

That or who; a conjunction or relative pronoun

aún

Still or yet; continuing to be the case presently

anhelan

They yearn or long for; deeply desire something urgently

liberarse

To free oneself; to escape from bondage or restraint

terrible

Terrible; causing great fear, dread, or suffering

servidumbre

Servitude; the condition of being a servant or slave

causa

Cause; a principle or movement people work to support

emancipación

Emancipation; the act of freeing from slavery or oppression

negros

Black people; referring to people of African descent

libertad

Freedom or liberty; the state of being free from oppression

universal

Universal; applying to all people or things everywhere