Peter Pan — Page 2
Darling, but he was totting up winter great-coats for John and Michael, with a wet towel around his head to keep his brain clear, and it seemed a shame to trouble him; besides, she knew exactly what he would say: "It all comes of having a dog for a nurse."
Darling, pero él estaba sumando abrigos de invierno para John y Michael, con una toalla húmeda alrededor de la cabeza para mantener su mente despejada, y parecía una lástima molestarlo; además, ella sabía exactamente lo que diría: «Todo viene de tener un perro como niñera».
She decided to roll the shadow up and put it away carefully in a drawer, until a fitting opportunity came for telling her husband.
Decidió enrollar la sombra y guardarla cuidadosamente en un cajón, hasta que se presentara una oportunidad adecuada para contárselo a su marido.
Ah me!
¡Ay de mí!
The opportunity came a week later, on that never-to-be-forgotten Friday.
La oportunidad llegó una semana después, en aquel viernes inolvidable.
Of course it was a Friday.
Por supuesto que era viernes.
"I ought to have been specially careful on a Friday," she used to say afterwards to her husband, while perhaps Nana was on the other side of her, holding her hand.
«Debería haber tenido especial cuidado un viernes», solía decirle después a su marido, mientras quizás Nana estaba al otro lado de ella, sosteniéndole la mano.
"No, no," Mr. Darling always said, "I am responsible for it all. I, George Darling, did it. Mea culpa, mea culpa." He had had a classical education.
«No, no», decía siempre el señor Darling, «yo soy el responsable de todo. Yo, George Darling, lo hice. Mea culpa, mea culpa». Había recibido una educación clásica.
They sat thus night after night recalling that fatal Friday, till every detail of it was stamped on their brains and came through on the other side like the faces on a bad coinage.
Se sentaban así noche tras noche recordando aquel fatídico viernes, hasta que cada detalle quedó grabado en sus mentes y afloró por el otro lado como las caras en una moneda mal acuñada.
"If only I had not accepted that invitation to dine at 27," Mrs. Darling said.
«Si tan solo no hubiera aceptado esa invitación a cenar en el número 27», dijo la señora Darling.
"If only I had not poured my medicine into Nana's bowl," said Mr. Darling.
«Si tan solo no hubiera vertido mi medicina en el cuenco de Nana», dijo el señor Darling.
"If only I had pretended to like the medicine," was what Nana's wet eyes said.
«Si tan solo hubiera fingido que me gustaba la medicina», era lo que decían los ojos llorosos de Nana.
"My liking for parties, George."
«Mi afición por las fiestas, George».
"My fatal gift of humour, dearest.
«Mi fatal don del humor, querida.
Vocabulary
- pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' contrasting two ideas
- él
- Third-person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'
- estaba
- Imperfect past tense of 'estar,' meaning 'was being'
- sumando
- Present participle of 'sumar,' meaning 'adding up'
- abrigos
- Plural noun meaning 'coats' or 'overcoats'
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
- invierno
- Noun meaning 'winter,' the coldest season
- para
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'
- y
- Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with,' indicating accompaniment
- una
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine)
- toalla
- Noun meaning 'towel,' used for drying
- húmeda
- Adjective meaning 'damp' or 'moist'
- alrededor
- Adverb/preposition meaning 'around' or 'surrounding'
- la
- Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular)
- cabeza
- Noun meaning 'head,' the uppermost body part
- mantener
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to maintain' or 'to keep'
- su
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'their'
- mente
- Noun meaning 'mind,' the seat of thought
- despejada
- Adjective meaning 'clear' or 'uncluttered,' used figuratively
- parecía
- Imperfect tense of 'parecer,' meaning 'it seemed'
- lástima
- Noun meaning 'pity' or 'shame,' expressing sympathy
- molestarlo
- Infinitive 'molestar' plus pronoun, meaning 'to bother him'
- además
- Adverb meaning 'furthermore' or 'besides'
- ella
- Third-person singular feminine pronoun meaning 'she'
- sabía
- Imperfect tense of 'saber,' meaning 'she knew'
- exactamente
- Adverb meaning 'exactly,' with precision and certainty
- lo
- Neuter or masculine direct object pronoun meaning 'it'
- que
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'what'
- diría
- Conditional tense of 'decir,' meaning 'he would say'
- Todo
- Pronoun/adjective meaning 'everything' or 'all'
- viene
- Present tense of 'venir,' meaning 'comes' or 'comes from'
- tener
- Infinitive meaning 'to have' or 'to possess'
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (masculine)
- perro
- Noun meaning 'dog,' a common domestic animal
- como
- Conjunction/preposition meaning 'as' or 'like'
- niñera
- Noun meaning 'nanny' or 'babysitter,' caregiver for children
- Decidió
- Preterite tense of 'decidir,' meaning 'she decided'
- enrollar
- Infinitive meaning 'to roll up' or 'to coil'
- sombra
- Noun meaning 'shadow' or 'shade'
- guardarla
- Infinitive 'guardar' plus pronoun, meaning 'to keep it'
- cuidadosamente
- Adverb meaning 'carefully,' with great attention and care
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at'
- cajón
- Noun meaning 'drawer,' a sliding compartment in furniture
- hasta
- Preposition/conjunction meaning 'until' or 'up to'
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive or impersonal verbs
- presentara
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'presentar,' meaning 'would arise'
- oportunidad
- Noun meaning 'opportunity' or 'chance'
- adecuada
- Adjective meaning 'appropriate' or 'suitable'
- contárselo
- Infinitive 'contar' with pronouns, meaning 'to tell it to him'
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at'
- marido
- Noun meaning 'husband,' a married male partner
- Ay
- Interjection expressing surprise, pain, or dismay
- mí
- First-person singular prepositional pronoun meaning 'me'
- La
- Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular)
- llegó
- Preterite tense of 'llegar,' meaning 'it arrived'
- semana
- Noun meaning 'week,' a seven-day period
- después
- Adverb meaning 'after' or 'afterwards'
- aquel
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (distant reference)
- viernes
- Noun meaning 'Friday,' the fifth day of the week
- inolvidable
- Adjective meaning 'unforgettable,' impossible to forget
- Por
- Preposition meaning 'by,' 'for,' or 'because of'
- supuesto
- Used in 'por supuesto,' meaning 'of course'
- era
- Imperfect tense of 'ser,' meaning 'it was'
- Debería
- Conditional of 'deber,' meaning 'should' or 'ought to'
- haber
- Auxiliary infinitive meaning 'to have,' used in compound tenses
- tenido
- Past participle of 'tener,' meaning 'had'
- especial
- Adjective meaning 'special' or 'particular'
- cuidado
- Noun meaning 'care' or 'caution'; also past participle of 'cuidar'
- solía
- Imperfect of 'soler,' meaning 'used to' do habitually
- decirle
- Infinitive 'decir' plus pronoun, meaning 'to tell him/her'
- mientras
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'as long as'
- quizás
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'
- al
- Contraction of 'a' and 'el,' meaning 'to the'
- otro
- Adjective/pronoun meaning 'other' or 'another'
- lado
- Noun meaning 'side,' one of two or more parts
- sosteniéndole
- Gerund 'sostener' plus pronoun, meaning 'holding his/her'
- mano
- Noun meaning 'hand,' the end of the arm
- No
- Negative adverb meaning 'no' or 'not'
- no
- Negative adverb meaning 'no' or 'not'
- decía
- Imperfect tense of 'decir,' meaning 'he was saying'
- siempre
- Adverb meaning 'always,' at all times
- el
- Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular)
- señor
- Noun meaning 'mister' or 'gentleman,' a polite title
- yo
- First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- soy
- Present tense of 'ser,' first person, meaning 'I am'
- responsable
- Adjective meaning 'responsible,' accountable for something
- todo
- Pronoun/adjective meaning 'everything' or 'all'
- Yo
- First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- hice
- Preterite tense of 'hacer,' meaning 'I did' or 'I made'
- culpa
- Noun meaning 'fault' or 'guilt'; used in Latin phrase
- Había
- Imperfect of 'haber,' meaning 'there had been' or 'had'
- recibido
- Past participle of 'recibir,' meaning 'received'
- educación
- Noun meaning 'education' or 'upbringing'
- clásica
- Adjective meaning 'classical,' relating to classical tradition
- Se
- Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive verbs
- sentaban
- Imperfect of 'sentarse,' meaning 'they would sit'
- así
- Adverb meaning 'like this,' 'thus,' or 'so'
- noche
- Noun meaning 'night,' the dark part of the day
- tras
- Preposition meaning 'after' or 'behind'
- recordando
- Gerund of 'recordar,' meaning 'remembering' or 'recalling'
- fatídico
- Adjective meaning 'fateful' or 'ill-fated'
- cada
- Adjective meaning 'each' or 'every'
- detalle
- Noun meaning 'detail,' a small particular element
- quedó
- Preterite of 'quedar,' meaning 'remained' or 'stayed'
- grabado
- Past participle of 'grabar,' meaning 'engraved' or 'recorded'
- sus
- Possessive adjective meaning 'their,' 'his,' or 'her' (plural)
- mentes
- Plural noun meaning 'minds,' seats of thought
- afloró
- Preterite of 'aflorar,' meaning 'surfaced' or 'emerged'
- por
- Preposition meaning 'by,' 'through,' or 'for'
- las
- Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine plural)
- caras
- Noun meaning 'faces' or adjective 'expensive' (plural)
- moneda
- Noun meaning 'coin' or 'currency'
- mal
- Adjective/adverb meaning 'bad' or 'badly'
- acuñada
- Past participle of 'acuñar,' meaning 'minted' or 'coined'
- Si
- Conjunction meaning 'if,' introducing a conditional clause
- tan
- Adverb meaning 'so' or 'as,' used for comparisons
- solo
- Adjective/adverb meaning 'only' or 'alone'
- hubiera
- Past subjunctive of 'haber,' used in hypothetical sentences
- aceptado
- Past participle of 'aceptar,' meaning 'accepted'
- esa
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (feminine)
- invitación
- Noun meaning 'invitation,' a request to attend something
- cenar
- Infinitive meaning 'to have dinner' or 'to dine'
- número
- Noun meaning 'number,' a numerical identifier
- dijo
- Preterite of 'decir,' meaning 'he/she said'
- señora
- Noun meaning 'madam' or 'Mrs.,' a polite female title
- vertido
- Past participle of 'verter,' meaning 'spilled' or 'poured'
- mi
- First-person singular possessive adjective meaning 'my'
- medicina
- Noun meaning 'medicine' or 'medication'
- cuenco
- Noun meaning 'bowl,' a deep rounded dish
- fingido
- Past participle of 'fingir,' meaning 'pretended' or 'feigned'
- me
- First-person singular object pronoun meaning 'me'
- gustaba
- Imperfect of 'gustar,' meaning 'I used to like it'
- decían
- Imperfect of 'decir,' meaning 'they were saying'
- los
- Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine plural)
- ojos
- Noun meaning 'eyes,' the organs of vision
- llorosos
- Adjective meaning 'teary' or 'tearful'
- Mi
- First-person singular possessive adjective meaning 'my'
- afición
- Noun meaning 'fondness,' 'hobby,' or 'passion'
- fiestas
- Plural noun meaning 'parties' or 'celebrations'
- fatal
- Adjective meaning 'fatal,' 'terrible,' or 'awful'
- don
- Noun meaning 'gift' or 'talent'; also a respectful title
- del
- Contraction of 'de' and 'el,' meaning 'of the'
- humor
- Noun meaning 'humor,' the quality of being amusing
- querida
- Adjective/noun meaning 'dear' or 'beloved' (feminine)
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