The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 13

English → Spanish BOOK I Level 9/10

When they named any thing, and as they spoke turned towards it, I saw and remembered that they called what they would point out by the name they uttered.

Cuando nombraban alguna cosa, y al hablar se volvían hacia ella, yo veía y recordaba que llamaban con el nombre que pronunciaban a aquello que querían señalar.

And that they meant this thing and no other was plain from the motion of their body, the natural language, as it were, of all nations, expressed by the countenance, glances of the eye, gestures of the limbs, and tones of the voice, indicating the affections of the mind, as it pursues, possesses, rejects, or shuns.

Y que se referían a esa cosa y no a otra resultaba evidente por el movimiento de su cuerpo, el lenguaje natural, por así decirlo, de todas las naciones, expresado por el semblante, las miradas del ojo, los gestos de los miembros y los tonos de la voz, que indican las afecciones del alma cuando persigue, posee, rechaza o huye.

And thus by constantly hearing words, as they occurred in various sentences, I collected gradually for what they stood; and having broken in my mouth to these signs, I thereby gave utterance to my will.

Y así, escuchando constantemente las palabras tal como aparecían en diversas frases, fui recogiendo poco a poco su significado; y habiendo acostumbrado mi boca a estos signos, les di expresión a mis deseos.

Thus I exchanged with those about me these current signs of our wills, and so launched deeper into the stormy intercourse of human life, yet depending on parental authority and the beck of elders.

Así intercambié con quienes me rodeaban estos signos corrientes de nuestras voluntades, y me adentré más en el tormentoso trato de la vida humana, dependiendo aún de la autoridad de los padres y de la señal de los mayores.

O God my God, what miseries and mockeries did I now experience, when obedience to my teachers was proposed to me, as proper in a boy, in order that in this world I might prosper, and excel in tongue-science, which should serve to the "praise of men," and to deceitful riches.

Oh Dios mío Dios, qué miserias y burlas experimenté entonces, cuando se me propuso la obediencia a mis maestros como algo propio de un niño, a fin de que en este mundo prosperara y sobresaliera en la ciencia de la lengua, que debía servir para la «alabanza de los hombres» y para las riquezas engañosas.

Next I was put to school to get learning, in which I (poor wretch) knew not what use there was; and yet, if idle in learning, I was beaten.

Luego me enviaron a la escuela para adquirir conocimientos, en los cuales yo, pobre desdichado, no veía utilidad alguna; y sin embargo, si me mostraba perezoso en el aprendizaje, me golpeaban.

Vocabulary

Cuando: Conjunction meaning 'when,' used to introduce temporal clauses.
nombraban: They named or called something; imperfect tense of nombrar.
alguna: Some or any; feminine singular form of alguno.
cosa: Thing or object; a very common Spanish noun.
y: Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses.
al: Contraction of 'a' and 'el,' meaning 'to the' or 'upon.'
hablar: To speak; infinitive of a common communication verb.
se: Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive or impersonal verbs.
volvían: They turned; imperfect tense of volverse, meaning to turn.
hacia: Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of.'
ella: Third-person singular feminine pronoun meaning 'she' or 'her.'
yo: First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I.'
veía: I saw or was seeing; imperfect tense of ver.
recordaba: I remembered or was remembering; imperfect tense of recordar.
que: Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which.'
llamaban: They called; imperfect tense of llamar, to call.
con: Preposition meaning 'with,' showing accompaniment or means.
el: Definite article meaning 'the' for masculine singular nouns.
nombre: Name; the word used to identify a person or thing.
pronunciaban: They pronounced; imperfect tense of pronunciar, to pronounce.
a: Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or marking a direct object.
aquello: That thing over there; neuter demonstrative pronoun of distance.
querían: They wanted or wished; imperfect tense of querer.
señalar: To point out or indicate something with gesture or speech.
referían: They referred; imperfect tense of referirse, to refer to.
esa: That; feminine singular demonstrative adjective indicating proximity.
no: Negation word meaning 'no' or 'not.'
otra: Another or other; feminine singular indefinite adjective.
resultaba: It turned out or resulted; imperfect tense of resultar.
evidente: Evident or obvious; clearly apparent without need for proof.
por: Preposition meaning 'by,' 'through,' 'for,' or 'because of.'
movimiento: Movement or motion of the body or an object.
de: Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from,' showing relation or origin.
su: Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' 'its,' or 'their.'
cuerpo: Body; the physical structure of a human or animal.
lenguaje: Language or manner of expression used for communication.
natural: Natural; existing in or derived from nature without artifice.
así: Thus or in this way; used to indicate manner or method.
decirlo: To say it; infinitive decir combined with object pronoun lo.
todas: All or every; feminine plural form of todo.
las: Definite article meaning 'the' for feminine plural nouns.
naciones: Nations; groups of people sharing territory, culture, and government.
expresado: Expressed; past participle of expresar, to express or convey.
semblante: Countenance or facial expression revealing inner emotion or mood.
miradas: Glances or looks; plural of mirada, a directed gaze.
del: Contraction of 'de' and 'el,' meaning 'of the.'
ojo: Eye; the organ of sight in humans and animals.
los: Definite article meaning 'the' for masculine plural nouns.
gestos: Gestures; movements of hands or body conveying meaning.
miembros: Limbs or members; parts of the body or a group.
tonos: Tones; variations in pitch or quality of vocal sound.
voz: Voice; the sound produced by humans when speaking or singing.
indican: They indicate or show; present tense of indicar.
afecciones: Affections or emotions; feelings experienced by the soul or mind.
alma: Soul; the spiritual or immaterial essence of a person.
cuando: When; conjunction introducing time-related subordinate clauses.
persigue: It pursues or chases; present tense of perseguir.
posee: It possesses or owns; present tense of poseer.
rechaza: It rejects or refuses; present tense of rechazar.
o: Conjunction meaning 'or,' presenting an alternative option.
huye: It flees or escapes; present tense of huir, to flee.
escuchando: Listening; present participle of escuchar, to listen attentively.
constantemente: Constantly or continuously; without stopping or interruption.
palabras: Words; units of spoken or written language carrying meaning.
tal: Such or so; adjective indicating similarity or degree.
como: As or like; used for comparisons and introducing subordinate clauses.
aparecían: They appeared; imperfect tense of aparecer, to appear.
en: Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at,' indicating location.
diversas: Various or diverse; feminine plural adjective indicating variety.
frases: Phrases or sentences; groups of words expressing an idea.
fui: I went or I was; preterite of ir or ser.
recogiendo: Gathering or collecting; present participle of recoger.
poco: A little or few; indicating a small quantity or degree.
significado: Meaning or significance; what a word or sign conveys.
habiendo: Having; auxiliary present participle of haber, used in compound forms.
acostumbrado: Accustomed or used to; past participle of acostumbrar.
mi: My; first-person singular possessive adjective.
boca: Mouth; the oral cavity used for speaking and eating.
estos: These; masculine plural demonstrative adjective indicating nearby things.
signos: Signs or symbols; marks conveying meaning or information.
les: Indirect object pronoun meaning 'to them' or 'for them.'
di: I gave; first-person preterite of dar, to give.
expresión: Expression; the act of conveying thoughts, feelings, or ideas.
mis: My; first-person plural possessive adjective for multiple things.
deseos: Desires or wishes; things one wants or longs for.
Así: Thus or in this way; summarizing or concluding a statement.
intercambié: I exchanged; preterite of intercambiar, to exchange or share.
quienes: Who or those who; relative pronoun referring to people.
me: Me; first-person singular object or reflexive pronoun.
rodeaban: They surrounded; imperfect tense of rodear, to surround.
corrientes: Currents or common streams; flows of communication or ideas.
nuestras: Our; first-person plural feminine possessive adjective.
voluntades: Wills or wishes; expressions of desire or intention.
adentré: I ventured into; preterite of adentrarse, to go deeper into.
más: More; comparative adverb indicating greater degree or quantity.
tormentoso: Stormy or tumultuous; full of trouble, conflict, or difficulty.
trato: Dealings or treatment; interaction between people in society.
vida: Life; the state of being alive and experiencing existence.
humana: Human; relating to people and their nature or society.
dependiendo: Depending; present participle of depender, to depend on.
aún: Still or yet; indicating continuation of a state or action.
autoridad: Authority; power or right to give orders and make decisions.
padres: Parents; the father and mother of a child.
señal: Sign or signal; an indication or warning conveying information.
mayores: Elders or superiors; those older or higher in rank.
Dios: God; the supreme being in monotheistic religious traditions.
mío: Mine; first-person singular masculine possessive pronoun.
qué: What or how; used in exclamations or questions for emphasis.
miserias: Miseries or hardships; states of great suffering or wretchedness.
burlas: Mockeries or jokes; acts of ridiculing or making fun of someone.
experimenté: I experienced; preterite of experimentar, to experience or undergo.
entonces: Then or at that time; indicating a moment or consequence.
propuso: He/she proposed; preterite of proponer, to propose or suggest.
obediencia: Obedience; compliance with rules, orders, or authority figures.
maestros: Teachers or masters; those who instruct or have expertise.
algo: Something or somewhat; an indefinite quantity or unspecified thing.
propio: Own or proper; belonging specifically to oneself or appropriate.
un: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' for masculine nouns.
niño: Child or boy; a young male human in early years.
fin: End or purpose; conclusion of something or an intended goal.
este: This; masculine singular demonstrative adjective indicating nearby thing.
mundo: World; the earth and all of human society upon it.
prosperara: That he prosper; subjunctive of prosperar, to prosper or thrive.
sobresaliera: That he excel; subjunctive of sobresalir, to stand out.
ciencia: Science or knowledge; systematic study or field of learning.
lengua: Language or tongue; a system of communication or the organ.
debía: Should or owed; imperfect of deber, indicating obligation or duty.
servir: To serve; infinitive meaning to be useful or assist others.
para: For or in order to; preposition indicating purpose or recipient.
alabanza: Praise or commendation; the act of expressing admiration or approval.
hombres: Men or people; adult male humans or humankind in general.
riquezas: Riches or wealth; abundance of valuable possessions or money.
engañosas: Deceptive or misleading; tending to create a false impression.
Luego: Then or later; indicating sequence or the next point in time.
enviaron: They sent; preterite of enviar, to send someone somewhere.
escuela: School; an institution where students receive formal education.
adquirir: To acquire or obtain; infinitive meaning to gain knowledge or things.
conocimientos: Knowledge or learning; facts and skills acquired through experience.
cuales: Which; relative pronoun referring to previously mentioned things.
pobre: Poor; lacking money or unfortunate in circumstances or spirit.
desdichado: Unhappy or wretched; experiencing misfortune or great unhappiness.
utilidad: Utility or usefulness; the quality of being practically beneficial.
sin: Without; preposition indicating the absence of something.
embargo: Used in 'sin embargo' meaning 'however' or 'nevertheless.'
si: If; conjunction introducing a conditional clause or hypothesis.
mostraba: He showed or appeared; imperfect tense of mostrar, to show.
perezoso: Lazy or slothful; unwilling to work or make an effort.
aprendizaje: Learning or apprenticeship; the process of acquiring knowledge or skills.
golpeaban: They hit or beat; imperfect tense of golpear, to strike.

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