The Count of Monte Cristo — Page 5

English → Spanish VOLUME ONE Level 7/10

He was a man of twenty-five or twenty-six years of age, of unprepossessing countenance, obsequious to his superiors, insolent to his subordinates; and this, in addition to his position as responsible agent on board, which is always obnoxious to the sailors, made him as much disliked by the crew as Edmond Dantès was beloved by them.

Era un hombre de veinticinco o veintiséis años de edad, de aspecto poco agradable, obsequioso con sus superiores, insolente con sus subordinados; y esto, además de su posición como agente responsable a bordo, que siempre resulta odiosa para los marineros, lo hacía tan detestado por la tripulación como Edmond Dantès era querido por ella.

"Well, M. Morrel," said Danglars, "you have heard of the misfortune that has befallen us?"

—Bien, señor Morrel —dijo Danglars—, ¿ha oído usted hablar de la desgracia que nos ha sobrevenido?

"Yes—yes: poor Captain Leclere! He was a brave and an honest man."

—Sí, sí: ¡pobre capitán Leclere! Era un hombre valiente y honrado.

"And a first-rate seaman, one who had seen long and honorable service, as became a man charged with the interests of a house so important as that of Morrel & Son," replied Danglars.

—Y un marino de primera, que había prestado un servicio largo y honorable, como correspondía a un hombre encargado de los intereses de una casa tan importante como la de Morrel e Hijo —respondió Danglars.

"But," replied the owner, glancing after Dantès, who was watching the anchoring of his vessel, "it seems to me that a sailor needs not be so old as you say, Danglars, to understand his business, for our friend Edmond seems to understand it thoroughly, and not to require instruction from anyone."

—Pero —respondió el armador, mirando hacia Dantès, que observaba el anclaje de su barco—, me parece que un marinero no necesita ser tan viejo como usted dice, Danglars, para entender su oficio, pues nuestro amigo Edmond parece entenderlo a la perfección, y no necesitar instrucción de nadie.

"Yes," said Danglars, darting at Edmond a look gleaming with hate. "Yes, he is young, and youth is invariably self-confident. Scarcely was the captain's breath out of his body when he assumed the command without consulting anyone, and he caused us to lose a day and a half at the Island of Elba, instead of making for Marseilles direct.

—Sí —dijo Danglars, lanzando a Edmond una mirada cargada de odio—. Sí, es joven, y la juventud es invariablemente presumida. Apenas había exhalado el capitán su último aliento cuando él asumió el mando sin consultar a nadie, y nos hizo perder un día y medio en la isla de Elba, en lugar de poner rumbo directamente a Marsella.

Vocabulary

Era: Third person singular past tense of 'ser' (to be).
un: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
hombre: A male human being; man.
de: Preposition meaning 'of,' 'from,' or 'about'.
veinticinco: The number twenty-five.
o: Conjunction meaning 'or,' connecting alternatives.
veintiséis: The number twenty-six.
años: Years; used to express a person's age.
edad: Age; the number of years someone has lived.
aspecto: Appearance or look of a person or thing.
poco: Little; a small amount or degree.
agradable: Pleasant, agreeable, or enjoyable in nature.
obsequioso: Excessively eager to please; fawning or servile.
con: Preposition meaning 'with,' indicating accompaniment.
sus: Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'their'.
superiores: Those of higher rank or authority; superiors.
insolente: Rude and disrespectful; showing bold disrespect.
subordinados: People of lower rank under someone's authority.
y: Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses.
esto: Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this' (neutral form).
además: Furthermore; in addition to what was already mentioned.
su: Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'your'.
posición: Position, role, or standing within a group.
como: Conjunction or preposition meaning 'as' or 'like'.
agente: Agent; a person acting on behalf of another.
responsable: Responsible; accountable for actions or duties.
a: Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'by'.
bordo: Board; 'a bordo' means aboard a ship.
que: Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'.
siempre: Always; at all times without exception.
resulta: Results in; turns out to be something.
odiosa: Hateful, detestable, or highly unpleasant in character.
para: Preposition meaning 'for,' 'in order to,' or 'toward'.
los: Definite plural article meaning 'the' (masculine).
marineros: Sailors; men who work aboard a ship.
lo: Direct object pronoun meaning 'him,' 'it,' or 'you'.
hacía: Made or caused; imperfect tense of 'hacer'.
tan: So or as; used in comparisons of degree.
detestado: Detested; hated or strongly disliked by others.
por: Preposition meaning 'by,' 'for,' or 'through'.
la: Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular).
tripulación: Crew; the team working aboard a ship.
era: Was; imperfect past tense of 'ser'.
querido: Beloved; liked or loved by those around.
ella: She; third person feminine singular pronoun.
Bien: Well; an expression of acknowledgment or agreement.
señor: Mister or sir; polite title for an adult man.
dijo: Said; preterite form of 'decir' (to say).
ha: Has; auxiliary verb used in perfect tenses.
oído: Heard; past participle of 'oír' (to hear).
usted: Formal second person singular pronoun meaning 'you'.
hablar: To speak or to talk; common infinitive verb.
desgracia: Misfortune, disgrace, or unfortunate event.
nos: Us; first person plural object pronoun.
sobrevenido: Befallen; occurred suddenly and unexpectedly to someone.
Sí: Yes; affirmative response to a question.
pobre: Poor; used to express pity or financial poverty.
capitán: Captain; the commander of a ship or unit.
valiente: Brave, courageous; not afraid of danger.
honrado: Honest, honorable; having strong moral principles.
Y: Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting two elements.
marino: Sailor or mariner; someone who works at sea.
primera: First; feminine form of the ordinal number one.
había: Had; imperfect form of 'haber,' auxiliary verb.
prestado: Rendered or lent; past participle of 'prestar'.
servicio: Service; work or duty performed for others.
largo: Long; great in length, duration, or extent.
honorable: Deserving respect; acting with integrity and honor.
correspondía: Corresponded; was appropriate or fitting for someone.
encargado: In charge of; person responsible for a task.
intereses: Interests or financial stakes in a business.
una: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine).
casa: House or firm; can refer to a business company.
importante: Important; significant or of great consequence.
e: Variant of 'y' meaning 'and,' used before 'i' sound.
Hijo: Son; male child of a parent; also 'Jr.'
respondió: Responded; preterite form of 'responder' (to answer).
Pero: But; conjunction indicating contrast or exception.
el: Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular).
armador: Shipowner; person who owns and operates a ship.
mirando: Looking; present participle of 'mirar' (to look).
hacia: Toward; preposition indicating direction or orientation.
observaba: Was observing; imperfect tense of 'observar'.
anclaje: Anchorage; the area where ships anchor safely.
barco: Ship or boat; a vessel used for water travel.
me: Me; first person singular reflexive or object pronoun.
parece: Seems or appears; third person of 'parecer'.
marinero: Sailor; a person who works on a ship.
no: No or not; used to negate statements or questions.
necesita: Needs; third person singular of 'necesitar'.
ser: To be; essential Spanish infinitive expressing identity.
viejo: Old; advanced in age or long in existence.
dice: Says; third person singular present of 'decir'.
entender: To understand; to comprehend something fully.
oficio: Trade, craft, or profession; a skilled occupation.
pues: Well; conjunction meaning 'so,' 'then,' or 'because'.
nuestro: Our; first person plural possessive adjective.
amigo: Friend; a person with whom one has a bond.
entenderlo: To understand it; infinitive with attached object pronoun.
perfección: Perfection; the state of being flawless or excellent.
necesitar: To need; to require something as necessary.
instrucción: Instruction; teaching or formal training received.
nadie: Nobody; no person at all.
lanzando: Throwing or casting; present participle of 'lanzar'.
mirada: Glance or gaze; the act of looking at someone.
cargada: Loaded or charged; full of emotion or weight.
odio: Hatred; intense dislike or hostility toward someone.
es: Is; third person singular present tense of 'ser'.
joven: Young; of relatively few years; a young person.
juventud: Youth; the period of being young.
invariablemente: Invariably; always, without any change or exception.
presumida: Conceited or presumptuous; overly proud of oneself.
Apenas: Hardly or scarcely; as soon as something happened.
exhalado: Exhaled; breathed out; past participle of 'exhalar'.
último: Last; final in a series or sequence.
aliento: Breath; air exhaled from the lungs.
cuando: When; at the time that something occurred.
él: He; third person masculine singular subject pronoun.
asumió: Assumed or took on; preterite of 'asumir'.
mando: Command; authority or control over a group.
sin: Without; preposition indicating absence or lack.
consultar: To consult; to seek advice or permission from someone.
hizo: Made or did; preterite form of 'hacer'.
perder: To lose or waste; to fail to keep or use.
día: Day; a 24-hour period of time.
medio: Half or middle; midpoint between two extremes.
en: In or at; preposition indicating location or time.
isla: Island; a landmass surrounded entirely by water.
lugar: Place or location; a specific spot or area.
poner: To put or place; to set something somewhere.
rumbo: Course or heading; the direction a ship travels.
directamente: Directly; in a straight line without detours.

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