The Great Gatsby — Page 4
Instead of being the warm centre of the world, the Middle West now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe—so I decided to go East and learn the bond business.
En lugar de ser el cálido centro del mundo, el Medio Oeste ahora parecía el borde irregular del universo, así que decidí ir al Este y aprender el negocio de los bonos.
Everybody I knew was in the bond business, so I supposed it could support one more single man.
Todos los que conocía estaban en el negocio de los bonos, así que supuse que podría mantener a un soltero más.
All my aunts and uncles talked it over as if they were choosing a prep school for me, and finally said, "Why—ye-es," with very grave, hesitant faces.
Todos mis tíos y tías lo debatieron como si estuvieran eligiendo una escuela preparatoria para mí, y finalmente dijeron: «Bueno… sí», con rostros muy serios y vacilantes.
Father agreed to finance me for a year, and after various delays I came East, permanently, I thought, in the spring of twenty-two.
Mi padre acordó financiarme durante un año, y tras varios retrasos llegué al Este, de forma permanente, eso creía yo, en la primavera del veintidós.
The practical thing was to find rooms in the city, but it was a warm season, and I had just left a country of wide lawns and friendly trees, so when a young man at the office suggested that we take a house together in a commuting town, it sounded like a great idea.
Lo práctico habría sido encontrar habitaciones en la ciudad, pero era una época cálida, y acababa de dejar un lugar de amplios jardines y árboles acogedores, así que cuando un joven de la oficina sugirió que alquiláramos juntos una casa en un pueblo bien comunicado, me pareció una idea estupenda.
He found the house, a weather-beaten cardboard bungalow at eighty a month, but at the last minute the firm ordered him to Washington, and I went out to the country alone.
Él encontró la casa, un desvencijado bungaló de madera por ochenta al mes, pero en el último momento la empresa lo destinó a Washington, y yo me fui al campo solo.
I had a dog—at least I had him for a few days until he ran away—and an old Dodge and a Finnish woman, who made my bed and cooked breakfast and muttered Finnish wisdom to herself over the electric stove.
Tenía un perro —al menos lo tuve unos días hasta que se escapó— y un viejo Dodge y una mujer finlandesa, que me hacía la cama y preparaba el desayuno y murmuraba sabiduría finlandesa para sí misma frente a la cocina eléctrica.
It was lonely for a day or so until one morning some man, more recently arrived than I, stopped me on the road.
Me sentí solo durante un día más o menos, hasta que una mañana un hombre, llegado más recientemente que yo, me detuvo en el camino.
Vocabulary
- En
- In, on, at (preposition)
- lugar
- Place, location, spot
- de
- Of, from (preposition)
- ser
- To be (permanent state or identity)
- el
- The (definite article, masculine singular)
- cálido
- Warm, hot (in temperature or feeling)
- centro
- Center, middle, downtown area
- del
- Of the (contraction: de + el)
- mundo
- World, earth, globe
- Medio
- Middle, medium (adjective or noun)
- Oeste
- West (cardinal direction)
- ahora
- Now, at the present time
- parecía
- Seemed, appeared (third person singular preterite)
- borde
- Edge, border, rim, brink
- irregular
- Irregular, uneven, inconsistent pattern
- universo
- Universe, the cosmos
- así
- Thus, so, in this way
- que
- That, which, who (relative/conjunction)
- decidí
- I decided (first person singular preterite)
- ir
- To go, to travel
- al
- To the (contraction: a + el)
- Este
- East (cardinal direction)
- aprender
- To learn, to study something
- negocio
- Business, deal, transaction
- los
- The (definite article, masculine plural)
- bonos
- Bonds, vouchers (financial instruments)
- Todos
- Everyone, all people, everybody
- conocía
- I knew (first person singular imperfect)
- estaban
- They were (third person plural imperfect)
- en
- In, on, at (preposition)
- supuse
- I supposed (first person singular preterite)
- podría
- I could, I would be able to
- mantener
- To maintain, to keep, to support
- un
- A, an (indefinite article, masculine)
- soltero
- Single, bachelor (unmarried man)
- más
- More, most (comparative/superlative)
- mis
- My (possessive adjective, plural)
- tíos
- Uncles, aunts and uncles
- tías
- Aunts (plural of tía)
- lo
- It, him (direct object pronoun)
- debatieron
- They debated (third person plural preterite)
- como
- As, like, how (conjunction/preposition)
- si
- If (conditional conjunction)
- eligiendo
- Choosing, selecting (present participle)
- una
- A, an (indefinite article, feminine)
- escuela
- School, educational institution
- preparatoria
- Preparatory school, high school
- para
- For, in order to (preposition)
- mí
- Me (object pronoun after preposition)
- finalmente
- Finally, at last, in the end
- dijeron
- They said (third person plural preterite)
- Bueno
- Good, well, okay (interjection)
- sí
- Yes (affirmative response)
- con
- With (preposition)
- rostros
- Faces, countenances (plural of rostro)
- muy
- Very, very much (adverb)
- serios
- Serious, grave, earnest (plural)
- Mi
- My (possessive adjective, singular)
- padre
- Father, dad, parent
- acordó
- He agreed (third person singular preterite)
- durante
- During, throughout (preposition)
- año
- Year (period of twelve months)
- tras
- After, behind (preposition)
- varios
- Several, various, multiple
- retrasos
- Delays, postponements (plural of retraso)
- llegué
- I arrived (first person singular preterite)
- forma
- Form, shape, manner, way
- permanente
- Permanent, lasting, constant
- eso
- That, that thing (demonstrative pronoun)
- creía
- I believed (first person singular imperfect)
- yo
- I (personal pronoun)
- la
- The, her, it (definite article/pronoun)
- primavera
- Spring (season of the year)
- veintidós
- Twenty-two (number)
- Lo
- The, it (neuter definite article)
- práctico
- Practical, pragmatic (adjective)
- habría
- Would have (first person singular conditional)
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