The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People — Page 1
Morning-room in Algernon's flat in Half-Moon Street. The room is luxuriously and artistically furnished. The sound of a piano is heard in the adjoining room.
Salón matutino en el apartamento de Algernon en Half-Moon Street. La habitación está lujosa y artísticamente amueblada. Se escucha el sonido de un piano en la habitación contigua.
[Lane is arranging afternoon tea on the table, and after the music has ceased, Algernon enters.]
[Lane está preparando el té de la tarde en la mesa, y después de que la música ha cesado, entra Algernon.]
Did you hear what I was playing, Lane?
¿Escuchaste lo que estaba tocando, Lane?
I didn't think it polite to listen, sir.
No me pareció cortés escuchar, señor.
I'm sorry for that, for your sake. I don't play accurately—any one can play accurately—but I play with wonderful expression. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science for Life.
Lo lamento, por su bien. No toco con precisión —cualquiera puede tocar con precisión—, pero toco con una expresión maravillosa. En lo que respecta al piano, el sentimiento es mi fuerte. Reservo la ciencia para la Vida.
Yes, sir.
Sí, señor.
And, speaking of the science of Life, have you got the cucumber sandwiches cut for Lady Bracknell?
Y, hablando de la ciencia de la Vida, ¿ha cortado los sándwiches de pepino para Lady Bracknell?
Yes, sir. [Hands them on a salver.]
Sí, señor. [Se los entrega en una bandeja.]
[Inspects them, takes two, and sits down on the sofa.] Oh! . by the way, Lane, I see from your book that on Thursday night, when Lord Shoreman and Mr. Worthing were dining with me, eight bottles of champagne are entered as having been consumed.
[Los inspecciona, toma dos y se sienta en el sofá.] ¡Oh! Por cierto, Lane, veo en su libro que el jueves por la noche, cuando Lord Shoreman y el señor Worthing cenaban conmigo, figuran ocho botellas de champán como consumidas.
Yes, sir; eight bottles and a pint.
Sí, señor; ocho botellas y una pinta.
Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne? I ask merely for information.
¿Por qué razón en la casa de un soltero los criados beben invariablemente el champán? Lo pregunto meramente para información.
I attribute it to the superior quality of the wine, sir. I have often observed that in married households the champagne is rarely of a first-rate brand.
Lo atribuyo a la calidad superior del vino, señor. He observado con frecuencia que en los hogares de casados el champán raramente es de una marca de primera categoría.
Good heavens! Is marriage so demoralising as that?
¡Santo cielo! ¿Es el matrimonio tan desmoralizador como eso?
I believe it _is_ a very pleasant state, sir.
Creo que _es_ un estado muy agradable, señor.
Vocabulary
- Salón
- Living room or large formal reception room
- matutino
- Relating to or occurring in the morning
- en
- Preposition meaning in, on, or at
- el
- Definite masculine singular article meaning the
- apartamento
- A residential unit within a larger building
- de
- Preposition meaning of, from, or about
- habitación
- A room, especially a bedroom in a building
- está
- Third person singular of estar meaning is
- lujosa
- Luxurious, elegant, and richly furnished or decorated
- y
- Conjunction meaning and, connecting words or phrases
- artísticamente
- In an artistic manner, with aesthetic skill
- amueblada
- Furnished with furniture, decorated and equipped inside
- Se
- Reflexive or impersonal pronoun used in constructions
- escucha
- One listens or hears a sound nearby
- sonido
- A sound or noise perceived by the ear
- un
- Indefinite masculine singular article meaning a or an
- piano
- A large keyboard musical instrument with strings
- la
- Definite feminine singular article meaning the
- contigua
- Adjacent, sharing a wall or border with something
- preparando
- Preparing or getting something ready for use
- té
- Tea, a hot beverage brewed from leaves
- tarde
- Afternoon, or late in the day
- mesa
- A table used for eating or working
- después
- Afterward, later, or following in time
- que
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning that or which
- música
- Music, organized sound for artistic expression
- ha
- Third person singular of haber, auxiliary verb
- cesado
- Stopped or ceased, past participle of cesar
- entra
- Enters, comes into a room or space
- Escuchaste
- You listened or heard something, past tense
- lo
- Direct object pronoun meaning it or him
- estaba
- Was, imperfect tense of estar indicating ongoing state
- tocando
- Playing an instrument or touching something presently
- No
- Negation word meaning no or not
- me
- Reflexive or indirect object pronoun meaning me
- pareció
- Seemed or appeared, preterite of parecer
- cortés
- Polite, courteous, and well-mannered in behavior
- escuchar
- To listen to or hear something intentionally
- señor
- Mister or sir, polite address for a man
- Lo
- Direct object pronoun meaning it, referring to something
- lamento
- I regret or am sorry about something
- por
- Preposition meaning for, by, or because of
- bien
- Well, good, indicating quality or approval
- toco
- I play an instrument or I touch something
- con
- Preposition meaning with, together or accompanied by
- precisión
- Precision, exactness, and accuracy in performing something
- cualquiera
- Anyone or any, an indefinite pronoun
- puede
- Can or is able to, third person singular
- tocar
- To play a musical instrument or touch
- pero
- But, a conjunction indicating contrast or exception
- una
- Indefinite feminine singular article meaning a or an
- expresión
- Expression, conveying emotion or meaning through performance
- maravillosa
- Wonderful, marvelous, and astonishing in quality
- respecta
- Concerns or relates to, as in with regard
- al
- Contraction of a and el meaning to the
- sentimiento
- Feeling or emotion expressed through actions or art
- es
- Is, third person singular of ser
- mi
- My, first person singular possessive adjective
- fuerte
- Strong point, strength, or a strong characteristic
- Reservo
- I reserve or save something for later use
- ciencia
- Science, systematic knowledge based on observation and study
- para
- For, in order to, or toward a destination
- Vida
- Life, existence, or one's way of living
- Sí
- Yes, affirmative response to a question
- hablando
- Speaking or talking, present participle of hablar
- cortado
- Cut, past participle of cortar; sliced or trimmed
- los
- Definite masculine plural article meaning the
- sándwiches
- Sandwiches, food between two slices of bread
- pepino
- Cucumber, a green vegetable used in food
- entrega
- Delivers or hands over something to someone
- bandeja
- A tray used to carry food or drinks
- Los
- Masculine plural definite article meaning the
- inspecciona
- Inspects or examines something carefully and closely
- toma
- Takes or grabs something, third person singular
- dos
- Two, the cardinal number between one and three
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with verbs in Spanish
- sienta
- Sits down, third person singular of sentarse
- sofá
- A sofa or couch for sitting or lounging
- Oh
- Exclamation expressing surprise, realization, or emotion
- Por
- Preposition meaning for, by, through, or per
- cierto
- Certain, true; por cierto means by the way
- veo
- I see, first person singular of ver
- libro
- A book, a written or printed publication
- jueves
- Thursday, the fifth day of the week
- noche
- Night, the dark period after sunset
- cuando
- When, a conjunction or adverb of time
- cenaban
- They were having dinner, imperfect of cenar
- conmigo
- With me, prepositional pronoun combining con and mí
- figuran
- Appear or are listed, third person plural
- ocho
- Eight, the cardinal number between seven and nine
- botellas
- Bottles, containers typically used for liquids
- champán
- Champagne, a sparkling wine from France
- como
- As, like, or how; used for comparison
- consumidas
- Consumed or used up, past participle of consumir
- pinta
- Appearance, look, or pint as a liquid measure
- qué
- What, an interrogative pronoun or exclamation
- razón
- Reason, cause, or justification for an action
- casa
- House or home, a place where one lives
- soltero
- Bachelor or single man, unmarried male person
- criados
- Servants or domestic staff working in a household
- beben
- They drink, third person plural of beber
- invariablemente
- Invariably, always, without any exception or change
- pregunto
- I ask or wonder, first person singular of preguntar
- meramente
- Merely, simply, only, without anything extra involved
- información
- Information, facts or knowledge provided about something
- atribuyo
- I attribute or assign a cause to something
- a
- Preposition meaning to, at, or toward something
- calidad
- Quality, the standard or degree of excellence
- superior
- Superior, higher in quality or rank than others
- del
- Contraction of de and el meaning of the
- vino
- Wine, an alcoholic beverage made from grapes
- He
- I have, auxiliary verb from haber in perfect tense
- observado
- Observed or noticed, past participle of observar
- frecuencia
- Frequency, how often something occurs or happens
- hogares
- Homes or households, places where families live
- casados
- Married people, plural of casado meaning married
- raramente
- Rarely, seldom, not happening very often
- marca
- Brand or mark, a label identifying a product
- primera
- First, feminine form of the ordinal number primero
- categoría
- Category or class, a level of rank or quality
- Santo
- Saint or holy; used in exclamations like Santo cielo
- cielo
- Sky or heaven, also used in exclamations
- Es
- Is, third person singular of ser
- matrimonio
- Marriage, the legal union between two people
- tan
- So or such, used to intensify adjectives or adverbs
- desmoralizador
- Demoralizing, causing loss of confidence or motivation
- eso
- That, a demonstrative pronoun referring to something nearby
- Creo
- I believe or think, first person singular of creer
- estado
- Been, past participle of estar; also state or condition
- muy
- Very, an adverb intensifying adjectives or other adverbs
- agradable
- Pleasant, enjoyable, agreeable to the senses
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