The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People — Page 5
And before I allow you to marry her, you will have to clear up the whole question of Cecily.
Y antes de que te permita casarte con ella, tendrás que aclarar toda la cuestión de Cecily.
[Rings bell.]
[Toca el timbre.]
Cecily! What on earth do you mean?
¡Cecily! ¿Qué diablos quieres decir?
What do you mean, Algy, by Cecily!
¡¿Qué quieres decir, Algy, con Cecily?!
I don't know any one of the name of Cecily.
No conozco a nadie que se llame Cecily.
[Enter Lane.]
[Entra Lane.]
Bring me that cigarette case Mr. Worthing left in the smoking-room the last time he dined here.
Tráigame esa pitillera que el señor Worthing dejó en el fumador la última vez que cenó aquí.
Yes, sir.
Sí, señor.
[Lane goes out.]
[Lane sale.]
Do you mean to say you have had my cigarette case all this time?
¿Quieres decir que has tenido mi pitillera todo este tiempo?
I wish to goodness you had let me know.
Ojalá me lo hubieras hecho saber.
I have been writing frantic letters to Scotland Yard about it.
He estado escribiendo cartas desesperadas a Scotland Yard al respecto.
I was very nearly offering a large reward.
Estuve a punto de ofrecer una gran recompensa.
Well, I wish you would offer one.
Pues, ojalá la ofrecieras.
I happen to be more than usually hard up.
Resulta que estoy más apurado de dinero que de costumbre.
There is no good offering a large reward now that the thing is found.
No tiene sentido ofrecer una gran recompensa ahora que el objeto ha aparecido.
[Enter Lane with the cigarette case on a salver. Algernon takes it at once. Lane goes out.]
[Entra Lane con la pitillera en una bandeja. Algernon la toma de inmediato. Lane sale.]
I think that is rather mean of you, Ernest, I must say.
Creo que eso es bastante mezquino de tu parte, Ernest, he de decirlo.
[Opens case and examines it.]
[Abre la pitillera y la examina.]
However, it makes no matter, for, now that I look at the inscription inside, I find that the thing isn't yours after all.
Sin embargo, no importa, porque ahora que miro la inscripción interior, descubro que la cosa no es tuya después de todo.
Of course it's mine.
Por supuesto que es mía.
[Moving to him.]
[Acercándose a él.]
You have seen me with it a hundred times, and you have no right whatsoever to read what is written inside.
Me has visto con ella cien veces, y no tienes ningún derecho a leer lo que está escrito en el interior.
Vocabulary
- antes
- Means 'before' in time or order.
- permita
- Subjunctive form of 'permitir', meaning 'to allow' or 'permit'.
- casarte
- Reflexive infinitive meaning 'to marry' or 'get married'.
- tendrás
- Future tense of 'tener', meaning 'you will have'.
- aclarar
- Verb meaning 'to clarify' or 'clear up' a matter.
- cuestión
- Noun meaning 'question', 'issue', or 'matter' to resolve.
- Toca
- Third-person or imperative of 'tocar', meaning 'rings' or 'touch'.
- timbre
- Noun meaning 'doorbell' or 'bell' used to call someone.
- diablos
- Noun meaning 'devils', used colloquially as 'the heck' or 'the devil'.
- conozco
- First-person singular of 'conocer', meaning 'I know' someone.
- nadie
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'nobody' or 'no one'.
- llame
- Subjunctive of 'llamarse', meaning 'is called' or 'named'.
- Entra
- Third-person or imperative of 'entrar', meaning 'enters' or 'enter'.
- Tráigame
- Imperative of 'traer' plus 'me', meaning 'bring me' something.
- pitillera
- Noun meaning 'cigarette case', a small container for cigarettes.
- dejó
- Third-person past tense of 'dejar', meaning 'left' or 'left behind'.
- fumador
- Noun meaning 'smoking room' or 'smoker', a designated smoking area.
- última
- Adjective meaning 'last' or 'most recent', feminine form.
- vez
- Noun meaning 'time' or 'occasion', as in 'one time'.
- cenó
- Third-person past tense of 'cenar', meaning 'dined' or 'had dinner'.
- sale
- Third-person singular of 'salir', meaning 'leaves' or 'goes out'.
- tenido
- Past participle of 'tener', meaning 'had' in compound tenses.
- tiempo
- Noun meaning 'time' or 'weather' depending on context.
- Ojalá
- Interjection expressing wish or hope, meaning 'hopefully' or 'I wish'.
- hubieras
- Past subjunctive of 'haber', meaning 'you had' in hypothetical contexts.
- hecho
- Past participle of 'hacer', meaning 'done' or 'made'.
- saber
- Infinitive meaning 'to know' facts or information.
- estado
- Past participle of 'estar', meaning 'been' in compound tenses.
- escribiendo
- Gerund of 'escribir', meaning 'writing' letters or documents.
- cartas
- Noun meaning 'letters', written correspondence sent to someone.
- desesperadas
- Adjective meaning 'desperate' or 'hopeless', feminine plural form.
- respecto
- Noun meaning 'regard' or 'respect', as in 'regarding this matter'.
- Estuve
- First-person past tense of 'estar', meaning 'I was' temporarily.
- punto
- Noun meaning 'point'; in 'a punto de' means 'about to' do something.
- ofrecer
- Infinitive meaning 'to offer' something to someone.
- recompensa
- Noun meaning 'reward' offered for information or return of something.
- Pues
- Conjunction or filler meaning 'well', 'then', or 'so'.
- ofrecieras
- Past subjunctive of 'ofrecer', meaning 'you had offered' hypothetically.
- Resulta
- Third-person of 'resultar', meaning 'it turns out' or 'it seems'.
- apurado
- Adjective meaning 'pressed for money' or 'in a hurry'.
- dinero
- Noun meaning 'money', currency used for transactions.
- costumbre
- Noun meaning 'habit' or 'custom', a usual practice or routine.
- sentido
- Noun meaning 'sense' or 'meaning'; also past participle of 'sentir'.
- objeto
- Noun meaning 'object' or 'item', a physical thing or goal.
- aparecido
- Past participle of 'aparecer', meaning 'appeared' or 'turned up'.
- bandeja
- Noun meaning 'tray', a flat surface used to carry items.
- toma
- Imperative or third-person of 'tomar', meaning 'takes' or 'take it'.
- inmediato
- Adjective meaning 'immediate' or 'right away', without delay.
- Creo
- First-person singular of 'creer', meaning 'I think' or 'I believe'.
- bastante
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'quite', 'enough', or 'rather'.
- mezquino
- Adjective meaning 'mean', 'petty', or 'stingy' in character.
- parte
- Noun meaning 'part' or 'side', as in 'on your part'.
- decirlo
- Infinitive 'decir' plus 'lo', meaning 'to say it'.
- Abre
- Imperative of 'abrir', meaning 'open' it, a command.
- examina
- Imperative of 'examinar', meaning 'examine' or 'inspect' something.
- Sin
- Preposition meaning 'without', indicating absence of something.
- embargo
- Noun; in 'sin embargo' means 'however' or 'nevertheless'.
- importa
- Third-person of 'importar', meaning 'it matters' or 'it doesn't matter'.
- miro
- First-person singular of 'mirar', meaning 'I look' or 'I glance'.
- inscripción
- Noun meaning 'inscription', text written inside or on an object.
- interior
- Noun or adjective meaning 'interior' or 'inside' of something.
- descubro
- First-person singular of 'descubrir', meaning 'I discover' or 'find out'.
- tuya
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'yours', feminine singular form.
- después
- Adverb meaning 'after' or 'later' in time.
- supuesto
- In 'por supuesto' means 'of course', expressing certainty or agreement.
- mía
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'mine', feminine singular form.
- Acercándose
- Gerund of 'acercarse', meaning 'approaching' or 'drawing near'.
- visto
- Past participle of 'ver', meaning 'seen' in compound tenses.
- cien
- Number meaning 'one hundred', used before nouns.
- veces
- Plural of 'vez', meaning 'times' or 'occasions' repeated.
- ningún
- Adjective meaning 'no' or 'not any', masculine before nouns.
- derecho
- Noun meaning 'right' or legal entitlement to do something.
- leer
- Infinitive meaning 'to read' written text or material.
- escrito
- Past participle of 'escribir', meaning 'written' on or inside something.
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