The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck — Page 4
He said he loved eggs and ducklings; he should be proud to see a fine nestful in his wood-shed.
Dijo que le encantaban los huevos y los patitos; estaría orgulloso de ver un buen nido en su cobertizo.
Jemima Puddle-duck came every afternoon; she laid nine eggs in the nest.
Jemima Puddle-duck venía todas las tardes; puso nueve huevos en el nido.
They were greeny white and very large.
Eran de color blanco verdoso y muy grandes.
The foxy gentleman admired them immensely.
El astuto caballero los admiraba enormemente.
He used to turn them over and count them when Jemima was not there.
Solía darles la vuelta y contarlos cuando Jemima no estaba.
At last Jemima told him that she intended to begin to sit next day--"and I will bring a bag of corn with me, so that I need never leave my nest until the eggs are hatched.
Por fin Jemima le dijo que tenía la intención de empezar a empollar al día siguiente: «y traeré una bolsa de maíz conmigo, para no tener que abandonar jamás mi nido hasta que los huevos eclosionen.
They might catch cold," said the conscientious Jemima.
Podrían resfriarse», dijo la concienzuda Jemima.
"Madam, I beg you not to trouble yourself with a bag; I will provide oats.
«Señora, le ruego que no se moleste con una bolsa; yo proporcionaré avena.
But before you commence your tedious sitting, I intend to give you a treat.
Pero antes de que comience su tediosa tarea de empollar, tengo la intención de darle un placer.
Let us have a dinner-party all to ourselves!
¡Celebremos una cena solo para nosotros!
"May I ask you to bring up some herbs from the farm-garden to make a savoury omelette?
«¿Podría pedirle que traiga algunas hierbas del jardín de la granja para hacer una sabrosa tortilla?
Sage and thyme, and mint and two onions, and some parsley.
Salvia y tomillo, y menta y dos cebollas, y algo de perejil.
I will provide lard for the stuff--lard for the omelette," said the hospitable gentleman with sandy whiskers.
Yo proporcionaré manteca para el relleno, manteca para la tortilla», dijo el hospitalario caballero de patillas rojizas.
Jemima Puddle-duck was a simpleton: not even the mention of sage and onions made her suspicious.
Jemima Puddle-duck era una ingenua: ni siquiera la mención de la salvia y las cebollas le hizo sospechar.
She went round the farm-garden, nibbling off snippets of all the different sorts of herbs that are used for stuffing roast duck.
Recorrió el jardín de la granja, mordisqueando trocitos de todos los diferentes tipos de hierbas que se usan para rellenar el pato asado.
And she waddled into the kitchen, and got two onions out of a basket.
Y entró bamboleándose en la cocina y sacó dos cebollas de una cesta.
Vocabulary
- Dijo
- He/she said; past tense of decir
- que
- That; conjunction connecting clauses
- le
- To him/her/it; indirect object pronoun
- encantaban
- He/she loved; things were pleasing to someone
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article
- huevos
- Eggs; oval objects laid by birds
- y
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- patitos
- Ducklings; small baby ducks
- estaría
- He/she would be; conditional of estar
- orgulloso
- Proud; feeling satisfaction and pride
- de
- Of/from; common Spanish preposition
- ver
- To see; infinitive of ver
- un
- A/an; masculine singular indefinite article
- buen
- Good; shortened form of bueno before nouns
- nido
- Nest; structure built by birds for eggs
- en
- In/at; common Spanish preposition of location
- su
- His/her/its; possessive adjective third person
- cobertizo
- Shed; small outdoor storage or shelter structure
- venía
- She was coming; imperfect tense of venir
- todas
- All/every; feminine plural of todo
- las
- The; feminine plural definite article
- tardes
- Afternoons/evenings; plural of tarde
- puso
- She laid/put; preterite of poner
- nueve
- Nine; the number nine
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article
- Eran
- They were; imperfect tense of ser
- color
- Color; hue or shade of something
- blanco
- White; the color white
- verdoso
- Greenish; slightly green in color
- muy
- Very; adverb intensifying adjectives or adverbs
- grandes
- Large/big; plural adjective describing size
- El
- The; masculine singular definite article
- astuto
- Cunning/crafty; clever in a sly way
- caballero
- Gentleman; polite term for a man
- admiraba
- He admired; imperfect tense of admirar
- enormemente
- Enormously; to a very great degree
- Solía
- He used to; habitual past action imperfect
- darles
- To give them; infinitive with indirect pronoun
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- vuelta
- Turn; rotation or turning something over
- contarlos
- To count them; infinitive with direct pronoun
- cuando
- When; temporal conjunction linking clauses
- no
- Not/no; basic negation word
- estaba
- Was; imperfect tense of estar
- Por
- By/for/through; versatile Spanish preposition
- fin
- End/finally; conclusion or end point
- dijo
- Said; preterite third person of decir
- tenía
- She had; imperfect tense of tener
- intención
- Intention; plan or purpose to do something
- empezar
- To begin/start; infinitive of empezar
- a
- To/at; common Spanish preposition
- empollar
- To incubate; sit on eggs to hatch them
- al
- To the; contraction of a + el
- día
- Day; a 24-hour period of time
- siguiente
- Following/next; the next one in sequence
- traeré
- I will bring; future tense of traer
- una
- A/an; feminine singular indefinite article
- bolsa
- Bag; container carried by hand
- maíz
- Corn/maize; cereal grain used as food
- conmigo
- With me; prepositional pronoun first person
- para
- For/in order to; preposition of purpose
- tener
- To have; basic infinitive of tener
- abandonar
- To abandon; to leave something behind completely
- jamás
- Never/ever; emphatic negation of time
- mi
- My; first person singular possessive adjective
- hasta
- Until; preposition indicating a time limit
- eclosionen
- They hatch; eggs break open releasing young
- Podrían
- They could; conditional of poder
- resfriarse
- To catch a cold; to get chilled
- concienzuda
- Conscientious; thorough and careful in work
- Señora
- Mrs./Ma'am; respectful title for a woman
- ruego
- I beg/request; first person of rogar
- se
- Yourself/herself; reflexive pronoun third person
- moleste
- Bother/trouble yourself; reflexive of molestar
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment
- yo
- I; first person singular subject pronoun
- proporcionaré
- I will provide; future tense of proporcionar
- avena
- Oats; cereal grain used as animal feed
- Pero
- But; coordinating conjunction showing contrast
- antes
- Before; adverb indicating prior time
- comience
- You begin; present subjunctive of comenzar
- tediosa
- Tedious; boring and tiresome over long time
- tarea
- Task; a piece of work to be done
- tengo
- I have; first person present of tener
- darle
- To give you; infinitive with indirect pronoun
- placer
- Pleasure; feeling of happiness or enjoyment
- Celebremos
- Let us celebrate; first person plural subjunctive
- cena
- Dinner; evening meal
- solo
- Only/alone; just the two of us
- nosotros
- We/us; first person plural pronoun
- Podría
- Could you; conditional of poder polite request
- pedirle
- To ask you; infinitive with indirect pronoun
- traiga
- Bring; present subjunctive of traer
- algunas
- Some; feminine plural indefinite adjective
- hierbas
- Herbs; aromatic plants used in cooking
- del
- From the/of the; contraction of de + el
- jardín
- Garden; outdoor space where plants grow
- granja
- Farm; land and buildings for agriculture
- hacer
- To make/do; common Spanish infinitive
- sabrosa
- Tasty/delicious; having a pleasing flavor
- tortilla
- Omelette; dish made with beaten eggs
- Salvia
- Sage; aromatic herb used in cooking
- tomillo
- Thyme; fragrant herb used in cooking
- menta
- Mint; aromatic herb with cool flavor
- dos
- Two; the number two
- cebollas
- Onions; bulb vegetables used in cooking
- algo
- Some/something; indefinite quantity or thing
- perejil
- Parsley; green herb used as garnish
- Yo
- I; first person singular subject pronoun
- manteca
- Lard/butter; animal fat used in cooking
- relleno
- Stuffing/filling; mixture put inside food
- hospitalario
- Hospitable; friendly and welcoming to guests
- patillas
- Sideburns; hair grown on sides of face
- rojizas
- Reddish; slightly red in color
- era
- Was; imperfect tense of ser
- ingenua
- Naive; simple and lacking worldly experience
- ni
- Not even/neither; negative conjunction
- siquiera
- Even; used for emphasis in negative sentences
- mención
- Mention; a reference to something said
- salvia
- Sage; culinary herb used in meat stuffing
- hizo
- Made/did; preterite of hacer
- sospechar
- To suspect; to have doubts about something
- Recorrió
- She went through/traversed; preterite of recorrer
- mordisqueando
- Nibbling; taking small bites of something
- trocitos
- Little pieces; small bits of something
- todos
- All; masculine plural of todo
- diferentes
- Different; varied, not the same
- tipos
- Types/kinds; categories or varieties of things
- usan
- They use; third person plural of usar
- rellenar
- To stuff/fill; to put filling inside food
- pato
- Duck; a waterfowl often eaten as food
- asado
- Roasted; cooked in an oven with dry heat
- Y
- And; coordinating conjunction
- entró
- She entered; preterite of entrar
- bamboleándose
- Waddling/swaying; moving from side to side
- cocina
- Kitchen; room where food is prepared
- sacó
- She took out; preterite of sacar
- cesta
- Basket; woven container for carrying things
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