War and Peace — Page 3
Well, and what has been decided about Novosíltsev's dispatch? You know everything."
"Bien, ¿y qué se ha decidido sobre el despacho de Novosíltsev? Usted lo sabe todo."
"What can one say about it?" replied the prince in a cold, listless tone.
«¿Qué se puede decir al respecto?», respondió el príncipe en un tono frío e indiferente.
"What has been decided? They have decided that Buonaparte has burnt his boats, and I believe that we are ready to burn ours."
«¿Qué se ha decidido? Han decidido que Buonaparte ha quemado sus naves, y creo que nosotros estamos listos para quemar las nuestras.»
Prince Vasíli always spoke languidly, like an actor repeating a stale part.
El príncipe Vasíli siempre hablaba con languidez, como un actor que repite un papel trillado.
Anna Pávlovna Schérer on the contrary, despite her forty years, overflowed with animation and impulsiveness.
Anna Pávlovna Schérer, por el contrario, a pesar de sus cuarenta años, desbordaba animación e impulsividad.
To be an enthusiast had become her social vocation and, sometimes even when she did not feel like it, she became enthusiastic in order not to disappoint the expectations of those who knew her.
Ser una entusiasta se había convertido en su vocación social y, a veces, incluso cuando no tenía ganas, se entusiasmaba para no decepcionar las expectativas de quienes la conocían.
The subdued smile which, though it did not suit her faded features, always played round her lips expressed, as in a spoiled child, a continual consciousness of her charming defect, which she neither wished, nor could, nor considered it necessary, to correct.
La sonrisa apagada que, aunque no favorecía sus facciones marchitas, siempre rondaba sus labios expresaba, como en un niño mimado, una conciencia continua de su encantador defecto, que ella ni deseaba, ni podía, ni consideraba necesario corregir.
In the midst of a conversation on political matters Anna Pávlovna burst out:
En medio de una conversación sobre asuntos políticos, Anna Pávlovna exclamó:
"Oh, don't speak to me of Austria.
«¡Oh, no me hablen de Austria!
Perhaps I don't understand things, but Austria never has wished, and does not wish, for war.
Quizás yo no entienda las cosas, pero Austria nunca ha deseado, ni desea, la guerra.
She is betraying us!
¡Nos está traicionando!
Russia alone must save Europe.
¡Solo Rusia puede salvar a Europa.
Our gracious sovereign recognizes his high vocation and will be true to it.
Nuestro bondadoso soberano reconoce su alta vocación y le será fiel.
That is the one thing I have faith in!
¡Eso es lo único en lo que tengo fe!
Our good and wonderful sovereign has to perform the noblest role on earth, and he is so virtuous and noble that God will not forsake him.
Nuestro bueno y maravilloso soberano tiene que desempeñar el papel más noble de la tierra, y es tan virtuoso y noble que Dios no lo abandonará.
Vocabulary
- Bien
- Well; used to express agreement or transition
- qué
- What; interrogative or exclamatory pronoun
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with many Spanish verbs
- ha
- Has; third-person singular of haber (auxiliary)
- decidido
- Decided; past participle of decidir
- sobre
- About, on, or over; common preposition
- despacho
- Office or dispatch; room for work or messages
- Usted
- You; formal second-person singular pronoun
- lo
- It or him; masculine direct object pronoun
- sabe
- Knows; third-person singular of saber
- todo
- Everything, all; indicates totality
- Qué
- What; used in exclamations or questions
- puede
- Can, is able to; from poder
- decir
- To say or tell; common infinitive verb
- respecto
- Regard, respect; al respecto means in that regard
- respondió
- He/she responded; preterite of responder
- príncipe
- Prince; male member of royal family
- tono
- Tone; manner or quality of voice
- frío
- Cold; low temperature or emotionally distant
- e
- And; variant of y before i- or hi- sounds
- indiferente
- Indifferent; showing no interest or concern
- Han
- They have; third-person plural of haber
- quemado
- Burned; past participle of quemar
- naves
- Ships; quemar las naves means burn one's bridges
- creo
- I believe or think; from creer
- nosotros
- We; first-person plural subject pronoun
- estamos
- We are; first-person plural of estar
- listos
- Ready; prepared to do something
- quemar
- To burn; to set on fire
- nuestras
- Our; feminine plural possessive adjective
- siempre
- Always; at all times without exception
- hablaba
- Was speaking; imperfect tense of hablar
- languidez
- Languor; slow, weak, or listless manner
- como
- Like, as, how; comparison or manner connector
- actor
- Actor; person who performs in theater or film
- repite
- Repeats; third-person singular of repetir
- papel
- Paper or role; part played by an actor
- trillado
- Hackneyed, worn-out; overused and unoriginal
- contrario
- Contrary, opposite; por el contrario means on the contrary
- pesar
- Despite; a pesar de means in spite of
- cuarenta
- Forty; the number 40
- años
- Years; units of time, also used for age
- desbordaba
- Overflowed; she overflowed with energy or emotion
- animación
- Animation, liveliness; energetic and lively manner
- impulsividad
- Impulsiveness; tendency to act without thinking
- Ser
- To be; permanent or essential state verb
- entusiasta
- Enthusiast; person full of enthusiasm
- había
- Had; imperfect of haber used in past perfect
- convertido
- Converted, become; past participle of convertir
- vocación
- Vocation, calling; strong inclination toward a career
- social
- Social; relating to society or social interaction
- veces
- Times; a veces means sometimes
- incluso
- Even, including; used to add emphasis
- cuando
- When; temporal conjunction
- tenía
- Had; imperfect tense of tener
- ganas
- Desire, wish; tener ganas means to feel like doing
- entusiasmaba
- Excited, enthused; imperfect of entusiasmar
- decepcionar
- To disappoint; to fail someone's expectations
- expectativas
- Expectations; things anticipated or hoped for
- quienes
- Who, those who; relative pronoun for people
- conocían
- Knew; imperfect of conocer meaning to know someone
- sonrisa
- Smile; facial expression showing happiness
- apagada
- Faded, dim; lacking brightness or liveliness
- aunque
- Although, even though; concessive conjunction
- favorecía
- Favored, suited; imperfect of favorecer
- facciones
- Facial features; the lines and parts of the face
- marchitas
- Withered, wilted; dried up or faded appearance
- rondaba
- Hovered around, lingered; imperfect of rondar
- labios
- Lips; the fleshy parts around the mouth
- expresaba
- Expressed; imperfect tense of expresar
- niño
- Child, boy; young male person
- mimado
- Spoiled, pampered; overly indulged child
- conciencia
- Awareness, conscience; conscious knowledge of something
- continua
- Continuous; uninterrupted or constant
- encantador
- Charming, delightful; very pleasing in manner
- defecto
- Defect, flaw; an imperfection or shortcoming
- ella
- She, her; third-person feminine subject pronoun
- ni
- Nor, not even; used in negative correlations
- deseaba
- Desired, wanted; imperfect of desear
- podía
- Could; imperfect tense of poder
- consideraba
- Considered; imperfect of considerar
- necesario
- Necessary; something required or essential
- corregir
- To correct; to fix or improve a mistake
- medio
- Middle, amid; en medio de means in the middle of
- conversación
- Conversation; verbal exchange between people
- asuntos
- Matters, affairs, subjects; topics being discussed
- políticos
- Political; relating to politics or government
- exclamó
- Exclaimed; preterite of exclamar
- hablen
- Speak to; subjunctive of hablar, used in commands
- Quizás
- Perhaps, maybe; expresses uncertainty or possibility
- entienda
- Understand; subjunctive form of entender
- cosas
- Things; general objects or matters
- pero
- But; conjunction showing contrast
- nunca
- Never; at no time, negative of always
- deseado
- Desired, wanted; past participle of desear
- desea
- Desires, wants; third-person singular of desear
- guerra
- War; armed conflict between nations or groups
- Nos
- Us; first-person plural object pronoun
- está
- Is; third-person singular of estar
- traicionando
- Betraying; present participle of traicionar
- Solo
- Only, alone; by itself or exclusively
- salvar
- To save; to rescue from danger or harm
- Nuestro
- Our; first-person plural possessive adjective
- bondadoso
- Kind, good-natured; benevolent and generous
- soberano
- Sovereign; a ruler with supreme authority
- reconoce
- Recognizes; third-person singular of reconocer
- alta
- High; elevated in level, status, or importance
- le
- To him, to her, to you; indirect object pronoun
- será
- Will be; future tense of ser
- fiel
- Faithful, loyal; devoted and trustworthy
- Eso
- That; neuter demonstrative pronoun
- único
- Only, unique; the one and only thing
- tengo
- I have; first-person singular of tener
- fe
- Faith; trust or belief in something
- bueno
- Good; positive quality or moral virtue
- maravilloso
- Wonderful, marvelous; causing admiration and wonder
- tiene
- Has; third-person singular of tener
- desempeñar
- To perform, fulfill; to carry out a role
- más
- More, most; indicates greater degree
- noble
- Noble; honorable and of high moral character
- tierra
- Earth, land; the ground or a country
- tan
- So, as; used in comparisons or emphasis
- virtuoso
- Virtuous; having high moral standards
- Dios
- God; supreme divine being
- abandonará
- Will abandon; future tense of abandonar
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