White nights, and other stories — Page 15
No kind-hearted woman, unless she were stupid or, still more, vexed about something at the moment, could bring herself to send you away without those two words which you ask for so timidly....
Ninguna mujer de buen corazón, a menos que fuera estúpida o, aún más, disgustada por algo en ese momento, podría decidirse a mandarte a paseo sin esas dos palabras que pides con tanta timidez....
But what am I saying? Of course she would take you for a madman.
¿Pero qué estoy diciendo? Por supuesto que te tomaría por un loco.
I was judging by myself; I know a good deal about other people's lives."
Yo juzgaba por mí misma; sé bastante sobre la vida de los demás."
"Oh, thank you," I cried; "you don't know what you have done for me now!"
"¡Oh, gracias!", exclamé; "¡no sabes lo que has hecho por mí ahora!"
"I am glad! I am glad! But tell me how did you find out that I was the sort of woman with whom ... well, whom you think worthy ... of attention and friendship ... in fact, not a landlady as you say?
"¡Me alegra! ¡Me alegra! Pero dime, ¿cómo descubriste que yo era el tipo de mujer con quien... bueno, a quien consideras digna... de atención y amistad... en fin, no una casera como dices?
What made you decide to come up to me?"
¿Qué te llevó a decidirte a acercarte a mí?"
"What made me?... But you were alone; that gentleman was too insolent; it's night. You must admit that it was a duty...."
"¿Qué me llevó?... Pero estabas sola; ese caballero era demasiado insolente; es de noche. Debes admitir que era un deber...."
"No, no; I mean before, on the other side--you know you meant to come up to me."
"No, no; me refiero a antes, al otro lado; sabes que tenías intención de acercarte a mí."
"On the other side? Really I don't know how to answer; I am afraid to....
"¿Al otro lado? Realmente no sé cómo responder; me da miedo....
Do you know I have been happy to-day? I walked along singing; I went out into the country; I have never had such happy moments.
¿Sabes que hoy he sido feliz? Caminaba cantando; salí al campo; nunca había tenido momentos tan felices.
You ... perhaps it was my fancy.... Forgive me for referring to it; I fancied you were crying, and I ... could not bear to hear it ... it made my heart ache.... Oh, my goodness!
Usted... quizás fue cosa de mi imaginación.... Perdóneme por mencionarlo; me pareció que estaba llorando, y yo... no podía soportar oírlo... me partía el corazón.... ¡Oh, Dios mío!
Vocabulary
- Ninguna
- No one, none (feminine form of ninguno)
- mujer
- Woman, wife, female person
- de
- Of, from, belonging to
- buen
- Good (shortened form before masculine nouns)
- corazón
- Heart, used literally or emotionally
- a
- To, at, personal object marker
- menos
- Less, fewer, minus
- que
- That, which, than, who
- fuera
- Were (past subjunctive of ser/estar), outside
- estúpida
- Stupid, foolish (feminine adjective)
- o
- Or, either
- aún
- Still, even, yet
- más
- More, most, additional
- disgustada
- Disgusted, displeased, upset (feminine adjective)
- por
- For, by, through, because of
- algo
- Something, anything
- en
- In, at, on
- ese
- That (demonstrative adjective, masculine)
- momento
- Moment, instant, point in time
- podría
- Could, would be able to (conditional)
- decidirse
- To make up one's mind, decide oneself
- mandarte
- To send you, order you away
- paseo
- Walk, stroll; mandar al paseo means dismiss
- sin
- Without, lacking
- esas
- Those (feminine plural demonstrative adjective)
- dos
- Two, the number two
- palabras
- Words, spoken or written terms
- pides
- You ask for, you request (present tense)
- con
- With, together with
- tanta
- So much, such a lot (feminine)
- timidez
- Shyness, timidity, bashfulness
- Pero
- But, however, yet
- qué
- What, which (interrogative pronoun)
- estoy
- I am (present tense of estar)
- diciendo
- Saying, telling (gerund of decir)
- Por
- For, by, because of, through
- supuesto
- Of course, supposed, assumed
- te
- You (indirect/direct object pronoun)
- tomaría
- Would take, would consider (conditional)
- un
- A, an (indefinite article, masculine)
- loco
- Crazy, mad, insane person
- Yo
- I, first person singular pronoun
- juzgaba
- Was judging, used to judge (imperfect)
- mí
- Me, myself (stressed pronoun after prepositions)
- misma
- Herself, myself, same (feminine reflexive emphasis)
- sé
- I know (present tense of saber)
- bastante
- Enough, quite, rather, sufficiently
- sobre
- About, on, over, regarding
- la
- The (definite article, feminine singular)
- vida
- Life, existence, way of living
- los
- The (definite article, masculine plural)
- demás
- The others, the rest, others
- Oh
- Oh (interjection expressing surprise or emotion)
- gracias
- Thank you, thanks, gratitude
- exclamé
- I exclaimed (past tense of exclamar)
- no
- No, not, negation
- sabes
- You know (present tense of saber)
- lo
- It, him (direct object pronoun, neuter)
- has
- You have (auxiliary for present perfect)
- hecho
- Done, made (past participle of hacer)
- ahora
- Now, at this moment
- Me
- Me, myself (reflexive/object pronoun)
- alegra
- Makes happy, gladdens (third person present)
- dime
- Tell me (imperative of decir)
- cómo
- How (interrogative adverb)
- descubriste
- You discovered, you found out (preterite)
- yo
- I, first person singular subject pronoun
- era
- Was (imperfect tense of ser)
- el
- The (definite article, masculine singular)
- tipo
- Type, kind, guy, person
- quien
- Who, whom (relative pronoun)
- bueno
- Good, well, okay (masculine adjective/interjection)
- consideras
- You consider, you regard (present tense)
- digna
- Worthy, deserving (feminine adjective)
- atención
- Attention, care, notice
- y
- And (conjunction)
- amistad
- Friendship, companionship, friendly relationship
- fin
- End, goal, purpose, finally
- una
- A, an (indefinite article, feminine)
- casera
- Landlady, homemaker, homemade (feminine noun)
- como
- Like, as, how, such as
- dices
- You say, you tell (present tense)
- Qué
- What, how (exclamatory or interrogative)
- llevó
- Led, brought, took (preterite of llevar)
- decidirte
- To decide yourself, make up your mind
- acercarte
- To approach, to come closer to someone
- me
- Me, myself (reflexive/object pronoun)
- estabas
- You were (imperfect tense of estar)
- sola
- Alone, by oneself (feminine adjective)
- caballero
- Gentleman, knight, sir
- demasiado
- Too much, excessively, overly
- insolente
- Insolent, rude, disrespectful person
- es
- Is (third person singular of ser)
- noche
- Night, nighttime, evening
- Debes
- You must, you should (present of deber)
- admitir
- To admit, to acknowledge, to accept
- deber
- Duty, obligation, to owe, must
- No
- No, not (negation)
- refiero
- I refer, I mean (present of referirse)
- antes
- Before, previously, earlier
- al
- To the (contraction of a + el)
- otro
- Other, another, different
- lado
- Side, edge, direction
- tenías
- You had, you were having (imperfect)
- intención
- Intention, purpose, plan
- Al
- To the, upon (contraction a + el)
- Realmente
- Really, truly, actually
- responder
- To respond, to answer, to reply
- da
- Gives, causes (third person of dar)
- miedo
- Fear, fright, terror
- Sabes
- You know (present tense of saber)
- hoy
- Today, this day
- he
- I have (auxiliary for present perfect)
- sido
- Been (past participle of ser)
- feliz
- Happy, joyful, content
- Caminaba
- Was walking, used to walk (imperfect)
- cantando
- Singing (gerund of cantar)
- salí
- I left, I went out (preterite of salir)
- campo
- Countryside, field, rural area
- nunca
- Never, not ever
- había
- There was, had (imperfect of haber)
- tenido
- Had (past participle of tener)
- momentos
- Moments, instances, periods of time
- tan
- So, as, such (adverb of degree)
- felices
- Happy, joyful (plural of feliz)
- Usted
- You (formal second person singular pronoun)
- quizás
- Perhaps, maybe, possibly
- fue
- Was, went (preterite of ser/ir)
- cosa
- Thing, object, matter
- mi
- My (possessive adjective, singular)
- imaginación
- Imagination, fancy, creative thought
- Perdóneme
- Forgive me, pardon me (formal imperative)
- mencionarlo
- To mention it (infinitive with object pronoun)
- pareció
- Seemed, appeared (preterite of parecer)
- estaba
- Was (imperfect tense of estar)
- llorando
- Crying, weeping (gerund of llorar)
- podía
- Could, was able to (imperfect of poder)
- soportar
- To bear, to tolerate, to endure
- oírlo
- To hear it (infinitive with object pronoun)
- partía
- Was leaving, departed (imperfect of partir)
- Dios
- God, deity (used in exclamations often)
- mío
- Mine, my (possessive pronoun, masculine)
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