Archives for April 2018

Los Tres Osos🐻🐻 (1/7)

Close·to un forest beautiful lived tres osos. These osos eran[were] muy good y friendly. They had construido una casa comfortable with just una door y una window. Uno de los osos era muy[very] pequeño[little], uno de size mediano* y el other era muy grande.

Tenían[They had] en[in] la casa all they needed. Tenían un plato pequeño for el oso[bear] pequeño, un plato mediano[medium] for el oso mediano, y un plato grande for el oso grande. Tenían[They had] una chair pequeña for el oso pequeño, una chair mediana for el oso mediano, y una chair grande for el oso🐻🐻 grande. Tenían una bed pequeña[little] for el oso pequeño, una bed mediana for el oso mediano, y una bed grande[big] for el oso grande. Y this era[was] all.

*characteristics: it’s common to·attach characteristics to nouns with just “de” + the trait (without an article), as shown here.

Los Tres Osos (2/7)

Una morning tenían[they had] sopa for el lunch. They dished out la sopa🍜 en los platos. But la sopa estaba[I was] so hot that no they could touch·it with la tongue*. Los osos, as you know, no emplean either spoons, nor knives, nor forks. Los platos de sopa estaban en[on] el floor, because los osos no emplean tables.

-Let’s go a take un walk, -said el oso grande;- y when we come back we can drink la sopa.

Los osos🐻🐻 tenían hunger, mucha hunger, but eran[they were] muy pacientes y everybody left a take un walk through el forest; first el oso grande, then el oso mediano[medium] y finally el oso pequeño.

*when referring to a single body part that all in a group share, the singular is often used; when it is clear who is the owner of that body part, the article is used instead of the possessive pronoun.

LOS TRES OSOS (3/7)

Afterward, entró una girl en el forest. She saw la pequeña casa pero[but] no knew de whom era[it was]. She thought que[that] la casa era muy beautiful y quería[wanted] entrar in order to·see·it. Like so, she knocked a la door.

No one respondió. She thought que all las personas de la casa estaban[were] asleep. She knocked another time, pero[but] no one respondió. Now thought la girl que[that] no one estaba en la casa. She opened la door y entró. Everything appeared so comfortable que quería[she wanted] to·stay there some minutos. Estaba[She was] muy tired y quería to·rest.

Saw la girl los tres platos en el floor. Tenía mucha hunger y quería probar[probe/prove> to try] la sopa. Probó la sopa[soup] que estaba en el plato grande[big]. Estaba muy[very] cold. Then probó[she tried] la sopa que[that] estaba en el plato mediano; pero estaba[it was] muy hot. Then probó la sopa que estaba en el plato pequeño y estaba so delicioso que she drank it whole.

LOS TRES OSOS (4/7)

Al other side del room estaban[were] las tres sillas💺💺. La girl quería[wanted] to·rest before going a casa*.

First probó[she tried] la silla grande; pero[but] era muy tall. Afterward, probó la silla[chair] mediana; pero era[it was] muy wide. Finally probó la silla pequeña[little]; pero al** seating herself en it, she broke it.

Then she saw las camas🛏🛏 en la bedroom, y quería to·sleep la siesta before going a casa.

First probó[she tried] la cama grande; pero era too soft. Afterward, probó la cama[bed] mediana; pero era too hard. Finally probó la cama pequeña y as era muy comfortable, Herself she threw en it y slept.

*a casa: in this sense, “casa” means “home”
**al: literally “at the” or “to the”, the best translation of “al” is sometimes “upon”

LOS TRES OSOS (5/7)

While she was sleeping, los tres osos came back a casa. Tenían hunger after su[their] walk y querían to·drink la sopa. El oso grande lifted su[his] plato y bellowed:

-Someone ha[has] probado[tasted] mi sopa!

Then el oso mediano lifted su[her] plato y growled:

-Alguien[Someone] ha probado mi sopa also!

Finally el oso pequeño lifted su[its] plato y shouted:

-Alguien ha[has] probado mi sopa y ha drunk it whole!

LOS TRES OSOS (6/7)

Then went everybody al other side del room a seat themselves en sus[their] sillas. First el oso grande probó su silla💺 y bellowed:

-Alguien[Someone] themself ha seated en mi silla!

Then el oso mediano probó[tested] su silla y growled:

-Alguien themself ha[has] seated en mi silla also!

Then el oso pequeño probó su[his] silla y shouted:

-Alguien themself ha seated en mi silla y ha broken it!

Afterward, entraron* everybody en la bedroom. El oso🐻🐻 grande was el first que[that] saw su cama y bellowed:

-Alguien[Someone] ha slept en mi cama🛏!

Then el oso mediano saw su cama y growled:

-Alguien ha slept en mi cama also!

Finally saw su cama el oso pequeño y it shouted with voice sharp**:

-Alguien ha slept en mi cama y here she is!

*preterite, third person, plural form of “entrar”[they entered] **articles are not always used in Spanish when they would be in English and vice-versa

LOS TRES OSOS (7/7)

This noise woke a la girl*. When she opened los eyes y saw a los osos, estaba muy scared. Herself she raised y fled de la casa. Los tres osos went a la door in order to·look after her. They saw que she was running through el forest toward su casa. No la persiguieron, because eran good y friendly. Y that is all it que I know about la girl y los tres osos que lived en el beautiful forest en la pequeña casa with only una window y una door.

*personal a: an “a”[at/to] is always required before people when they are objects in the sentence

Vocabulary

You can study the vocabulary practiced in this story via an online flashcard deck: https://quizlet.com/_4sinfw

El Testamento (1/6)

Un certain hombre was a punto* de death. No he was very rico💰. Only he had un perro🐶 y un caballo🐴. No he had children but he did have una mujer👩🏽💍.

Shortly before dying, he called a** his mujer y to·her he said:

*In some repeated phrases in Spanish, the article isn’t used when it might be in English; however, another way to look at this sentence would be “A certain man was at deathpoint.”
**Personal a: an “a” is always required before persons in Spanish when they are the object of the sentence.

El Testamento (2/6)

—Already you know that I’m going a die. No you I have forgotten en mi testamento📜; but no I am rico y no I have more property than un perro[dog] y un caballo[horse].

—I will appreciate your memory, mi marido👨🏼💍, —said la mujer[woman/wife] crying.

El Testamento (3/6)

—After mi death, —continuó[continued] el marido[married man],— you must sell el caballo y deliver el money a¹ mis family members.

—¡How! ¿I must deliver el money a your family members?

¹See 1/6, personal a: an “a” is always required before persons in Spanish when they are the object of the sentence.

El Testamento (4/6)

—Yes; but wait. To you I gift generosamente el perro. You can sell it if you want, or you can conservar it in order to guardar la casa🏠. Es un animal faithful. You he will serve as great¹ comfort.

El hombre died. La mujer wanted to obedecer a*¹ her marido. Una morning she took el caballo🐎 y el perro🐕 y them brought a la fair.

¹See 1/6: in some cases in Spanish, articles are not used though they would be in English (and vice versa).
*¹See 1/6, personal a.

El Testamento (5/6)

—¿How much do you want por[for] that caballo? asked un hombre.

—I want to sell el caballo y el perro together, —respondió[responded] la mujer.— I want por el perro dos thousand pesos y por[for] el caballo🐴 diez[10] pesos.

El Testamento (6/6)

—I accept, —said el hombre,— because el precio de los dos together es razonable.

La good mujer gave a¹ los family members de her marido👨🏼💍 los diez pesos that recibió por el caballo y conservó los dos thousand pesos que recibió por el perro. Like so obedeció a her marido.

¹See 1/6, personal a: an “a” is always required before persons in Spanish when they are the object of the sentence.

UN HOMBRE INSACIABLE – 1/7

En Estremadura was living un hombre👨🏼. El hombre era[was]* rico💰. Era muy[very] rico. Tenía[He had] casas🏘 y viñas[vineyards], cows y sheep, horses y pigs. Las casas eran[were] big y new. Las viñas tenían[had] many uvas🍇. Las cows, las sheep y los pigs estaban[were]** muy fat. Los horses eran los most beautiful de[of] Estremadura.

*era: in English, there are only 2 words for discussing “to be” in the past–“was” and “were”. That’s 2 conjugations of a single verb in a single past tense. In Spanish, there are 18 because there are 4-5 conjugations of 2 different verbs for “to be” (“ser”[identity] and “estar”[status]) in 2 different past tenses–the preterite (momentary past) and imperfect (past duration). “Era” is used for past identities of “he”, “she”, or “it” that existed over a duration.
**estaban: used for past statuses of plural people or things that existed over a duration. “Eran” could be used here as well, but “estaban” implies a greater focus on the animals being fattened for consumption as a status rather than as an identity.

UN HOMBRE👨🏼 INSACIABLE – 2/7

El hombre tenía* still more. Tenía[He had] una good woman y good children. Tenía all that he could desear; but el hombre no[not] estaba satisfecho😊. No estaba[he was] satisfecho with God nor with his woman nor with his children. Neither estaba satisfecho del[of(with) the] tiempo[weather].

When hacía[it would make] cold** he would say: —Hace cold; this tiempo no is good for mis[my] viñas. When it would rain, exclamaba: —It rains too much; el tiempo[weather] is muy[very] damp. We should tener[have] sun.

*tenía: even though we would always say “had” in English, “tenía”, being imperfect tense, distinguishes itself from “tuvo” as having something over a duration of time rather than just a moment.
**hacer + ___: the verb “hacer” (to do) is used to discuss certain states of nature. “Hacer frío” is literally to “make cold”, but would be translated as “to be cold”. The same applies to heat and sun (when the sun is out), weather, etc,…

UN HOMBRE INSACIABLE – 3/7

When hacía[it would make] sun, neither estaba satisfecho😊. Today hacía mucho cold, tomorrow mucho heat; now el tiempo* era muy damp, next it will be muy dry.

Un[One] day entró[he entered] en his viña. There estaban[were] las beautiful uvas. Tenía more uvas🍇 than all las other personas de Estremadura; but no estaba satisfecho. —These uvas are muy[very] small —dijo[He said]—. Hace[It makes] bad tiempo; hace mucho cold. No hace enough heat.

*”tiempo” can mean either “time” or “weather”

UN HOMBRE👨🏼 INSACIABLE – 4/7

En this momento appeared en la viña[vineyard] un hombre tall y[and] beautiful. This hombre dijo: —Never are you satisfecho😊 del tiempo[weather]. Always hace[it makes] cold or heat, it’s muy damp or muy dry. ¿Can you hacer un tiempo better? —Yes, —respondió[answered] el hombre rico,— I can hacer better tiempo. —Well OK, —dijo[Said] el foreigner,— el year that comes must you hacer el tiempo for your viñas.

Then el foreigner desapareció.

UN HOMBRE INSACIABLE – 5/7

El year next arrived. Era[It was] el month de[of] March. —I want snow, —dijo el hombre rico💰. Then it started a[to] snow. Arrived el month de abril. —Now I want rain, —dijo el hombre rico[rich]. Then it started a rain. —Muy well, —dijo[said] el hombre—, but now I want un tiempo hot. Then hacía sun y el hombre estaba satisfecho with his viñas y with el tiempo[weather].

UN HOMBRE INSACIABLE* – 6/7

Like so el hombre hacía[would make] el tiempo all el summer. It would rain when he would want y hacía sun when he would want. Tenía en la viña many beautiful* uvas. Then dijo: —Mis uvas🍇 are las most beautiful de Estremadura. Never have I seen uvas so beautiful.

*while it’s more common to see adjectives after nouns in Spanish, they can also come before. Generally, the adjective follows the noun if the adj. makes the thing distinct from other things like it and precedes it if the adj. refers to a common trait of those things. So “las hermosas mujeres” is a homage to the beauty of all women as a trait they all share, but “una mujer hermosa” calls attention to this specific woman as more beautiful than the average.

UN HOMBRE INSACIABLE – 7/7

Al[At the] end arrived el autumn y started la harvest. El hombre took some uvas but eran ácidas like el vinagre. Never had he seen uvas so sour. En this momento arrived el foreigner. —This year, —dijo— hace you* el tiempo. ¿How do you find las uvas? —Bad, muy bad, —respondió el hombre rico—, They are ácidas like el vinagre.

Then dijo el foreigner, —Already comprendo[I understand]. You have given a la viña snow, rain, sun, heat y cold, but you have forgotten el wind.

*formality: “hace” is used here instead of “haces” because the foreigner is addressing the rich man in the Spanish formal tense, just like we might in English during Elizabethan times in a question like “what does her ladyship desire?”

Vocabulary

You can study the vocabulary practiced in this story via an online flashcard deck: https://quizlet.com/_4skin2

In-Depth Explanation