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The Adverb
THE ADVERB.
The natural position of the adverb is after the verb, as--
El convendría de muy buena gana: He would willingly consent.
But a great liberty is allowed in this respect, as--
Seguramente firmaría el endoso: He would certainly sign the endorsement.
Siempre se lo voy repitiendo: I keep always repeating it to him.
Mucho is the only adverb which does not generally admit of "very" for
the superlative; it takes ísimo instead. However "muy mucho" is found,
especially when used jocularly.
To the adverbs given in Lesson XXVIII we add the following adverbs and
adverbial locutions--
Á la noche (at night)
Á manos llenas (profusely)
Á ojos cegarritas (blindly)
Á ojos vistas (obviously)
Á pie juntillas (firmly)
Á rienda suelta (recklessly)
Á todo escape (at full speed)
Ayer tarde or por la tarde (yesterday evening)
Cuanto antes (as soon as possible)
De buena, mala gana (willingly, unwillingly)
De buenas á buenas (willingly)
De buenas á primeras (at first sight, straight away)
De hoy en quince (to-day fortnight)
Hoy hace quince días (just a fortnight ago)
De propósito (on purpose)
De tiempo en tiempo (from time to time)
Día sí, y otro no (every other day)
Mañana por la mañana (to-morrow morning)
Nunca jamás (never--emphatic)
Para siempre jamás (for ever and ever)
Pasado mañana (the day after to-morrow)
Por mal (bien) que (however badly (well))
Por poco (nearly, but for little)
Tal cual vez (once in a while)
EXAMPLES--
Nunca jamás en la vida he hecho esto: Never in my life have I done
this.
Por poco se rompió la cabeza: He nearly broke his head.
Por mal que le salga: Badly as it may turn out for him.
Adverbs ending in mente are often substituted by con with a noun,
as--
Con lujo--lujosamente (luxuriantly).
Con dificultad--difícilmente (with difficulty).
This, of course, is found also in English but is more frequently done in
Spanish.
Recientemente is generally abbreviated into recién before a past
participle, as--
El recién llegado (the newly arrived).
El recién venido (the newly arrived).
El recién nacido (the new born).
Aquí, acá, allí, allá.
Aquí and allí are more circumscribed than acá and allá--
Venga acá cuando necesite algo: Come here when you want anything.
Allá, en su tierra esto se hace: There in your country this is done.
Aquí estoy y aquí me quedo: Here I am, and here I remain.
Ponga este paquete allí: Put this packet there.
Ahí--there (near the person spoken to[201]) also means your city, your
country, there (in correspondence).
[Footnote 201: Rule not strictly observed.]
Si los precios ahí son razonables podrá hacerse mucho negocio: If prices
over there are reasonable, a large business can be done.
Por ahí about.
¿Cuántos había? ¿40? Por ahí: How many were there? 40? About that
number.
No is used often redundantly--
Mejor es sufrir que no hacer sufrir: It is better to suffer than to make
others suffer.
Temo que no llegue demasiado temprano[202]: I am afraid he will arrive
too early.
[Footnote 202: This sentence is ambiguous, because it might mean the
opposite: Temo que no llegue demasiado temprano sino demasiado tarde.
The tone of the voice must be relied upon or a different construction
must be used.]
Venir (to come).
Pres. Part., Viniendo.
Pres. Indic., Vengo, vienes, viene,--,--, vienen.
Pres. Subj., Venga, vengas, venga, vengamos, vengáis, vengan.
Imper. Mood, Ven ...
Past Def., Vine, viniste, vino, vinimos, vinisteis, vinieron.
Fut. Indic., Vendré, vendrás, vendrá, vendremos, vendréis, vendrán;
VOCABULARY.
á ciegas, á ojos cegarritas blindly
agotar to drain, to exhaust
al amor de near, beside
aparentar to appear
basto common, inferior, coarse
de bien á mejor better and better
cabal upright, just
de cabo á rabo from top to bottom rom end to end
el efectivo the cash, the money
en efectivo, en metálico in cash
enterarse to get to know
escuchar to listen
esquela note
etiqueta rótulo, ticket, label
hombre llano sincere, rough-and-ready man
loza crockery
medida measurement
medrar to prosper
*ponerse á sus anchas to make oneself comfortable
porcelana china
quebranto mishap, misfortune, loss
*salir en to come up to
silla chair
solicitado sought after
un si es no es just a trifle
*venir á menos to come down in the world, to decline
vidriado glassware
EXERCISE 1 (87).
Translate into English--
1. Desde nuestra última revista no se puede decir que haya habido mucha
variación en nuestro mercado aunque se nota algo más de firmeza y los
precios aparentan ser un si es no es más caros.
2. Siempre solicitados los géneros bastos á precios baratos.
3. Entregué la esquela al anciano señor quien, sentado al amor del
fuego, la leyó de cabo á rabo y, como hombre llano que es me dijo de
buenas á primeras que no queriendo obrar á ciegas, daría su contestación
en un par (couple) de días.
4. ¿Sabía V. que la casa Fernández había venido tan á menos?
5. No, no me había enterado, la tuve siempre por casa fabricante de
loza, porcelana, y vidriado, cuyos negocios iban de bien á mejor.
6. Medraron al principio pero ya han decaído mucho.
7. Lo siento de veras. Es muy de deplorar porque el Sr. Fernández es
hombre muy cabal.
8. Invirtió una porción de dinero en el ferrocarril aereo (overhead) de
N.; eso también le causó algún quebranto.
9. Pobrecito, no le faltaba más (that was the last stroke).
10. ¡Qué[203] barato es esto!
[Footnote 203: Qué before an adjective how. (Cuán can also be used.)]
EXERCISE 2 (88).
Translate into Spanish--
1. I would gladly accede to your request if it were in my power.
2. We are always impressing upon (llamando la atención de) our
warehousemen the importance of marking the measurement on the tickets.
3. Besides being loose (fugitives) colours they are not half so (nada
tan) bright as they should be.
4. They advertise profusely and from time to time they issue new
illustrated catalogues.
5. Soon (cuanto antes) they will start (principiarán á) issuing them in
foreign languages.
6. I never saw a better kept set of books (libros).
7. I was nearly caught in the India Rubber boom, but fortunately I
managed to get off (pude librarme) without burning my fingers (cogerme
los dedos).
8. Come here, my friend, and listen to me.
9. Here in England things are managed (se hacen) on a different basis
altogether (de una manera enteramente distinta).
10. Take that chair there and make yourself comfortable.
11. How much do you require (le hace falta), £100?
12. About that.
13. I was afraid (que no) you were going to ask me for more and that
would have drained all our available (que tenemos) cash.
14. How much will the packages come to?
15. Say (digamos) £100 averaging one with the other (calculando uno con
otro).

