Level B2 · Chapter 79.5

Review 14: lessons 74 to 79

The vocabulary from lessons 74 to 79 that does not come back, the grammar of the block in one table, and two exercises. The castle and the island.

What you will learn

The story in easy Spanish

Camino de Zaragoza vieron venir una partida de caza, y delante iba una señora con un halcón en el guante.

On the road to Zaragoza they saw a hunting party coming, with a lady in front carrying a falcon on her glove.

Le pareció la mujer más gallarda de su vida, y Sancho llegó ante ella sin aliento a hablarle de la sin par Dulcinea.

She struck him as the most dashing woman of his life, and Sancho reached her out of breath to tell her about the peerless Dulcinea.

Al sujetarle el estribo a su amo llegó a enredarse en una cuerda.

While he was holding his master’s stirrup he got tangled up in a rope.

Los dos cayeron al suelo delante de la comitiva entera.

The two of them fell to the ground in front of the whole retinue.

Nadie se rio, y el duque dijo que a un escudero descuidado no había mucho que reprocharle.

Nobody laughed, and the duke said there was not much to reproach a careless squire for.

Aquella noche estuvieron un rato largo sin querer ceder la cabecera de la mesa.

That night they spent a long while refusing to yield the head of the table.

Sancho contó que un hidalgo de su pueblo había convidado a comer a un labrador porfiado.

Sancho told of a gentleman from his village who had invited a stubborn farmer to dinner.

La duquesa le preguntó con mucha dulzura si era verdad que Dulcinea olía a ajos crudos.

The duchess asked him very sweetly whether it was true that Dulcinea smelled of raw garlic.

Su amo le pidió medir las palabras, y el duque contestó que allí se estimaba más la llaneza que el artificio.

His master asked him to weigh his words, and the duke answered that in that house plainness was valued above artifice.

El escudero encadenó cinco refranes seguidos sin que nadie pudiera meter baza en la conversación.

The squire strung five proverbs together without anybody being able to get a word in.

Una tarde sonó en el jardín un pífano tristísimo y un tambor destemplado, y entró un escudero ceñido con un alfanje.

One afternoon a very mournful fife and an out of tune drum sounded in the garden, and in came a squire girded with a scimitar.

Venía a contar la cuita de la condesa Trifaldi, que había sido gobernanta de la infanta Antonomasia.

He came to tell the grief of countess Trifaldi, who had been governess to the princess Antonomasia.

Sobre la sepultura de la reina apareció Malambruno y dejó a la infanta hecha una mona de bronce.

On the queen’s grave Malambruno appeared and left the princess turned into a bronze she-ape.

A las doce dueñas les puso barbas, que eran postizas y estaban pegadas con mucho arte.

On the twelve duennas he put beards, which were false and had been stuck on very skilfully.

Habló con las palabras más hinchadas que pudo encontrar y llamó a don Quijote coluna de la caballería.

She spoke with the most puffed up words she could find and called Don Quixote a pillar of knighthood.

Él juró que las raparía a todas, y el escuadrón lo dijo tan en serio que dos criados no dejaron de persignarse.

He swore he would shave all twelve, and the squadron said it so seriously that two servants never stopped crossing themselves.

Al anochecer entraron cuatro salvajes vestidos de hiedra con un caballo de madera a hombros.

At nightfall four wild men dressed in ivy came in with a wooden horse on their shoulders.

Volaba guiado por una clavija, y los dos jinetes tenían que subir con venda en los ojos.

It flew steered by a peg, and the two riders had to mount with a blindfold over their eyes.

Les avisaron de que a semejante altura podían marearse y caer.

They were warned that at such a height they might get dizzy and fall.

Los criados les acercaron fuelles y estopas encendidas, y don Quijote calculó que ya habrían atravesado la región del aire.

The servants brought bellows and burning tow up to them, and Don Quixote reckoned they must already have crossed the region of the air.

La cola del caballo iba llena de cohetes y estalló con un ruido enorme.

The horse’s tail was full of rockets and it blew up with a huge noise.

Cayeron chamuscados a un jardín que no era región de fuego sino de chamusquina.

They fell singed into a garden that was no region of fire but of burning smell.

En una lanza quedó clavado un pergamino donde constaba que Malambruno se daba por satisfecho.

Stuck on a lance was a parchment recording that Malambruno declared himself satisfied.

Sancho contó después que había jugado con siete cabrillas de colores mientras miraba la Tierra por un ladito.

Sancho later told how he had played with seven little coloured goats while looking at the Earth out of one corner.

Pocos días después gobernaba una villa de mil vecinos llamada Barataria.

A few days later he was governing a walled town of a thousand households called Barataria.

En la sala del concejo pidió que constase por escrito que no sabía firmar.

In the council chamber he asked it to be recorded in writing that he could not sign his name.

Sentenció que el sastre perdiera las hechuras y el labrador el paño de las cinco caperuzas.

He ruled that the tailor should lose his workmanship and the farmer the cloth of the five caps.

Ordenó que no hubiera regatones de comida, rebajó el precio del calzado y prohibió las coplas deshonestas.

He ordered that there be no food profiteers, brought down the price of footwear and banned indecent songs.

Mandó que ningún ciego cantase milagros sin testimonio, y resolvió el caso del puente y la horca dejando pasar al hombre.

He ordered that no blind man sing of miracles without sworn proof, and settled the case of the bridge and the gallows by letting the man through.

De dos viejos, el que no llevaba báculo reclamaba diez escudos prestados.

Of two old men, the one without a staff was claiming ten crowns he had lent.

El deudor juró que se los devolvió en mano y salió de la sala.

The debtor swore he had given them back into his hand, and left the room.

El acreedor se dio por contento, pero Sancho mandó abrir la caña y los circunstantes quedaron admirados.

The creditor declared himself satisfied, but Sancho had the cane split open and the bystanders were astonished.

Como el dinero estaba dentro del palo, el juramento resultaba verdad en la letra y mentira en todo lo demás.

Since the money was inside the stick, the oath came out true to the letter and false in everything else.

En el tercer pleito hizo que la mujer y el ganadero forcejearan por una bolsa delante de todos.

In the third case he made the woman and the herdsman grapple over a purse in front of everybody.

Le dijo que si hubiera defendido su cuerpo con aquel ánimo, nadie se lo habría quitado.

He told her that if she had defended her body with that much nerve, nobody would have taken it from her.

Vocabulary

Arriving at the castle (lesson 74)

la partida de caza
the hunting party
el guante
the glove
gallardo
splendid, dashing
el estribo
the stirrup
enredarse
to get tangled up
la comitiva
the retinue
reprochar
to reproach
el aliento
the breath

The duchess and Sancho (lesson 75)

ceder
to yield, to give way
la dulzura
sweetness
crudo
raw
medir las palabras
to weigh your words
la llaneza
plainness of speech
el artificio
artifice
meter baza
to get a word in
convidar
to invite to a meal

Countess Trifaldi (lesson 76)

el pífano
the fife
destemplado
out of tune
el alfanje
the scimitar
la cuita
the grief, the trouble
la gobernanta
the governess
la infanta
the king’s daughter
la sepultura
the grave
postizo
false, stuck on
rapar
to shave off
persignarse
to cross oneself
la mona
the she-ape
hinchado
inflated, puffed up
la coluna
the pillar
el escuadrón
the squadron

The flight of Clavileño (lesson 77)

el salvaje
the wild man
la hiedra
the ivy
la clavija
the peg
la venda
the blindfold
marearse
to get dizzy
el fuelle
the bellows
la estopa
the tow, the burning wick
el cohete
the firework rocket
chamuscado
singed, scorched
la chamusquina
a burning smell
el pergamino
the parchment
la cabrilla
the little goat
el jinete
the rider

Taking possession (lesson 78)

el concejo
the town council
constar
to be on record
la hechura
the workmanship, the making
el regatón
the food profiteer
el calzado
footwear
la copla
the popular song
el testimonio
sworn proof
la horca
the gallows
la villa
the walled town

Sancho’s judgments (lesson 79)

sentenciar
to pass sentence
el báculo
the walking staff
el deudor
the debtor
el acreedor
the creditor
reclamar
to claim
devolver
to give back
el ganadero
the herdsman
forcejear
to struggle, to grapple
el ánimo
the spirit, the nerve
el circunstante
the bystander
admirado
astonished

Lessons 74 to 79 in one table

Start with the vocabulary above. This block is mostly about register, so as you read the list, sort each word by where you would hear it: at court, at table, or in an office.

pointrulefrom the summary above
courtly registerfixed formulas and a lot of third personla sin par Dulcinea, coluna de la caballería
ironythe words say one thing and the scene says anotherallí se estimaba más la llaneza que el artificio
plain registerproverbs, food and the body, with no ornamentDulcinea olía a ajos crudos.
old Spanisharchaic forms used to make fun of the stylecoluna, las palabras más hinchadas
habría plus participlea guess about the past, not a statement about itya habrían atravesado la región del aire
si hubiera plus habríawhat did not happen, and what therefore did not happen eitherSi hubiera defendido su cuerpo, nadie se lo habría quitado.
official registerconstar, mandar que, ordenar que, always with a subjunctivepidió que constase que no sabía firmar
chaining reasonscomo, puesto que, de modo que, por esoComo el dinero estaba dentro del palo, el juramento resultaba verdad en la letra.

The full conjugations are in the verb tables at the back of the book.