[3.1] les daréis la razón, you will say that they were right.

[3.2] debe de ser bien triste, must be very gloomy. Deber alone denotes obligation, deber de, probability. This distinction is not universally observed, but is tending to become so. Bien here = muy.

[3.3] no se echa menos, is not missed. Also echar de menos.

[3.4] Adviértese. This inversion of verb and personal pronoun object occurs only when the verb is indicative, and, in general, only when it begins a clause; though deviations from this latter usage are frequent in Valdés and other contemporary authors.

[3.5] sin poder atribuirlo, without one's being able to attribute it. Infinitive with indefinite subject (uno) understood.

[3.6] apenas, almost as soon as, lit. "hardly."

[4.1] inutilizan. Se is understood with this verb from preceding mueren.

[4.2] va labrando su espíritu, goes on moulding their character.

[4.3] habilidosa, capable.

[4.4] lo moral, the moral nature.

[4.5] no hay más que, one can but, lit. "there is no more than."

[4.6] rasgados, large and full. Cf. Fr. bien fendu.

[5.1] los que amáis, you who love. Antecedent vosotros understood. This construction is analogous to the frequent suppression of the subject-pronoun before a noun or pronoun in apposition. Cf. page 7, line 9.

[5.2] a la ventura, at random.

[5.3] las montañas de tierra adentro, the mountains inland. Tierra adentro is an adverbial phrase, here used substantively, governed by de, the whole forming an adjectival phrase.

[6.1] carel, wales or bends of the boat.

[6.2] quiénes... quiénes... quiénes, some... some... others.

[6.3] les hacía no soltarlos. Les is dative. The object of hacer when it governs also an infinitive is dative when the infinitive is transitive; when the latter is intransitive, the object is accusative if it denote a thing, usually dative if denoting a person.

[6.4] formando a modo de escuadrilla, forming as it were a little squadron.

[6.5] fijándose, fixing his attention. As in so many other cases we have here a meaning neglected by the dictionaries. The verb is also used without complement expressed: no me fijé, "I did not notice."

[6.6] no dejaban de ser, were nevertheless, lit. "did not leave off being." Cf. Fr. cela ne laisse pas de m'ennuyer.

[7.1] el semblante viene de allá, it seems likely to blow from that quarter, lit. "the signs [of it] are coming from yonder."

[7.2] amuró, has tacked. This use of the preterite as equivalent to a perfect in speaking of recent events is not sufficiently noted by the grammars. It is used when the result of the action rather than the action itself is to be emphasized. Cf. ¿Ya se levantó V.? "Have you risen already?" i.e. "Are you already up?" Todo se acabó, "It's all over."

[7.3] bonito, bonito, striped tunny. This fish, which plays a considerable rôle in the novel, may be so called from its handsome coloring, steel-blue with oblique stripes of black. It belongs to the mackerel family (Scombridae), its scientific name being Sarda Sarda. It reaches a length of 2-2½ ft. and a weight of 8-10 lbs. Its flesh is rather coarse and oily, red in color, resembling beef in appearance.

[7.4] Allá veremos, We shall see when the time comes, lit. "yonder." There is an additional shade of meaning in the phrase which might be expressed by "but I won't guarantee it."

[7.5] tornó a ser. Tornar, like volver, with a + following infinitive means "to be (or do) a thing again."

[7.6] mira qué cara tan fea pone el Corsario para dormir, see what a very ugly face the Corsair (nickname) makes when he sleeps. Qué tan = cuán. Cara... para dormir might be rendered "sleeping-face" if this phrase were allowable. Cf. un estante para libros, "a book-case."

[8.1] ¡Ay María! My goodness! It is almost superfluous to note that this and similar expressions have, like "Heavens!" in English, mon Dieu! etc., in French, a much weaker force than literal translation would convey.

[8.2] dar un testerazo, strike his head, lit. "give a blow with (-azo) the head."

[8.3] tirar ufano. This use of an adjective relating to the subject is somewhat common in Spanish in cases where in English we prefer an adverb modifying the verb.

[8.4] Se necesita que... no lo aferre, There can't be a fish in the sea without this wretch catching it, lit. "it is necessary that there be not... in order that he may not catch it." The prefix re-, attached to adjectives, adverbs and, less frequently, to nouns, is characteristic of familiar style. It adds an intensive or superlative force, which undoubtedly derives from its original force of repetition. Sometimes doubled, or takes the form rete-, e.g. ¡Qué reteinfamia! "What terrible infamy!"

[8.5] se pusieron al tanto de, became aware of.

[8.6] frente a, toward, to, lit. "facing."

[8.7] ¡Así Dios me mate! May I never draw another breath! lit. "So may God kill me!"

[8.8] el mejor animal de la costera, the best fish of the season. Costera, "fisherman's basket," "haul," "fishing-season."

[8.9] Mientras tanto, Meanwhile.

[8.10] de vez en cuando, from time to time. Also de cuando en cuando.

[8.11] traerá consigo, can he have about him. Future of probability or modified statement.

[9.1] cada vez más, more and more.

[9.2] no hizo caso, paid no attention.

[9.3] siguió, went on.

[9.4] ¡Allí fue Troya! Then came the crash! lit. "There was (the fall of) Troy!"

[9.5] soltaron... el hilo de la risa, burst out laughing all together, lit. "loosed the thread of laughter." Similar phrases are: soltar la llave de las lágrimas, escaparse el flujo de la risa, etc., etc.

[9.6] que. The conjunction que is frequently used with a subtle and variable force. Here it lends emphasis and might be rendered by a simple "and": and they needed to badly enough. In line 12; below, it is nearly equivalent to porque. Sometimes it expresses surprise, etc., and may be rendered "so," cf. page 71, note 2. And elsewhere it shades into a mere expletive, without translatable force.

[9.7] un si es no es, a trifle.

[9.8] que yo, elliptical for en que yo me he visto.

[10.1] A las pocas brazas de hilo que metió dentro, After hauling in a few fathoms of line, lit. "upon, or after the few fathoms of line that he brought in."

[11.1] por dar la vuelta, to turn.

[11.2] hiciese la mortecina, were feigning death.

[11.3] de pronto, all at once, suddenly.

[11.4] que en poco estuvo no saltase otra vez al agua, that he came near jumping into the water again. The conjunction que is here omitted before no saltase. Generally speaking, it is permissible to omit this introductory que between two contiguous verbs, the second of which is subordinate to the first, especially if the dependent verb be subjunctive. Cases in which the omission is relatively frequent are: 1) when the second clause begins with no, as above, or after a verb of fearing; 2) after a verb of mental activity, as espero me escribas; 3) after an impersonal verb or verb-phrase, as no es fácil lo consiga.

[11.5] En obra de, In about, in a matter of.

[11.6] aguza las uñas que asombra, puts his best foot foremost, does wonders, lit. "sharpens his nails [so] that he astonishes."

[12.1] cambiar, tack.

[12.2] en cuanto, as soon as.

[12.3] quedaría. Quedar, ir, andar, etc., are used as substitutes for estar, yet each retains its own particular connotation.

[12.4] perdonaba. Imperfect with force of conditional. The effect is to make the statement more graphic.

[12.5] los cuartos, the cash.

[12.6] la maestra, the schoolmaster's wife.

[12.7] entre risueño y enfadado, half smiling, half vexed.

[13.1] la gente principal o de media levita, the gentry or well-to-do citizens. Levita, "frock coat," gente de levita, "people who [can afford to] wear such a garment," people of the cultured or leisured class. Gente principal = gente de levita, gente de media levita = la de la clase media.

[13.2] Antes de llegar, con mucho, Long before they arrived. Con mucho, "by much."

[13.3] embarrancando, grounding, sinking in.

[13.4] se salían. Some intransitive verbs are used reflexively to emphasize the volition of the agent. El prisionero salió de la cárcel, "the prisoner left the gaol"; el p. se salió, etc., "the prisoner got out of gaol." Cf. below, se quedaban.

[13.5] pieza tras pieza, one after another, fish after fish. Pieza is used in speaking of a unit of fish or game.

[14.1] mujerucas, old wives. -uco, -uca, depreciative, contemptuous in force. A somewhat rare suffix.

[14.2] lo fresco, the fresh fish.

[14.3] bajarlo, i.e. el precio.

[14.4] A mí no me cuente nada, Don't blame me for it, lit. "Do not ascribe anything to me."

[14.5] señá = señora.

[14.6] Yo no he dicho esta boca es mía, I didn't say a word, lit. "I didn't say this mouth is mine."

[14.7] Allá ellos lo arreglaron, They settled it among themselves. Allá in this and similar expressions has not entirely lost its usual connotations of direction and motion. It indicates the throwing off of responsibility and the attaching it to some one else. Cf. page 7, note 4, and page 21, note 3.

[14.8] tú has debido advertirles, you ought to have warned them.

[15.1] te haces cargo, you note.

[15.2] el maragato siguiendo así nos devolverá los barriles, if it keeps on this way the Maragato (man from the Maragatería, district south of Astorga, in León) will return us the casks, i.e. "he will not buy."

[15.3] dar la lengua, parley.

[15.4] ¿Le parece mucho a diez cuartos? Do you think ten cuartos [a pound] too much? lit. "does it seem to you [too] much at ten cuartos?" Note the pregnant meaning of mucho. "Too" may be expressed (though not with mucho) by m uy (... para) or demasiado, though the latter is rather avoided, and the adjective or adverb suffices for the double sense, e.g. esta puerta es grande para el cuarto, "this door is too large for the room."—The cuarto = 4 maravedís, and the real = 34 mar., or about 5 cents of our money.

[15.5] para no andar en más cuestiones, not to dispute any longer.

[15.6] se encogió de hombros, shrugged his shoulders.

[15.7] percal, percale, a cotton stuff.

[15.8] embebecida, absorbed.

[16.1] Nos falta, We have to.

[16.2] no te pongas seria, don't get solemn, look grave.

[16.3] el día de San Juan. The 24th of June.

[17.1] Claro está, Of course. Also simply claro.

[17.2] no se da por entendida, gives no sign, lit. "does not show herself as [so] understanding [it]." Several idioms are formed on this model; cf. page 18, note 6, page 32, note 1, and page 150, note 4.

[17.3] así que, as soon as.

[17.4] El que no se atreve, no pasa la mar, Nothing venture, nothing win.

[17.5] Lo mismo da, It's all the same.

[17.6] Hasta luego, Good-bye for the present. Cf. Fr. à bientôt.

[17.7] por la playa arriba, up over the beach.

[18.1] a la sazón, at the time.

[18.2] tendezuela, depreciative diminutive of tienda.

[18.3] bacalao, also written bacallao.

[18.4] botes, cans.

[18.5] a medio consumir, half consumed. The infinitive represents progressive condition, whereas the past participle (medio consumido) would indicate stationary condition.

[18.6] no se daba por ofendida, took no offence.

[18.7] maestro de primeras letras, primary teacher.

[18.8] percalina, percaline, lining-cotton.

[18.9] sujetos, fastened.

[18.10] hacía gala, displayed, paraded.

[18.11] no eran parte, did not avail, were not sufficient. Parte, in this expression, has the meaning of "[sufficient] cause."

[19.1] poco más o menos, or thereabout, approximately.

[19.2] sabrosos, pleasurable.

[20.1] daba remate, finished.

[20.2] "le tenía en un puño," "had him under her thumb," kept him in subjection, lit. "held him in one fist."

[20.3] porque... se prestase. The use of the subjunctive after porque (which ordinarily requires the indicative) shows that the reason given is rather a suggestion of the speaker's or a motive than a definite logical cause. One might translate because, no doubt,...Cf. page 114, note 2.

[20.4] toda, it all.

[21.1] marea, catch, lit. "tide."

[21.2] A última hora, At the last moment.

[21.3] allá la señá Isabel, I refer you to Mrs. Elizabeth. Cf. page 14, note 7.

[21.4] entre dientes, mumbling.

[21.5] saltó, burst out.

[21.6] recalcando, emphasizing.

[21.7] a no encontrarse, a + inf. = an if-clause, just as al + inf. = a time-clause.

[21.8] de espaldas, with his back turned.

[23.1] justificado, righteous, upright.

[24.1] Nadie le conocía, No one knew him to have. Le, dative of possession; cf. Fr. on ne lui connaît que deux amis.

[24.2] muiles, mullet. The word is written variously mugil, mujil, muil.

[24.3] caldereta, fish-stew.

[24.4] por más que, although, however much. Por... que is a concessive conjunctive formula, followed by indicative or subjunctive according as fact or ideation is prominent. The intervening word may be noun, adjective or adverb, e.g. por ocasión que venga, "whatever occasion may arise," por fuerte que fuese, "however strong he might be," and cf. below, page 56, note 2.

[25.1] arregla. Present for future. Note that Elisa uses the formal, her mother the familiar mode of address.

[25.2] se arrojó, ventured.

[25.3] mil fanegas de renta, 1000 fanegas of income [-yielding land]. The fanega is a measure of land of varying extent in different parts of Spain.

[26.1] concejo, district, subdivided into parishes (parroquias).

[26.2] a él le salieron baratas, they stood him cheap. Salir = "to turn out."

[26.3] Andalucía. Southernmost and largest province of Spain.

[26.4] ¿y qué hay con eso? and what of that?

[26.5] con sorna, with a malicious drawl. Sorna is intentional and malicious slowness of speech or action.

[26.6] que, may here be rendered only. Cf. page 9, note 6.