N.B. In studying the commentary the student should underline in the text
the idiomatic expressions here indicated, including those to which he is
referred back in the Reviews. As irregular verb-forms are introduced
with special frequency, it would be well to keep the list of irregular
verbs at hand for reference. The _italicized words_ are those that are
especially idiomatic.
=Page 1.=
1. Lo hizo _antes de_ llegar He did it before arriving.
(cf. 53).
2. Nunca tomó _lo ajeno_. He never took what belonged to
others.
3. Se puso _de rodillas_. He got down on his knees.
4. ¿Qué se le ofrece a V.? What do you wish?
=Page 2.=
5. _Me pongo_ triste. I become sad.
6. Vino _hace_ tres días. He came three days ago.
_Hacía_ tres días que estaba He had been here for three days.
aquí.
Ocho días _hace_. It is a week.
7. Lo ofrezco _al que_ presente I offer it to the one who will
las señas (cf. 47). present the description.
8. _Se echó a_ llorar. He began to cry.
9. Aquí _se habla_ español. Spanish is spoken here.
N.B. The reflexive is frequently used as a substitute for the passive.
10. Roba _a_ los pasajeros. He robs the passengers.
11. _Dió con_ el libro. He hit upon the book.
12. _Vuelvo a_ hablar. I speak again.
=Page 3 (Review 6, 11, 8, 3).=
13. Hace _ocho_ días. It is a week.
Hacía _quince_ días. It was a fortnight.
14. _Es de_ Enrique. It belongs to Henry.
15. _Será_ de él (cf. note 8, 6). It must be his. It probably
is his.
Lo _habrá_ dicho. Lo _diría_. He must have said it.
16. _Estaba_ trabajando. He was working.
17. _Se_ sonrió. He smiled.
N.B. The reflexive form is often used in Spanish without reflexive value.
18. _Mi_ hijo está aquí. My son is here.
¿Estás aquí? ¡hijo _mió!_ Are you here, my son?
No ví jamás obras _suyas._ I never saw any works of his.
No ví jamás _sus_ obras. I never saw his works.
19. No _tengo gana_ de hacerlo. I have no desire to do it.
20. Es _de los nuestros_. He is one of us.
=Page 4 (Review 6).=
21. _Se_ ríe de todo (cf. 17). He laughs at everything.
22. _En seguida_ se fué. He went off immediately.
23. Los demás. The others.
Por lo demás. As for the rest.
Las demás mujeres. The rest of the women.
24. Se puso _de mal humor_ (cf. 5). He became ill-humored.
25. Siete _u_ ocho. Seven or eight.
Seis o siete. Six or seven.
26. Lo hizo en un abrir y cerrar He did it in an instant.
de ojos.
27. Amadlo. Love him.
Amaos (cf. note 30, 5). Love each other.
28. ¿De qué se trata? What is the question?
29. Me tendió _la_ mano (cf. note He held out his hand to me.
4,5).
30. _Se_ lo digo a V. I tell you it.
(cf. note 4, 6).
No pudo dár_se_lo. He could not give it to him.
=Page 5 (Review 13, 12).=
31. _Se puso a_ cavilar. He began to reflect.
32. _Voy a_ hacerlo. I am going to do it.
_Iba a_ hablar. He was going to speak.
33. _Pasado mañana_ vendrá. He will come day after to-morrow.
34. Quedaremos en lo dicho. We will abide by what we have said.
35. _Según_ supo después. According to what he learned later.
36. _Por allí_ va. Thereabouts he goes.
Por aquí. Hereabouts.
37. _De vez en cuando_ viene. From time to time he comes.
=Page 6.=
38. _A fuerza de_ trabajar. By dint of laboring.
39. _A eso_ (_or_ cosa) de At about ten o'clock.
las diez.
_A las_ cinco. At five o'clock.
_A la_ una y media. At half-past one o'clock.
40. Habla (_familiar form_). Speak!
No hables (cf. note 6, 7). Don't speak!
41. ¿_En_ qué piensa V.? Of what are you thinking?
=Page 7 (Review 32, 18, 35).=
42. ¿Qué _quiere decir_? What does he mean?
43. _Todo el que_ habla. Every one who speaks.
44. _Se_ hablan _unos a They speak to each other.
otros_.
45. No tiene hambre. He is not hungry.
Tenía frío. I was cold.
46. _Se parece a_ mí. He resembles me.
Me parece (a mí). It seems to me.
47. Mi libro y _el_ de mi hermana. My book and my sister's.
Mi madre y _la_ de V. (cf. 7). My mother and yours.
48. Estará _dentro de_ la casa. He must be inside the house.
=Page 8 (Review 44, 30, 11, 15, 7).=
49. _A poco_ se fué (cf. 142). In a little while he went off.
50. _De pronto_ vino. Suddenly he came.
51. Lo dijo _repetidas veces_. He said it many times.
=Page 9 (Review 20).=
52. V. _se equivocaba_. You were mistaken.
53. Después de _hablar_le. After speaking to him.
Al _decir_ esto, se fué. On saying this, he went off.
N.B. In Spanish the infinitive is used after prepositions instead of the
present participle as in English.
54. Soy un héroe. I am a hero.
Somos _unos_ héroes. We are heroes.
Oyó _unos_ tiros. He heard some shots.
55. Poco a poco. Little by little.
56. Era _de_ día. It was day.
=Page 10 (Review 53, 13, 39, 28).=
57. _Acabo de_ llegar. I have just arrived.
_Acababa de_ hablar. I had just spoken.
58. _Desde luego_ se fué. He went away immediately.
59. _Debo_ hablar. I must (_or_ am to) speak.
_Debía_ hablar. I was to speak.
_Debí_ hablar. I had to speak.
Él _debía de_ ser (conjectural). It must have been he.
60. _Me despedí_ de él. I took leave of him.
61. Vino _otro_. _An_other came.
=Page 11 (Review 9, 32, 53, 36).=