LESSON X

En Dios confía quien adora la verdad.[10]

—PÉREZ GALDÓS.

26. English after as a preposition of time is rendered después de; as a preposition of place or direction it is tras or en pos de; as a conjunction it is después que.

And so the boats kept on appearing one after the other.

Y así fueron apareciendo unas tras otras las lanchas.

—PALACIO VALDÉS.

The boats were disappearing one after the other behind the cape.

Las lanchas se fueron ocultando una en pos de otra detrás del cabo.—PALACIO VALDÉS.

We will help you after dinner.

Le ayudaremos después de la comida.

After we have finished, we will go.

Después que hayamos acabado, nos iremos.

(a) Afterwards is después. The day after to-morrow is pasado mañana.

Afterwards I found out that he was earning his living as a public letter writer.

Después supe que ganaba la vida trabajando de memorialista.

—PÉREZ GALDÓS.

I have to see them the day after to-morrow.

Tengo que verlos pasado mañana.

27. The verb to help meaning to assist, aid, is rendered ayudar or asistir.

I have so much to do and nobody wants to help me.

Tengo tanto que hacer y nadie quiere ayudarme.

(a) To help in the sense of to prevent, avoid, is rendered evitar.

I couldn't help his doing it, but he couldn't help it either.

Yo no podía evitar que él lo hiciese, pero él no podía evitarlo tampoco.

(b) Can't help and couldn't help, followed by an unmodified present participle, are rendered by the present and the imperfect of the verb poder and the phrase menos de with the infinitive. Otherwise, I can't help, couldn't help, etc., may be rendered Yo no tengo (tenía) la culpa de que.

I can't help confessing that I am sorry.

No puedo menos de confesar que lo siento.—PALACIO VALDÉS.

I couldn't help knowing that you were talking of us.

No podía menos de saber que Vd. hablaba de nosotros.

Note.—When the verbal in -ing is modified by a possessive, translate as in (a).

(c) It can't be helped is translated no hay remedio.

I thought it could be avoided, but now it can't be helped.

Creí que podría evitarse, pero ya no hay remedio.

—RAMOS CARRIÓN.

28. EXERCISES

(a) 1. Vaya a buscarla después de comer. 2. No querría hacerlo, pero no había otro remedio. 3. Quisiera dejarlo para después que oscurezca. 4. Después de acabar Vd. con ese libro démelo a mí. 5. La ayudaba, sí, pero no podía menos de creer que lo hacía sin querer. 6. No me gusta dejarlo hacer por manos ajenas, pero no hay remedio. 7. Después que habíamos caminado dos horas, los alcanzamos. 8. No puedo menos de querer que vengan. 9. Estaba todavía muy débil y teníamos que asistirle cuando querría andar. 10. Los niños llegan pasado mañana y los padres unos días después.

(b) 1. It isn't ready yet, but I can't help it. 2. Do you want me to help you? 3. I can't help feeling sorry that they have done that. 4. We knew that it couldn't be helped. 5. I have just seen him, and I can't help thinking that he must be ill. 6. She couldn't help hoping that she would get what she wanted. 7. After a short time he could walk without our help. 8. The dog ran after his master after he succeeded in getting out of the house. 9. After the rain had ceased they went out and we did not see them afterwards. 10. He knows it is not well done, but he says he can't help it.