LESSON XXXIII

Cuando hay alegría, todo se hace bien.[33]

—PÉREZ GALDÓS.

103. The verb to wonder is variously rendered. In the sense of to be surprised it is generally extrañar or admirarse. As a synonym of should or would like to know it may be translated quisiera saber, or tener curiosidad por saber. In the sense of to be thinking or asking one's self, the Spanish uses preguntarse.

No one wondered at the girl's illness.

Nadie extrañó la indisposición de la niña.—JUAN VALERA.

I don't wonder that they say certain things.

No me admiro de que digan ciertas cosas.

—EMILIA PARDO BAZÁN.

I was wondering if I should have time to go before they came.

Yo me preguntaba si tendría el tiempo de ir antes que llegasen ellos.

I wonder who did this.

Yo quisiera saber quién habrá hecho eso.

The verb to wonder is, however, often best translated by the future of probability, as illustrated in the following examples:

Has he come yet, I wonder?

¿Habrá venido ya?

I wonder if it is time yet.

¿Será ya la hora?

I wonder who that man is.

¿Quién será ese hombre?

Cisneros (observing them curiously). I wonder what's going on?

Cisneros (observándolos con curiosidad). ¿Qué pasará?

—NUÑEZ DE ARCE.

This form is used when the English sentence would make complete sense without wonder.

104. In English the one has three translations. When used in contrast with the other, it is rendered el uno. Before the relative who or that it is el. In adjective phrases such as the new one, the old one, etc., the word one is omitted.

Both boys were busy. The one was helping his mother, the other, his father.

Ambos muchachos estaban ocupados. El uno ayudaba a su madre, el otro a su padre.

You are not going from my house. They are the ones that are going.

Tú no te vas de mi casa. Los que se van son ellos.

—LOS QUINTERO.

And the one that hurts most, is it above or below?

Y la que le duele más, ¿es de arriba o de abajo?

—RAMOS CARRIÓN.

You take the big ones. The little one is mine.

Tome usted los grandes. El pequeño es mío.

105. EXERCISES

(a) 1. No hay peor sordo que el que no quiere oír. 2. El hombre se extrañó el no hallar a su hijo. 3. Yo soy la que se va de aquí. 4. Los relojes andan desacordes, porque cuando el de la Puerta del Sol da las ocho el del Palacio suele dar las ocho y media. 5. ¿Qué hora será? 6. Envíeles a ellos los viejos y a mí los nuevos. 7. Se preguntaba si valía la pena de continuar. 8. Vió que el paisano tenía dos caballos, el uno muy gordo y el otro muy flaco, y se admiraba de la diferencia. 9. ¿Qué revista será aquél que lee con tanto interés? 10. Llaman a la puerta. ¿Quién será a estas horas?

(b) 1. I was wondering if the dog was mad. 2. Take the big one. The little ones aren't worth anything. 3. Who opened the door, I wonder? Please shut it. 4. I don't wonder that you don't like that dress. The other one is much prettier. 5. I don't mean that man. I mean the one who was here before. 6. Everybody wondered what he would be like. 7. Will they want this before I return, I wonder? 8. I wonder at their silence. They must know that I am anxious to know how they stood the journey. 9. The one that you have in your hand is mine. The one that you dropped is my sister's. 10. They tell me that I must choose either this one or that one. I wonder why I can't have the one that I like best.