LESSON XXXVII
Reading edition
La fe en una gran idea es la vida de la inteligencia.[37]
—EMILIO CASTELAR.
113. The verb to turn has many translations. To turn (round) is volver or volverse.
He turned and looked him straight in the face.
Se volvio y le miró cara a cara.—EMILIA PARDO BAZÁN.
All heads turned towards him.
Todas las cabezas se volvieron hacia él.—JUAN VALERA.
(a) In the sense of to grow, get, become, to turn is rendered ponerse.
Auntie turned all the colors of the rainbow (literally, twenty-five colors).
La tía se puso de veinticinco colores.—PALACIO VALDÉS.
(b) In the sense of to go round or to make go round, turn is dar vuelta(s). In the phrase, to turn the corner, the verb may be translated doblar.
He was turning the wheel.
Daba vueltas a la rueda.
It was two o'clock when he turned (the corner) into Reconquista Street.
Eran las dos cuando dobló por la calle Reconquista.
—JOSÉ MÁRMOL.
Upon turning the corner he found himself in a small plaza.
Al dar vuelta a la esquina se halló en una plazuela.
(c) To turn to in the sense of to address, appeal to, have recourse to is rendered dirigirse a. Where the appeal is specifically for help, recurrir a may be used.
"Now you have heard it," he continued, turning to the young lady.
Ya lo ha oido Vd.,—prosiguió dirigiéndose a la señorita.
—JOSÉ MÁRMOL.
Since my family will not help me, I turn to my friends.
Ya que mi familia no quiere ayudarme, me dirijo a mis amigos.
(d) To turn over (invert) is invertir; meaning to revolve it is revolver.
When he turned the plate over he found what had been hidden.
Al invertir el plato halló lo escondido.
But, man alive, I can hardly turn over myself!
¡Pero, hombre de Dios, si apenas puedo revolverme yo!
—PALACIO VALDÉS.
(e) To turn out (prove to be) is rendered resultar ser or resultar alone.
It turns out that you are the father of a genius.
Resulta que eres el padre de un genio.—ECHEGARAY.
Meaning to put out, expel, dismiss, it is rendered expeler, echar, poner de patitas en la calle, or despedir.
This servant is absolutely worthless. I am going to turn him out.
Este criado no vale absolutamente nada. Voy a ponerle de patitas en la calle.
(f) To turn into (become) is rendered convertirse en or cambiar(se) en.
I told the children the story of the prince who turned into a dragon.
Conté a los niños el cuento del principe que se cambió en un dragón.
The witch turned the princess into a cat.
La bruja cambió a la princesa en un gato.
We took the furniture out of the room and turned it into a gymnasium.
Sacamos los muebles del cuarto y lo convertimos en (un) gimnasio.
(g) To turn up in the sense of to appear is rendered aparecer, llegar, dejarse ver; in the sense of to happen it may be rendered suceder, ocurrir, acaecer.
That man always turns up when he is least wanted. I hope something will turn up to keep him from coming to-day.
Aquel hombre aparece siempre cuando menos queremos verle. ¡Ojalá que suceda algo que le impida el venir hoy!
114. EXERCISES
(a) 1. La alfombra se había puesto roja donde la había manchado el ácido. 2. Apenas hube dado vuelta a la esquina cuando vi al que buscaba. 3. Dirigiéndome entonces a la señora que acababa de hablar, vi que se había puesto muy pálida. 4. Compramos un erial y resultó que el subsuelo era un inmenso almacén de carbón. 5. Entonces se convirtió en una hada con alas blancas. 6. Al fin cuando íbamos perdiendo la paciencia se dejaron ver. 7. Tan pequeña era la habitación que apenas podíamos revolvernos en ella. 8. Me he puesto a revolver papeles. 9. Mi buen deseo resultó ser inútil.
(b) 1. I wonder how that affair will turn out. 2. He turned the glass upside down. 3. Turn them all out if they bother you. 4. It is not worth while to do that, because they will surely turn up again. 5. They have turned that building into a school for the blind. 6. When you turn the next corner you will see the building that you are looking for. 7. The poor woman does not know to whom to turn in her distress. 8. The leaves are turning yellow and red. They will fall soon. 9. He was turning the handle of a little organ that belonged to a blind man. 10. All eyes turned in the direction of the speaker.