Spanish · Part Two

La circular

The Circular

83 sentences · 67 notes

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1
The kidnapping was carried out ten days after Elsa's flight.
ElTheel · determiner, masculine, singulardeterminer of secuestro
secuestrokidnappingsecuestro · noun, masculine, singularsubject of llevó
seitselfél · pronoun, accusative, reflexivepassive/impersonal reflexive particle of llevó
'se llevó a cabo' is a passive-reflexive construction (pasiva refleja); it corresponds to the English passive 'was carried out,' not an active construction.
llevówas carriedllevar · verb, past, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentence
atoa · prepositionpreposition marking cabo
cabooutcabo · noun, masculine, singularcompound with llevó
dieztendiez · numeral, pluralquantifies días
díasdaysdía · noun, masculine, pluraloblique complement of después
despuésafterdespués · adverbmodifies llevó
deofde · prepositionpreposition marking fuga
latheel · determiner, feminine, singulardeterminer of fuga
fugaflightfuga · noun, feminine, singularoblique complement of después
deofde · prepositionpreposition marking Elsa
ElsaElsaElsa · proper nounmodifies fuga
Word«llevar a cabo» «Llevar a cabo» is a fixed idiom meaning 'to carry out' or 'to accomplish (something)'. Here it appears with the passive «se»: «el secuestro se llevó a cabo» = 'the kidnapping was carried out'. The «se» plus a third-person verb is Spanish's everyday way of leaving the agent unnamed.
On the fourteenth of August Erdosain received a visit from the Astrologer, but, since he had gone out, on returning he found an envelope shoved under the door.
Grammar«mas» (without accent) «Mas» without an accent is a literary conjunction meaning 'but', equivalent to «pero». Do not confuse it with «más» (with accent), which means 'more'. The unaccented «mas» gives the sentence a slightly elevated, bookish register.
GrammarPluperfect: «había salido» «Había salido» is the pluperfect (past perfect): «haber» in the imperfect plus a past participle. It marks an action completed before another past moment — he had already gone out before he came back. It explains why the visit was missed.
It contained a forged circular, from the Ministry of War, informing Erdosain of the supposed address of Captain Belaunde and a curious postscript that read as follows:
GrammarGerund with attached pronoun «Comunicándole» is the gerund «comunicando» ('informing') with the indirect-object pronoun «le» ('to him') tacked onto the end. Spanish attaches object pronouns to gerunds, infinitives and affirmative commands, adding an accent to keep the original stress: «comunicar» → «comunicándole».
2
"I will wait for you until the twentieth every morning from ten to eleven, together with Barsut.
GrammarSimple future: «esperaré» «Esperaré» is the simple future of «esperar», formed by adding «-é» to the full infinitive: «esperar» + «-é». The future endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án) attach to the whole infinitive, so the verb 'esperar' stays visible inside the form.
Knock and come in without waiting.
GrammarFormal commands «Llame» and «entre» are «usted» commands (formal 'you'). Spanish builds them from the present subjunctive, so an «-ar» verb like «llamar» takes an «-e» ending and «entrar» does the same. The polite «usted» form fits the cold, official tone of the forged circular.
Do not come to visit me alone."
GrammarNegative formal command «No venga» is the negative «usted» command of the irregular verb «venir». Negative commands always use the subjunctive form: «no venga» = 'do not come'. The bare «venga» comes from the irregular subjunctive stem «veng-».
3
Erdosain read the Astrologer's letter and grew thoughtful.
Word«quedar» + adjective «Quedar» followed by an adjective expresses entering a state: «quedó pensativo» = 'he was left thoughtful', 'he grew pensive'. It frames the mood as a result of what just happened — reading the letter left him in that condition.
He had forgotten about Barsut.
GrammarPronominal «olvidarse de» «Olvidarse de» is the pronominal form of 'to forget', requiring the preposition «de» before its object: «se olvidó de Barsut» = 'he forgot about Barsut'. Here it is in the pluperfect, «se había olvidado», marking a forgetting already in place.
He knew he had to kill him, then that resolve clouded over with darkness, and the days that filled the interval, and that passed by in a stupor, were gone forever.
GrammarImperfect for background «Sabía», «tenía» and «ocupaban» are imperfect forms. The imperfect paints an ongoing past state or backdrop — what he knew, what he had to do, the days that were filling the gap — rather than a single finished event. The completed turns («se cubrió», «se fueron») switch to the preterite.
"I had to kill Barsut."
GrammarRedundant object pronoun «Matarlo a Barsut» doubles the object: the pronoun «lo» and the full noun «a Barsut» both name the same person. This redundant pronoun is typical of River Plate Spanish (Buenos Aires) and adds emphasis — 'kill him, Barsut'. Note the personal «a» before the human object.
The explanation of the word "had to" could be found in the very character of Erdosain's madness.
When I questioned him on that point, he answered me: "I had to kill him, because otherwise, I would not have lived in peace.
GrammarPast subjunctive in a hypothetical «No hubiera vivido» is the pluperfect subjunctive, used here for an unreal past result: 'I would not have lived (in peace)'. After «si no» ('otherwise / if not'), Spanish reaches for the subjunctive to mark a consequence that never actually happened.
4
To kill Barsut was a precondition for existing, as breathing clean air is for others."
GrammarInfinitive as subject «Matar a Barsut» — an infinitive phrase — works as the grammatical subject of «era» ('was'). Spanish freely uses the bare infinitive where English would use a gerund or a 'to'-clause: 'killing Barsut was...'. The same trick returns in «el respirar aire puro» ('breathing clean air').
So, no sooner had he received the letter than he set out for Barsut's house.
Word«no bien» = 'as soon as' «No bien» is a literary connector meaning 'as soon as' or 'no sooner than'. Paired with the pretérito anterior «hubo recibido» ('had received'), it stresses that one action followed instantly on another — he left the moment the letter arrived.
He lived in a boarding house on Uruguay Street, a certain dark and dirty flat occupied by a fantastic world of people of every sort.
Word«de toda calaña» «Calaña» means 'kind' or 'ilk', almost always with a negative, disreputable flavor. «Gente de toda calaña» = 'people of every (low) sort'. The word colors the boarding house as seedy and disreputable.
The landlady of that den dabbled in spiritism, had a cross-eyed daughter, and as for the rent she was inexorable.
Word«dedicarse a» «Dedicarse a» means 'to devote oneself to' or 'to be engaged in' an activity. «Se dedicaba al espiritismo» = 'she went in for spiritism'. The reflexive «se» plus «a» is the standard way to say what someone does for a living or as a pursuit.
Any lodger who fell twenty-four hours behind in paying her could be sure that, when night came, he would find his trunks and junk flung into the middle of the courtyard.
Grammar«al» + infinitive «Al» followed by an infinitive means 'upon / when (something happens)': «al llegar la noche» = 'when night fell'. It compresses an entire time clause into two words — a very common Spanish construction that also opens the novel's first chapter.
5
He reached the other man's house at dusk.
Gregorio happened to be shaving just as Erdosain walked into his room.
Word«pieza» = 'room' In River Plate Spanish, «pieza» means a 'room' (especially a bedroom or rented room), where Peninsular Spanish would more often say «habitación» or «cuarto». It is the natural word for a lodger's room in 1920s Buenos Aires.
Barsut stopped short, pale, the razor against his cheek, then, looking Erdosain over from head to foot, he exclaimed:
Word«de pies a cabeza» «De pies a cabeza» literally 'from feet to head' is the fixed idiom English renders 'from head to toe / head to foot'. The Spanish order is reversed. It describes a sweeping, sizing-up look.
6
—What is it you want here?
Grammar«voseo»: «vos querés» «Querés vos» uses the «voseo» — the Buenos Aires second-person 'you' that replaces «tú» with «vos» and shifts the verb ending: «tú quieres» becomes «vos querés». The extra «vos» after the verb adds emphasis. Voseo runs through all the dialogue in this chapter.
7
"Another man would have been outraged," Erdosain remarked later.
GrammarSubjunctive for 'would have' «Se hubiera indignado» is the pluperfect subjunctive standing in for the conditional perfect: 'would have become indignant'. River Plate Spanish often prefers «hubiera» to «habría» in this unreal-past sense. «Indignarse» ('to grow indignant') is pronominal, hence the «se».
I looked at him smiling 'in a friendly way', because I felt like his friend in that moment, and without a word I handed him the letter from the Ministry of War.
Word«alcanzar» = 'to hand over' Besides 'to reach', «alcanzar» commonly means 'to pass / hand (something) to someone' when followed by an indirect object: «le alcancé la carta» = 'I handed him the letter'. It is everyday spoken usage in Argentina.
An inexplicable joy kept me on edge; I remember I sat a minute on the edge of his bed, then I got up and began pacing nervously about the room."
Grammar«ponerse a» + infinitive «Ponerse a» plus an infinitive means 'to start / set about doing something': «me puse a pasear» = 'I began to pace'. It marks the sudden beginning of an action. Here it appears as a gerund, «poniéndome a pasear», with the reflexive «me» attached.
8
—So she's in Temperley.
And you want us to go and fetch her?
GrammarSubjunctive after «querer que» When one person wants another to do something — «querer que» plus a different subject — the second verb goes into the subjunctive: «querés que vayamos» = 'you want us to go'. «Vayamos» is the present subjunctive of the irregular «ir».
9
—Yes, that's what I want.
And that you go and fetch her.
GrammarSubjunctive «vayas» with «vos» The clause continues the wish from the previous line, so it stays in the subjunctive: «que vos vayas» = 'that you go'. With «vos», the present subjunctive of «ir» is «vayas» (the same as the «tú» form here); the «vos» pronoun is added for emphasis.
10
Barsut muttered something Erdosain did not catch, then with his hands he began to rub the muscles of his arms, and the skin flushed softly.
GrammarPronominal verb for body parts «Friccionarse los músculos de los brazos» uses the reflexive «se» to show the action is done to one's own body: 'to rub the muscles of his arms'. Spanish marks body parts with the reflexive plus a definite article («los músculos») rather than a possessive — not 'his muscles' but 'the muscles' on himself.
He was about to shave his moustache; he held the razor in the air and, turning his head, said: —You know what?
Grammar«ir a» + infinitive (imperfect) «Iba a afeitarse» is «ir a» plus an infinitive in the imperfect — the 'was going to / was about to' construction: 'he was about to shave'. The imperfect «iba» frames an intention interrupted by the next action.
I thought you'd never have the nerve to come and see me.
GrammarConditional «tendrías» «Tendrías» is the conditional of «tener», the irregular stem «tendr-» plus the conditional ending «-ías». After a past 'I thought', it expresses a future-in-the-past expectation: 'I thought you would (never) have the courage'.
11
Erdosain held that streaked green gaze; the man really did have the face of a tiger, and after folding his arms, he argued:
Word«cruzarse de brazos» «Cruzarse de brazos» is the idiom 'to fold one's arms'. Literally and figuratively it can also mean 'to do nothing, to stand by'; here it is the literal gesture. The pronominal «se» marks the action done to oneself.
12
—It's true, I thought so too, but you see, things change...
13
—Are you afraid to go on your own?
Grammar«voseo»: «vos tenés» «Tenés» is the «voseo» form of «tener»: «tú tienes» becomes «vos tenés», with the stress moved to the final syllable and no stem change. «Tener miedo de» = 'to be afraid to'.
14
—No, what I have is an interest in seeing you in on the adventure...
GrammarDoubled object «verte a vos» «Verte a vos» doubles the object for emphasis: the attached pronoun «te» and the prepositional «a vos» both mean 'you'. With «vos», the emphatic pronoun is «a vos» (not «a ti»). The effect is 'seeing you — you specifically — in the adventure'.
15
Barsut clenched his teeth.
With his chin soaked in soapy lather and his brow fiercely furrowed, he studied Erdosain and finally said:
Grammar«terminar por» + infinitive «Terminar por» plus an infinitive means 'to end up doing something': «terminó por decir» = 'he ended up saying', 'he finally said'. It marks the action as the outcome of a longer process — here, the slow build of his glare.
16
—Look, I thought I was a scoundrel, but I think you... you're worse than me.
Word«Mirá» (voseo imperative) «Mirá» is the «voseo» command of «mirar», stressed on the last syllable, where «tú» Spanish says «mira». Used as a discourse marker it means 'look' / 'listen here', opening a candid remark. «Sos» later in the line is the «voseo» of «ser» ('vos sos' = 'you are').
Word«canalla» «Canalla» means a 'scoundrel' or 'swine' — a contemptible, base person. It is strong but literary, and recurs as a moral keyword in Arlt, whose characters obsessively weigh their own infamy.
Anyway, let it be as God wills.
GrammarSubjunctive «quiera» «Lo que Dios quiera» = 'whatever God wants', a fixed resigned phrase. The subjunctive «quiera» appears because the outcome is open and unknown — 'whatever' / 'come what may'. The opening «que sea» ('let it be') is also subjunctive, expressing a wish.
17
—Why do you say let it be as God wills?
Grammar«voseo»: «vos decís» «Decís» is the «voseo» of «decir»: «tú dices» becomes «vos decís», with no stem change and the stress on the final syllable. It quotes Barsut's phrase back at him, keeping its two subjunctives («sea», «quiera»).
18
Barsut stopped in front of the mirror, set his fists on his hips, and what he said did not surprise Erdosain, who with a calm face listened to these words:
Word«semblante» «Semblante» is a literary word for 'face' or 'countenance', stressing the expression rather than the physical features. «Con el semblante sereno» = 'with a calm face/look'. It is a register higher than the everyday «cara».
19
—Who's to tell me this circular isn't forged and that you aren't setting a "trap" to murder me?
WordLunfardo: «tender una cama» «Tender una cama» here is Buenos Aires slang («lunfardo») for 'to set a trap / lay an ambush', not 'to make a bed'. Arlt flags the slang sense with guillemets around «cama». «Tender» means 'to lay out / set'.
GrammarSubjunctive after doubt «No esté» and «me tiendas» are present subjunctives triggered by the doubting frame «¿Quién me dice que...?» ('who's to say that...?'). When the main clause casts doubt on a fact, the subordinate verb shifts to the subjunctive.
20
"How curious the soul of man is!" Erdosain remarked afterward.
GrammarExclamatory «¡Qué...!» «¡Qué curiosa es...!» is the exclamatory pattern «¡Qué» + adjective + verb: 'how curious... is!'. The adjective «curiosa» is feminine to agree with «el alma» — a feminine noun that takes «el» only because it begins with a stressed 'a'.
I heard those words and not a single muscle of my face moved.
Grammar«se me alteró»: the dative of interest «Se me alteró» pairs the reflexive «se» (the muscle altered on its own) with the dative «me» ('on me / to me'). This 'dative of interest' shows the speaker affected by an involuntary event: 'not a muscle of mine stirred'.
How had Gregorio guessed the truth?
Word«adivinar» «Adivinar» means 'to guess' or 'to divine / foretell'. In the pluperfect, «había adivinado» = 'had guessed', marking the guess as already accomplished before the narrator's astonishment. The verb's fortune-telling overtone fits the chapter's Astrologer.
I don't know.
21
Or was it that he too had my evil imagination?"
Grammar«¿es que...?» «¿O es que...?» is a rhetorical framing meaning 'or is it that...?'. The «es que» introduces an explanation or supposition the speaker is weighing aloud. Note the possessive «la mala imaginación mía» — the long form «mía» after the noun, more emphatic than «mi mala imaginación».
22
He lit a cigarette and answered him with these words alone:
23
—Do as you like.
GrammarVoseo command + subjunctive «Hacé» is the «voseo» command of «hacer» ('do'), stressed on the last syllable where «tú» says «haz». «Lo que quieras» ('whatever you want') takes the subjunctive «quieras» because the thing wanted is left open and indefinite.
24
But Barsut, who was in a mood for talking, retorted:
Word«estar en vena de» «Estar en vena de» means 'to be in the mood / vein for' doing something: «en vena de conversar» = 'in a mood to talk'. The verb «repuso» is the preterite of «reponer» in its sense 'to reply, retort'.
25
—But why not?
Tell me: why not?
GrammarVoseo command with pronoun «Decíme» is the «voseo» command «decí» ('tell') of «decir» with the pronoun «me» attached: 'tell me'. The accent on «Decíme» keeps the stress on the original final syllable of the command.
What would be so strange about you wanting to kill me?
GrammarConditional + past subjunctive «¿Qué tendría de extraño que...?» pairs the conditional «tendría» ('what would there be strange') with the past subjunctive «quisieras» ('that you wanted to'). A hypothetical main clause in the conditional pulls the «que»-clause into the past subjunctive.
It's only logical.
I tried to steal your woman, I informed on you, I gave you a beating —what the devil!— you'd have to be a saint not to feel like killing me.
GrammarPreterite for a list of acts «Quise», «denuncié» and «di» are preterites — single, completed past actions. The chain of preterites tallies Barsut's offenses one by one: 'I tried, I denounced, I gave'. «Quise» (preterite of «querer») here carries the sense 'I tried to'.
Grammar«para que» + subjunctive «Para que» ('so that / in order that') always takes the subjunctive: «para que no tuvieras ganas» = 'so as not to feel like'. «Tener ganas de» means 'to feel like / want to' do something.
26
—A saint?
No, my boy, I'm not one.
Word«m'hijo» (mi hijo) «M'hijo» is the contracted, colloquial «mi hijo» ('my son'), used in River Plate speech as a familiar form of address — 'pal', 'my boy', 'old man' — not literally one's child. The apostrophe marks the dropped vowel of casual pronunciation.
But I swear to you that tomorrow I won't kill you.
Some day yes, but not tomorrow.
Barsut burst out laughing cheerfully.
Grammar«echarse a» + infinitive «Echarse a» plus an infinitive means 'to burst into / suddenly start': «se echó a reír» = 'he burst out laughing'. It stresses the abrupt onset of the action, more vivid than a plain «empezó a reír».
27
—Do you know you're remarkable, Remo?
Some day you'll kill me.
GrammarFuture «matarás» «Matarás» is the simple future of «matar», the full infinitive plus «-ás»: 'you will kill'. Barsut states it as a near-certainty, almost a prophecy — the future tense lends the line its eerie calm.
How curious!
Do you know what interests me about all this?
The face you'll make as you kill me.
Grammar«al» + infinitive + pronoun «Al matarme» = 'on/as (you) kill me': «al» plus the infinitive «matar» with the object pronoun «me» attached. The construction names the moment of the action — the very instant of the killing.
Tell me, are you going to be serious or are you going to laugh?
Grammar«ir a» + infinitive (near future) «Vas a estar» and «te vas a reír» use «ir a» plus an infinitive for the near future — 'are you going to be... or going to laugh?'. With reflexive verbs the pronoun may sit before the whole phrase, «te vas a reír», or attach to the infinitive, «vas a reírte».
28
The questions had been asked with friendly gravity.
GrammarPluperfect passive «Habían sido hechas» is a passive in the pluperfect: «haber» + «sido» + the participle «hechas» ('had been made/asked'). The participle «hechas» agrees in gender and number with «las preguntas» (feminine plural) — a hallmark of the true passive with «ser».
29
—I'll probably be serious.
GrammarSubjunctive after «posiblemente» Adverbs of doubt like «posiblemente» ('possibly') commonly take the subjunctive: «posiblemente esté serio» = 'I'll possibly be serious'. The subjunctive «esté» marks the uncertainty about whether it will be so.
I don't know.
I think so.
You'll understand that killing another man is no game.
Word«no es juguete» «No es juguete» literally 'it is no toy', meaning 'it's no joke / not a trifle'. The doubled object «matarlo a otro» again pairs the pronoun «lo» with the full phrase «a otro» ('another man'), in River Plate style.
30
—And aren't you afraid of prison?
31
—No, since if I were to kill you I'd take my precautions beforehand, and your corpse I would destroy with sulfuric acid.
GrammarUnreal conditional «Si te matara tomaría» is the contrary-to-fact conditional: «si» + past subjunctive («matara») in the 'if' clause, conditional («tomaría») in the result — 'if I were to kill you, I would take...'. It frames the killing as a hypothesis, not a plan.
GrammarFronted object + resumptive «lo» «Tu cadáver lo destruiría» moves the object «tu cadáver» to the front and then echoes it with the pronoun «lo» ('it'). When a definite object is fronted for emphasis, Spanish repeats it as a clitic — 'your corpse, I'd destroy it'.
32
—You're a brute...
Word«bárbaro» «Bárbaro» literally 'barbarian' is used colloquially in Argentina both as 'terrific/great' and, as here, half-admiringly for someone outrageous — 'you're a monster / you're unbelievable'. «Sos» is again the «voseo» of «ser».
By the way, I've got a worse memory: did you pay up at the Sugar Company?
Word«a propósito» «A propósito» as a sentence opener means 'by the way / incidentally'. (Elsewhere it can mean 'on purpose'.) «Floja», from «flojo», here means 'weak / poor' — «una memoria floja» is 'a poor memory'.
33
—Yes.
34
—Who gave you the money?
35
—A pimp.
Word«rufián» «Rufián» means a 'pimp' or 'procurer' — a man who lives off prostitutes — and by extension a 'villain / knave'. The Buenos Aires underworld of pimps and con men is central to «Los siete locos»; the reply names one matter-of-factly.
36
—You've got few friends, but good ones...
So, what time are you coming to fetch me tomorrow?
Word«venir a buscar» «Venir a buscar» means 'to come to fetch / pick up' someone: «me vas a venir a buscar» = 'you're going to come pick me up'. «Buscar» on its own is 'to look for', but «buscar a (alguien)' often means 'to go/come get someone'.
37
—That man goes to headquarters at eight... so that's how it is...
Word«así es que» «Así es que» is a colloquial connector for 'so / that's why / that's the way it is', trailing off here. «Comando» refers to a military command post or headquarters, tying back to the forged Ministry-of-War circular.
38
—Look, I still can't quite believe it's true, but if Elsa is there I'm going to give her so many slaps that, I warn you, many years will have to pass before she forgets them.
WordLunfardo: «sopapos» «Sopapo» is colloquial River Plate for a 'slap' or 'smack' in the face — a blow with the open hand. «No termino de creer» = 'I can't quite bring myself to believe', where «terminar de» + infinitive means 'to finish / fully manage to' do something.
Grammar«para que» + subjunctive «Para que se los olvide» again takes the subjunctive after «para que» ('so that'). «Olvidarse» is pronominal, and the clitic cluster «se los» stacks the reflexive «se» before the object «los» (the slaps) — 'so that she forgets them'.
39
When Erdosain left he made his way to a post office and sent a telegram to the Astrologer.
Grammar«dirigirse a» «Dirigirse a» means 'to head / make one's way toward (a place)'. The pronominal «se» distinguishes it from «dirigir» ('to direct/manage'). «Le hizo un telegrama al Astrólogo» pairs the indirect pronoun «le» with the full «al Astrólogo» — the redundant doubling typical of the dialect.

The particulars

The text: Los siete locos, Roberto Arlt. Part Two.
Reading aloud: Digital narration, directed by 1732 Studios.
Words: Every word of the text, by letter.
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