# The Seven Madmen, The Circular Los siete locos · Roberto Arlt · Part Two Source: https://1732studios.com/books/arlt/la-circular. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/arlt/la-circular.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/arlt/.m4a. El secuestro se llevó a cabo diez días después de la fuga de Elsa. The kidnapping was carried out ten days after Elsa's flight. > «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. El día catorce de agosto Erdosain recibió la visita del Astrólogo, mas, como había salido, al regresar encontró tirado bajo la puerta un sobre. 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. > «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. > Pluperfect: «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. Este contenía una circular falsificada, del Ministerio de Guerra, comunicándole a Erdosain de la supuesta dirección del capitán Belaunde y una curiosa posdata que decía así: 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: > Gerund 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». «Lo esperaré hasta el día veinte todas las mañanas de diez a once, en compañía de Barsut. "I will wait for you until the twentieth every morning from ten to eleven, together with Barsut. > Simple 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. Llame y entre sin esperar. Knock and come in without waiting. > Formal 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. No venga a visitarme solo». Do not come to visit me alone." > Negative 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-». Erdosain leyó la carta del Astrólogo y quedó pensativo. Erdosain read the Astrologer's letter and grew thoughtful. > «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. Se había olvidado de Barsut. He had forgotten about Barsut. > Pronominal «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. Sabía que tenía que matarlo, luego tal determinación se cubrió de tinieblas, y los días que ocupaban el intervalo, y que transcurriera embotado, se fueron para siempre. 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. > Imperfect 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. «Tenía que matarlo a Barsut». "I had to kill Barsut." > Redundant 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. La explicación de la palabra «tenía» podría encontrarse como la característica de la locura de Erdosain. The explanation of the word "had to" could be found in the very character of Erdosain's madness. Cuando le interrogué a ese respecto, me contesto: «Tenía que matarlo, porque si no, no hubiera vivido tranquilo. When I questioned him on that point, he answered me: "I had to kill him, because otherwise, I would not have lived in peace. > Past 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. Matar a Barsut era una condición previa para existir, como lo es para otros el respirar aire puro». To kill Barsut was a precondition for existing, as breathing clean air is for others." > Infinitive 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'). Así, no bien hubo recibido la carta, se dirigió a la casa de Barsut. So, no sooner had he received the letter than he set out for Barsut's house. > «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. Este vivía en una pensión de la calle Uruguay, cierto departamento oscuro y sucio ocupado por un fantástico mundo de gente de toda calaña. 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. > «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. La patrona de tal antro se dedicaba al espiritismo, tenía una hija bizca y en cuanto a los pagos era inexorable. The landlady of that den dabbled in spiritism, had a cross-eyed daughter, and as for the rent she was inexorable. > «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. Pensionista que se retrasaba veinticuatro horas en pagarle, estaba seguro que al llegar la noche encontraba sus baúles y trastos arrojados en el centro del patio. 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. > «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. Llegó atardecido a la casa del otro. He reached the other man's house at dusk. Precisamente estaba Gregorio afeitándose cuando entró Erdosain a su pieza. Gregorio happened to be shaving just as Erdosain walked into his room. > «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 se detuvo pálido, con la navaja sobre la mejilla, luego mirándolo de pies a cabeza a Erdosain, exclamó: Barsut stopped short, pale, the razor against his cheek, then, looking Erdosain over from head to foot, he exclaimed: > «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. –¿Qué es lo que querés vos aquí? —What is it you want here? > «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. «Otro se hubiera indignado –comentaba más tarde Erdosain–. "Another man would have been outraged," Erdosain remarked later. > Subjunctive 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». Yo le miré sonriendo 'amistosamente', porque me sentía amigo de él en aquellos momentos, y sin decir palabras le alcancé la carta del Ministerio de Guerra. 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. > «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. Una alegría inexplicable me mantenía inquieto, recuerdo que estuve un minuto sentado en la orilla de su cama, luego me levanté poniéndome a pasear nerviosamente por la pieza». 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." > «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. –Así que está en Temperley. —So she's in Temperley. ¿Y vos querés que vayamos a buscarla? And you want us to go and fetch her? > Subjunctive 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». –Sí, eso es lo que quiero. —Yes, that's what I want. Y que vos vayas a buscarla. And that you go and fetch her. > Subjunctive «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. Barsut murmuró algo que Erdosain no entendió, luego con las manos empezó a friccionarse los músculos de los brazos y la epidermis se sonrojó suavemente. 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. > Pronominal 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. Iba a afeitarse los bigotes, sostuvo la navaja en el aire y volviendo la cabeza, dijo: –¿Sabes? He was about to shave his moustache; he held the razor in the air and, turning his head, said: —You know what? > «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. Creí que nunca tendrías el coraje de visitarme. I thought you'd never have the nerve to come and see me. > Conditional «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'. Erdosain sostuvo la estriada mirada verde, realmente aquel hombre tenía la faz de un tigre, y después de cruzarse de brazos, arguyó: Erdosain held that streaked green gaze; the man really did have the face of a tiger, and after folding his arms, he argued: > «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. –Es cierto, yo también creía eso, pero ya vez, las cosas cambian... —It's true, I thought so too, but you see, things change... –¿Tenés miedo de ir vos solo? —Are you afraid to go on your own? > «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'. –No, lo que tengo es interés de verte a vos en la aventura... —No, what I have is an interest in seeing you in on the adventure... > Doubled 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'. Barsut apretó los dientes. Barsut clenched his teeth. Con el mentón empapado de espuma jabonosa y la frente arrugada poderosamente consideró a Erdosain y terminó por decir: With his chin soaked in soapy lather and his brow fiercely furrowed, he studied Erdosain and finally said: > «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. –Mirá, yo me creía un canalla, pero creo que vos... vos sos peor que yo. —Look, I thought I was a scoundrel, but I think you... you're worse than me. > «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'). > «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. En fin, que sea lo que Dios quiera. Anyway, let it be as God wills. > Subjunctive «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. –¿Por qué decís que sea lo que Dios quiera? —Why do you say let it be as God wills? > «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»). Barsut se detuvo frente al espejo, apoyó los puños en la cintura, y lo que dijo no le sorprendió a Erdosain, que con el semblante sereno escuchó estas palabras: 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: > «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». –¿Quién me dice que esta circular no esté falsificada y que vos me tiendas una «cama» para asesinarme? —Who's to tell me this circular isn't forged and that you aren't setting a "trap" to murder me? > Lunfardo: «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'. > Subjunctive 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. «¡Qué curiosa es el alma del hombre! –comentaba luego Erdosain–. "How curious the soul of man is!" Erdosain remarked afterward. > Exclamatory «¡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'. Yo escuché esas palabras y ni un solo músculo del semblante se me alteró. I heard those words and not a single muscle of my face moved. > «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'. ¿Cómo Gregorio había adivinado la verdad? How had Gregorio guessed the truth? > «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. No lo sé. I don't know. ¿O es que él tenía también la mala imaginación mía?» Or was it that he too had my evil imagination?" > «¿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». Encendió un cigarrillo y le contestó estas únicas palabras: He lit a cigarette and answered him with these words alone: –Hacé lo que quieras. —Do as you like. > Voseo 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. Pero Barsut, que estaba en vena de conversar, repuso: But Barsut, who was in a mood for talking, retorted: > «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'. –¿Pero por qué no? —But why not? Decíme: ¿Por qué no? Tell me: why not? > Voseo 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. ¿Qué tendría de extraño que vos me quisieras matar? What would be so strange about you wanting to kill me? > Conditional + 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. Es lógico. It's only logical. Te quise robar la mujer, te denuncié, te di una paliza, ¡qué diablos!, tendrías que ser un santo para que no tuvieras ganas de matarme. 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. > Preterite 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'. > «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. –¿Un santo? —A saint? No, m'hijo, no lo soy. No, my boy, I'm not one. > «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. Pero te juro que mañana no te mataré. But I swear to you that tomorrow I won't kill you. Algún día sí, pero mañana no. Some day yes, but not tomorrow. Barsut se echó a reír alegremente. Barsut burst out laughing cheerfully. > «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». –¿Sabes que sos notable, Remo? —Do you know you're remarkable, Remo? Algún día me matarás. Some day you'll kill me. > Future «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. ¡Qué curioso! How curious! ¿Sabes lo que me interesa de todo eso? Do you know what interests me about all this? La cara que pondrás al matarme. The face you'll make as you kill me. > «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. Decíme, ¿vas a estar serio o te vas a reír? Tell me, are you going to be serious or are you going to laugh? > «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». Las preguntas habían sido hechas con gravedad amistosa. The questions had been asked with friendly gravity. > Pluperfect 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». –Posiblemente esté serio. —I'll probably be serious. > Subjunctive 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. No sé. I don't know. Creo que sí. I think so. Vos comprenderás que matarlo a otro no es juguete. You'll understand that killing another man is no game. > «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. –¿Y no tenés miedo a la cárcel? —And aren't you afraid of prison? –No, ya que si te matara tomaría antes mis precauciones, y tu cadáver lo destruiría con ácido sulfúrico. —No, since if I were to kill you I'd take my precautions beforehand, and your corpse I would destroy with sulfuric acid. > Unreal 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. > Fronted 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'. –Sos un bárbaro... —You're a brute... > «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». A propósito, yo tengo una memoria más floja: ¿pagaste en la Azucarera? By the way, I've got a worse memory: did you pay up at the Sugar Company? > «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'. –Sí. —Yes. –¿Quién te dio el dinero? —Who gave you the money? –Un rufián. —A pimp. > «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. –Tenés pocos amigos, pero buenos... —You've got few friends, but good ones... Entonces, ¿a qué hora me vas a venir a buscar mañana? So, what time are you coming to fetch me tomorrow? > «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'. –A las ocho va ese hombre al comando... así es que... —That man goes to headquarters at eight... so that's how it is... > «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. –Mirá, no termino de creer que sea cierto, pero si Elsa está allá le voy a dar tantos sopapos que te prevengo que tendrán que pasar muchos años para que se los olvide. —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. > Lunfardo: «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. > «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'. Cuando Erdosain salió se dirigió a una oficina de correos y le hizo un telegrama al Astrólogo. When Erdosain left he made his way to a post office and sent a telegram to the Astrologer. > «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. --- Source text: public domain (Roberto Arlt, d. 1942). English translation: © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC — original draft, pending editorial review. NOTE: this is a minimal seed excerpt to make the app target runnable; full verified content is authored through the content pipeline.