Spanish · Part One

Las opiniones del rufián melancólico

The Opinions of the Melancholy Ruffian

245 sentences · 151 notes

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1
And when they had already turned the corner by the country house, Erdosain said:
Yandy · conjunctionmodifies dijo
cuandowhencuando · subordinating conjunctionintroduces the clause of doblaron
yaalreadyya · adverbmodifies doblaron
doblaronturneddoblar · verb, past, indicative, third-person, pluraladverbial clause on dijo
enaten · prepositionpreposition marking esquina
latheel · determiner, feminine, singulardeterminer of esquina
esquinacorneresquina · noun, feminine, singularoblique complement of doblaron
deofde · prepositionpreposition marking quinta
latheel · determiner, feminine, singulardeterminer of quinta
quintacountry housequinta · noun, feminine, singularmodifies esquina
ErdosainErdosainErdosain · proper nounsubject of dijo
dijosaiddecir · verb, past, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentence
GrammarPreterite for a completed turn «doblaron» ('they turned') is a preterite — a single finished action that pins down the moment. Paired with «ya» ('already'), it marks the precise point at which they round the corner, opening the conversation that fills the chapter.
2
"Do you know I have no way to thank you for this enormous favor you've done me?
GrammarThe formal «usted» and its pronouns Erdosain addresses Haffner with formal «usted»: the verb is the third-person «sabe» ('do you know'), and «agradecerle» carries the indirect-object pronoun «-le» ('to you'). Throughout the chapter the two men keep this polite distance even as the talk turns brutal.
Why did you make me a gift of this money?"
Grammar«regalar» with the indirect object «regalar» means 'to give as a gift'. «Me regaló este dinero» = 'he gifted me this money'; the pronoun «me» marks the recipient. Spanish prefers this verb where English might just say 'gave', stressing that nothing was owed.
3
The other man, who walked with a slight roll of the shoulders, turned with an air of indifference and said:
GrammarPronominal «volverse» «volverse» (with the reflexive «se») means 'to turn (round)' — to turn one's body or face toward someone. It differs from plain «volver», 'to return'. Here Haffner turns to face Erdosain as he answers.
4
"I don't know.
You caught me at a good moment.
If one had to do that every day... but like this...
GrammarImperfect subjunctive in an «if» clause «tuviera» is the imperfect subjunctive of «tener». After «si» ('if') it frames a hypothetical, contrary-to-fact situation: «si uno tuviera que hacerlo» = 'if one had to do it'. The mood signals that he does not, in fact, have to do it every day.
Besides, just imagine, in a week I make it back...
GrammarFormal command with attached pronoun «imagínese» is a formal («usted») imperative of «imaginarse», with the reflexive pronoun «-se» tacked onto the end: 'just imagine'. Attaching the pronoun to an affirmative command is standard, and forces the written accent onto «imagí-».
5
The question slipped out of Erdosain.
GrammarThe unplanned-event «se» Spanish uses «se» + an indirect-object pronoun to present something as accidental, beyond the person's control: «se le escapó la pregunta» = 'the question escaped from him', i.e. he blurted it without meaning to. The grammar itself shifts the blame off Erdosain.
6
"And how is it that, having a fortune, you stay in the "life"?"
7
Haffner turned, aggressive, then:
8
"Look, my friend, the "life" is not for every man.
Grammar«Vea» as a discourse opener «Vea» is the formal imperative of «ver» ('to see'), but here it works as a filler that grabs attention — like English 'Look,' or 'See here,'. Haffner peppers his speech with these openers as he warms to his argument.
You know?
Why would I give up three women who bring in two thousand pesos a month with no work at all?
Word«rendir» — to yield «rendir» here means 'to yield' or 'bring in' (a return). «Mujeres que rinden dos mil pesos» = 'women who yield two thousand pesos'. The verb belongs to the language of investment and profit — exactly how Haffner thinks about the women.
Would you give them up?
GrammarThe conditional for a hypothetical «dejaría» is the conditional of «dejar» ('to leave / give up'): 'would you leave them?'. The conditional poses a 'what would you do' question, turning the argument back on Erdosain.
No.
Well then?"
9
"And you don't love them?
Word«querer» — to love or to want «querer» means both 'to want' and 'to love (a person)'. With «las» ('them') referring to the women, «no las quiere» = 'you don't love them'. Context, not the verb, tells you which sense is meant.
None of them attracts you especially?"
10
Only after the question was out did Erdosain realize he had just said something foolish.
Grammar«acabar de» + infinitive «acabar de» plus an infinitive means 'to have just (done something)': «acababa de decir» = 'he had just said'. In the imperfect it sets the action immediately before the moment of realization.
Word«recién» in the River Plate In Argentine and Uruguayan Spanish «recién» commonly means 'only / not until' before a clause: «recién después de... comprendió» = 'only after... did he realize'. Elsewhere «recién» mostly means 'just/recently'.
The pimp looked at him for a second and replied:
Word«macró» — pimp «macró» (also «macro») is Buenos Aires slang for a pimp, from French «maquereau». Arlt cycles through synonyms for the trade — «cafishio», «macró», «rufián», «fioca», «marlú» — each from a different corner of the city's immigrant slang.
11
"Listen to me carefully.
If tomorrow a doctor came to see me and told me: 'the Basque woman will die within a week whether you take her out of the brothel or not,' I would let the Basque woman, who has given me thirty thousand pesos in four years, work the six days and drop dead on the seventh.
GrammarSubjunctive chain in a hypothesis The «si» clause stacks imperfect subjunctives — «viniera» ('came'), «dijera» ('told') — for a hypothetical situation. «La saque o no» ('whether I take her out or not') uses the present subjunctive «saque» to mark a concession: the outcome is the same either way.
Word«reventar» — to burst / drop dead «reventar» literally means 'to burst'; colloquially 'to drop dead' or 'kick the bucket'. «Que reviente el séptimo» = 'let her drop dead on the seventh (day)'. The brutality is the point: she is an asset to be used up.
12
The pimp's voice had gone hoarse.
GrammarPluperfect for a prior change «había enronquecido» is the pluperfect (past perfect) of «enronquecer» ('to grow hoarse'): 'his voice had gone hoarse'. The pluperfect reports a change that had already taken hold before the narrative's present moment.
There was an indefinable rabid bitterness in his words, that bitterness Erdosain would later recognize in the voice of all those sullen idlers and bored scoundrels.
Word«un no sé qué» — a certain something «un no sé qué» literally 'an I-don't-know-what' is a fixed phrase for an indefinable quality — English 'a certain something', French 'je ne sais quoi'. Here it names a bitterness Arlt can sense but not pin down.
GrammarConditional as a 'future in the past' «reconocería» is the conditional of «reconocer». Anchored in past narration, it points forward from that past: 'would later recognize'. Spanish uses the conditional this way to express a future seen from a moment already in the past.
13
"Pity?
—the other went on—.
My friend, you mustn't feel pity for the woman of the life.
Grammar«hay que» for impersonal obligation «hay que» + infinitive expresses a general, subjectless obligation: 'one must / you must'. Negated, «no hay que tenerle lástima» = 'one must not pity her'. It states a rule of the trade rather than a personal command.
There is no woman more vicious, harder, more bitter than the woman of the life.
Don't be shocked, I know them.
Only by beating can you manage them.
Word«a palos» — by beating «a palos» literally 'with sticks/blows' means 'by force of beating'. The construction «a + plural noun» often names the means: «a palos» = 'by thrashing'. «Se las puede manejar» uses impersonal «se», 'one can manage them'.
Like ninety percent of people, you believe the pimp is the exploiter and the prostitute the victim.
Word«cafishio» — pimp (lunfardo) «cafishio» (also «cafiolo») is the classic lunfardo word for a pimp, from Genoese dialect. It is the term tango and the Buenos Aires underworld used; Arlt treats it as the plain, technical name for Haffner's profession.
But tell me: what does a woman need all the money she earns for?
Word«precisar» — to need «precisar» is a common River Plate alternative to «necesitar», 'to need'. «¿Para qué precisa una mujer...?» = 'what does a woman need... for?'. The rhetorical question is the hinge of Haffner's whole self-justification.
What the novelists haven't said is that the woman of the life who has no man goes about desperate, looking for one to deceive her, to break her soul now and then and take all the money she earns, because that's how brutish she is.
GrammarSubjunctive after an indefinite antecedent She seeks «uno que la engañe» — 'a man who would deceive her'. Because the man is not a specific, known person but any man fitting the description, the relative clauses take the subjunctive: «engañe», «rompa», «saque». Spanish marks the difference between a real, known referent (indicative) and a merely desired one (subjunctive).
It has been said that woman is equal to man.
Lies.
Woman is inferior to man.
Look at the savage tribes.
Grammar«fijarse en» — to pay attention to «fijarse en» is a pronominal verb meaning 'to notice / pay attention to'. The formal command «fíjese en» = 'take note of, look at'. Don't confuse it with «fijar», 'to fix/fasten'.
She is the one who cooks, works, does everything, while the male goes hunting or off to war.
GrammarCleft sentence «es la que» «Ella es la que cocina» = 'She is the one who cooks'. This cleft structure («ser» + «el/la que») isolates and stresses the subject, as English does with 'It is she who...'. Haffner uses it to drive his point home.
The same thing happens in modern life.
The man, except for earning money, does nothing.
And believe me, a woman of the life whose money isn't taken from her despises the man.
GrammarImpersonal «se» in a relative clause «mujer... a la que no se le saca el dinero» = 'a woman from whom the money is not taken'. The impersonal «se» hides any agent ('one / they don't take her money'), and «le» marks her as the one it's taken from. Spanish builds such agentless relative clauses easily.
Yes, sir, the moment she starts to grow fond of him, the first thing she wants is to be asked...
Grammar«en cuanto» — as soon as «en cuanto» means 'as soon as / the moment that'. With a present-tense verb here it states a habitual truth: 'as soon as she grows fond of him...'. (When the clause points to a future event it would take the subjunctive.)
And what joy is hers the day you tell her: "Ma chérie", can you lend me a hundred pesos?
Grammar«vos» — River Plate second person «podes» (standard «puedes») is the «voseo» form of «poder». Buenos Aires uses «vos» instead of «tú», with its own verb endings. Haffner slips from formal «usted» into intimate «vos» as he ventriloquizes the woman's lover wheedling for money.
Then that woman lets herself go, she's happy.
14
At last the dirty money she earns is good for something, for making her man happy.
Word«plata» — money «plata» literally 'silver' is the everyday River Plate word for money, where Spain says «dinero». «La sucia plata que gana» = 'the dirty money she earns'. Arlt's dialogue is steeped in this porteño vocabulary.
Of course, the novelists haven't written this.
And people take us for monsters, or exotic animals, the way the "sainete" writers have painted us.
But come live in our world, get to know it, and you'll realize it's the same as the bourgeoisie's and our aristocracy's.
Word«el ambiente» — the milieu «el ambiente» ('the environment / atmosphere') is used here to mean the underworld milieu of pimps and prostitutes — 'our scene', 'our world'. «Mujer del ambiente» elsewhere = a woman of that world.
The kept woman despises the cabaret woman, the cabaret woman despises the "yiranta", the "yiranta" despises the brothel woman, and, a curious thing, just as the woman in a brothel almost always picks a shady type for her man, the cabaret woman takes up with a rich kid or a deadbeat lawyer to exploit her.
Word«yiranta» — streetwalker «yiranta» is lunfardo for a streetwalker, from «yirar» ('to wander/walk the streets', from Italian «girare»). Haffner ranks the women in a strict hierarchy of contempt: kept woman, cabaret woman, «yiranta», brothel woman.
Word«atorrante» — bum, deadbeat «atorrante» is a classic porteño word for a layabout or good-for-nothing. «Un doctor atorrante» = 'a deadbeat lawyer'. «Un niño bien» means a rich young man, a 'kid from a good family' — both, in Haffner's telling, live off the women.
The psychology of the woman of the life?
It's contained in these words, which a little woman, dropped by a friend of mine, said to me in tears:
Grammar«largar» — to dump «largar» literally 'to let go / release'; colloquially 'to dump, ditch' a partner. «A quien largó un amigo mío» = 'whom a friend of mine had dumped'. Note the verb-before-subject order, normal in Spanish relative clauses.
15
"Even with my ass I can still keep a man".
That's something neither the public nor the novelists know.
GrammarFronted object with resumptive «lo» The object «Eso» is moved to the front for emphasis, then echoed by the pronoun «lo» before the verb: «Eso no lo sabe la gente» = literally 'That, the people don't know it'. Doubling the object with a pronoun is required once it's fronted this way.
A French proverb already says it: "A whore alone can't manage her own ass".
16
Erdosain watched him, stupefied.
Haffner went on:
17
"Who looks after her like the pimp does?
Who cares for her when she's sick, when she's thrown in jail?
Word«caer preso/presa» — to be arrested «caer preso» (feminine «presa») is a set phrase, 'to be taken prisoner / arrested'. «Cuando cae presa» = 'when she gets locked up'. The verb «caer» ('to fall') is idiomatic here, not literal.
What do people know?
If one Saturday morning you heard a woman say to her "marlu": "Mon chéri, I turned fifty more "latas" than last week", you'd turn pimp yourself, you know?
Word«marlú» and «latas» «marlú» (from French «marlou») is yet another slang word for pimp. «Latas» ('tins') were the metal tokens a brothel handed out per client, used to tally a woman's work — «hice cincuenta latas» = 'I did fifty tricks'. The line is the trade's own accounting.
Because that woman says "I turned fifty latas" in the same tone an honest woman would use telling her husband: "Darling, this month, by not buying myself a dress and washing my own clothes, I've saved thirty pesos".
GrammarConditional in a comparison «le diría» is the conditional of «decir»: 'would say'. It sets up a hypothetical parallel — the way an honest wife 'would tell' her husband — letting Haffner equate the prostitute's pride with a housewife's thrift.
18
Believe me, my friend, woman, honest or not, is an animal that tends toward sacrifice.
GrammarSubjunctive «sea» for concession «sea o no honrada» = 'whether she's honest or not'. The present subjunctive «sea» (from «ser») in this paired construction expresses concession — it doesn't matter which is true. Compare «la saque o no» earlier in the chapter.
She's been built that way.
Why do you suppose the Church Fathers despised woman so?
GrammarImperfect for a lasting attitude «despreciaban» is the imperfect of «despreciar» ('to despise'). The imperfect fits an ongoing, characteristic attitude across time — 'they used to despise / they despised', as a standing disposition rather than a single act.
Most of them had lived as great swells and knew what kind of little animal she is.
Word«bacán» — a swell, a high-liver «bacán» is lunfardo for a wealthy man who lives well, a 'swell' or 'big shot' (a «bacana» is his kept woman). «Grandes bacanes» = 'great high-livers'. Haffner imagines the Church Fathers as former playboys who learned women the hard way.
And the woman of the life is worse still.
She's like a child: you have to teach her everything.
Word«criatura» — a small child «criatura» literally 'creature' is the everyday word for a baby or small child. «Es como una criatura» = 'she's like a little child'. The comparison is part of Haffner's relentless infantilizing of the women.
"You'll walk this way, you mustn't pass in front of this corner, you don't greet such-and-such 'fioca'.
Word«fioca» — pimp (yet again) «fioca» is one more lunfardo word for a pimp. The pile-up of synonyms — «cafishio», «macró», «marlú», «fioca» — is itself a portrait of how central, and how named, the trade was in Arlt's Buenos Aires.
GrammarFuture as command «caminarás» is the simple future of «caminar», but here it functions as an order: 'you will walk this way' = 'you are to walk this way'. Spanish (like the biblical 'thou shalt') can use the future to lay down rules.
Don't pick a fight with that woman".
Word«armar bronca» — to kick up a row «bronca» is anger or a quarrel; «armar bronca» = 'to start a fight / make a scene'. «No armes bronca» is a negative «vos»/«tú» command, 'don't pick a fight'. Pure porteño street idiom.
Everything has to be taught to her.
GrammarTwo object pronouns on an infinitive «enseñárselo» stacks two pronouns on the infinitive «enseñar»: «se» (to her) + «lo» (it). When indirect «le» meets direct «lo», «le» becomes «se». So «hay que enseñárselo» = 'one must teach it to her'.
19
They were walking along the brush hedges, and in the sweet dusk the pimp's words opened a parenthesis of strangeness in Erdosain.
GrammarImperfect for the scene's backdrop «caminaban» and «abrían» are imperfects setting the continuous scene — an ongoing walk, words steadily working on Erdosain. Arlt drops out of the rapid dialogue into this imperfect to paint the evening mood around it.
He understood that he was beside a life substantially different from his own.
Then he asked him:
20
"And how did you get your start in the "life"?"
GrammarPronominal «iniciarse en» «iniciarse en» (with «se») means 'to get one's start in / be initiated into' an activity. «¿Cómo se inició usted en la vida?» = 'how did you enter the life?'. The reflexive marks the subject as the one starting out.
21
"At that time I was young.
I was twenty-three and held a chair in mathematics.
Word«cátedra» — a teaching post «cátedra» is a professorial chair or teaching post. «Una cátedra de matemáticas» = 'a chair / position teaching mathematics'. The detail is deliberately jarring: the pimp was, and still calls himself, a mathematics professor.
Because I am a teacher —Haffner added proudly—, a teacher of mathematics.
I was getting by on my teaching post when one night, in a brothel on Rincón street, I came upon a little Frenchwoman who pleased me.
Grammar«ir» + gerund for gradual action «iba viviendo» joins «ir» ('to go') with a gerund to express a slow, continuing process: 'I was going along living', i.e. 'I was getting by'. The imperfect «iba» sets the ongoing backdrop, interrupted by the preterite «encontré» ('I came upon').
This was ten years ago.
Grammar«hace» for 'ago' «hace» + a span of time means 'ago': «hace diez años» = 'ten years ago'. «Hace de esto diez años» = 'this happened ten years back'. The verb «hacer» is impersonal here, third person only.
Just in those days I had received an inheritance of five thousand pesos from a relative.
Lucienne appealed to me, and I offered to have her come live with me.
GrammarSubjunctive after an offer «le ofrecí que viniera» = 'I offered that she come'. A verb of wanting or proposing (here «ofrecer») governing a different subject triggers the subjunctive; «viniera» is the imperfect subjunctive of «venir».
She had a pimp, the Marseillais, a brutal giant, whom she saw from time to time...
I don't know whether it was the gift of gab, or because I was good-looking, but the fact is the woman fell in love, and one stormy night I took her out of the house.
Word«labia» — the gift of gab «labia» is fluent, persuasive, smooth talk — 'a silver tongue', 'the gift of gab'. «Por la labia» = 'thanks to his glib talk'. Haffner credits his patter as much as his looks for the seduction.
GrammarPronominal «enamorarse» «enamorarse (de)» means 'to fall in love (with)'. The «se» is essential — plain «enamorar» means 'to make someone fall in love'. «La mujer se enamoró» = 'the woman fell in love'.
It was quite a romance.
We went off to the hills of Córdoba, then to Mar del Plata, and when the five thousand pesos ran out, I told her:
GrammarPronominal «terminarse» «terminarse» presents the money as running out on its own: «los cinco mil pesos se terminaron» = 'the five thousand pesos ran out'. The «se» removes any agent — the money simply finished — a common pattern with things that deplete or break.
22
"Well, farewell to the idyll.
It's over".
Then she said to me: "No, my dear, we'll never part again".
Grammar«no… más» — 'not anymore / no longer' «no... más» means 'no longer / never again': «no nos separaremos más» = 'we will never separate again'. This is a single negation («no») plus the temporal adverb «más» (any more / any longer) — NOT a double negative. True double negation requires inherently negative words (nada, nunca, nadie, etc.).
23
Now they walked beneath vaults of greenery, interlaced branches and apses of stalks.
WordChurch architecture for the trees «bóvedas» are vaults and «ábsides» the apses of a church. Arlt drapes cathedral architecture over the suburban foliage, casting an unexpectedly sacred hush over the pimp's confession as they walk.
24
"I was jealous.
Do you know what it is to be jealous of a woman who sleeps with everyone?
GrammarPronominal «acostarse» «acostarse» (with «se») means 'to go to bed / lie down', and «acostarse con» = 'to sleep with' someone. «Que se acuesta con todos» = 'who sleeps with everyone'. Plain «acostar» means 'to put (someone) to bed'.
25
And do you know the thrill of the first lunch she pays for with the "mishé"'s money?
Word«mishé» — the john «mishé» (also «misho») is lunfardo for a prostitute's paying client, the 'john' — and the money that comes from him. «Plata del mishé» = 'the client's money'. The word is French in origin («michet»).
Can you imagine the happiness of eating with forks crossed, while the waiter looks at you and at her, knowing who the two of you are?
And the pleasure of stepping into the street with her clinging to your arm while the "tiras" size you up?
Word«tiras» and «relojear» «tiras» is lunfardo for plainclothes police detectives. «Relojear» (from «reloj», 'watch') means 'to eye, watch closely, size up'. «Los tiras lo relojean» = 'the cops are sizing you up'. The street watches the pimp parade his woman.
And to see that she, who sleeps with so many men, prefers you, only you?
26
That's very fine, my friend, when you're working the trade.
Word«hacer la carrera» — to work the streets «hacer la carrera» (literally 'to make the run') is an idiom for plying the trade of prostitution or pimping. The impersonal «se» — «cuando se hace la carrera» — generalizes it: 'when one works the life'.
And she's the one who sees to it that you get yourself another woman to exploit, she's the one who brings her home saying: "we're going to be sisters-in-law", she's the one who breaks in the newcomer so she takes "trips" only for you, and the more timid and bashful you are, the more she delights in destroying your scruples, in sinking you into her filth, and suddenly... when you least expect it you find yourself buried to the hair in the mud... and then there's nothing to do but dance.
Word«varear» a «primeriza» «varear» literally means to exercise a racehorse; here, figuratively, to break in and train the «primeriza», the 'first-timer' or novice prostitute. «Levantar viajes» means to pick up clients ('trips'). Haffner describes the senior woman drilling the new one for his profit.
Grammar«cuanto más... más...» — the more... the more «cuanto más tímido es usted, más goza ella» = 'the more timid you are, the more she enjoys it'. This correlative pair sets two things rising together, exactly like English 'the more... the more...'.
And while the woman is caught up in it you have to make the most of it, because one day a fit takes her, she goes mad for another man, and with the same recklessness with which she followed you she sacrifices herself all over again.
Word«viaraza» — a sudden fit «viaraza» is River Plate slang for a sudden whim, fit, or burst of madness. «Le da una viaraza» = 'a fit comes over her'. The verb «dar» plus an indirect object is the usual way to say a state 'comes over' someone.
You'll say to me: what does a woman need a man for?
But I'll tell you right now: no brothel owner is going to deal with a woman.
Word«desde ya» — right now, straight off «desde ya» is a River Plate set phrase meaning 'right away / straight off / from the outset'. «Desde ya, le diré» = 'I'll tell you straight off'. Note also «Mas» (without accent) = 'but', distinct from «más», 'more'.
The one he deals with is her "marlu".
The pimp gives a woman peace of mind to carry on her life.
The "tiras" don't bother her.
27
If she's jailed, he gets her out; if she's sick, he takes her to a clinic and has her looked after, and he spares her troubles and a thousand fantastic things.
GrammarCausative «hacer» + infinitive «hacer» + infinitive forms a causative: «la hace cuidar» = 'he has her looked after / sees that she's cared for'. The subject doesn't do the action himself but causes someone else to do it.
Look, a woman who works on her own in this world always ends up the victim of a robbery, a swindle, or some brutal outrage.
Grammar«terminar» + gerund — to end up «terminar» plus a gerund means 'to end up (doing/being)': «termina siendo víctima» = 'she ends up a victim'. The gerund «siendo» (from «ser») states the resulting condition.
By contrast, a woman who has a man works calm, untroubled, no one meddles with her and everyone respects her.
Word«meterse con» — to mess with «meterse con (alguien)» means 'to bother, provoke, or pick on someone'. «Nadie se mete con ella» = 'no one messes with her'. The pronominal «meterse» changes plain «meter» ('to put in') into this confrontational sense.
And since she, for one reason or another, chose her life, it's only logical that with her money she can give herself the happiness she needs.
GrammarSubjunctive after an impersonal judgment Impersonal evaluations like «es lógico que» ('it's logical that') take the subjunctive in the following clause: «es lógico que pueda» = 'it's logical that she can'. «Pueda» is the present subjunctive of «poder».
28
"Of course, all this is new to you, but you'll get used to it.
Grammar«irse haciendo» — to gradually become «irse haciendo» combines «ir» + gerund with the reflexive to mean 'to gradually grow into / get used to' something. «Ya se va [a] ir haciendo» = 'you'll gradually come round to it'. (The «a» of «va a ir» is dropped in this colloquial speech.)
And if not, tell me: how do you explain that there are "fiocas" with up to seven women?
GrammarDouble subjunctive for the unspecified «haya» (subjunctive of «hay») and «tenga» (subjunctive of «tener») both appear because the «fioca» is hypothetical and unspecified. «Que haya fioca que tenga siete mujeres» = 'that there should be a pimp who has seven women'. The number seven may echo the novel's title «Los siete locos» as a thematic coincidence, but this is not the chapter's title-phrase.
The Italian Repollo, in his heyday, got up to eleven women.
Word«taño» — Italian (lunfardo) «taño» (from «napolitano») is porteño slang for an Italian immigrant. «El taño Repollo» = 'the Italian, Repollo' (Repollo, 'Cabbage', being his nickname). «Llegar a + infinitive» = 'to get to the point of', here 'got up to eleven women'.
The Spaniard Julio, eight.
Word«gallego» — Spaniard (lunfardo) In Buenos Aires «gallego» (strictly 'Galician') was used loosely for any Spanish immigrant. «El gallego Julio» = 'the Spaniard Julio'. Paired with «taño» for Italians, it sketches the immigrant makeup of the underworld.
There's hardly a Frenchman who doesn't have three women.
And they know one another, and not only know one another but know how to live together and compete over who gives him more, because it's a point of pride to be the favorite of a man who quiets the most overbearing detectives with a single look.
Word«pesquisas» — detectives «pesquisa» (from «pesquisar», 'to investigate') is old porteño slang for a police detective — much like «tiras». «Los pesquisas más prepotentes» = 'the most overbearing detectives'. The pimp's swagger cows even them.
And the poor things, they're so crazy that one doesn't know whether to pity them or split their heads open with a club".
Grammar«si» + infinitives for a dilemma «no sabe si compadecerlas o romperles la cabeza» = 'doesn't know whether to pity them or break their heads'. Spanish uses «si» ('whether') plus bare infinitives to pose a choice between two actions. Note «romperles la cabeza» — the head 'belongs to them', marked by «les».
29
Erdosain felt overwhelmed by the formidable contempt this man revealed toward women.
Word«anonadado» — overwhelmed, stunned «anonadado» means crushed, stunned, reduced to nothing — from «anonadar», 'to annihilate, overwhelm'. «Se sentía anonadado» = 'he felt overwhelmed / floored'. It marks how completely Haffner's contempt unsettles Erdosain.
And he recalled that on another occasion the Astrologer had told him: "The Melancholy Ruffian is the sort of fellow who, on seeing a woman, thinks first of all this: out on the street she'd bring in five, ten, or twenty pesos.
GrammarConditional «rendiría» — would bring in «rendiría» is the conditional of «rendir»: 'she would yield / bring in'. It states a hypothetical valuation — what the woman would earn if put on the street — reducing her, chillingly, to a sum.
Nothing more".
30
And now Erdosain felt that the man repelled him.
Grammar«repugnar» like «gustar» «repugnar» ('to disgust') works like «gustar»: the thing causing the feeling is the subject, the person feeling it the indirect object. «El hombre le repugnaba» = literally 'the man was repugnant to him' = 'the man disgusted him'.
To change the subject, he said:
31
"Tell me... Do you believe in the success of the Astrologer's enterprise?"
32
"No."
33
"And does he know you don't believe?"
34
"Yes."
35
"And why do you go along with him?"
36
"I go along with him up to a point, and out of how bored I am.
Grammar«de... que» for cause «de aburrido que estoy» = 'from how bored I am' / 'out of sheer boredom'. The structure «de + adjective + que + verb» gives the cause and stresses its degree. Boredom, for Haffner, is reason enough for anything.
Since life has no meaning at all, it's all the same to follow any current.
Grammar«ya que» — since, given that «ya que» introduces a known reason: 'since / given that'. «Ya que la vida no tiene sentido» = 'since life has no meaning'. Unlike «porque», it presents the cause as already established between the speakers.
37
"For you life has no meaning?"
38
"Absolutely none.
We are born, we live, we die, without the stars ceasing to move or the ants to work because of it.
GrammarSubjunctive after «sin que» «sin que» ('without') always takes the subjunctive: «sin que dejen las estrellas de moverse» = 'without the stars ceasing to move'. «Dejar de» + infinitive means 'to stop / cease doing'. The cosmic indifference is Haffner's whole creed.
39
"And do you get very bored?"
40
"So-so.
Word«regular» — so-so As a one-word answer, «regular» means 'so-so / middling / not great, not bad'. It's the standard noncommittal reply to '¿cómo estás?' or, as here, '¿se aburre mucho?'.
I've organized my life like an industrialist's.
Every day I go to bed at twelve and get up at nine in the morning.
GrammarReflexive verbs of daily routine Daily-routine verbs are reflexive: «acostarse» ('to go to bed'), «levantarse» ('to get up'), «bañarse» ('to bathe'). The «me» means the subject does the action to himself. Haffner lists his day as a string of these — a parody of bourgeois order.
I do an hour of exercise, I bathe, I read the papers, I lunch, I take a siesta, at six I have my vermouth and go to the barber's, at eight I dine, then I go out to the café, and in two years, when I have two hundred thousand pesos, I'll retire from the trade to live for good off my income.
GrammarSubjunctive after «cuando» for the future When «cuando» points to a future event, the verb goes subjunctive: «cuando tenga doscientos mil pesos» = 'when I have two hundred thousand pesos'. «Tenga» (subjunctive of «tener») marks the saving as not-yet-real, paired with the future «me retiraré».
Word«vivir de las rentas» «rentas» are unearned income — returns from property or investments. «Vivir de mis rentas» = 'to live off my income / off my means', the rentier's dream. The pimp aspires to the most respectable bourgeois retirement.
41
And really, what is your role going to be in the Astrologer's society?
If the Astrologer raises money, to guide him in gathering the women and setting up the brothel.
Word«junta» — the gathering «junta» here is the act of assembling or recruiting — «la junta de mujeres» = 'the recruiting / gathering of the women'. Haffner's expertise, his offered 'role', is procurement: rounding up women to staff the planned brothel.
42
"But you, deep down, what do you think of the Astrologer?"
43
"That he's a crank who may or may not succeed."
Word«maniático» — crank, obsessive «maniático» means a person ruled by a «manía» — an obsession or fixed idea; a crank, a monomaniac. It's the right word for the Astrologer, the visionary at the center of «Los siete locos», whose whole scheme is an obsession.
44
"But his ideas..."
45
"Some are muddled, others clear, and frankly I don't know where that man is aiming.
Word«embrollado» — tangled, muddled «embrollado» means tangled, confused, muddled, from «embrollar» ('to muddle, embroil'). «Ideas embrolladas» = 'muddled ideas'. «Apuntar» here = 'to aim' (a weapon or a purpose): 'where he's aiming'.
Sometimes you think you're hearing a reactionary, other times a red, and, to tell the truth, it seems to me that not even he himself knows what he wants.
Grammar«ni... mismo» — not even himself «ni él mismo sabe» = 'not even he himself knows'. «Ni» intensifies the negation ('not even'), and «él mismo» ('he himself') drives the point home. The Astrologer's politics — reactionary or 'red' — are deliberately unreadable.
46
"And if he were to succeed?..."
Grammar«si» + imperfect subjunctive alone A bare «¿Y si tuviera éxito?» = 'And what if he succeeded?'. The imperfect subjunctive «tuviera» after «si» floats a hypothesis without stating the result, leaving the consequence ominously open.
47
"Then not even God knows what might happen.
Ah! by the way, did you speak to him about cultures of Asiatic cholera bacilli?
Word«a propósito» — by the way «a propósito» as a connector means 'by the way / incidentally' (as an adjective phrase it can also mean 'on purpose'). Here it abruptly swings the talk to Erdosain's plan to breed cholera — one of the novel's many apocalyptic schemes.
48
"Yes... it would be a magnificent means of warfare against the army.
GrammarConditional for speculation «sería» is the conditional of «ser»: 'it would be'. Here it speculates about a hypothetical weapon — the cholera cultures — that doesn't exist yet, the conditional softening the monstrous idea into a daydream.
49
Scatter a culture in every barracks.
Word«desparramar» — to scatter, spread «desparramar» means to scatter, strew, or spread something around. As a bare infinitive it works like an instruction or plan: 'scatter a culture in each barracks'. «Cuartel» = a military barracks.
Do you realize?
Grammar«darse cuenta (de)» — to realize «darse cuenta (de)» is the fixed pronominal phrase for 'to realize / notice'. «¿Se da cuenta?» = 'do you realize? / can you see?'. It recurs through the chapter as Haffner and Erdosain press their points.
Simultaneously, thirty or forty men could destroy the army and let the proletarian masses make the revolution...
Grammar«dejar que» + subjunctive «dejar que» ('to let / allow that') governs the subjunctive when the subject changes: «dejar que las masas hagan la revolución» = 'let the masses make the revolution'. «Hagan» is the present subjunctive of «hacer».
50
"The Astrologer admires you a great deal.
GrammarRedundant object pronoun «lo admira mucho a usted» doubles the object: the pronoun «lo» plus the full «a usted». This redundancy is normal in Spanish and adds emphasis — 'it's you he admires'. The «a» before a person is the personal «a».
He's always spoken to me of you as a man with great prospects of success.
51
Erdosain smiled, flattered.
52
"Yes, one does study a bit toward destroying this society.
Grammar«uno» as an impersonal 'one' «uno» ('one') is an impersonal subject that often veils a modest 'I': «algo estudia uno» = 'one does study a little' really means 'I do study'. Spanish uses «uno» to make a personal claim sound general and self-deprecating.
But going back to what we were on before: what I can't conceive is your position with regard to us...
GrammarNeuter «lo» for the abstract Neuter «lo» nominalizes the abstract: «lo de antes» = 'the earlier matter / what we said before', and «lo que yo no concibo» = 'the thing that I can't conceive'. Spanish uses «lo» where there's no specific noun, just an idea.
53
Haffner turned quickly, sized up Erdosain with a single glance as if puzzled by his wording, and then, smiling mockingly, added:
Word«medir de una mirada» — to size up «medir» literally 'to measure'; «medir de una mirada» = 'to take someone's measure with one look', to size them up. «De éste» refers back to Erdosain — «éste» ('this one / the latter') stands in for the most recently named person.
54
"I'm not in any position.
Understand me well.
It does me no harm to help the Astrologer.
GrammarEmphatic «a mí» plus «me» «A mí no me perjudica» doubles the pronoun for emphasis: the stressed «a mí» ('me') plus the obligatory «me». «Perjudicar» ('to harm') works like «gustar», with the harmful thing as subject: 'helping the Astrologer doesn't harm me'.
The rest, his theories, I take as so much conversation.
Word«a cuenta de conversación» «tomar algo a cuenta de conversación» means to treat something as mere talk, not to be taken seriously — 'I take it as just so much chatter'. Haffner shrugs off the Astrologer's grand theories as idle conversation.
He is for me a friend who means to set up a business, one foreseen and tolerated by our laws.
Grammar«pensar» + infinitive — to intend «pensar» plus an infinitive means 'to intend / plan to': «piensa instalar un negocio» = 'he means to set up a business'. (Followed by «en» plus a noun, «pensar» instead means 'to think about'.)
That's all.
Now, whether he invests the money he earns from that business in a secret society or in a convent of nuns, personally doesn't interest me.
GrammarSubjunctive for 'whether' Both «gane» and «invierta» are present subjunctives. «El dinero que él gane» = 'whatever money he earns' (unspecified), and the fronted «que... lo invierta... no me interesa» = 'whether he invests it... doesn't interest me'. The subjunctive marks both as hypothetical and indifferent to him.
55
So you see, then, that my part in the famous society couldn't be more innocent.
Grammar«no... más» as a superlative «no puede ser más inocente» = 'it couldn't be more innocent', i.e. it is utterly innocent. The structure «no + verb + más + adjective» is an idiomatic superlative — the opposite of what the literal 'cannot be more' might first suggest.
56
"And does it seem logical to you to think that a revolutionary society would be founded on the exploitation of woman's vice?"
Grammar«resultar» — to come across as «resultar» here means 'to turn out / come across as' and works like «gustar»: «a usted le resulta lógico» = literally 'to you it comes across as logical' = 'does it seem logical to you'. «Que... se base» takes the subjunctive after this evaluation.
57
The Ruffian pursed his lips.
Then, eyeing Erdosain sidelong, he explained himself:
Word«de reojo» — out of the corner of one's eye «mirar de reojo» means to look sidelong, out of the corner of the eye — often warily or with suspicion. «Mirando de reojo a Erdosain» = 'eyeing Erdosain sidelong'. The look matches Haffner's guarded, mocking manner.
58
"What you say makes no sense.
Present-day society is founded on the exploitation of man, woman, and child.
Word«actual» — present, current (false friend) «actual» means 'present-day / current', not English 'actual'. «La sociedad actual» = 'present-day society'. A classic false friend: for English 'actual', Spanish would say «real» or «verdadero».
Go, if you want to grasp what capitalist exploitation is, to the ironworks of Avellaneda, to the meatpacking plants and the glassworks, the match factories and the labor mills.
—He laughed unpleasantly as he said these things—.
Grammar«al» + infinitive — as he said «al decir estas cosas» = 'on saying / as he said these things'. «Al» plus an infinitive compresses a clause of time into two words — the same construction that opens the novel («Al abrir la puerta...»).
We, the men of this world, have one woman, two; they, the industrialists, have a multitude of human beings.
What are we to call those men?
And who is more heartless, the owner of a brothel or the body of shareholders of a company?
Word«desalmado» — soulless, heartless «desalmado» literally 'un-souled' (des- + «alma», 'soul') means heartless, cruel, soulless. «¿Quién es más desalmado?» = 'who is more heartless?'. Haffner turns the moral charge back on the respectable shareholder.
And without going any further, didn't they demand that you be honest on a salary of a hundred pesos while you carried ten thousand in your bag?
Grammar«exigir que» + subjunctive Verbs of demanding govern the subjunctive in the dependent clause: «exigían que fuera honrado» = 'they demanded that you be honest'. «Fuera» is the imperfect subjunctive of «ser», matching the past «exigían». The jab lands on Erdosain's own embezzlement.
59
"You're right... but then, why did you lend me the money?"
Word«tener razón» — to be right «tener razón» literally 'to have reason' is the idiom for 'to be right'. «Tiene razón» = 'you're right'. Note Spanish uses «tener» ('to have') where English uses 'to be' for many states — right, hungry, cold, years old.
60
"That's a horse of a different color."
Word«harina de otro costal» — a different matter «ser harina de otro costal» literally 'to be flour from another sack' is a set idiom for 'that's a completely different matter / another story'. Haffner deflects the awkward question of why he gave Erdosain the money.
61
"But that worries me."
62
"Well, so long."
Wordhasta la vista — so long «hasta la vista» is the everyday goodbye, literally 'until the seeing': you part expecting to meet again. Haffner drops it and walks off. (Earlier printings of this text carried the line mis-segmented as «has tal a vista» — the same letters, split in the wrong places.)
63
And before Erdosain could answer him, the Ruffian set off down a tree-lined diagonal.
GrammarSubjunctive after «antes de que» «antes de que» ('before') always takes the subjunctive: «antes de que Erdosain pudiera contestarle» = 'before Erdosain could answer him'. «Pudiera» is the imperfect subjunctive of «poder».
He was walking hurriedly.
Erdosain looked at him for an instant, then set off walking after him, and caught up with him beside a country house.
Grammar«echar a» + infinitive — to start «echar a» plus an infinitive of motion means 'to start / break into (an action)': «echó a caminar» = 'he set off walking', «echar a correr» = 'to break into a run'. It stresses the sudden beginning of the movement.
Haffner turned, irritated, and now shrill he exclaimed:
64
"May one know what it is you want from me?..." "What I want?...
GrammarImpersonal «se puede saber» «¿Se puede saber...?» literally 'can it be known...?' is an impersonal, often impatient way to demand 'may one know / would you mind telling me'. The impersonal «se» avoids naming who; the irritation is carried by the phrase itself.
I want to tell you this: that I don't thank you in the least for the money you've given me.
GrammarReinforced negation «no le agradezco absolutamente nada» = 'I thank you for absolutely nothing'. Spanish piles up the negators — «no» before the verb, «absolutamente nada» after — to intensify, where English would soften to a single negative.
You understand?
Do you want the check?
Here it is.
Grammar«aquí lo tiene» — here it is «aquí lo tiene» literally 'here you have it' is the idiomatic way to hand something over — 'here it is / here you go'. The «lo» refers to «el cheque» ('the check'); Erdosain is thrusting it back at Haffner.
65
And indeed he was holding it out to him, but the Ruffian examined it this time with contempt:
Grammar«se lo» — to him + it «se lo alcanzaba» = 'he was holding it out to him'. «Se» stands for the indirect object (to Haffner, where «le» becomes «se» before «lo»), and «lo» for the check. «Alcanzar» here means 'to hand / pass over', not 'to reach'.
66
"Don't be ridiculous, will you?
GrammarNegative formal command «No sea ridículo» is a negative formal («usted») command of «ser»: 'don't be ridiculous'. Negative commands take the subjunctive form («sea»). The tacked-on «¿quiere?» ('will you?') softens the order into an impatient request.
Go and pay.
GrammarIrregular formal commands «Vaya» (from «ir») and «pague» (from «pagar») are formal imperatives. «Vaya» is irregular; «pague» takes a «u» to keep the hard «g» sound before «e». Together: 'go and pay' — Haffner dismisses Erdosain's gesture and tells him to settle his theft.
67
The wire fences rippled before Erdosain's eyes.
He was visibly suffering, for he turned pale until he went yellow.
GrammarImperfect and preterite together «Sufría» (imperfect) gives the ongoing state — 'he was suffering' — while «palideció» (preterite) marks the single, completed change of going pale. Pairing the two tenses lets Arlt show a lasting condition and the sharp event inside it at once.
He leaned against a post, thinking he was going to be sick.
Grammar«ir a» + infinitive in the past «ir a» + infinitive is the 'going to' future; in the imperfect («iba a vomitar») it becomes 'was going to be sick' — an action seen as imminent from a point in the past. «Creía» (imperfect) sets the ongoing belief.
Haffner, halted before him, asked him condescendingly:
68
"Is the dizziness passing?"
Grammar«pasársele algo a alguien» «¿Se le pasa el mareo?» = 'is the dizziness passing (for you)?'. The «se» presents the dizziness as fading on its own, and «le» marks the person it's happening to. «Mareo» = dizziness, queasiness, seasickness.
69
"Yes... a little..."
70
"You're in a bad way... you have to get yourself looked at..."
Grammar«hacerse ver» — to get checked out «hacerse ver» (literally 'to make oneself be seen') idiomatically means 'to get oneself examined' by a doctor. The reflexive «se» plus the causative «hacer» casts the subject as both the one arranging it and the one undergoing it.
71
They walked a few steps in silence.
Since the excess of light bothered Erdosain, they crossed to the sidewalk, which lay in shadow.
Word«vereda» — sidewalk (River Plate) «vereda» is the standard River Plate (and broadly South American) word for the sidewalk or pavement, where Spain says «acera». «Como» at the start of the sentence here means 'since / because', giving the reason for crossing.
Thus they reached the railway station.
72
Haffner walked slowly along the platform.
Suddenly he turned to Erdosain:
Word«de pronto» — suddenly «de pronto» means 'suddenly, all at once'. It marks an abrupt turn, here Haffner wheeling round to confront Erdosain with his next, ghastly memory. (In some regions «de pronto» can also mean 'maybe', but here it's clearly 'suddenly'.)
73
"Has it never happened to you to have cruel cravings about people?"
Word«antojo» — a craving, a whim «antojo» is a sudden craving, urge, or whim (the kind pregnant women are said to have). «Antojos crueles acerca de las personas» = 'cruel cravings about people'. The word makes Haffner's sadistic impulses sound like an appetite.
74
"Yes, sometimes..."
75
"How strange... because just now I was recalling the obsession I had for a time, of driving into prostitution a girl who was blind...
GrammarPreterite «tuve» for a bounded span «la manía que tuve un tiempo» = 'the obsession I had for a time'. The preterite «tuve» (from «tener») bounds the obsession as a closed episode — it had a start and end — unlike the imperfect, which would leave it open-ended.
76
"And does she still live?..."
77
"Yes, now she's pregnant.
Do you realize?
A blind woman, pregnant.
One of these days I'll take you there.
Grammar«ir a» future with pronoun «lo voy a llevar» = 'I'm going to take you'. The near-future «ir a» + infinitive carries the object pronoun «lo» ('you', formal), which may sit before «voy» or attach to the infinitive («voy a llevarlo») — both are correct.
You'll meet her.
Word«conocer» — to meet (first time) «conocer» means to know a person or to meet them for the first time. «La va a conocer» = 'you're going to meet her'. For knowing facts or how to do things, Spanish uses the other verb, «saber».
An interesting spectacle, I warn you.
Do you realize?
Blind and with child.
Word«preñada» vs «embarazada» «preñada» means pregnant, but it's a blunter, more animal word than «embarazada» — used of beasts and, crudely, of women. Having said «embarazada» before, Haffner now drops to «preñada», coarsening the woman into livestock.
She's wicked, always going about with needles in her hands...
Grammar«andar» + complement «andar» ('to go about') often means 'to be (in a state) / go around (doing)': «siempre anda con agujas en las manos» = 'she's always going around with needles in her hands'. «Andar» suggests a habitual, restless condition more than literal walking.
Besides, she's as greedy as a sow.
Word«goloso» — greedy for sweets «goloso/a» means having a sweet tooth, greedy for treats and food. «Golosa como una cerda» = 'as greedy as a sow'. The animal comparison continues Haffner's reduction of the blind girl to a creature to be exhibited.
It's going to interest you.
78
"And you intend..."
79
"Yes, as soon as the Astrologer sets up the brothel, the first to go in is going to be her.
Grammar«en cuanto» + subjunctive (future) Pointing to a future event, «en cuanto» takes the subjunctive: «en cuanto el Astrólogo instale el prostíbulo» = 'as soon as the Astrologer sets up the brothel'. «Instale» is the present subjunctive of «instalar», because the setting-up hasn't happened yet.
We'll keep her hidden away: she'll be the rare dish...
Word«el plato raro» — the exotic dish «plato raro» literally 'rare/strange dish' casts the blind, pregnant woman as a curiosity served up to clients — a delicacy on the menu. The grotesque culinary metaphor caps Haffner's monstrous plan.
80
"Do you know you're stranger than she is?"
81
"Why?..."
Word«¿Por?» — clipped 'why' «¿Por?» is a clipped, colloquial 'why? / how come?', shortened from «¿por qué?». It's casual, even curt — fitting Haffner's flat, unbothered tone here.
82
"Because one can't make you out.
GrammarPronouns stacked on the infinitive «explicárselo» attaches «se» (to you) + «lo» (it) to «explicar»: 'to explain it to you'. With «explicarse» reflexively the sense is 'to make sense of / figure out'. Erdosain means he can't figure Haffner out.
While you were telling me about the blind girl, I was thinking about what the Astrologer had told me.
GrammarTwo imperfects over a pluperfect «hablaba» and «pensaba» are imperfects running in parallel — two ongoing past actions at once ('while you were telling... I was thinking'). «Había contado» is the pluperfect, an event finished even earlier ('had told'). The tenses layer three moments in time.
That you had a relationship with an honest woman, that chance brought this honest woman to your house, and that you respected her.
GrammarA string of preterites for the plot «tuvo», «llevó», «respetó» are all preterites, narrating completed events that form a little story: you had a relationship with her, chance brought her to your house, you respected her. Note «tuvo» is third-person singular agreeing with «usted» — 'you had', not 'she had'. The preterite is the tense of plot — one finished action after another.
What's more, let me speak: that woman loved you, she was a virgin — why did you respect her?
Grammar«dejar» + infinitive — to let «déjeme hablar» = 'let me speak'. «Dejar» plus an infinitive means 'to let / allow (someone) to do'; here the pronoun «me» attaches to the formal command «deje». Note again «quería»/«era» (imperfect, lasting states) against «respetó» (preterite, one decisive act).
83
"That's of no importance.
A bit of self-control, nothing more.
Grammar«sí mismo» — oneself «sí mismo» is the reflexive 'oneself' after a preposition. «Dominio de sí mismo» = 'control over oneself, self-control'. The «sí» (with accent) is the prepositional reflexive pronoun, distinct from «si» ('if') without accent.
84
"And the matter of the necklace?"
85
Erdosain knew, from the Astrologer, that the Ruffian had demanded a material proof of affection from a dancer; that she, before other women, had stripped off a magnificent necklace given to her by a lover, an old textile importer.
Grammar«-ara» subjunctive as a past relative «el collar que le regalara un amante» uses «regalara» (the «-ra» imperfect subjunctive) where modern Spanish would say «había regalado» — 'the necklace a lover had given her'. This literary use of the «-ra» form for a past relative clause was common in early-20th-century prose.
The scene was a curious one, because the old man was in the vicinity.
Haffner took the necklace and, to everyone's astonishment, weighed it in his hand, examined the carat of the stones, and then handed it back to her with a mocking smile.
Word«sopesar» and «quilate» «sopesar» means to weigh something in the hand, to gauge its heft; «quilate» is a carat, the jeweller's measure of gem weight. Haffner appraises the gift like a pawnbroker — coolly pricing the woman's sacrifice before tossing it back.
86
"The business of the necklace is simple," Haffner replied.
Grammar«lo de» — the matter of «lo de» + a noun means 'the matter / business of': «lo del collar» = 'the thing about the necklace, the necklace affair'. The neuter «lo» turns a whole episode into a single topic of conversation.
I was a little drunk.
That didn't keep me from knowing that the gesture I was making would give me enormous prestige among that cabaret rabble, above all with the women, who are rather given to fantasy.
Grammar«impedir» + infinitive; conditional «daría» «no me impedía saber» = 'didn't stop me from knowing'. «Daría» is the conditional of «dar», a 'future in the past': from that past moment, the gesture 'would give' him prestige. «Canalla» = rabble, scum.
The curious thing about it is that half an hour later the old man who had given René the necklace came to thank me humbly for my not having wanted to accept the gift.
GrammarPerfect infinitive with its own subject «por no haber querido yo aceptar el regalo» = 'because I had not wanted to accept the gift'. «Haber querido» is a perfect infinitive ('to have wanted'), and «yo» is slipped in as its own subject — a compact way to pack a whole reason into a phrase.
Do you realize?
From another table he had followed the scene, trembling, and if he didn't step in it was for fear of stirring up a scandal.
Grammar«si... fue por» — cause after the fact «si no intervino fue por temor» = 'if he didn't intervene, it was out of fear'. This «si... (entonces) fue por...» frame, with both verbs in the preterite, explains the real reason behind a completed event.
But he had trembled for the fate of his necklace....
So you see how much filth there is... but here comes the train to La Plata.
Dear friend, until soon...
Ah! do attend the meeting that takes place on Wednesday at the Astrologer's house.
Grammar«concurrir» — to attend «concurrir (a)» means 'to attend / show up at' an event. «Concurra a la reunión» is its formal command: 'attend the meeting'. The formal imperative of «-ir» verbs ends in «-a» («concurra»), borrowing the subjunctive form.
You'll find others more interesting than I am.
87
Erdosain crossed, pensive, to the platform from which the trains for Buenos Aires departed.
GrammarAdjective doubling as adverb «cruzó pensativo» = 'he crossed, pensive / thoughtfully'. Spanish often uses an adjective that agrees with the subject («pensativo», masculine singular) where English would use an adverb, describing the person's state as he acts.
88
Undoubtedly, Haffner was a monster.
GrammarImperfect «era» for the verdict «era un monstruo» = 'was a monster'. The imperfect of «ser» states a settled, defining characteristic rather than a momentary one. Arlt ends the chapter on this flat, conclusive judgment — Haffner is, in essence, monstrous.

The particulars

The text: Los siete locos, Roberto Arlt. Part One.
Reading aloud: Digital narration, directed by 1732 Studios.
Words: Every word of the text, by letter.
Data: JSON · Markdown · A guide for agents