Spanish · Part Two

Un crimen

A Crime

162 sentences · 103 notes

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1
Erdosain raised his head abruptly, and Hipólita, as if she had been thinking about him, said:
ErdosainErdosainErdosain · proper nounsubject of levantó
levantóraisedlevantar · verb, past, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentence
bruscamenteabruptlybruscamente · adverbmodifies levantó
latheel · determiner, feminine, singulardeterminer of cabeza
cabezaheadcabeza · noun, feminine, singulardirect object of levantó
Spanish uses the definite article ('the head') where English uses a possessive ('his head').
eande · conjunctionlinks the coordination
HipólitaHipólitaHipólita · proper nounsubject of dijo
comoascomo · subordinating conjunctionintroduces the clause of pensando
siifsi · subordinating conjunctionintroduces the clause of pensando
hubierahadhaber · auxiliary verb, imperfect, subjunctive, third-person, singularauxiliary of pensando
estadobeenestar · auxiliary verb, past, participle, masculine, singularauxiliary of pensando
pensandothinkingpensar · verb, gerundadverbial clause on dijo
enabouten · prepositionpreposition marking él
élhimél · pronoun, acc,nom, masculine, singularoblique complement of pensando
dijosaiddecir · verb, past, indicative, third-person, singularcoordinated with levantó
Grammar«como si» + pluperfect subjunctive «como si» ('as if') always triggers the subjunctive, and here the past-perfect subjunctive «hubiera estado pensando» frames an unreal, contrary-to-fact background: 'as if she had been thinking'. The «-ra» form of «haber» plus a past participle is the standard way Spanish builds this hypothetical past.
2
"You too... you too were very wretched."
GrammarRioplatense «vos» In Buenos Aires Spanish «vos» replaces «tú» for the familiar 'you'. With a regular preterite like «fuiste» the verb form is identical to «tú fuiste», but the pronoun «vos» is the unmistakable mark of porteño speech that runs through Arlt's dialogue.
3
Erdosain took the woman's cold hand and pressed his lips to it.
4
She went on slowly:
5
"Sometimes this life seems like a bad dream to me."
Grammar«parecer» with an indirect object «parecer» ('to seem') takes an indirect-object pronoun for the person to whom something seems: «me parece» = 'it seems to me'. The thing that seems is the grammatical subject — here «esta vida» — even though it lands at the end of the sentence.
Now that I feel I am yours, the sorrow of other times comes back to me again.
GrammarPronominal «sentirse» «sentirse» ('to feel oneself / to feel a certain way') is the reflexive form of «sentir»; it describes one's own inner state. «me siento tuya» literally is 'I feel myself yours' — 'I feel I belong to you'. The adjective «tuya» agrees in feminine because Hipólita is speaking of herself.
Always, everywhere, suffering.
6
Then she said:
7
"What will one have to do in order not to suffer?"
Grammar«haber que» + infinitive The impersonal «hay que» means 'one must / it is necessary to'. Put into the future, «habrá que hacer» = 'one will have to do'. It is always third-person singular and has no specific subject — a general obligation, not aimed at any particular person.
8
"The thing is, we carry the suffering inside us."
Word«Es que» as an opener «Es que...» literally 'it is that...' is a common conversational lead-in used to explain or justify: 'the thing is...', 'it's just that...'. It softens what follows into an explanation rather than a blunt statement.
Once I came to think it floated in the air... it was a ridiculous idea; but the truth is that the discontent is inside oneself.
Grammar«llegar a» + infinitive «llegar a» plus an infinitive expresses reaching a point or going so far as to do something: «llegué a pensar» = 'I came to think', 'I got to the point of thinking'. The preterite «llegué» marks it as a completed step in the past, against the imperfect «flotaba» / «era» that paint the lingering backdrop.
9
They fell silent.
Word«callar» = to go quiet «callar» means 'to fall silent / to stop speaking'. The bare preterite «callaron» captures the single moment the conversation breaks off — a one-word sentence Arlt uses to drop the room into silence.
Hipólita was slowly stroking his hair; suddenly her hand drew away from his head and
GrammarImperfect for an ongoing action «acariciaba» is the imperfect of «acariciar» ('to caress'): an action stretched out in time, 'was stroking'. It sets the gentle, continuous backdrop that the sudden preterite «se apartó» ('drew away') then interrupts.
10
Erdosain felt the woman press his hand against her lips.
11
Erdosain, sitting down beside her, murmured:
GrammarReflexive gerund «sentándose» «sentarse» ('to sit down') is pronominal, so its gerund keeps the reflexive pronoun attached: «sentándose» = 'sitting himself down'. As a gerund it marks an action happening at the same time as the main verb «murmuró».
12
"Tell me, what have I done to you that you make me so happy?"
GrammarThe «vos» imperative «Decíme» is the affirmative command of «decir» in the «vos» form, with the pronoun «me» attached and the stress shifted to the final syllable («decí» + «me»). Compare the «tú» command «dime». The «vos» imperative is built by dropping the «-r» of the infinitive and stressing the last vowel.
Grammar«para que» + subjunctive «para que» ('so that / in order that') always introduces the subjunctive, because the result is intended rather than stated as fact: «para que me hagas tan feliz» = 'so that you make me so happy'. «hagas» is the present subjunctive of «hacer».
Don't you understand that you bring heaven down for me?
Grammar«hacer» + infinitive (causative) «hacer» followed by another infinitive is causative: it means to make or cause that action to happen. «haces bajar el cielo» = 'you make heaven come down', 'you bring heaven down'. Spanish uses this two-verb pattern where English often reaches for a single causative verb.
I had never felt so enormously wretched.
GrammarThe pluperfect «había sentido» is the pluperfect (past perfect): «haber» in the imperfect plus a past participle, 'I had felt'. It looks back to a state that held before the moment of speaking. Paired with «nunca», it sums up a whole prior life of misery.
13
"Has no one loved you?"
Word«querer» = to love Beyond 'to want', «querer» is the everyday verb for loving a person: «te ha querido» = 'has loved you'. The present perfect «ha querido» asks about love at any point up to now.
14
"I don't know; but love was never shown to me in its terrible passion."
GrammarPassive «ser» + participle «fue mostrado» is the true passive: «ser» in the preterite plus a past participle that agrees with the subject «el amor», 'was shown'. The indirect object «me» marks the person it was shown to. This formal passive is rarer in speech than the «se» passive, and lends the line a heightened, almost literary weight.
When I got married I was twenty years old and believed in the spirituality of love.
GrammarPreterite vs. imperfect «me casé» ('I got married') is preterite — a single completed event. «tenía» ('I was [years old]') and «creía» ('I believed') are imperfect — ongoing states surrounding that event. Age and belief are backdrop; the marriage is the point on the timeline.
15
He brooded for a moment, but did not take long to rise, and after turning off the light, he sat down on the divan beside Hipólita.
Grammar«tardar en» + infinitive «tardar en» plus an infinitive means 'to take long / to be slow to do something'. Negated, «no tardó en levantarse» = 'he was not slow to get up', 'he soon got up'. «mas» here (without an accent) is a literary 'but', equivalent to «pero».
Then he said:
16
"Maybe I was a poor wretch."
Grammar«quizá» + subjunctive «quizá» ('maybe / perhaps') can take the subjunctive to mark genuine doubt; the «-ra» imperfect subjunctive «fuera» here reads as a tentative past, 'maybe I was'. «un infeliz» literally 'an unhappy one' means a hapless, pitiable wretch.
When I got married I had not kissed my wife.
GrammarRedundant object pronoun Spanish often doubles a direct object with a pronoun even when the noun is also named: «la había besado... a mi mujer» repeats 'her' / 'my wife'. The pronoun «la» announces the object before the explicit «a mi mujer» pins it down — natural, emphatic Spanish word order.
True, I had never felt the need to do it, because I confused with purity what was the coldness of her senses, and besides... because I believed that a young lady should not be kissed.
GrammarNeuter «lo que» «lo que» means 'what / that which' and packages a whole idea without a noun: «lo que era frialdad de sus sentidos» = 'what was the coldness of her senses'. The neuter «lo» points to an unnamed thing or situation rather than a specific masculine or feminine noun.
17
The other woman was smiling in the darkness.
He was now sitting on the edge of the sofa, his elbows dug into his knees and his cheeks between the palms of his hands.
Grammar«estar» + participle for a posture «estar» plus a past participle describes a resulting state, not an action: «estaba sentado» = 'he was [in a] seated [position]', i.e. 'he was sitting'. The participle «sentado» works like an adjective and agrees with the subject.
18
A violet flash of lightning lit up the room.
19
He continued slowly:
20
"In my mind the young lady stood as the truest expression of purity."
GrammarSuperlative with «el/la más» Spanish forms the superlative with the article plus «más» plus the adjective: «la más verdadera expresión» = 'the truest expression'. The article agrees with the noun, so «la» here matches feminine «expresión».
Besides... don't laugh... I was bashful... and on the night of the day we married, when she undressed naturally in front of the lit lamp, I turned my head away ashamed... and afterward I lay down with my trousers on.
GrammarNegative «usted» command «no se ría» is a negative command addressed to «usted» (formal 'you'): 'don't laugh'. Negative commands always use the subjunctive, and with «reírse» the reflexive «se» sits before the verb. Notice Erdosain addresses Hipólita as «usted» here, keeping a formal distance even mid-confession.
Word«puesto» = (clothes) on «puesto», the participle of «poner», is the ordinary word for clothing worn on the body: «con los pantalones puestos» = 'with his trousers on'. The image — a groom lying in the marriage bed still dressed — is the whole point of his shame.
21
"You did that?" — indignation trembled in the woman's voice.
Erdosain burst out laughing, wildly worked up:
Grammar«echarse a» + infinitive «echarse a» plus an infinitive marks the sudden start of an action: «se echó a reír» = 'he burst out laughing'. «excitadísimo» adds the absolute superlative suffix «-ísimo» to «excitado» — 'extremely worked up' — an intensity Arlt loves.
22
"Why not?" — while he looked sidelong at the Lame Woman he was rubbing his hands together.
Word«al tiempo que» = while «al tiempo que» is a connector meaning 'at the same time as / while', linking two simultaneous actions. «la Coja» ('the Lame Woman') is the narrator's blunt nickname for Hipólita, who limps — Arlt names his characters by their wounds.
I have done that and many things graver still.
And the ones I will do... 'The times have come,' your husband used to say.
GrammarRelative «las que» «las que» means 'the ones that / those which', standing in for a feminine plural noun already understood — here «cosas» ('things'): «las que haré» = 'the ones I will do'. The article «las» carries the gender and number so the noun need not be repeated.
I think he is right.
Word«tener razón» = to be right Spanish says 'to have reason' for being right: «tiene razón» = 'he is right'. Like «tener hambre» ('to be hungry') or «tener miedo» ('to be afraid'), it is one of the fixed «tener» idioms where English uses 'to be'.
Of course, those episodes refer to a period of my life when I lived like an idiot.
GrammarPronominal «referirse a» «referirse a» ('to refer to') is pronominal: it always carries a reflexive pronoun («se» here) and the preposition «a». «dichos episodios» uses «dicho» as an adjective meaning 'aforementioned / said' — 'those episodes just mentioned'.
I tell you this so that you may be sure that if I had to go to bed with you I would not do it with my trousers on...
GrammarUnreal conditional A hypothetical 'if' takes the imperfect subjunctive in the «si» clause and the conditional in the result: «si tuviera que acostar... no lo haría» = 'if I had to lie down... I would not do it'. The pattern «si» + «-ra» subjunctive, then «-ría» conditional, is the backbone of Spanish unreal conditions.
23
For a moment Hipólita was afraid.
GrammarPreterite of «tener» «tuvo» is the irregular preterite of «tener». With «miedo» the idiom «tener miedo» ('to be afraid') becomes, in the preterite, the entry into a feeling: «tuvo miedo» = 'she became afraid', 'she grew afraid' for that one moment.
Erdosain did nothing but watch her out of the corner of his eye, while he rubbed his hands together.
Word«el rabillo del ojo» «el rabillo del ojo» literally 'the little tail of the eye' is the fixed expression for 'the corner of the eye': «mirar con el rabillo del ojo» = 'to look out of the corner of one's eye', i.e. furtively, sideways.
Cautious, she added:
24
"It must have happened that you were ill."
Grammar«deber» for probability «deber» plus an infinitive (here the perfect infinitive «haber pasado») expresses likelihood rather than obligation: «debe haber pasado» = 'it must have happened', 'it probably happened'. Spanish uses this to guess at a past cause.
Like me when I was a servant.
One lives between heaven and earth...
GrammarImpersonal «se» «se» plus a third-person singular verb makes a statement general and subjectless: «se vive» = 'one lives / people live'. There is no named subject — it is life as anyone experiences it.
25
"That's it, between heaven and earth..."
Precisely that.
Yes, I remember when they used to call me an imbecile.
GrammarPronominal «acordarse de» «acordarse de» ('to remember') is pronominal and needs «de»: «me acuerdo de...» = 'I remember...'. «tratar de» here means 'to call / treat as', and the imperfect «trataban» marks it as a repeated, habitual past — 'they kept calling me'.
26
"That too?..."
27
"Yes, to my face... I would stand staring at whoever had insulted me, and while all my muscles went slack in an immense weakness, I asked myself what I had done, I don't know in what age, to endure so many humiliations and cowardices."
Grammar«quedar» + gerund «quedar» plus a gerund means to remain doing something, to be left in that act: «quedaba mirándolo» = 'I would stay staring at him'. The imperfect «quedaba» makes it habitual. «se me relajaban» adds an ethical «me» — the muscles went slack 'on me', a thing happening to me.
I suffered so much... so much... that more than once I felt tempted to go and offer myself as a servant in some rich house...
Grammar«tan / tanto... que» (result) «tanto... que» means 'so much... that', linking a degree to its consequence: «sufrí tanto... que me sentí tentado» = 'I suffered so much that I felt tempted'. The stacked infinitives «irme a ofrecer» ('to go and offer myself') chain the verbs of motion and intention.
Could I possibly swallow any more shame?
Word«acaso» in a question In a question «acaso» means 'perhaps / by any chance' and often turns it rhetorical, expecting the answer 'no': «¿Podía acaso tragar más vergüenza?» = 'Could I possibly have swallowed any more shame?' — meaning he could not.
Then I felt the terror, a frightful fear of having no noble object in my life, a great dream, and at last now I have found it... I have condemned a man to death...
Word«condenar a muerte» «condenar a muerte» is the set phrase 'to condemn to death / sentence to death'. The present perfect «he condenado» presents it as a deed already accomplished and still in force — the casual horror of the line is the whole turn of the scene.
Stay sitting there...
Grammar«usted» command of «quedarse» «Quédese» is the affirmative «usted» command of «quedarse» ('to stay'), with the reflexive «se» attached to the end. The «-e» ending (instead of «-a») is the formal-command marker for an «-ar» verb. «sentada» agrees in feminine — 'seated'.
Tomorrow, because I do not stand in the way, a man is going to be murdered.
GrammarFuture passive «ir a ser» + participle «ir a» plus an infinitive is the near future ('going to'), and here the infinitive is itself a passive «ser asesinado» ('to be murdered'). Stacked, «va a ser asesinado» = 'is going to be murdered'. «oponerse» ('to oppose / stand in the way') is pronominal: «no me opongo».
28
"It can't be!"
29
"Yes, it's true."
The man of the lie, the man I told you about before, needed money to carry out his project.
GrammarPreposition + «el que» When a relative clause needs a preposition, Spanish puts it before «el que / la que»: «el hombre del que le hablé» = 'the man about whom I spoke to you' (the preposition «de» + «el» fusing to «del»). English can drop the relative; Spanish keeps the preposition attached up front.
So it will come about, because I want it to happen.
Grammar«querer que» + subjunctive When you want someone or something else to do something, «querer que» takes the subjunctive: «quiero que suceda» = 'I want it to happen'. «suceda» is the present subjunctive of «suceder». Spanish cannot say 'I want it to happen' with an infinitive when the subjects differ.
Tomorrow he will hand me a check to cash.
Word«cobrar» = to cash / collect «cobrar» means to collect or cash money owed — a check, a wage, a debt. «un cheque para cobrar» = 'a check to cash'. It is the same verb behind Erdosain's day job as a bill collector earlier in the novel.
When I come back he will be executed.
Grammar«cuando» + subjunctive for the future When «cuando» points to an unrealized future event, Spanish uses the present subjunctive, not the future: «cuando yo vuelva» = 'when I come back'. The main clause keeps the future («será ejecutado»). English uses the present in the 'when' clause too, but indicative.
30
"No... it can't be."
31
"Yes, and if I don't come back they wouldn't murder him, because without the money the crime is useless... it's fifteen thousand pesos... I can run off with them... the society goes to the devil... the man is saved."
Word«irse al diablo» «irse al diablo» literally 'to go to the devil' is an idiom for falling apart, going to ruin, going to hell: «la sociedad se va al diablo» = 'the secret society falls apart'. «escaparse» ('to escape / run off') and «salvarse» ('to be saved') are both pronominal here.
Do you realize?
Grammar«darse cuenta (de)» «darse cuenta (de)» is the pronominal idiom for 'to realize / to notice': «¿Se da cuenta usted?» = 'Do you realize?'. Do not confuse it with «dar cuenta de» ('to account for'); the reflexive «se» is what makes it 'to realize'.
Everything depends on my criminal honesty.
Grammar«depender de» and fronting «depender de» means 'to depend on'. Arlt fronts the prepositional phrase «de mi honradez criminal» for emphasis, leaving the subject «todo» ('everything') at the end: 'on my criminal honesty everything depends'. Spanish moves phrases freely for stress.
32
"My God!"
33
"I want the experiment to be carried out..."
GrammarPassive «se» in a subjunctive clause After «quiero que» the verb goes to the subjunctive («haga»), and the «se» makes it passive with no named doer: «que se haga el experimento» = 'that the experiment be carried out'. Two structures stack: the wanting triggers subjunctive, the «se» hides the agent.
You understand, certain resolutions turn one into a god.
GrammarImpersonal «uno» «uno» ('one') is an impersonal subject/object standing in for people in general: «lo convierten a uno en un dios» = 'they turn one into a god'. The doubled «lo... a uno» is the object. «convertir en» = 'to turn into'.
For a long time now I have been resolved to kill myself.
Grammar«desde hace» + present «desde hace» plus a time span, with the verb in the present, expresses something ongoing from the past into now: «desde hace mucho tiempo estoy resuelto» = 'for a long time I have been resolved'. Spanish keeps the present where English uses the perfect.
If earlier, when I told you, you had agreed, I would have killed myself.
GrammarPast unreal condition (colloquial) The 'if' clause uses the pluperfect subjunctive «hubiera asentido» ('had agreed'), a contrary-to-fact past. In strict grammar the result would be the conditional perfect, but in speech Arlt uses the plain imperfect «me mataba» for 'I would have killed myself' — a very natural porteño shortcut.
If you only knew how beautiful and great I feel!
Grammar«¡Si + imperfect subjunctive!» An exclamation opening with «¡Si...!» plus the imperfect subjunctive expresses a wish or a 'if only you knew': «¡Si supiera...!» = 'If you only knew...!'. «lo... que» wraps the adjectives — «lo hermoso y grande que me siento» = 'how beautiful and great I feel'.
Don't speak to me any more about the other one... it's already settled, it even gladdens me to think of the pit I'm sinking into.
GrammarNegative «usted» command + pronoun In a negative command the object pronoun comes before the verb: «no me hable» = 'don't speak to me' (contrast the affirmative «hábleme»). «me alegra» uses «alegrar» like «gustar» — 'it gladdens me' — with the experiencer as indirect object.
Do you realize!...
And any day... no, it won't be by day... any night, when I'm fed up with so much farce and incoherence, I'll go.
Word«estar harto de» «estar harto de» means 'to be fed up with / sick of': «cuando esté harto» = 'when I'm fed up'. The subjunctive «esté» follows «cuando» pointing to the future. The conjunction «e» replaces «y» before a word starting in «i»: «farsa e incoherencia».
34
A wrinkle forked across Hipólita's brow.
There was no doubt.
Word«no cabe duda» «no cabe duda» literally 'no doubt fits' is the idiom for 'there is no doubt'. In the imperfect, «no cabía duda» = 'there was no doubt'. «caber» ('to fit') here means there is no room for doubt at all.
That man was mad.
Her adventurous soul foresaw events to come, and she said to herself: "With this imbecile one must proceed cautiously."
Grammar«es necesario» + infinitive An impersonal judgment like «es necesario» ('it is necessary') takes a bare infinitive when no specific subject is named: «es necesario proceder prudentemente» = 'one must proceed cautiously'. «previó» is the preterite of «prever» ('to foresee').
And crossing her arms over her coat, she asked, as if she doubted it:
Word«tapado» = (woman's) coat In Rioplatense Spanish «el tapado» is a woman's overcoat. Elsewhere «abrigo» is more usual; «tapado» (from «tapar», 'to cover') is the porteño word. «como si lo dudara» again pairs «como si» with the imperfect subjunctive for 'as if'.
35
"Would you have the courage to kill yourself?"
GrammarConditional «tendría» «tendría» is the conditional of «tener», 'would have'. The conditional softens the question into a hypothesis: «¿tendría coraje?» = 'would you have the courage?'. «matarse» ('to kill oneself') is the reflexive of «matar».
36
"It is not what you say."
There is no longer courage or cowardice.
Grammar«ya no» and «ni» «ya no» means 'no longer / not any more': «ya no hay» = 'there is no longer'. The single «ni» after a negated verb extends the negation to the next noun: «no hay coraje ni cobardía» = 'there is no courage or cowardice'. This is not a double «ni... ni» construction — only one «ni» appears.
From deep within I have the feeling that killing oneself is like going to have a tooth pulled.
WordTwo pronominal verbs «suicidarse» ('to commit suicide') is inherently pronominal — it exists only with the reflexive. «sacar una muela» means 'to pull/extract a molar', so «irse a sacar una muela» = 'to go and have a tooth pulled'. The chilling comparison is Erdosain's whole point.
When I think this way, everything rests within me.
True, I had thought of other journeys and other lands, of another life.
There is something in me that desires everything delicate and beautiful.
Grammar«lo» + adjective Neuter «lo» before an adjective turns it into an abstract noun: «lo delicado y hermoso» = 'that which is delicate and beautiful', 'all that is delicate and beautiful'. There is no single noun — «lo» abstracts the quality itself.
Many times I thought yes... let's say those fifteen thousand pesos I'm going to collect tomorrow... I could go off to the Philippines... to Ecuador to begin my life over, marry some delicate millionaire maiden... during the siestas we'd be lying in a hammock, under the coconut palms, while the black men offered us halved oranges.
Grammar«pongamos» = let's say «pongamos» is the «nosotros» command (and present subjunctive) of «poner», used idiomatically for 'let's say / suppose': «pongamos esos quince mil pesos» = 'say those fifteen thousand pesos'. It launches a hypothesis, which the following conditionals («podría», «estaríamos», «ofrecerían») then spin out.
And I would gaze sadly at the sea...
and you know?... this certainty that tells me that wherever I go I will gaze sadly at the sea... this assurance that never again will I be happy... at first it drove me mad... and now I have resigned myself.
Grammar«adonde» + subjunctive (whatever / wherever) A relative of place pointing to an undetermined future takes the subjunctive: «adonde vaya» = 'wherever I (may) go'. «vaya» is the present subjunctive of «ir». «resignarse» ('to resign oneself') is pronominal: «me he resignado» = 'I have resigned myself'.
37
"Then what are you going to do the experiment for?"
Word«por qué» vs. «para qué» «¿para qué?» asks 'what for / to what end?' (purpose), while «¿por qué?» asks 'why?' (cause). Hipólita wants his aim: «¿para qué va a hacer el experimento?» = 'what are you going to do the experiment for?'.
38
"You know?... I still have not reached the bottom of myself... but the crime is my last hope... and the Astrologer knows it, because when I asked him today whether he wasn't afraid I might run off, he answered me: 'No, not for the moment, no...'"
GrammarSubjunctive after a verb of fear Verbs of fearing take the subjunctive in the «que» clause; in a past frame the imperfect subjunctive is used: «temía que me escapara» = 'he feared that I might run off'. «el Astrólogo» (the Astrologer) is the cult leader who pulls the strings of the conspiracy.
You more than anyone need this to work out in order to ease your anguish...'
Word«des-» + «angustia» «desangustiarse» is built from «angustia» ('anguish, dread') with the prefix «des-» (undoing) and the reflexive: 'to free oneself of anguish'. «angustia» is the keynote of the whole novel — Erdosain's bottomless dread — so this coined verb means 'to un-anguish himself'.
You see now how far I have gone.
39
"I would never imagine such a thing."
And are they going to kill him in Temperley?
40
"Yes."
And yet... what do I know!
Word«¡Qué sé yo!» «¡Qué sé yo!» literally 'what do I know!' is a fixed exclamation of uncertainty or dismissal — 'who knows, I have no idea, whatever'. «sin embargo» means 'however / nevertheless'.
The anguish.
Do you know what anguish is?
To have the anguish rooted into your very bones like syphilis?
Word«arraigado» = rooted «arraigado» (from «raíz», 'root') means deeply rooted, ingrained: «arraigada hasta los huesos» = 'rooted right into the bones'. The participle agrees with feminine «la angustia». The clinical simile «como la sífilis» is pure Arlt — disease as the figure for spiritual dread.
Look, this was four months ago: I was waiting for the train at a country station.
Grammar«hace» + time = ago «hace» plus a span of time means 'ago': «hace cuatro meses» = 'four months ago'. «Vea» is the «usted» command of «ver», used here as a conversational 'look / see'. The imperfect «esperaba» sets the scene: 'I was waiting'.
It would take three quarters of an hour to arrive... and so I crossed over to a square that was opposite.
A few minutes after sitting on a bench, a girl... she must have been about nine, came and sat down beside me.
GrammarConditional of conjecture The conditional can express a guess about the past: «tendría nueve años» = 'she must have been / she would have been about nine'. Spanish uses «-ría» forms to estimate, where English reaches for 'must have' or 'probably'.
We began to chat... she had on a white pinafore... she lived in one of the houses that stood there opposite...
Grammar«empezar a» + infinitive «empezar a» plus an infinitive marks the beginning of an action: «empezamos a charlar» = 'we began to chat'. The preterite «empezamos» marks the start as a single event, against the imperfects «estaba» and «vivía» that describe the girl.
Slowly, unable to hold myself back, I steered the conversation toward an obscene subject... but with caution... testing the ground.
Grammar«sin» + infinitive with attached pronoun «sin» plus an infinitive means 'without (doing)': «sin poderme contener» = 'without being able to restrain myself'. The pronoun «me» attaches to «poder». «sondear el terreno» ('to sound out the ground') is an idiom for cautiously testing a situation.
An atrocious curiosity had taken hold of my conscience.
GrammarPronominal «apoderarse de» «apoderarse de» (from «poder», 'power') means 'to take hold of / seize'; it is pronominal and needs «de». In the pluperfect, «se había apoderado de mi conciencia» = 'had taken hold of my conscience' — the curiosity, not Erdosain, is the seizing force.
The child, hypnotized by her half-awakened instinct, listened to me trembling... and I, slowly, at that moment must have had the face of a criminal... mind you, from the switchmen's hut two pointsmen were watching me closely, I revealed to her the sexual mystery, urging her to set about corrupting her little friends...
Grammar«incitar a que» + subjunctive A verb of urging like «incitar a que» governs the subjunctive; in a past frame the imperfect subjunctive: «a que se dedicara a corromper» = 'to set about corrupting'. «fíjese» is the «usted» command of «fijarse» ('to notice / mind you'). This is the chapter's most disturbing confession.
41
Hipólita pressed her temples with her fingers.
GrammarReflexive for one's own body Spanish uses a reflexive pronoun plus the definite article for actions on one's own body, where English uses a possessive: «se apretó las sienes» = 'she pressed her temples' (literally 'pressed herself the temples'). No «sus» is needed — the «se» already shows whose temples.
42
"But you are a monster!"
43
"Now I have reached the end."
My life is a horror...
I need to create dreadful complications for myself... to commit the sin.
GrammarDative of interest «me» The pronoun «me» on «crearme» is a dative of interest: the complications are created 'for/to myself', to his own cost. «crearme complicaciones» = 'to make trouble for myself'. Spanish adds this «me» to show the action falls back on the speaker.
Don't look at me.
Possibly... look... people have lost the sense of the word sin... sin is not a fault... I have come to realize that sin is an act by which a man breaks the thin thread that kept him bound to God.
Grammar«el cual» after a preposition «el cual / la cual» is the more formal relative used after prepositions, especially in writing: «un acto por el cual el hombre rompe...» = 'an act by which the man breaks...'. The article agrees with the antecedent «un acto» (masculine), so «el cual».
God is denied to him forever.
Grammar«estar» + participle + dative «estar negado» ('to be denied') is a resultant state, and the dative «le» marks the person to whom: «Dios le está negado» = 'God is denied to him'. The participle «negado» agrees with the subject «Dios» (masculine singular).
Even if that man's life after the sin became purer than that of the purest saint, he could never reach God.
Grammar«aunque» + subjunctive (even if) «aunque» with the subjunctive means 'even if', presenting the case as hypothetical: «aunque se hiciera más pura» = 'even if it were to become purer'. The imperfect subjunctive «se hiciera» pairs with the conditional «no podría» in the main clause.
I am going to break the thin thread that bound me to divine charity.
I feel it.
Word«Lo siento» — feel it, not sorry Out of context «Lo siento» is the everyday 'I'm sorry', but here «sentir» keeps its literal force, 'to feel': Erdosain says he physically feels the thread breaking. The «lo» refers back to that act — a reminder that idioms must be read against their scene.
From tomorrow on I will be a monster upon the earth... imagine a creature... a fetus... a fetus that had the power to live outside the mother's womb... it never grows... hairy... tiny... without nails it walks among men without being a man... its fragility horrifies the world around it... but there is no human force that could return it to the lost womb.
GrammarSubjunctive after a negated antecedent When the thing described does not exist, the relative clause goes to the subjunctive: «no hay fuerza humana que pueda restituirlo» = 'there is no human force that could return it'. «imagínese» is the «usted» command of «imaginarse». The grotesque fetus image is Arlt's emblem of a soul cut off from God.
That is what will happen to me tomorrow.
I will move away from God forever.
GrammarPronominal «alejarse de» «alejarse de» ('to move away / distance oneself from') is pronominal, from «lejos» ('far'): «me alejaré de Dios» = 'I will move away from God'. The future «-é» ending marks the certainty of his coming exile.
I will be alone upon the earth.
My soul and I, the two of us alone.
The infinite ahead.
Always alone.
And night and day... and always a yellow sun.
Do you realize?
The infinite grows... above, a yellow sun, and the soul that turned away from divine charity walks alone and blind beneath the yellow sun.
Grammar«el» before a stressed «a-» «alma» ('soul') is feminine, but a singular noun beginning with a stressed «a-» takes the masculine article «el» for sound: «el alma», «el agua», «el águila». The noun stays feminine — adjectives agree as feminine («sola y ciega»).
44
A dull blow shook the ground, and suddenly something extraordinary happened.
Erdosain fell silent, terrified.
Hipólita was kneeling at his feet...
Grammar«estar» + participle of posture «arrodillarse» means 'to kneel down'; its participle with «estar» describes the resulting posture: «estaba arrodillada» = 'she was kneeling'. The «-a» ending agrees with feminine Hipólita.
She took his hand and covered it with kisses.
Grammar«se la»: two pronouns Two object pronouns stack here. «la» is the direct object ('it', the hand); «se» replaces the indirect object «le» ('to him') — Spanish swaps «le» to «se» before «la/lo». So «se la cubrió de besos» = 'she covered it [his hand] with kisses for him'.
In the darkness the woman exclaimed:
45
"Let me... let me kiss those poor hands of yours."
Grammar«dejar que» + subjunctive «dejar que» ('to let / allow that') takes the subjunctive: «déjame que te bese» = 'let me kiss you'. «déjame» is the «tú» command of «dejar» with «me» attached; «bese» is the present subjunctive. Note Hipólita now uses «tú» («te bese»), dropping the earlier distance.
You are the most wretched man on earth.
Grammar«sos» — «vos» form of «ser» «sos» is the present of «ser» for «vos», the porteño 'you are' (where standard Spanish has «eres»). «Sos el hombre más desdichado» = 'you are the most wretched man'. It is the unmistakable voseo form and saturates Arlt's dialogue.
46
"Get up, Hipólita."
Grammar«tú» command of «levantarse» «Levántate» is the affirmative «tú» command of «levantarse» ('to get up'), with the reflexive «te» attached and a written accent to keep the stress. Erdosain answers her «vos» with a «tú» command — the two switch registers across this tender exchange.
47
"No, I want to kiss your feet" — he felt her arms gripping his legs.
You are the most wretched man on earth.
How much you have suffered, my God!
GrammarExclamatory «¡Cuánto!» «¡Cuánto...!» introduces an exclamation of quantity: «¡Cuánto sufriste!» = 'How much you have suffered!'. «sufriste» is the «vos»/«tú» preterite of «sufrir», identical in form for both pronouns.
How great you are... how great your soul is!
GrammarExclamatory «¡Qué... que...!» «¡Qué grande...!» is the exclamation 'how great...!'. The extra «que» in «¡Qué grande que sos!» is a colloquial Rioplatense reinforcement, untranslatable as a separate word — it just intensifies. Standard Spanish would simply say «¡Qué grande sos!».
48
Erdosain lifted her with infinite tenderness.
He felt himself softened by an infinite pity; he drew her against his chest, smoothed the hair on her brow, and said to her:
GrammarEnclitic pronoun on a finite verb In older and literary Spanish the pronoun can attach to the end of a conjugated verb at the start of a clause: «Sentíase» = «se sentía» ('he felt himself'). Arlt uses this enclitic style for narrative weight. «atraer» ('to draw toward') has the irregular preterite «atrajo».
49
"If you only knew now how easy it is going to be to die."
Grammar«Si supieras» + «lo... que» «Si supieras...» ('if you only knew...') uses the imperfect subjunctive for a wish. «lo fácil que va a ser morir» = 'how easy it is going to be to die', with «lo + adjective + que» measuring the degree. Erdosain now addresses her with «vos/tú» («supieras»).
Like a game.
50
"What a soul yours is!..."
GrammarPossessive pronoun «la tuya» «la tuya» ('yours') is the possessive pronoun, standing in for «tu alma». «¡Qué alma la tuya!» literally 'what a soul, yours!' = 'what a soul you have!'. The pronoun agrees in feminine singular with «alma».
51
"But are you feverish?..."
Word«afiebrado» = feverish «afiebrado/a» (from «fiebre», 'fever') means 'feverish', and is the usual Rioplatense form where Spain often says «con fiebre» or «febril». «estás afiebrada» = 'you are feverish', the «-a» agreeing with Hipólita.
52
"Poor boy!"
53
"Why?"
But now we are like gods...
Grammar«Si» as 'but / why' At the start of a reply, «Si...» is not 'if' but an emphatic, almost protesting 'but / why': «Si ahora somos como dioses» = 'But now we are like gods'. It pushes back on what the other person just said.
Sit beside me.
Grammar«vos» command of «sentarse» «Sentate» is the «vos» command of «sentarse»: drop the «-r» of «sentar», keep the stress on the last syllable, attach «-te». Standard «tú» would be «siéntate» (with a stem change and an accent); the «vos» form has no stem change. Erdosain has shifted into «vos» with her here.
Are you comfortable like this?
Look, little sister, everything I suffered has been paid for with your words.
Grammar«vos» command + diminutive «Mirá» is the «vos» command of «mirar» ('look'), stressed on the final syllable. «hermanita» adds the affectionate diminutive «-ita» to «hermana» ('sister') — 'little sister', a tender form of address. «ha sido pagado» is the passive present perfect.
We will live a while longer...
54
"Yes, like sweethearts..."
Word«novios» «novios» are a courting couple — boyfriend/girlfriend, sweethearts, the engaged. «como novios» = 'like a courting couple'. The word sits in pointed contrast to «esposa» ('wife') in the very next line, marking the chaste, betrothed stage before marriage.
55
"Only on the great day will you be my wife."
56
"I love you so much!... What a soul yours is!"
57
"And afterward we will go away."
GrammarPronominal «irse» in the future «irse» ('to go away / leave') is the pronominal form of «ir», stressing departure. In the first-person plural future: «nos iremos» = 'we will go away'. Against the planned murder, the line's destination is left ominously open.
58
And they spoke no more.
Hipólita's head had fallen against his chest.
It was not long until dawn.
Grammar«faltar poco para» «faltar» means 'to be lacking / to remain'; «faltar poco para» = 'there is little left until', 'it is nearly time for'. «Faltaba poco para amanecer» = 'it was nearly dawn'. «amanecer» ('to dawn') is used here as a noun-like infinitive, 'daybreak'.
Then Erdosain laid that weary body down on the sofa... she smiled, exhausted; then Remo sat down on the carpet, rested his head on the edge of the sofa, and curled up like that he drifted into sleep.
GrammarEnclitic pronouns again «sentóse» = «se sentó» ('he sat down') and «quedóse» = «se quedó» ('he remained'): the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb in this literary register, each keeping its written accent. «Remo» is Erdosain's first name. «quedarse adormecido» = 'to fall into a doze'.

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.
Data: JSON · Markdown · A guide for agents