3-12

Question 1

I have been visiting Glasgow because my father has come to pay me a visit.

Answer 1

He estado visitando Glasgow porque mi padre ha venido a hacerme una visita.

Question 2

He had never been to Scotland.

Answer 2

Nunca había estado en Escocia.

Question 3

The whole city - everything we saw he told me, “Ah Alba” and “everything is beautiful” but what he didn’t like at all was the weather.

Answer 3

La ciudad entera - todo lo que vimos me dijo, “Ah Alba” y “todo es precioso” pero lo que no le gustó nada fue el tiempo.

Question 4

This weekend the weather has been very bad.

Answer 4

Este fin de semana ha hecho un tiempo muy malo.

Question 5

Yes, that has to be admitted.

Answer 5

Sí eso hay que admitirlo.

Question 6

Well last Thursday I headed off to London.. and I was with Jose.

Answer 6

Bueno el jueves pasado me fui a Londres.. y estuve con José.

Question 7

Well he is our national poet and was born in 1759.

Answer 7

Bueno es nuestro poeta nacional y nació en 1759.

Question 8

Well that title doesn’t mean much to me.

Answer 8

Pues a mí, ese título no me suena. (No me suena = doesn’t ring a bell)

Question 9

You see? Yes, there are versions in thousands of languages, all over the world it is sung.

Answer 9

¿Ves? Sí, hay versiones en miles de idiomas, por todas partes del mundo se canta.

Question 10

We’ll talk about this later, okay?

Answer 10

De esto ya hablaremos luego, ¿vale? (Luego here means afterwards/ later)

Question 11

Well we’re going to start with the Burns thing as it’s his national day this weekend.

Answer 11

Bueno vamos a empezar con lo de Burns como es su día nacional este fin de semana. (lo de = the matter concerning. It roughly corresponds to such English phrases as “the thing about” or “the … thing”)

Question 12

I’m going to listen to some Robert Burns poetry recited by someone.

Answer 12

Voy a escuchar algunas poesías de Robert Burns recitadas por alguien.

Question 13

No way! It’s going to be easy as pie. [Or, a piece of cake]

Answer 13

¡Qué va! Que va a ser coser y cantar.

Question 14

Robert Burns was a countryperson and sometimes wrote his poetry in the fields.

Answer 14

Robert Burns era campesino y a veces escribía sus poesías en el campo. (campesino = farmer/ peasant).

Question 15

He was, how do you say (how does one say).. plowing in the field and didn’t realize he was about to destroy a mouse’s nest.

Answer 15

Estaba, cómo se dice… arando en el campo y no se dio cuenta de que estaba a punto de destruir el nido de un ratón.

Question 16

Yes nests or burrows.

Answer 16

Sí nidos o madrigueras.

Question 17

Okay, well Burns suddenly began to ponder the existence of an animal as small as a mouse.

Answer 17

Vale, pues de repente Burns empezó a reflexionar sobre la existencia de un animal tan pequeño como el ratón.

Question 18

I’m going to recite the first stanza of the poetry for you and then we’re going to say it together.

Answer 18

Te voy a recitar la primera estrofa de la poesía y luego lo vamos a decir juntos.

Question 19

It goes like this…

Answer 19

Dice así…

Question 20

This means more or less “small and frightened”.

Answer 20

Esto quiere decir más o menos “pequeño y temeroso”.

Question 21

How much fear is in your chest.

Answer 21

Cuánto miedo hay en tu pecho.

Question 22

It means “you don’t have to run away so hastily”.

Answer 22

Quiere decir “no tienes que huir tan apresuradamente”. (Huir = to flee/ escape/ run away; Apresurar = to hurry)

Question 23

I would never chase you.

Answer 23

Nunca te perseguiría.

Question 24

I would not chase you to kill you with the plow.

Answer 24

Yo no te perseguiría para matarte con el arado.

Question 25

Burns apologizes to the mouse, explaining that he didn’t mean to hurt it, and the mouse is making its nest to, well, be comfortable.

Answer 25

Burns le pide disculpas al ratón, explicándole que no quería hacerle daño, y el ratón está haciendo su nido para, bueno para estar cómodo. (hacer daño a alguien = to cause someone harm, to hurt someone)

Question 26

Let’s say that life is unpredictable and because of this unpredictability, well we are not having fun in the present.

Answer 26

Digamos que la vida es imprevisible y por culpa de esta imprevisibilidad, bueno no nos estamos divirtiendo en el presente. (divertirse = to enjoy oneself/ to have fun; por culpa de = because of/ as a result of)

Question 27

Burns says that there is no difference between the dreams of a mouse and those of a man.

Answer 27

Burns dice que no hay diferencias entre los sueños de un ratón y los de un hombre.

Question 28

The best plans of mice and men are often thwarted.

Answer 28

Los mejores planes de ratones y hombres a menudo se frustran. (Frustrar = to frustrate/ thwart; frustrarse = to fall through/ to fail/ to become frustrated)

Question 29

Well I think now, it’s your turn.

Answer 29

Bueno creo que ahora, te toca a ti.

Question 30

a super important Spanish post-romanticist poet in Spanish literature.

Answer 30

un poeta postromanticista español súper importante dentro de la literatura española. (Dentro de = within)

Question 31

It belongs to a collection of rhymes that Bécquer wrote.

Answer 31

Pertenece a una colección de rimas que Bécquer escribió.

Question 32

What is the name of the poetry you have chosen?

Answer 32

¿Cómo se llama la poesía que has escogido? (Escoger = to choose)

Question 33

You say while you hammer in my pupil your blue pupil.

Answer 33

Dices mientras clavas en mi pupila tu pupila azul. (Clavar = hammer/ pierce)

Question 34

It is a couple very much in love who are talking to each other.

Answer 34

Es una pareja muy enamorada que están hablando entre ellos.

Question 35

They have an existential question: What is beauty?

Answer 35

Tienen una pregunta existencial: ¿Qué es la belleza?”

Question 36

He or she looks at their partner, fixedly in the eyes.

Answer 36

Él o ella mira a su pareja, fijamente a los ojos. (mirar fijamente = to stare)

Question 37

He is surprised that she asks him.

Answer 37

Él está extrañado de que ella le pregunte. (Extrañarse de algo = to be surprised at something)

Question 38

It is always useful to read poetry when one is learning a language.

Answer 38

Siempre es útil leer poesía cuando se está aprendiendo un idioma.

Question 39

However, from time to time the ideas of the poem are a little more difficult to understand.

Answer 39

Sin embargo, de vez en cuando las ideas del poema son un poco más difíciles de entender.

Question 40

It’s my turn to recommend a movie (to you) because Alba is not here.

Answer 40

Me toca a mí recomendaros una película porque Alba no está.

Question 41

The truth is that it is a bit similar to the movie from last week because it is also about a boy and the way he sees and understands the world around him.

Answer 41

La verdad es que es un poco parecido a la peli de la semana pasada porque trata también de un niño y de la manera en que él ve y entiende el mundo que le rodea. (Parecido a = similar to; parecerse = to look like; rodear = to surround)

Question 42

I didn’t know that

Answer 42

eso no lo sabía yo

Question 43

It’s easy to understand.

Answer 43

Es fácil de entender.