llo" for "yesterday I did this or
that," and this is accounted for by the "nearness" of the period
elapsed. Although colloquially this does not sound at all so badly as in
English, well-educated Spaniards will take care to avoid it.

The second or bye-form of the imperfect subjunctive may be used also for
the conditional mood, as--

Se lo diera si lo tuviese _instead of_ se lo daria, etc.: I should give
it to him if I had it.

It is also found (in books, not in conversation) for the compound
imperfect indicative, especially after _que_, as--

Los consejos que le diera (_for_ que le habia dado): The advice which I
had given him.

In old Spanish, and even now in poetry, we find it used for every one of
the compound past tenses.

=General Observations=.

The verb "to come" should be rendered in Spanish by _ir_ when the person
is not in the place in question at the time of speaking or writing, as--

?Quiere V. venir aqui a mi casa manana? Will you come here to my house
to-morrow?

Hoy estoy indispuesto pero manana ire a verle: To-day I am unwell (out
of sorts), but to-morrow I shall come to see you.

La vi escribir: I saw her writing; viz., I saw her write.

La vi escribiendo: I saw her writing; viz., whilst she was writing.

The emphatic word in an English sentence is often and more elegantly
translated by a paraphrase in Spanish--

?Es verdad que ha comprado los generos? _Has_ he bought the goods?

?Es el quien ha comprado los generos? Has _he_ bought the goods?

?De veras ha comprado los generos? Has he _bought_ the goods?

?Pues son los generos lo que ha comprado? Has he bought _the goods_?

Esta transaccion hubo de arruinarle: This transaction was within an ace
of ruining him.

"I believe myself to be clever," etc., is not translated "Yo me creo ser
habil," but "Yo me creo (_or_ considero) habil," or "Yo creo ser habil,"
or "Creo que soy habil."

=Decir (to say, to tell)=.

_Pres. Part_., Diciendo. _Past Part_., Dicho.
_Pres. Indic_., Digo, dices, dice,--,--, dicen.
_Pres. Subj_., Diga, digas, diga, digamos, digais, digan.
_Imp. Mood_, Di ...
_Past Def. Indic_., Dije, dijiste, dijo, dijimos, dijisteis, dijeron.
_Future Indic_., Dire, diras, dira, diremos, direis, diran.

VOCABULARY.

=agrupacion=, group, muster
=aislado=, isolated, hedged in
=alcalde=, mayor
=arreglo amistoso=, friendly understanding
=capataz=, foreman
=carta de naturaleza=, certificate of naturalization
=ci