(Let Me Live Before I Die)
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Chapter One
Estaba viendo la
televisión con Pablo, mi bueno para nada esposo, y de repente, la maldita cosa
dejó de funcionar. Estoy hablando del televisor, no de mi marido... Su cerebro
dejó de funcionar hace mucho tiempo.
I was watching TV with Pablo, my good for nothing husband, and suddenly, the damn thing stopped working. I'm talking about the television, not about my husband... His brain stopped working a long time ago.
I was watching TV with Pablo, my good for nothing husband, and suddenly, the damn thing stopped working. I'm talking about the television, not about my husband... His brain stopped working a long time ago.
In Spanish, “Marido” is an informal way of saying “Husband.” It's equal to saying “Man.” Example: “Ellos son marido y mujer” (They are man and wife).
Para hacer las
cosas peor, estaba viendo mi telenovela favorita: ‘Las mujeres mandan en el
mundo.’
To make things worse, I was watching my favorite soap opera: 'Women rule the world.'
To make things worse, I was watching my favorite soap opera: 'Women rule the world.'
In Spanish you can omit the subject pronoun due to the fact that the verb already indicates which subject pronoun you're using: "Estaba = Yo estaba" (I was) — "Estabas = Tú estabas" (You were)
"Mandan" comes from the verb "Mandar" (To send or to rule).3
“¡Genial!” le dije a Pablo torciendo mis labios. “Ahora se dañó el Televisor. Esa porquería pasa dañada la mitad del tiempo. ¿Por qué no compras uno nuevo, así no tendríamos que vernos las caras el uno al otro cada vez que se daña?”
“Great!” I said to Pablo, twisting my lips. "Now the TV broke down. That piece of junk is damaged half the time. Why don’t you buy a new one, so we wouldn’t have to see each other’s faces every time it breaks?"
"Porquería" in this case could be translated as "Piece of junk" or simply "Junk"
"El uno al otro" = "Each other"
In this case, "que" means "that." Example: "Cada vez que se daña" (Each time that it breaks)
4
“Olivia,” me dijo
Pablo mientras navegaba en su teléfono, “ese televisor me lo regaló mi papá en
1995, antes de morir. No tiene
reemplazo.”“Olivia,” Pablo said to me while browsing his phone, "my father gave me that TV in 1995, before he died. It has no replacement."
"Navegaba" comes from the verb "Navegar" (To sail or to browse).5
“Bien, entonces creo que ya es tiempo que yo reemplace a mi marido.”
“Well, then I think it's time for me to replace my husband.”
"Tiempo" = "Weather" or "Time"
6
“¡Basta! No seas tan dramática, mujer.”
“Enough! Don’t be so dramatic, woman.”
“¡Basta! No seas tan dramática, mujer.”
“Enough! Don’t be so dramatic, woman.”
7
“¿Por qué no arreglas el televisor, entonces?”
“Why don’t you fix the TV, then?”
8
“Ya lo haré... Cuando tenga algo de tiempo.”
“I’ll do it... When I have some time.”
9
“Bueno, ¿Por qué no lo haces ahora?”
“Well, why don’t you do it now?”
10
“Lo haré más tarde. El día no ha finalizado aún.”
“I'll do it later. The day hasn’t ended yet.”
11
“Pero has venido prometiendo que lo arreglarás todo el año.”
“But you've been promising that you'll fix it all year.”
12
“Bueno, el año no ha finalizado aún, tampoco.”
“Well, the year hasn’t ended yet, either.”
13
Dejando ir un suspiro, enrollé mis ojos hacia arriba. “¿Cuánto tiempo puedes quedarte ahí sin hacer nada, viendo algo poniéndose gastado y viejo?”
Letting out a sigh, I rolled up my eyes. “How long can you stay there without doing anything, seeing something getting worn out and old?"
"Dejando," from the verb "Dejar" (To leave), in this case means "To let"14
“¿Cuánto tiempo hemos estado casados?” el muy idiota me preguntó.
“How long have we been married?” the big idiot asked me.
15
Inmediatamente, me paré sin responder a su pregunta estúpida. “Bueno, si tú no haces nada, yo haré algo al respecto,” le dije a Pablo, caminando hacia el televisor. “Dime que le tengo que hacer a esta maldita cosa para que funcione nuevamente.”
Immediately, I stood up without answering his stupid question. "Well, if you don’t do anything, I'll do something about it," I said to Pablo, walking towards the TV. "Tell me what I have to do to this damn thing to make it work again."
16
“¿Estás segura que puedes hacerlo?”
“Are you sure you can do it?”
17
“¿Tú qué crees? Solamente porque soy una mujer no significa que no pueda arreglar un televisor… Si le puedes llamar a este pedazo de chatarra “televisor,” claro.”
“What do you think? Just because I'm a woman doesn’t mean I can’t fix a TV... If you can call this piece of crap ‘a TV,’ of course."
18
“Bien, si tú lo dices,” me dijo Pablo señalando al televisor. “¿Tú ves esa perilla roja? ¿La que está a la derecha de la perilla azul; a la izquierda de la que dice ‘ajustes’?”
“Well, if you say so,” Pablo said to me, pointing to the television. "You see that red knob? The one to the right of the blue knob; to the left of the one that says 'adjustments'?"
19
“Sí, las veo,” le respondí agachándome para ver bien.
“Yes, I see them,” I replied, bending down to take a good look.
20
“Bueno, olvídate de todo eso y golpea el televisor tres veces en el lado izquierdo.”
“Well, forget about all that and smack the TV three times on the left side.”
21
De inmediato, volteé a ver a Pablo estrechando un ojo. “Oye, ¿Eres estúpido o qué? Ve al grano, ¿Quieres? ¿En verdad quieres que le pegue al televisor?”
Immediately, I turned to look at Pablo, narrowing one eye. "Hey, are you stupid or what? Get to the point, will you? You really want me to hit the TV?"
22
“¿Qué no entiendes lo que acabo de decir? Claro, dale con todas tus fuerzas.”
“Don’t you understand what I just said? Sure, hit it with all your strength.”
In this case, we use the verb “Dar” (To Give) instead of the verb “Pegar” /To hit). It’s an informal way of saying it. Example: “Dale a la piñata” (Hit the piñata)
“Bien, si tú lo dices,” le dije. Luego, tomé impulso y golpeé el televisor tres veces con todas mis fuerzas.
"Well, if you say so," I said. Then, I gained momentum and hit the TV three times with all my strength.
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