Language through Literature

One sentence of «La tortuga gigante»


Sentence 2 of 19 · La tortuga gigante, Horacio Quiroga, 1918

Pero un día se enfermó, y los médicos le dijeron que solamente yéndose al campo podría curarse.

But one day he fell ill, and the doctors told him that only by going to the country could he be cured.

Every word in it

As printedDictionary formMeaning
Pero perobut (conj.)
un una, an, one (indef. art.)
día díaday (n., m.)
se sehimself, herself, themselves; one (reflexive pron.)
enfermó enfermarto fall ill (v.)
y yand (conj.)
los elthe (masculine)
médicos médicodoctor (n., m.)
le leto him, to her, to you (indirect object pron.)
dijeron decirto say, tell (v.)
que quethat, which, who; than (conj./rel. pron.)
solamente solamenteonly (adv.)
yéndose irto go (v.) — its preterite fue, fui, fueron is shared with ser, to be, so «se fue» is «he went» and «fue una noche larga» is «it was a long night»
al alto the, at the (a + el)
campo campofield; open country (n., m.)
podría poderto be able, can (v.)
curarse curarto cure, heal, treat (v.)

Read «La tortuga gigante» in the room → Every word glossed where it stands, the English a tap away. This scene asks for no account.

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Cuentos de la selva, all eight tales · Horacio Quiroga