Language through Literature

One sentence of «La tortuga gigante»


Sentence 3 of 19 · La tortuga gigante, Horacio Quiroga, 1918

El no quería ir, porque tenía hermanos chicos a quienes daba de comer; y se enfermaba cada día más.

He did not want to go, because he had small brothers he fed; and every day he grew more ill.

Every word in it

As printedDictionary formMeaning
El elthe (masculine)
no nono, not (adv.)
quería quererto want; to love (v.)
ir 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»
porque porquebecause (conj.)
tenía tenerto have; tener que — to have to (v.)
hermanos hermanobrother; hermana — sister (n., m.)
chicos chicosmall; boy, child (adj./n., m.)
a ato; at; on (prep.)
quienes quienwho, whom (rel. pron.)
daba darto give (v.)
de deof, from (prep.)
comer comerto eat (v.)
y yand (conj.)
se sehimself, herself, themselves; one (reflexive pron.)
enfermaba enfermarto fall ill (v.)
cada cadaeach, every (adj.)
día díaday (n., m.)
más másmore, most (adv.)

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