Skip to content
LanguagethroughLiterature

The Spanish reading room

One sentence of «La tortuga gigante»


Sentence 18 of 19 · La tortuga gigante, Horacio Quiroga, 1918

Pero el cazador, que tenía una gran puntería, le apuntó entre los dos ojos, y le rompió la cabeza.

But the hunter, who was a fine shot, aimed between its two eyes and shattered its head.

Where it stands

The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.

Precisamente un día que tenía mucha hambre, porque hacía dos días que no cazaba nada, vió a la orilla de una gran laguna un tigre enorme que quería comer a una tortuga, y la ponía parada de canto para meter dentro una pata y sacar la carne con las uñas.

One day in particular, when he was very hungry because he had caught nothing for two days, he saw at the edge of a great lagoon an enormous jaguar that was trying to eat a tortoise, standing her up on her edge so as to get a paw inside and hook the flesh out with its claws.

Al ver al hombre, el tigre lanzó un rugido espantoso y se lanzó de un salto sobre él.

Seeing the man, the jaguar let out a frightful roar and sprang at him.

Después le sacó el cuero, tan grande que él solo podía servir de alfombra para un cuarto.

Then he stripped off its hide, so big that on its own it could have carpeted a room.

Every word in it

As printedDictionary formMeaning
Pero perobut (conj.)
el elthe (def. art., m.)
cazador cazadorhunter (n., m.)
que quethat, which, who; than (conj./rel. pron.)
tenía tenerto have; tener que — to have to (v.)
una una, an, one (indef. art.)
gran grandebig, great (adj.)
puntería punteríaaim, marksmanship (n., f.)
le leto him, to her, to you (indirect object pron.; plural les — to them)
apuntó apuntarto aim; to point (v.)
entre entrebetween, among (prep.)
dos dostwo (num.)
ojos ojoeye (n., m.)
y yand (conj.)
rompió romperto break (v.)
cabeza cabezahead (n., f.)

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

the sentence before the sentence after

Cuentos de la selva, all eight tales · Horacio Quiroga

Some complete works are free without an account in the interactive reader; other books offer free openings. Free lesson samples are also available. A free account keeps your saved words and progress across devices. Free reading and membership.