The Binational Centers

48.1 Basic Sentences — The Binational Centers

Harris and Cecilia discuss the Binational Center and its cultural activities.

English	Spanish
You’re quite right, Cecilia. And how are things going at the Binational Center?	Tiene mucha razón, Cecilia. ¿Y cómo andan las cosas por el Centro Binacional?
for, because	pues
I don’t know, for I stopped attending two months ago.	No sé, pues dejé de asistir hace dos meses.
But you were studying English there, weren’t you?	Pero usted estaba estudiando inglés ahí, ¿verdad?
the shorthand	la taquigrafía
available	disponible
to be absent	faltar
final	final
entirely, altogether	del todo
Yes, and shorthand in English, too. But I didn’t have much time available, and I was absent quite a bit, until finally I stopped going altogether.	Sí, y taquigrafía en inglés también. Pero no tenía mucho tiempo disponible y faltaba mucho, hasta que finalmente dejé de ir del todo.
the period, the term	el período
Wouldn’t you like to continue your studies next term?	¿No le gustaría continuar sus estudios en el próximo período?
(I) would be able (to be able)	podría (poder)
to graduate	graduarse
the secretary-stenographer	la secretaria-taquígrafa
Yes, I’d like to, because with one more year I could graduate as a secretary-stenographer in English.	Sí, quisiera, porque con un año más podría graduarme de secretaria-taquígrafa en inglés.
(you) would have (to have)	tendría (tener)
And that way you would have better opportunities in any North American office.	Y así tendría mejores oportunidades en cualquier oficina norteamericana.
the salary	el sueldo
That’s right. If I graduated I could work in Panagra very easily. And they pay some very good salaries there.	Es verdad. Si me graduara podría trabajar en Panagra muy fácilmente. Y ahí pagan unos sueldos muy buenos.
the press	la prensa
the commentary	el comentario
the drama, the play	el drama
to present (a stage production)	representar
the member	el miembro
Speaking of the Center, I read in ‘La Prensa’ this morning an excellent commentary on the play that the members of the Arts Club gave.	A propósito del Centro, leí esta mañana en ‘La Prensa’ un comentario excelente sobre el drama que representaron los miembros del Club de Artes.
to sponsor	patrocinar
the variety	la variedad
the activity	la actividad
cultural	cultural
the comedy, the play	la comedia
the concert	el concierto
the dance	el baile
folkloric, folk	folklórico
the exposition, the exhibition	la exposición
the painting	la pintura
Yes, of course. They sponsor a variety of cultural activities: dramas and comedies, concerts, folk dances, art exhibitions…	Sí, cómo no. Ellos patrocinan una variedad de actividades culturales: dramas y comedias, conciertos, bailes folklóricos, exposiciones de pintura…
to enroll	matricularse
the course	el curso
My wife is very fond of folk dancing. She tells me that if she had more time she would enroll in the course they’re giving at the Center.	A mi esposa le encantan los bailes folklóricos. Me dice que si tuviera más tiempo se matricularía en el curso que dan en el Centro.
(I) would say, tell (to say, to tell)	diría (decir)
the director	el director
If I were you I’d tell her to speak with the Director. It could be that he would have a class at an hour that would be convenient for her.	Si yo fuera Ud. le diría que hablara con el director. Podría ser que él tuviera una clase a una hora que le conviniera.
in any case	en todo caso
(she) would go (to go)	iría (ir)
In any case she would go only some three or four hours a week.	En todo caso ella iría sólo unas tres o cuatro horas a la semana.
to mention	mencionar
Well, thanks, I’m going to mention it to her. By the way, what news do you have of your sister? Did she arrive in the United States yet?	Bueno, gracias, se lo voy a mencionar. A propósito, ¿qué noticias tiene de su hermana? ¿Ya llegó a los Estados Unidos?
Yes, I got a letter from her yesterday. She’s having a very good time.	Sí. Ayer recibí carta de ella. Se está divirtiendo mucho.
the vacation	la(s) vacacion(es)
to go on a vacation	irse de vacaciones
And how about you? Wouldn’t you like to go to the United States for a vacation too?	Y a usted, ¿no le gustaría irse también de vacaciones a los Estados Unidos?
to earn	ganar
(I) would travel (to travel)	viajaría (viajar)
not only… but (also)…	no sólo… sino que…
If I earned as much money as my sister, I’d not only go to the United States but I’d also travel to Europe for two months.	Si yo ganara tanto dinero como mi hermana, no sólo me iría a los Estados Unidos, sino que viajaría a Europa por dos meses.
(you) should (ought, should)	debería (deber)
as soon as possible	lo más pronto posible
Then you should graduate as soon as possible so you can work in Panagra.	Entonces debería graduarse lo más pronto posible para que pueda trabajar en Panagra.
I believe that would be best.	Creo que eso sería lo mejor.

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48.10 Notes on the Basic Sentences

(1) Binational Centers of the type described in the Basic Sentences of this unit are in operation in all of the Latin American republics and in several countries of the Near and Far East and of Europe. They are essentially independent, locally governed institutions whose basic purpose is to further mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of the host country. The program of activities described in this unit is typical of most of these centers.

(2) Note these two examples of a very common but not absolutely necessary correspondence of tenses: le diría que hablara, podría ser que él tuviera; i.e., the verb in the main clause is in the conditional tense and the verb in the dependent clause is in the past subjunctive. In these constructions, therefore, the conditional tense functions in the same way as a past tense, that is, the verb in the accompanying dependent clause regularly appears in the past subjunctive. Note also that the verb in the following adjective clause, conviniera, is also in the past subjunctive. It should be observed, however, that some speakers might normally use the present subjunctive forms hable, tenga, and convenga in these constructions.

(3) The concept of vacation is normally rendered in Spanish by the plural form vacaciones.

(4) Cf. 47.1, Basic Sentences, where sino que translates but rather. A full discussion of sino and sino que will appear in Unit 52.

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48.2 Drills and Grammar

48.21.1 The Conditional Tense and the Conditional Perfect

The conditional tense is formed on the infinitive stem (modified for irregular verbs). The conditional perfect uses habría/habrías/habría/habríamos/habrían + -do form.

English	Spanish
At the hotel they told me there would be two.	En el hotel me dijeron que serían dos.
I’d like to go too.	A mí me gustaría ir también.
You told me you would be one of the first to arrive.	Ud. me dijo que sería uno de los primeros en llegar.
She would go only three or four hours a week.	Ella iría sólo por tres o cuatro horas a la semana.
You should graduate as soon as possible.	Debería graduarse lo más pronto posible.
We wouldn’t sell the car for that price.	No venderíamos el auto por ese precio.
You wouldn’t live in that hotel.	Tú no vivirías en ese hotel.
Could we see it?	¿Podríamos verlo?
With one more year I could already graduate.	Con un año más ya podría graduarme.
And that way you would have better opportunities in any American office.	Y así tendría mejores oportunidades en cualquier oficina americana.
What would you do in order to please him?	¿Qué haría Ud. para complacerlo?
I wouldn’t leave so early.	Yo no saldría tan temprano.
He wouldn’t put that suit on for anything in the world.	Él no se pondría ese traje por nada del mundo.
Would you come to visit me?	¿Vendrías a visitarme?
But where would the other ones fit?	¿Pero dónde cabrían los otros?
They would say it wouldn’t be worth while.	Dirían que no valdría la pena.
In that case they would have let me know before.	En ese caso me habrían avisado antes.
I would have told you about it yesterday but I couldn’t.	Se lo habría dicho a Ud. ayer, pero no podía.
We wouldn’t have had such a good time in Canada.	No nos habríamos divertido tanto en Canadá.

48.21.2 Conditional Sentences with Subjunctive and Conditional

When the “if” clause expresses a condition contrary to fact or unlikely to be fulfilled, Spanish uses past or past perfect subjunctive in the if-clause and conditional or conditional perfect in the result clause.

English	Spanish
If I graduated I could work in Panagra.	Si me graduara podría trabajar en Panagra.
If she had more time she would enroll in the course they give at the Center.	Si tuviera más tiempo se matricularía en el curso que dan en el Centro.
If I were you I’d tell her to speak with the director.	Si yo fuera Ud., le diría que hablara con el director.
If I earned as much money as my sister, I’d not only go to the United States but I’d also travel to Europe for two months.	Si yo ganara tanto dinero como mi hermana, no sólo me iría a los Estados Unidos, sino que viajaría a Europa por dos meses.
If there should be a pilots’ strike, that flight wouldn’t leave.	Si hubiera huelga de pilotos, no saldría ese vuelo.
If they gave us another fighter squadron we would have to look for another airfield.	Si nos dieran otra escuadrilla de caza tendríamos que buscar otro aeropuerto.
They would have a better time if they didn’t worry so much.	Ellos se divertirían más si no se preocuparan tanto.
If they wanted more to eat, they’d ask.	Si quisieran más de comer pedirían.
How would we know if it weren’t for the radio?	¿Cómo sabríamos si no fuera por la radio?
What a shame! If only she were here!	¡Qué lástima! ¡Si estuviera ella aquí!
If only you didn’t eat so much!	¡Si no comiera Ud. tanto!

48.21.3 The Periphrastic Conditional

The periphrastic conditional (iba/ibas/iba/íbamos/iban + a + infinitive) is commonly used as a substitute for the conditional tense to express “past future” — a future from the standpoint of the past.

English	Spanish
But you hadn’t told me you were going to take photos.	Pero no me habías dicho que ibas a tomar fotos.
You promised that when you had time you were going to explain it to me.	Me prometiste que cuando tuvieras tiempo me lo ibas a explicar.
Paul told us he was going to sell his car.	Pablo nos dijo que iba a vender su auto.
It was certain we weren’t going to arrive on time.	Era seguro que no íbamos a llegar a tiempo.
They all told me they were going to keep on studying.	Todos me dijeron que iban a seguir estudiando.

48.22 Review Drills

The Neuter Article lo with Nominalized Adjectives

English	Spanish
The first thing you have to do is fill out the application.	Lo primero que hay que hacer es llenar la solicitud.
The last part of the visa is the fingerprints.	Lo último de la visa son las huellas digitales.
The worst thing around here is the traffic.	Lo peor de aquí es el tráfico.
The pleasant thing about Surlandia is the beach.	Lo agradable de Surlandia es la playa.
The best thing would be not to tell him anything.	Lo mejor sería no decirle nada.
The bad thing about it is that I can’t go.	Lo malo es que no puedo ir.
Here comes the good part.	Aquí viene lo bueno.

Stem Changing Verbs in Past I

English	Spanish
I slept little; she slept a lot.	Yo dormí poco, ella durmió mucho.
I ordered coffee; she ordered milk.	Yo pedí café, ella pidió leche.
I said goodbye on Monday; she said goodbye on Tuesday.	Yo me despedí el lunes, ella se despidió el martes.
I had a good time; she didn’t have a good time.	Yo me divertí, ella no se divirtió.
I repeated; she didn’t repeat.	Yo repetí, ella no repitió.
I served the wine; she served the coffee.	Yo serví el vino, ella sirvió el café.
I got dressed early; she got dressed late.	Yo me vestí temprano, ella se vistió tarde.

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Readings

• “Progreso y Salud Pública”