214 CONYERSATIONAL PORTUGUESE
Rather puzzled, he asks him: “Don’t you think you’re asking for too high a salary, considering the little experience you have?”
“On the contrary,” replies the applicant. “Work which one knows nothing about is morę difficult and should be better paid.”
NOTES
Othando looking; from olhar to look.
Fica surpreso (surpreendido) is (“remains”) surprised, astonished.
Nao acha? Don't you think? A char to find, also has taken on the meaning of to believe, to think.
Respondeu and pergurttou are past tense forms of res-ponder and perguntar.
O ESPfRITO PRATICO The Practical Mind
Um comerciante apareceu um dia na casa dum fazendeiro (Iavrador) e pedlu um ąullo de manteiga. O fazendeiro (lavrador) respondeu que trocaria esse quilo de manteiga por um par de melas de 12*
Quando o comerciante contou o fato1 2 mulher (2 sua esposa), ela propds o seguinte:
—Temos urna colcha de la; eu a desfaęo (desfaęo-a) e dela farei um par de meias.
Assim fćz, e o comerciante deu o par de meias e recebeu um qullo de manteiga. Desde entlo, quando o comerciante precisava de manteiga, (a) sua mulher desfazia um pouco da colcha e tricotava umas meias.
Mas chegou um dia era que s6 tinha la para urna unica meia. O comerciante a levou (levou-a) ao fazendeiro ivrador), pedindo meio quilo de manteiga.
—Nao—respondeu o fazendeiro (lavrador)—, dou-'Ihe um quilo. (A) minha mulher desfaz as meias para ima colcha que estó fazendo (a fazer). Só precisa fdesta meia para acabń-la.
A merchant went to the house of a farmer and asked jhim foT a kilogram of butler. The farmer answered that he would exchange it for a pair of woolen socks.
When the merchant told his wife about it, she pro-posed: “We have a woolen quilt; 1*11 unravel it and FU make a pair of socks.”
She did so and the merchant gave the pair of socks in exchange for the kilogram of butter. From then on, when the merchant needed butter, his wife unraveled some of the quilt and knitted some socks. But one day she had just enough wool for one sock. The merchant took it to the farmer and asked him for half a kilogram of butter.
‘No,” said the farmer, “Pil give you a kilogram. My wife unravels the socks for a ąuilt she is making. Ali she needs is this one sock to finish it.”
NOTES
O espirito the spirit, mind.
Trocaria he would exchange; from trocar to exchange, change.
Propos she proposed; from propor to propose, suggest. Desfaęo Pil unravel; from desfazer to unravel, undo. Farei PU make; from fazer to make, to do.
facto ®.