a cambio de
in exchange forA cambio de introduces what someone gives up or accepts to obtain something else.
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El ratón de la corte y el del campo
B1 · Chapter 3 of 3 · Edition 1
El valor de lo conocido
The value of the familiar
Adapted from El ratón de la corte y el del campo, by Félix María Samaniego.
El ratón del campo no quiso regresar a la despensa. Se dirigió a su amigo y explicó lo que había decidido. —Renuncio al queso y al tocino si tengo que comerlos con miedo. No me compensa buscar placeres a cambio de tantos sustos. La visita, que había comenzado con tanta ilusión, terminó allí.
Volvió enseguida al campo. Su casa de tierra seguía siendo modesta y sus legumbres no eran más sabrosas que antes. Sin embargo, él las apreciaba de otra manera. Durante la visita había descubierto un inconveniente de la abundancia que no se veía a primera vista: para disfrutar de ella debía aceptar una inquietud constante.
Desde entonces estimó mucho más la tranquilidad de su hogar. No había dejado de gustarle el queso; había comprendido qué estaba dispuesto a cambiar por él. En su pequeña casa podía comer sin estar pendiente de una puerta o de un ruido inesperado. Para aquel ratón, la seguridad daba más valor a la comida sencilla que el lujo a una vida llena de temor.
The country mouse did not want to return to the pantry. He turned to his friend and explained what he had decided. ‘I’ll give up the cheese and bacon if I have to eat them in fear. Seeking pleasures in exchange for so many frights isn’t worth it to me.’ The visit, which had begun with such excitement, ended there.
He returned to the country at once. His home in the earth was still modest and his pulses were no tastier than before. However, he appreciated them differently. During the visit he had discovered a drawback to abundance that was not obvious at first glance: to enjoy it, he had to accept constant unease.
From then on, he valued the peace of his home much more. He had not stopped liking cheese; he had understood what he was willing to trade for it. In his small home he could eat without keeping an eye on a door or listening for an unexpected noise. For that mouse, safety added more value to simple food than luxury did to a life full of fear.
Key Phrases
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a primera vista
at first glanceA primera vista describes the first impression before closer attention.
estar pendiente de
keep watching for; be constantly alert toHere estar pendiente de means remaining alert to the door or a possible noise.
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Original source and edition
Adapted from El ratón de la corte y el del campo, by Félix María Samaniego.
Spanish prose adaptations by Read Spanish Daily. These versions retell one fable; they are not the original verse or the complete collection.
Fábulas en verso castellano, volume I, book I, fable VIII. Madrid: Oficina de Cano, 1818, pages 9–10. Original Spanish text in the public domain.
Original source and edition →