Cartas comerciales.
Se dan buenos informes.
Guayaquil, Ecuador, 20 de abril de 19__.
Messrs. Brown & Co.,
93 Wall St.,
New York. (1)
Muy Sres. nuestros:
En contestación a su grata (1) del 4 del actual, debemos manifestarles que la persona a que en ella se refieren está establecida desde hace veinte años; (3) que salda con puntualidad sus cuentas; que es persona activa, solvente, que goza de gran reputación, (4) y que, en una palabra, puede concedérsele un crédito ilimitado.
Damos los informes anteriores sin la menor responsabidad por nuestra parte, en la confianza de que los acogerán con la mayor reserva.
Attos. y afmos.,
BANCO DEL ECUADOR
PP. (5)
Domingo Mata
Presidente
Notas:
(1) Notice the English form of the address. The writer of the letter has evidently taken it verbatim from the letterhead of Brown & Co. This seems natural, and the student is advised to adopt the principle of using English addresses for United States firms, and Spanish addresses for Spanish or Spanish- American firms (see exercise 12, note (1)). It must be said, however, that many Spanish-speaking letter-writers would write the above address as follows: Sres. Brown y Cía.; Wall, 93; Nueva York, E.U. (the abbreviation for Estados Unidos).
(2) su grata: your favor. "Grata" is here an adjective, modifying an understood "carta".
(3) está ... años: is established since it makes twenty years; i.e., has been established for twenty years. To denote an act or State that has continued from the past into the present, the present tense is used in Spanish, while English requires the perfect.
(4) gran reputación: an excellent reputation.
(5) pp. = por poder: by power (of attorney). This abbreviation is used only when a person has power of attorney to act for another.
