только что потерявшей отца

I am translating an article about the life of Lenin. There it says that in the gymnasium / institute there were a student very distinguised in Mats. Wishing Lening to enter the University and needing more knowledge on Mats, he entered in contact with this comrade to help him (Lenin) in the subject.
Володя взялся его подготовить, отказавшись от обычной в то время платы за уроки, хотя даже небольшие деньги были бы нелишними в семье, только что потерявшей отца.

I think that understand the complete phrase, but have my doubts abt the last part of it.

"Lenin took him (the other boy) to prepare (or put to prepare it [the Mats]?), renouncing to the money usual for the time to pay the (extra) classes, however it was not a great sum his family had not an extra of it, and it (the family) was the only thing worrying the father."
Can you make it clear for me? Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by radomir

I think that understand the complete phrase, but have my doubts abt the last part of it.

"Lenin took him (the other boy) to prepare (or put to prepare it [the Mats]?), renouncing to the money usual for the time to pay the (extra) classes, however it was not a great sum his family had not an extra of it, and it (the family) was the only thing worrying the father."
Can you make it clear for me? Thanks.

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It is written that Lenin agreed to be a tutor to help a boy. He (Lenin) did not take money for that even though his (Lenin's) family needed money because it (family) just lost father.

I think you understood the previous text wrong.

Let me guess, this is an excerpt from one of those cheesy "memoirs" about how Lenin was so nice, so good, so smart, so kind etc... Soviet children were reading such stuff at school. AFAIK, American children are reading at school something similar about Founding Fathers. What about Spain? :)

Володя взялся его подготовить, отказавшись от обычной в то время платы за уроки, хотя даже небольшие деньги были бы нелишними в семье, только что потерявшей отца.
My translation:
Volodya agreed to tutor him, but refused to take the usual fee for the lessons, although even this little amount of money could come in handy for the family which just lost their father.

Shouldn't that be "having just lost the father"?

You say that the student wished Lenin to enter university and offered him help, but this reads to me like this: Volodja took it upon himself to prepare him after declining the usual fees for tuition at that time, though even a little money would have come in useful for the family, having just lost the father.

I'm not a native speaker, though, so I might be wrong.

Er, Basil was quicker than I was, and it turns out I was not. :)

Thanks; I had a previous error, since it wasn't well determined who was in need of a help:

В старших классах гимназии у Володи появился ученик - Никифор Охотников.
Обладая (who?) большими способностями к математике, он (who?)самостоятельно изучил ее в оьъёме гимназии
...
Володя взялся его...
Your translation fits better with the general "trend" of the article that is aimed to show not the good economic management of the Ulianovs but their good heart.
Thank you.

For it-ogo
After 40 years of hearing that the rebel were the loyal and the loyal being condemned as rebel, everybody here has a general scepticism on what one hears or reads:
- The Earth is round
- Really? let's see, let's see; perhaps.
Good bye