A Room with a View — Page 8

English → Fr Chapter I Level 6/10

Was this really Italy?

Était-ce vraiment l'Italie ?

Miss Bartlett was already seated on a tightly stuffed arm-chair, which had the colour and the contours of a tomato.

Miss Bartlett était déjà assise dans un fauteuil rembourré à l'extrême, qui avait la couleur et les contours d'une tomate.

She was talking to Mr. Beebe, and as she spoke, her long narrow head drove backwards and forwards, slowly, regularly, as though she were demolishing some invisible obstacle.

Elle parlait à M. Beebe, et tandis qu'elle parlait, sa longue tête étroite allait et venait, lentement, régulièrement, comme si elle démolissait quelque obstacle invisible.

"We are most grateful to you," she was saying.

« Nous vous sommes très reconnaissants », disait-elle.

"The first evening means so much.

« Le premier soir compte tellement.

When you arrived we were in for a peculiarly _mauvais quart d'heure_."

Quand vous êtes arrivé, nous étions en plein dans un _mauvais quart d'heure_ bien particulier. »

He expressed his regret.

Il exprima ses regrets.

"Do you, by any chance, know the name of an old man who sat opposite us at dinner?"

« Connaissez-vous, par hasard, le nom d'un vieil homme qui était assis en face de nous au dîner ? »

"Emerson."

« Emerson. »

"Is he a friend of yours?"

« Est-il un ami à vous ? »

"We are friendly—as one is in pensions."

« Nous sommes en bons termes — comme on l'est dans les pensions. »

"Then I will say no more."

« Alors je n'en dirai pas davantage. »

He pressed her very slightly, and she said more.

Il l'encouragea très légèrement, et elle en dit davantage.

"I am, as it were," she concluded, "the chaperon of my young cousin, Lucy, and it would be a serious thing if I put her under an obligation to people of whom we know nothing.

« Je suis, pour ainsi dire », conclut-elle, « la chaperon de ma jeune cousine, Lucy, et ce serait une chose grave que de la mettre dans l'obligation envers des gens dont nous ne savons rien.

His manner was somewhat unfortunate.

Ses manières étaient quelque peu malheureuses.

I hope I acted for the best."

J'espère avoir agi au mieux. »

"You acted very naturally," said he.

« Vous avez agi très naturellement », dit-il.

He seemed thoughtful, and after a few moments added: "All the same, I don't think much harm would have come of accepting."

Il parut pensif, et après quelques instants ajouta : « Tout de même, je ne pense pas qu'il eût été bien grave d'accepter. »

"No _harm_, of course. But we could not be under an obligation."

« Aucun _mal_, bien sûr. Mais nous ne pouvions pas nous mettre dans l'obligation. »

"He is rather a peculiar man.

« C'est un homme plutôt singulier.

Vocabulary

Était: ay-teh — Was; third person singular past tense of être.
ce: suh — This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
vraiment: vreh-mahn — Really, truly; used to emphasize a statement.
l': l — The; elided definite article before vowel or h.
Italie: ee-tah-lee — Italy; the European country known for art and culture.
était: ay-teh — Was; third person singular imperfect of être.
déjà: day-zhah — Already; indicates something has happened before now.
assise: ah-seez — Seated, sitting; feminine past participle of asseoir.
dans: dahn — In, inside; preposition indicating location or time.
un: uhn — A, an; masculine indefinite article.
fauteuil: foh-toy — Armchair; a comfortable chair with armrests.
rembourré: rahm-boo-ray — Padded, stuffed; describing an upholstered or cushioned object.
à: ah — To, at, in; versatile preposition of place or direction.
extrême: ex-trem — Extreme; at the furthest point or degree possible.
qui: kee — Who, which, that; relative or interrogative pronoun.
avait: ah-veh — Had; third person singular imperfect tense of avoir.
la: lah — The; feminine definite article.
couleur: koo-lur — Color; the visual property of hue or shade.
et: ay — And; basic coordinating conjunction linking words or clauses.
les: lay — The; plural definite article for masculine and feminine nouns.
contours: kohn-toor — Contours, outlines; the outer shape or edges of something.
d': d — Of, from; elided preposition de before vowel.
une: oon — A, an; feminine indefinite article.
tomate: toh-maht — Tomato; a red fruit commonly used in cooking.
Elle: el — She; third person feminine singular subject pronoun.
parlait: par-leh — Was speaking; imperfect tense of parler, to speak.
M.: muh-syuh — Mr.; abbreviation for Monsieur, polite male title.
tandis: tahn-dee — While, whereas; used in tandis que to contrast actions.
qu': k — That, which; elided form of que before vowel.
elle: el — She, her; third person feminine singular pronoun.
sa: sah — His, her, its; feminine singular possessive adjective.
longue: lohng — Long; feminine adjective describing length or duration.
tête: tet — Head; the upper part of the human body.
étroite: ay-trwaht — Narrow, thin; feminine adjective describing limited width.
allait: ah-leh — Was going; imperfect tense of aller, to go.
venait: vuh-neh — Was coming; imperfect tense of venir, to come.
lentement: lahnt-mahn — Slowly; adverb describing a slow pace or movement.
régulièrement: ray-gyoo-lyehr-mahn — Regularly, steadily; in a consistent and even manner.
comme: kohm — Like, as; conjunction or preposition for comparison.
si: see — If, so; conditional conjunction or intensifying adverb.
démolissait: day-moh-lee-seh — Was demolishing; imperfect of démolir, to tear down.
quelque: kel-kuh — Some, a few; indefinite adjective indicating vague quantity.
obstacle: ob-stah-kluh — Obstacle; something that blocks or hinders progress.
invisible: an-vee-zee-bluh — Invisible; unable to be seen by the eye.
Nous: noo — We, us; first person plural subject pronoun.
vous: voo — You; second person plural or formal singular pronoun.
sommes: sohm — Are; first person plural present tense of être.
très: treh — Very; adverb intensifying an adjective or another adverb.
reconnaissants: ruh-koh-neh-sahn — Grateful, thankful; plural adjective expressing appreciation.
disait: dee-zeh — Was saying; third person singular imperfect of dire.
Le: luh — The; masculine singular definite article.
premier: pruh-myay — First; ordinal adjective indicating the earliest in order.
soir: swahr — Evening, night; the period after afternoon before night.
compte: kohnt — Counts, matters; third person singular of compter.
tellement: tel-mahn — So much, so; adverb expressing a high degree.
Quand: kahn — When; interrogative or conjunctive adverb of time.
êtes: et — Are; second person plural present tense of être.
arrivé: ah-ree-vay — Arrived; past participle of arriver, to arrive.
nous: noo — We, us; first person plural pronoun, subject or object.
étions: ay-tyohn — Were; first person plural imperfect tense of être.
en: ahn — In, on, by; versatile preposition or pronoun in French.
plein: plan — Full, midst; indicating being deeply immersed in something.
_mauvais: moh-veh — Bad; adjective describing something of poor quality.
quart: kar — Quarter; one fourth of an hour or unit.
heure_: ur — Hour; unit of time equal to sixty minutes.
bien: byan — Well, very; adverb expressing quality or emphasis.
particulier: par-tee-kyoo-lyay — Particular, specific; adjective denoting something distinctive or special.
Il: eel — He, it; third person masculine singular subject pronoun.
exprima: ex-pree-mah — Expressed; third person singular simple past of exprimer.
ses: say — His, her, its; plural possessive adjective for both genders.
regrets: ruh-greh — Regrets; feelings of sorrow or disappointment about something.
Connaissez: koh-neh-say — Do you know; second person plural of connaître.
par: par — By, through, per; preposition indicating means or agency.
hasard: ah-zar — Chance, accident; something happening without plan or intention.
le: luh — The; masculine singular definite article.
nom: nohn — Name; the word used to identify a person or thing.
vieil: vyay — Old; masculine adjective used before a vowel-starting noun.
homme: ohm — Man; an adult male human being.
assis: ah-see — Seated; masculine past participle of asseoir, to sit.
face: fahs — Face, front; in face de means opposite or across.
de: duh — Of, from; very common preposition indicating relation or origin.
au: oh — To the, at the; contraction of à and le.
dîner: dee-nay — Dinner; the main evening meal of the day.
Est: eh — Is; third person singular present tense of être.
il: eel — He, it; third person masculine singular subject pronoun.
ami: ah-mee — Friend; a person with whom one has a bond.
bons: bohn — Good; masculine plural adjective indicating positive quality.
termes: term — Terms; conditions or relations between people or parties.
on: ohn — One, we, people; indefinite subject pronoun in French.
est: eh — Is; third person singular present indicative of être.
pensions: pahn-syohn — Boarding houses; establishments offering lodging and meals.
Alors: ah-lor — Then, so; adverb indicating consequence or transition.
je: zhuh — I; first person singular subject pronoun in French.
n': n — Not; elided negative particle used before vowels.
dirai: dee-ray — Will say; first person singular future tense of dire.
pas: pah — Not; negative particle used with ne to negate verbs.
davantage: dah-vahn-tahzh — More, further; adverb indicating a greater degree or amount.
encouragea: ahn-koo-rah-zhah — Encouraged; third person singular simple past of encourager.
légèrement: lay-zhehr-mahn — Slightly, lightly; adverb indicating a small degree.
dit: dee — Said; third person singular simple past of dire.
Je: zhuh — I; first person singular subject pronoun in French.
suis: swee — Am; first person singular present tense of être.
pour: poor — For, in order to; preposition indicating purpose or benefit.
ainsi: Thus, so; adverb meaning in this way or manner.
dire: deer — To say, to tell; basic infinitive verb of speech.
conclut: kohn-kloo — Concluded; third person singular simple past of conclure.
chaperon: sha-prohn — Chaperone; an adult who supervises younger people socially.
ma: mah — My; feminine singular possessive adjective in French.
jeune: zhun — Young; adjective describing a person of little age.
cousine: koo-zeen — Cousin; a female relative, child of one's aunt or uncle.
serait: suh-reh — Would be; third person singular conditional of être.
chose: shohz — Thing; a general noun referring to any object or matter.
grave: grahv — Serious, grave; adjective describing something of great importance.
que: kuh — That, which, than; conjunction or relative pronoun.
mettre: metr — To put, to place; basic infinitive verb of placement.
obligation: ob-lee-gah-syohn — Obligation; a duty or commitment one is required to fulfill.
envers: ahn-vehr — Toward, towards; preposition expressing attitude or relation.
des: day — Some, of the; plural indefinite article or partitive.
gens: zhahn — People, folks; a plural noun referring to persons generally.
dont: dohn — Whose, of which; relative pronoun replacing de plus noun.
ne: nuh — Not; negative particle used together with pas or other negators.
savons: sah-vohn — Know; first person plural present tense of savoir.
rien: ryan — Nothing, anything; negative pronoun used with ne.
Ses: say — His, her, its; plural possessive adjective in French.
manières: mah-nyehr — Manners; social behaviors and ways of conducting oneself.
étaient: ay-teh — Were; third person plural imperfect tense of être.
peu: puh — Little, few; adverb or adjective indicating small amount.
malheureuses: mal-ur-uz — Unhappy, unfortunate; feminine plural adjective for bad situations.
J': zh — I; elided first person singular subject pronoun.
espère: es-pehr — Hope; first person singular present tense of espérer.
avoir: ah-vwahr — To have; fundamental infinitive verb of possession.
agi: ah-zhee — Acted; past participle of agir, to act or behave.
mieux: myuh — Better; comparative adverb indicating superior quality or manner.
Vous: voo — You; second person plural or polite singular pronoun.
avez: ah-vay — Have; second person plural present tense of avoir.
naturellement: nah-tyoo-rel-mahn — Naturally, of course; adverb expressing something expected or obvious.
parut: pah-roo — Appeared, seemed; third person singular simple past of paraître.
pensif: pahn-seef — Pensive, thoughtful; adjective describing a reflective or meditative state.
après: ah-preh — After; preposition or adverb indicating something following in time.
quelques: kel-kuh — Some, a few; plural indefinite adjective indicating small number.
instants: an-stahn — Moments, instants; very brief periods of time.
ajouta: ah-zhoo-tah — Added; third person singular simple past of ajouter.
Tout: too — All, everything; pronoun or adjective indicating totality.
même: mem — Same, even, itself; adjective or adverb for emphasis or comparison.
pense: pahns — Think; first or third person singular present of penser.
eût: oo — Had; third person singular imperfect subjunctive of avoir.
été: ay-tay — Been; past participle of être, used in compound tenses.
accepter: ak-sep-tay — To accept; to receive or agree to something offered.
Aucun: oh-kuhn — No, none, not any; negative indefinite adjective or pronoun.
_mal_: mal — Harm, evil, pain; noun referring to something negative or hurtful.
sûr: soor — Sure, certain; adjective expressing confidence or certainty.
Mais: meh — But; coordinating conjunction introducing a contrast or objection.
pouvions: poo-vyohn — Could; first person plural imperfect tense of pouvoir.
C': s — It, this; elided demonstrative pronoun ce before est.
plutôt: ploo-toh — Rather, quite; adverb indicating preference or moderate degree.
singulier: san-gyoo-lyay — Singular, peculiar; adjective describing something unusual or odd.

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