A Room with a View — Page 12
It was a real catastrophe, not a mere episode, that evening of hers at Venice, when she had found in her bedroom something that is one worse than a flea, though one better than something else.
Era stata una vera catastrofe, non un semplice episodio, quella sua serata a Venezia, quando aveva trovato nella sua camera da letto qualcosa che è un gradino peggio di una pulce, sebbene un gradino meglio di qualcos'altro.
"But here you are as safe as in England. Signora Bertolini is so English."
«Ma qui lei è al sicuro come in Inghilterra. La signora Bertolini è così inglese.»
"Yet our rooms smell," said poor Lucy. "We dread going to bed."
«Eppure le nostre camere hanno un cattivo odore», disse la povera Lucy. «Abbiamo paura di andare a letto.»
"Ah, then you look into the court." She sighed. "If only Mr. Emerson was more tactful! We were so sorry for you at dinner."
«Ah, allora lei dà sul cortile.» Sospirò. «Se solo il signor Emerson fosse più delicato! Ci siamo dispiaciuti tanto per lei a cena.»
"I think he was meaning to be kind."
«Credo che volesse essere gentile.»
"Undoubtedly he was," said Miss Bartlett.
«Indubbiamente lo era», disse Miss Bartlett.
"Mr. Beebe has just been scolding me for my suspicious nature. Of course, I was holding back on my cousin's account."
«Il signor Beebe mi ha appena rimproverata per la mia natura diffidente. Naturalmente, mi stavo trattenendo per riguardo a mia cugina.»
"Of course," said the little old lady; and they murmured that one could not be too careful with a young girl.
«Naturalmente», disse la vecchietta; e mormorarono che non si poteva mai essere troppo prudenti con una ragazza giovane.
Lucy tried to look demure, but could not help feeling a great fool. No one was careful with her at home; or, at all events, she had not noticed it.
Lucy cercò di sembrare composta, ma non poté fare a meno di sentirsi una grande sciocca. A casa nessuno era così prudente con lei; o, in ogni caso, non se n'era mai accorta.
"About old Mr. Emerson—I hardly know. No, he is not tactful; yet, have you ever noticed that there are people who do things which are most indelicate, and yet at the same time—beautiful?"
«Riguardo al vecchio signor Emerson — non saprei. No, non è delicato; eppure, ha mai notato che ci sono persone che fanno cose estremamente indelicate, e tuttavia allo stesso tempo — belle?»
"Beautiful?" said Miss Bartlett, puzzled at the word. "Are not beauty and delicacy the same?"
«Belle?» disse Miss Bartlett, perplessa dalla parola. «Bellezza e delicatezza non sono forse la stessa cosa?»
"So one would have thought," said the other helplessly. "But things are so difficult, I sometimes think.
«Così si sarebbe pensato», disse l'altra sconsolatamente. «Ma le cose sono così difficili, a volte penso.
Vocabulary
- Era
- Third person singular imperfect of 'essere' (to be).
- stata
- Past participle of 'essere'; used in compound tenses.
- una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
- vera
- Adjective meaning true, genuine, or real.
- catastrofe
- A catastrophe; a disastrous or terrible event.
- non
- Negation word meaning 'not' in Italian.
- un
- Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
- semplice
- Adjective meaning simple, plain, or ordinary.
- episodio
- An episode; a single event or incident in a story.
- quella
- Demonstrative adjective/pronoun meaning 'that' (feminine).
- sua
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its'.
- serata
- An evening; referring to the time after sunset.
- a
- Preposition meaning 'at,' 'to,' or 'in'.
- Venezia
- Venice; a famous Italian city built on water.
- quando
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'.
- aveva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'avere' (to have).
- trovato
- Past participle of 'trovare'; meaning 'found'.
- nella
- Contraction of 'in' and 'la,' meaning 'in the' (feminine).
- camera
- A room, especially a bedroom in Italian.
- da
- Preposition meaning 'from,' 'by,' or 'since'.
- letto
- A bed; furniture used for sleeping.
- qualcosa
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'something'.
- che
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'.
- è
- Third person singular present of 'essere' (to be).
- gradino
- A step or rung; one degree in a scale.
- peggio
- Comparative adverb/adjective meaning 'worse'.
- di
- Preposition meaning 'of,' 'from,' or 'than'.
- pulce
- A flea; a small parasitic jumping insect.
- sebbene
- Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though'.
- meglio
- Comparative adverb/adjective meaning 'better'.
- qualcos'altro
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'something else'.
- Ma
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' indicating contrast.
- qui
- Adverb of place meaning 'here'.
- lei
- Personal pronoun meaning 'she' or formal 'you'.
- al
- Contraction of 'a' and 'il,' meaning 'at the' (masculine).
- sicuro
- Adjective meaning safe, secure, or certain.
- come
- Adverb/conjunction meaning 'as,' 'like,' or 'how'.
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'.
- Inghilterra
- England; the country in the United Kingdom.
- La
- Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.
- signora
- Title of address for a woman; Mrs. or Madam.
- così
- Adverb meaning 'so,' 'thus,' or 'in this way'.
- inglese
- Adjective or noun meaning English or an English person.
- Eppure
- Conjunction meaning 'and yet' or 'nevertheless'.
- le
- Feminine plural article or indirect object pronoun 'to her'.
- nostre
- Possessive adjective meaning 'our' (feminine plural).
- camere
- Plural of 'camera'; rooms, especially bedrooms.
- hanno
- Third person plural present of 'avere' (to have).
- cattivo
- Adjective meaning bad, unpleasant, or wicked.
- odore
- A smell or odor, pleasant or unpleasant.
- disse
- Third person singular passato remoto of 'dire' (to say).
- la
- Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.
- povera
- Adjective meaning poor or unfortunate (feminine form).
- Abbiamo
- First person plural present of 'avere'; we have.
- paura
- Fear; a feeling of anxiety or fright.
- andare
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to go'.
- allora
- Adverb meaning 'then,' 'so,' or 'at that time'.
- dà
- Third person singular present of 'dare'; gives or faces.
- sul
- Contraction of 'su' and 'il,' meaning 'on the'.
- cortile
- A courtyard; an enclosed outdoor space within a building.
- Sospirò
- Third person singular passato remoto of 'sospirare'; sighed.
- Se
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'whether'.
- solo
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'alone,' 'only,' or 'just'.
- il
- Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
- signor
- Title of address for a man; Mr. (shortened form).
- fosse
- Third person singular imperfect subjunctive of 'essere'.
- più
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'anymore'.
- delicato
- Adjective meaning delicate, sensitive, or considerate.
- Ci
- Reflexive or object pronoun meaning 'us,' 'ourselves,' or 'there'.
- siamo
- First person plural present of 'essere'; we are.
- dispiaciuti
- Past participle of 'dispiacere'; felt sorry or regretful.
- tanto
- Adverb meaning 'so much,' 'a lot,' or 'very'.
- per
- Preposition meaning 'for,' 'through,' or 'because of'.
- cena
- Dinner; the main evening meal.
- Credo
- First person singular present of 'credere'; I believe or think.
- volesse
- Third person singular imperfect subjunctive of 'volere'; wanted.
- essere
- Infinitive meaning 'to be'; the verb of existence.
- gentile
- Adjective meaning kind, polite, or courteous.
- Indubbiamente
- Adverb meaning 'undoubtedly' or 'without a doubt'.
- lo
- Masculine singular object pronoun meaning 'him' or 'it'.
- era
- Third person singular imperfect of 'essere'; was or used to be.
- Il
- Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
- mi
- First person singular object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'to me'.
- ha
- Third person singular present of 'avere'; has.
- appena
- Adverb meaning 'just,' 'barely,' or 'as soon as'.
- rimproverata
- Past participle of 'rimproverare'; scolded or reproached.
- mia
- Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (feminine singular).
- natura
- Nature; one's innate character or disposition.
- diffidente
- Adjective meaning suspicious, distrustful, or wary.
- Naturalmente
- Adverb meaning 'naturally' or 'of course'.
- stavo
- First person singular imperfect of 'stare'; I was (staying/being).
- trattenendo
- Gerund of 'trattenere'; holding back or restraining oneself.
- riguardo
- Regard, care, or consideration; 'riguardo a' means regarding.
- cugina
- Female cousin; a relative sharing grandparents.
- vecchietta
- Diminutive of 'vecchia'; a little old lady.
- e
- Conjunction meaning 'and'.
- mormorarono
- Third person plural passato remoto of 'mormorare'; murmured.
- si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself,' 'himself,' 'herself,' etc.
- poteva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'potere'; could or was able.
- mai
- Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever'.
- troppo
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'too much' or 'too many'.
- prudenti
- Plural adjective meaning prudent, cautious, or careful.
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with'.
- ragazza
- A girl or young woman.
- giovane
- Adjective meaning young; a young person.
- cercò
- Third person singular passato remoto of 'cercare'; tried or sought.
- sembrare
- Infinitive meaning 'to seem' or 'to appear'.
- composta
- Adjective meaning composed, calm, or collected (feminine).
- ma
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' indicating contrast.
- poté
- Third person singular passato remoto of 'potere'; was able to.
- fare
- Infinitive meaning 'to do' or 'to make'.
- meno
- Adverb meaning 'less'; also used in expressions like 'can't help'.
- sentirsi
- Reflexive infinitive of 'sentire'; to feel or feel oneself.
- grande
- Adjective meaning 'big,' 'great,' or 'large'.
- sciocca
- Adjective meaning foolish or silly (feminine form).
- A
- Preposition meaning 'at,' 'to,' or 'in'.
- casa
- House or home; one's place of residence.
- nessuno
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'nobody' or 'no one'.
- prudente
- Adjective meaning prudent, careful, or cautious.
- o
- Conjunction meaning 'or'.
- ogni
- Adjective meaning 'every' or 'each'.
- caso
- Case, chance, or situation; 'in ogni caso' means 'in any case'.
- se
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or reflexive pronoun 'himself/herself'.
- n'era
- Contraction of 'ne' and 'era'; had (noticed/realized of it).
- accorta
- Past participle of 'accorgersi'; noticed or realized (feminine).
- Riguardo
- Preposition meaning 'regarding' or 'with respect to'.
- vecchio
- Adjective or noun meaning old or an old man.
- saprei
- First person singular conditional of 'sapere'; I would know.
- No
- Negation word meaning 'no'.
- eppure
- Conjunction meaning 'and yet' or 'nevertheless'.
- notato
- Past participle of 'notare'; noticed or observed.
- ci
- Pronoun meaning 'there,' 'us,' or reflexive 'ourselves'.
- sono
- Third person plural or first person singular of 'essere'; are/I am.
- persone
- Plural of 'persona'; people or persons.
- fanno
- Third person plural present of 'fare'; they do or make.
- cose
- Plural of 'cosa'; things or matters.
- estremamente
- Adverb meaning 'extremely' or 'exceedingly'.
- indelicate
- Adjective meaning indelicate, tactless, or inconsiderate (plural).
- tuttavia
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'however,' 'yet,' or 'still'.
- allo
- Contraction of 'a' and 'lo,' meaning 'at the' (masculine).
- stesso
- Adjective meaning 'same' or 'itself'; 'allo stesso tempo' means simultaneously.
- tempo
- Time or weather; a fundamental concept in Italian.
- belle
- Plural feminine adjective meaning beautiful or lovely.
- Belle
- Plural feminine adjective meaning beautiful or lovely.
- perplessa
- Adjective meaning perplexed, puzzled, or confused (feminine).
- dalla
- Contraction of 'da' and 'la,' meaning 'from the' (feminine).
- parola
- A word; a unit of language with meaning.
- Bellezza
- Beauty; the quality of being attractive or pleasing.
- delicatezza
- Delicacy; the quality of being delicate or sensitive.
- forse
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps,' 'maybe,' or 'possibly'.
- stessa
- Feminine form of 'stesso'; same or herself.
- cosa
- Noun meaning 'thing' or 'what' in questions.
- Così
- Adverb meaning 'so,' 'thus,' or 'in this way'.
- sarebbe
- Third person singular conditional of 'essere'; would be.
- pensato
- Past participle of 'pensare'; thought or considered.
- l'altra
- Contraction of 'la altra'; the other one (feminine).
- sconsolatamente
- Adverb meaning 'disconsolately' or 'despondently'.
- difficili
- Plural adjective meaning difficult, hard, or challenging.
- volte
- Plural of 'volta'; times, as in occasions or instances.
- penso
- First person singular present of 'pensare'; I think.
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