A Study in Scarlet — Page 6
"You mustn't blame me if you don't get on with him," he said; "I know nothing more of him than I have learned from meeting him occasionally in the laboratory.
« Vous ne devez pas m'en vouloir si vous ne vous entendez pas avec lui, » dit-il ; « je n'en sais pas plus sur lui que ce que j'ai appris en le rencontrant de temps en temps au laboratoire.
You proposed this arrangement, so you must not hold me responsible."
C'est vous qui avez proposé cet arrangement, donc vous ne devez pas me tenir pour responsable. »
"If we don't get on it will be easy to part company," I answered.
« Si nous ne nous entendons pas, il sera facile de nous séparer, » répondis-je.
"It seems to me, Stamford," I added, looking hard at my companion, "that you have some reason for washing your hands of the matter.
« Il me semble, Stamford, » ajoutai-je en regardant fixement mon compagnon, « que vous avez quelque raison de vous laver les mains de cette affaire.
Is this fellow's temper so formidable, or what is it?
Le caractère de ce gaillard est-il si redoutable, ou qu'est-ce donc ?
Don't be mealy-mouthed about it."
Ne mâchez pas vos mots. »
"It is not easy to express the inexpressible," he answered with a laugh.
« Il n'est pas facile d'exprimer l'inexprimable, » répondit-il avec un rire.
"Holmes is a little too scientific for my tastes—it approaches to cold-bloodedness.
« Holmes est un peu trop scientifique pour mon goût — cela frise le sang-froid.
I could imagine his giving a friend a little pinch of the latest vegetable alkaloid, not out of malevolence, you understand, but simply out of a spirit of inquiry in order to have an accurate idea of the effects.
Je l'imaginerais tout à fait en train de donner à un ami une petite pincée du dernier alcaloïde végétal à la mode, non par malveillance, comprenez-vous, mais simplement par esprit d'investigation afin d'avoir une idée précise des effets.
To do him justice, I think that he would take it himself with the same readiness.
Pour lui rendre justice, je pense qu'il en prendrait lui-même avec la même disposition.
He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge."
Il semble avoir une passion pour un savoir précis et exact. »
"Very right too."
« C'est tout à fait juste. »
"Yes, but it may be pushed to excess.
« Oui, mais cela peut être poussé à l'excès.
When it comes to beating the subjects in the dissecting-rooms with a stick, it is certainly taking rather a bizarre shape."
Quand cela en arrive à frapper les cadavres dans les salles de dissection avec un bâton, cela prend certainement une forme plutôt bizarre. »
"Beating the subjects!"
« Frapper les cadavres ! »
"Yes, to verify how far bruises may be produced after death.
« Oui, pour vérifier jusqu'à quel point des contusions peuvent être produites après la mort.
I saw him at it with my own eyes.
Je l'ai vu faire de mes propres yeux.
Vocabulary
- Vous
- You (formal or plural subject pronoun)
- ne
- Negation particle used with pas or other negatives
- devez
- Must, have to (devoir, second person plural)
- pas
- Not; negation word paired with ne
- m'
- Me (elided form of me before vowel)
- en
- In, of it, from there; versatile preposition or pronoun
- vouloir
- To want, to wish; also to hold a grudge
- si
- If; also yes in contradiction to a negative
- vous
- You (formal/plural); object or subject pronoun
- entendez
- You hear or get along (entendre, second person plural)
- avec
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment
- lui
- Him, her; third-person singular stressed pronoun
- dit
- Said, says (dire, third person singular past/present)
- il
- He, it; third-person masculine singular pronoun
- je
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- n'
- Elided form of ne used before a vowel
- sais
- Know (savoir, first or second person singular present)
- plus
- No longer; more; negation or comparison adverb
- sur
- On, upon, about; common French preposition
- que
- That, which, what; conjunction or relative pronoun
- ce
- This, that; demonstrative adjective or pronoun
- j'
- I (elided form of je before a vowel)
- ai
- Have (avoir, first person singular present)
- appris
- Learned, found out (past participle of apprendre)
- le
- The (masculine singular definite article or pronoun)
- rencontrant
- Meeting, encountering (present participle of rencontrer)
- de
- Of, from; very common French preposition
- temps
- Time, weather; common French noun
- au
- To the, at the (contraction of à + le)
- laboratoire
- Laboratory; place for scientific research and experiments
- C'
- It (elided form of ce before est)
- est
- Is (être, third person singular present tense)
- qui
- Who, which, that; relative or interrogative pronoun
- avez
- Have (avoir, second person plural present tense)
- proposé
- Proposed, suggested (past participle of proposer)
- cet
- This (masculine singular demonstrative before vowel)
- arrangement
- Arrangement, agreement, deal between parties
- donc
- So, therefore, thus; concluding conjunction
- me
- Me, myself; first-person singular object pronoun
- tenir
- To hold, to keep; common French verb
- pour
- For, in order to; common French preposition
- responsable
- Responsible, accountable; adjective or noun
- Si
- If; conditional conjunction beginning a clause
- nous
- We, us; first-person plural pronoun
- entendons
- We hear, we get along (entendre, first plural present)
- sera
- Will be (être, third person singular future tense)
- facile
- Easy, simple; common French adjective
- séparer
- To separate, to part; to divide from one another
- répondis
- I answered, replied (répondre, first person singular passé simple)
- Il
- He, it; third-person masculine singular subject pronoun
- semble
- Seems, appears (sembler, third person singular present)
- ajoutai
- I added, I said in addition (ajouter, passé simple)
- regardant
- Looking at, watching (present participle of regarder)
- fixement
- Fixedly, steadily; adverb describing an intense gaze
- mon
- My; first-person singular masculine possessive adjective
- compagnon
- Companion, fellow; person one spends time with
- quelque
- Some, a few; indefinite adjective or adverb
- raison
- Reason, cause; also rightness or rationale
- laver
- To wash; here figuratively to wash one's hands of
- les
- The (plural definite article); also them as pronoun
- mains
- Hands; plural of main, body part
- cette
- This, that (feminine singular demonstrative adjective)
- affaire
- Matter, affair, business; a situation or deal
- Le
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- caractère
- Character, nature, temperament of a person
- gaillard
- Fellow, strapping man; lively or robust person
- redoutable
- Formidable, fearsome; inspiring respect or dread
- ou
- Or; conjunction presenting an alternative
- qu'
- That, which (elided form of que before vowel)
- Ne
- Negation particle, part of ne...pas construction
- mâchez
- Chew; here in phrase ne pas mâcher ses mots
- vos
- Your (plural possessive adjective, formal or plural)
- mots
- Words; plural of mot, unit of language
- d'
- Of, from (elided form of de before vowel)
- exprimer
- To express, to convey a thought or feeling
- l'
- The (elided definite article before vowel)
- inexprimable
- Inexpressible, unspeakable; beyond words to describe
- répondit
- He/she replied (répondre, third person singular passé simple)
- un
- A, an; indefinite article or the number one
- rire
- Laugh, laughter; noun or infinitive of to laugh
- peu
- A little, few; adverb indicating small quantity
- trop
- Too, too much; adverb indicating excess
- scientifique
- Scientific; relating to science or the scientific method
- goût
- Taste, liking; preference or sense of taste
- cela
- That, it; demonstrative pronoun referring to something
- frise
- Borders on, skirts (friser); here approaches cold-bloodedness
- sang
- Blood; noun, also used in expressions like sang-froid
- froid
- Cold; adjective, also cold-bloodedness in sang-froid
- Je
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- imaginerais
- I would imagine (imaginer, first person singular conditional)
- tout
- All, everything, quite; adjective or adverb
- à
- To, at, in; very common French preposition
- fait
- Done, made; past participle of faire; also deed
- train
- Process, course; être en train de means to be doing
- donner
- To give; common French verb
- ami
- Friend; close acquaintance or companion
- une
- A, an; feminine indefinite article
- petite
- Small, little (feminine); diminutive adjective
- pincée
- Pinch; small amount held between fingers
- du
- Of the (contraction of de + le); also some
- dernier
- Last, latest; adjective indicating most recent thing
- alcaloïde
- Alkaloid; naturally occurring chemical compound in plants
- végétal
- Plant-based, vegetal; relating to plants or vegetation
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article or pronoun)
- mode
- Fashion, mode, trend; current popular style or method
- non
- No, not; negation or disagreement
- par
- By, through, per; common French preposition
- malveillance
- Malice, ill will; intention to do harm to others
- comprenez
- You understand (comprendre, second person plural present)
- mais
- But; coordinating conjunction indicating contrast
- simplement
- Simply, just; adverb indicating straightforward manner
- esprit
- Mind, spirit, wit; intellectual faculty or mindset
- investigation
- Investigation, inquiry; systematic examination of something
- afin
- So as to, in order to (afin de + infinitive)
- avoir
- To have; essential auxiliary verb in French
- idée
- Idea, notion; thought or concept in one's mind
- précise
- Precise, exact; clearly defined or accurate
- des
- Of the, some (plural indefinite or partitive article)
- effets
- Effects, results; consequences or outcomes of something
- Pour
- For, in order to; preposition or conjunction of purpose
- rendre
- To render, to give back; to make or return something
- justice
- Justice, fairness; rendre justice means to do justice
- pense
- I think, he thinks (penser, first or third person singular)
- prendrait
- Would take (prendre, third person singular conditional)
- même
- Same, even, itself; emphasizing adjective or adverb
- disposition
- Disposition, arrangement; tendency or inclination of a person
- passion
- Passion, strong enthusiasm or desire for something
- savoir
- To know; knowing facts or how to do something
- précis
- Precise, accurate; exact in detail or expression
- et
- And; basic coordinating conjunction joining elements
- exact
- Exact, accurate; correct to every detail
- juste
- Just, fair, correct; right or precisely accurate
- Oui
- Yes; affirmative response in French
- peut
- Can, may (pouvoir, third person singular present)
- être
- To be; fundamental French auxiliary and linking verb
- poussé
- Pushed, taken to extremes (past participle of pousser)
- excès
- Excess, extreme; going beyond normal or reasonable limits
- Quand
- When; temporal conjunction or interrogative adverb
- arrive
- Arrives, happens (arriver, third person singular present)
- frapper
- To strike, to hit; to knock or beat something
- cadavres
- Corpses, cadavers; dead bodies, especially for dissection
- dans
- In, inside; preposition indicating location or context
- salles
- Rooms, halls; plural of salle, large room or hall
- dissection
- Dissection; cutting open of a body for study
- bâton
- Stick, staff; rod used for walking or striking
- prend
- Takes (prendre, third person singular present tense)
- certainement
- Certainly, definitely; expressing strong confidence
- forme
- Form, shape; appearance or physical structure of something
- plutôt
- Rather, quite, instead; adverb of preference or degree
- bizarre
- Strange, odd, bizarre; unusual or eccentric in nature
- Frapper
- To strike, to hit; infinitive used here as exclamation
- vérifier
- To verify, to check; to confirm accuracy of something
- jusqu'
- Until, up to (elided form of jusqu'à before vowel)
- quel
- What, which; interrogative or exclamatory adjective
- point
- Point, degree; extent or level reached
- contusions
- Bruises, contusions; injuries from blunt force trauma
- peuvent
- Can, are able to (pouvoir, third person plural present)
- produites
- Produced, caused (feminine plural past participle of produire)
- après
- After; preposition or adverb indicating time sequence
- mort
- Death; end of life; feminine noun la mort
- vu
- Seen (past participle of voir); also given, considering
- faire
- To do, to make; one of the most common French verbs
- mes
- My (plural possessive adjective, first person singular)
- propres
- Own, clean; here meaning one's very own eyes
- yeux
- Eyes; plural of œil, organs of sight
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