A Tale of Two Cities — Page 4

Vocabulary

Audaci

Bold, daring, fearless in action or behavior

furti

Thefts, acts of stealing property from others

con

With, a common preposition indicating accompaniment

scasso

Break-in, forced entry into a building or property

da

From, by; versatile preposition of origin or agency

parte

Part, side, role; portion of a whole

di

Of, from; extremely common Italian preposition

uomini

Men, adult male human beings

armati

Armed, carrying weapons ready for use

e

And, basic coordinating conjunction joining words

rapine

Robberies, violent thefts committed against persons

stradali

Road-related, pertaining to streets or highways

avvenivano

Were happening, used to occur repeatedly in past

nella

In the, contraction of in and la

capitale

Capital city, main seat of a country's government

stessa

Same, herself/itself; emphasizing identity or sameness

ogni

Every, each; indicating all members of a group

notte

Night, the dark period between sunset and sunrise

le

The (feminine plural) or indirect pronoun to her

famiglie

Families, groups of related people living together

venivano

Were being, used to come; imperfect passive auxiliary

pubblicamente

Publicly, in a manner visible or known to all

avvertite

Warned, notified of danger or important information

non

Not, basic negation word in Italian

lasciare

To leave, to let go of or abandon something

la

The (feminine singular); also direct object pronoun her

città

City, large urban settlement or municipality

senza

Without, lacking something or not accompanied by it

prima

First, before; indicating prior time or order

trasportare

To transport, to carry or move things from place

i

The (masculine plural), definite article in Italian

propri

Own, one's personal possessions or belongings

mobili

Furniture, movable household items and furnishings

nei

In the (masculine plural), contraction of in and i

magazzini

Warehouses, storage facilities for goods or items

dei

Of the (masculine plural), contraction of di and i

tappezzieri

Upholsterers, craftsmen who work with fabric furnishings

per

For, through, in order to; versatile Italian preposition

maggior

Greater, higher; comparative form of grande

sicurezza

Safety, security; state of being protected from harm

il

The (masculine singular), definite article in Italian

brigante

Bandit, outlaw who robs travelers or causes trouble

notturno

Nocturnal, relating to or occurring during the night

era

Was, third person singular imperfect of essere

giorno

Day, the period of daylight between dawn and dusk

un

A, an; indefinite article for masculine singular nouns

commerciante

Merchant, trader, person who buys and sells goods

della

Of the (feminine singular), contraction of di and la

riconosciuto

Recognized, identified as someone previously known

sfidato

Challenged, defied, dared to confront someone

dal

From the (masculine singular), contraction of da and il

suo

His, her, its; possessive adjective for one person

collega

Colleague, coworker, professional associate

che

That, who, which; relative pronoun and conjunction

aveva

Had, third person singular imperfect of avere

fermato

Stopped, halted, brought to a standstill

nel

In the (masculine singular), contraction of in and il

ruolo

Role, part played by someone in a situation

Capitano

Captain, military or leadership title for a commander

lo

Him, it; direct object pronoun for masculine singular

galantemente

Gallantly, in a chivalrous or nobly courteous manner

abbattuto

Knocked down, struck down; also dejected or downcast

colpo

Blow, hit, strike; a sudden forceful impact

alla

To the (feminine singular), contraction of a and la

testa

Head, the uppermost part of the human body

se

If, himself/herself; conditional conjunction or reflexive

n'

Of it, from there; elided form of ne before vowel

andato

Gone, past participle of andare meaning to go

via

Away, street; indicating departure or a road

a

To, at; very common Italian preposition of direction

cavallo

Horse, large domesticated animal used for riding

diligenza

Stagecoach, horse-drawn public carriage; also diligence

postale

Postal, relating to mail or post office services

fu

Was, third person singular passato remoto of essere

intercettata

Intercepted, stopped and seized before reaching destination

sette

Seven, the cardinal number between six and eight

rapinatori

Robbers, criminals who steal using violence or threats

guardia

Guard, person employed to protect or keep watch

ne

Of them, from there; Italian partitive or locative pronoun

uccise

Killed, third person singular passato remoto of uccidere

tre

Three, the cardinal number between two and four

poi

Then, afterwards, later in a sequence of events

essere

To be; fundamental Italian infinitive linking verb

essa

She, it; third person feminine singular subject pronoun

uccisa

Killed (feminine), past participle of uccidere

dagli

By the (masculine plural), contraction of da and gli

altri

Others, the remaining ones, other people or things

quattro

Four, the cardinal number between three and five

causa

Cause, reason; also lawsuit or legal case

dell'

Of the (before vowel), elided form of della or dello

esaurimento

Exhaustion, depletion of resources or supplies

munizioni

Ammunition, bullets and projectiles used in firearms

dopodiché

After which, thereafter; following the aforementioned event

posta

Mail, post; also feminine past participle of porre

rapinata

Robbed (feminine), plundered with violence or threats

in

In, into; common Italian preposition of location

tutta

All, entire, whole (feminine singular form of tutto)

tranquillità

Tranquility, calm, peaceful undisturbed state of being

quel

That (masculine singular), demonstrative adjective before consonant

magnifico

Magnificent, splendid, impressively grand or remarkable

Londra

London, the capital city of England and the UK

costretto

Forced, compelled, obliged to do something unwillingly

fermarsi

To stop oneself, to halt, to come to a standstill

consegnare

To hand over, deliver, surrender something to someone

averi

Belongings, assets, personal wealth and possessions

solo

Alone, only, just; indicating singularity or solitude

depredò

Plundered, robbed, stripped of valuables by force

l'

The (before vowel), elided definite article lo or la

illustre

Illustrious, distinguished, renowned and highly respected

personaggio

Character, personage, notable or important individual

sotto

Under, below, beneath; preposition of lower position

gli

The (masculine plural before s+consonant or vowel)

occhi

Eyes, the organs of sight in the human face

tutto

All, whole, entire; masculine singular form of tutto

seguito

Entourage, following, retinue; also past participle of seguire

prigionieri

Prisoners, people held captive against their will

nelle

In the (feminine plural), contraction of in and le

carceri

Prisons, jails, places of detention for criminals

combattevano

Were fighting, engaged in battle repeatedly in past

battaglie

Battles, armed conflicts or fierce struggles

loro

Their, them; third person plural pronoun or possessive

maestà

Majesty, royal dignity and grandeur of a sovereign

legge

Law, rule established by authority; also reads (verb)

sparava

Was shooting, fired repeatedly; imperfect of sparare

contro

Against, opposing; preposition indicating opposition

carichi

Loaded, charged; filled with ammunition or cargo

palle

Balls, bullets, spherical projectiles fired from guns

ladri

Thieves, people who steal others' property illegally

strappavano

Were tearing away, snatching forcibly and repeatedly

croci

Crosses, cruciform objects worn as jewelry or symbols

diamanti

Diamonds, precious gemstones of great value and hardness

collo

Neck, the body part connecting head to shoulders

nobili

Nobles, aristocrats of high social rank and privilege

signori

Lords, gentlemen, distinguished men of high standing

saloni

Ballrooms, large elegant halls for social gatherings

Corte

Court, royal court where nobility and monarch gathered

si

Oneself, reflexive pronoun; also yes in informal usage

recarono

Went, betook themselves; passato remoto of recarsi

perquisire

To search, to conduct an official inspection of premises

cerca

Search, looking for; also third person singular of cercare

merce

Goods, merchandise, commodities traded or transported

contrabbando

Contraband, smuggled goods illegally imported or exported

folla

Crowd, mob, a large gathering of people

sparò

Shot, fired a weapon; passato remoto of sparare

sui

On the (masculine plural), contraction of su and i

spararono

They shot, fired weapons; passato remoto of sparare

sulla

On the (feminine singular), contraction of su and la

nessuno

Nobody, no one, not anyone; negative indefinite pronoun

considerò

Considered, regarded, thought about; passato remoto form

questi

These (masculine plural), demonstrative adjective or pronoun

eventi

Events, occurrences, notable happenings or incidents

come

As, like, how; used for comparison or manner

particolarmente

Particularly, especially, to a notable or special degree

fuori

Outside, out of, beyond; indicating exterior position

dall'

From the (before vowel), elided form of dalla or dallo

ordinario

Ordinary, usual, normal, not exceptional or remarkable