A Tale of Two Cities — Page 10

English → It CHAPTER I. Level 8/10

It could scarcely be called a trade, in spite of his favourite description of himself as "a honest tradesman."

A malapena si poteva chiamare un commercio, nonostante la sua preferita descrizione di sé stesso come «un onesto commerciante».

His stock consisted of a wooden stool, made out of a broken-backed chair cut down, which stool, young Jerry, walking at his father's side, carried every morning to beneath the banking-house window that was nearest Temple Bar:

La sua merce consisteva in uno sgabello di legno, ricavato da una sedia con lo schienale rotto e accorciata, il quale sgabello il giovane Jerry, camminando al fianco di suo padre, portava ogni mattina sotto la finestra della banca più vicina al Temple Bar:

where, with the addition of the first handful of straw that could be gleaned from any passing vehicle to keep the cold and wet from the odd-job-man's feet, it formed the encampment for the day.

dove, con l'aggiunta della prima manciata di paglia che si poteva raccogliere da qualsiasi veicolo di passaggio per tenere il freddo e l'umidità lontani dai piedi del tuttofare, formava l'accampamento per la giornata.

On this post of his, Mr. Cruncher was as well known to Fleet-street and the Temple, as the Bar itself,--and was almost as in-looking.

In questo suo posto, il signor Cruncher era conosciuto tanto da Fleet Street e dal Temple quanto dal Bar stesso, e aveva quasi lo stesso aspetto introverso.

Encamped at a quarter before nine, in good time to touch his three-cornered hat to the oldest of men as they passed in to Tellson's, Jerry took up his station on this windy March morning, with young Jerry standing by him, when not engaged in making forays through the Bar, to inflict bodily and mental injuries of an acute description on passing boys who were small enough for his amiable purpose.

Accampato a un quarto alle nove, in tempo utile per toccare il suo cappello a tricorno ai più anziani mentre entravano da Tellson's, Jerry prese posto in questa ventosa mattina di marzo, con il giovane Jerry che gli stava accanto, quando non era impegnato a fare scorrerie attraverso il Bar, per infliggere danni fisici e mentali di natura acuta ai ragazzi di passaggio che erano abbastanza piccoli per il suo amabile scopo.

Father and son, extremely like each other, looking silently on at the morning traffic in Fleet-street, with their two heads as near to one another as the two eyes of each were, bore a considerable resemblance to a pair of monkeys.

Padre e figlio, straordinariamente simili tra loro, che osservavano in silenzio il traffico mattutino di Fleet Street, con le loro due teste vicine l'una all'altra quanto lo erano i due occhi di ciascuno, somigliavano considerevolmente a una coppia di scimmie.

Vocabulary

A: a — Preposition meaning 'at' or 'to' in Italian.
malapena: malapena — Barely, hardly; scarcely able to do something.
si: si — Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'itself'.
poteva: poteva — Past tense of 'potere'; he/she/it could.
chiamare: chiamare — To call or name someone or something.
un: un — Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
commercio: commercio — Trade, commerce, or business activity.
nonostante: nonostante — Despite, notwithstanding; used to introduce a contrast.
la: la — Definite article meaning 'the' for feminine nouns.
sua: sua — Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
preferita: preferita — Favorite; most preferred feminine noun or adjective.
descrizione: descrizione — Description; an account or representation of something.
di: di — Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'.
sé: se — Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself', 'herself', or 'itself'.
stesso: stesso — Same; himself/herself; used for emphasis or identity.
come: come — As, like, how; used for comparison or manner.
onesto: onesto — Honest, upright; morally straightforward and trustworthy.
commerciante: commerciante — Merchant, trader; a person engaged in commerce.
La: la — Definite article meaning 'the' for feminine singular nouns.
merce: merce — Goods, merchandise; items offered for sale or trade.
consisteva: consisteva — Imperfect tense of 'consistere'; it consisted of.
in: in — Preposition meaning 'in', 'into', or 'at'.
uno: uno — Indefinite article and number meaning 'a' or 'one'.
sgabello: sgabello — Stool; a small seat without a back or arms.
legno: legno — Wood; the hard material from tree trunks and branches.
ricavato: ricavato — Obtained or derived from something; extracted or repurposed.
da: da — Preposition meaning 'from', 'by', or 'since'.
una: una — Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
sedia: sedia — Chair; a piece of furniture for sitting.
con: con — Preposition meaning 'with'; indicating accompaniment or means.
lo: lo — Definite article or direct object pronoun meaning 'the' or 'it'.
schienale: schienale — Backrest of a chair or seat.
rotto: rotto — Broken; damaged and no longer functioning or intact.
e: e — Conjunction meaning 'and'; connects words or phrases.
accorciata: accorciata — Shortened, cut down; made physically shorter in length.
il: il — Definite article meaning 'the' for masculine singular nouns.
quale: quale — Which, that; used as relative pronoun or interrogative.
giovane: giovane — Young; a young person or youthful adjective.
camminando: camminando — Walking; present participle of 'camminare', to walk.
al: al — Contraction of 'a' and 'il', meaning 'at the' or 'to the'.
fianco: fianco — Side, flank; the lateral part of the body or object.
suo: suo — His, her, its; possessive adjective for a single owner.
padre: padre — Father; a male parent or paternal figure.
portava: portava — Imperfect tense of 'portare'; he/she carried or brought.
ogni: ogni — Every, each; applies to all members of a group.
mattina: mattina — Morning; the early part of the day.
sotto: sotto — Under, below; indicating position beneath something.
finestra: finestra — Window; an opening in a wall to admit light.
della: della — Contraction of 'di' and 'la', meaning 'of the'.
banca: banca — Bank; a financial institution for deposits and loans.
più: piu — More, most; used to form comparatives and superlatives.
vicina: vicina — Nearest, nearby; close in distance, feminine form.
dove: dove — Where; indicates location or introduces a relative clause.
l': l' — Elided definite article 'la' or 'lo' before a vowel.
aggiunta: aggiunta — Addition; something added to supplement or enhance.
prima: prima — Before, first; indicating time order or priority.
manciata: manciata — Handful; the amount held in one hand.
paglia: paglia — Straw; dried stalks of grain used as bedding or insulation.
che: che — That, which, who; versatile conjunction and relative pronoun.
raccogliere: raccogliere — To gather, collect, or pick up something.
qualsiasi: qualsiasi — Any, whatever; refers to any one of a group.
veicolo: veicolo — Vehicle; any means of transport on land, water, or air.
passaggio: passaggio — Passage, passing; the act of going past or through.
per: per — For, through, by; preposition indicating purpose or means.
tenere: tenere — To hold, keep; to maintain something in a state.
freddo: freddo — Cold; low temperature or the sensation of coldness.
umidità: umidita — Humidity, dampness; moisture present in the air.
lontani: lontani — Far, distant; plural adjective meaning away from something.
dai: dai — Contraction of 'da' and 'i', meaning 'from the'.
piedi: piedi — Feet; the plural of 'piede', the lower extremities.
del: del — Contraction of 'di' and 'il', meaning 'of the'.
tuttofare: tuttofare — Handyman, factotum; a person who does all kinds of tasks.
formava: formava — Imperfect tense of 'formare'; it formed or constituted.
accampamento: accampamento — Camp, encampment; a temporary place of settlement or work.
giornata: giornata — Day; the full span of a day's activities or events.
In: in — Preposition meaning 'in' or 'at'; indicates location or time.
questo: questo — This; demonstrative adjective or pronoun for nearby things.
posto: posto — Place, spot; a specific location or position.
signor: signor — Mister, Mr.; a title of respect for an adult male.
era: era — Imperfect tense of 'essere'; he/she/it was.
conosciuto: conosciuto — Known; past participle of 'conoscere', to know someone.
tanto: tanto — So much, as much; indicates degree or comparison.
dal: dal — Contraction of 'da' and 'il', meaning 'from the'.
quanto: quanto — How much, as much as; used in comparisons or questions.
aveva: aveva — Imperfect tense of 'avere'; he/she/it had.
quasi: quasi — Almost, nearly; indicating something close to a state.
aspetto: aspetto — Appearance, aspect; the way someone or something looks.
introverso: introverso — Introverted; shy, reserved, or inward-looking in nature.
Accampato: accampato — Camped, stationed; settled in a temporary outdoor position.
a: a — Preposition meaning 'at', 'to', or 'in'.
quarto: quarto — Quarter; one fourth, often used in telling time.
alle: alle — Contraction of 'a' and 'le', meaning 'at the'.
nove: nove — Nine; the number 9.
tempo: tempo — Time, weather; period or atmospheric conditions.
utile: utile — Useful, handy; serving a practical purpose or benefit.
toccare: toccare — To touch; to make contact with something or someone.
cappello: cappello — Hat; a head covering worn for fashion or protection.
tricorno: tricorno — Tricorn hat; a three-cornered historical hat style.
ai: ai — Contraction of 'a' and 'i', meaning 'to the' (plural).
anziani: anziani — Elderly people; older adults or senior citizens.
mentre: mentre — While, whereas; indicating simultaneous or contrasting actions.
entravano: entravano — Imperfect tense of 'entrare'; they were entering.
prese: prese — Past tense of 'prendere'; he/she took or seized.
questa: questa — This; feminine demonstrative adjective referring to a nearby thing.
ventosa: ventosa — Windy; characterized by strong or gusty winds.
marzo: marzo — March; the third month of the year.
gli: gli — Indirect object pronoun meaning 'to him' or 'to them'.
stava: stava — Imperfect tense of 'stare'; he/she was staying or standing.
accanto: accanto — Beside, next to; in a position adjacent to something.
quando: quando — When; introduces a time clause or asks about time.
non: non — Not; negation word used to negate verbs or adjectives.
impegnato: impegnato — Busy, engaged, committed; occupied with a task.
fare: fare — To do, to make; a very common and versatile Italian verb.
scorrerie: scorrerie — Raids, forays; sudden aggressive excursions or incursions.
attraverso: attraverso — Through, across; indicating movement from one side to another.
infliggere: infliggere — To inflict; to cause pain or damage upon someone.
danni: danni — Damages, harm; injuries or losses caused to someone.
fisici: fisici — Physical; relating to the body rather than the mind.
mentali: mentali — Mental; relating to the mind or psychological state.
natura: natura — Nature; the natural world or the character of something.
acuta: acuta — Acute, sharp; intense or severe in nature or degree.
ragazzi: ragazzi — Boys, kids, guys; young males or a group of youths.
erano: erano — Imperfect tense of 'essere'; they were.
abbastanza: abbastanza — Enough, quite; a sufficient amount or degree.
piccoli: piccoli — Small, little; plural adjective describing small size.
amabile: amabile — Amiable, lovable; pleasant and easy to like.
scopo: scopo — Purpose, goal; the aim or objective of an action.
Padre: padre — Father; a male parent or paternal figure.
figlio: figlio — Son; a male child in relation to his parents.
straordinariamente: straordinariamente — Extraordinarily; in a remarkable or unusual degree.
simili: simili — Similar, alike; sharing common features or characteristics.
tra: tra — Between, among; indicating a relationship or position.
loro: loro — They, them, their; third person plural pronoun.
osservavano: osservavano — Imperfect tense of 'osservare'; they were observing or watching.
silenzio: silenzio — Silence; the complete absence of sound or noise.
traffico: traffico — Traffic; the movement of vehicles or people on a road.
mattutino: mattutino — Morning; relating to or occurring in the morning.
le: le — Definite article 'the' for feminine plural nouns.
due: due — Two; the number 2.
teste: teste — Heads; plural of 'testa', the upper part of the body.
vicine: vicine — Nearby, close; plural feminine adjective for proximity.
all': all' — Contraction of 'a' and 'la' or 'lo' before a vowel.
altra: altra — Other; referring to a different or additional feminine thing.
i: i — Definite article 'the' for masculine plural nouns.
occhi: occhi — Eyes; the plural of 'occhio', the organs of sight.
ciascuno: ciascuno — Each one, every one; refers to each individual separately.
somigliavano: somigliavano — Imperfect tense of 'somigliare'; they resembled each other.
considerevolmente: considerevolmente — Considerably; to a notable or significant extent.
coppia: coppia — Couple, pair; two things or people together.
scimmie: scimmie — Monkeys, apes; primates often noted for mimicry.

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