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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland — Page 4

English → De Preface Level 5/10

London is the capital of Paris, and Paris is the capital of Rome, and Rome—no, _that's_ all wrong, I'm certain!

London ist die Hauptstadt von Paris, und Paris ist die Hauptstadt von Rom, und Rom – nein, _das_ ist alles falsch, da bin ich sicher!

I must have been changed for Mabel!

Ich muss gegen Mabel ausgetauscht worden sein!

"How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail, And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale!

„Wie macht das kleine Krokodil seinen glänzenden Schwanz so schön, und gießt das Wasser vom Nil auf jede goldene Schuppe!

No, I've made up my mind about it; if I'm Mabel, I'll stay down here!

Nein, ich habe mich entschieden; wenn ich Mabel bin, bleibe ich hier unten!

It'll be no use their putting their heads down and saying 'Come up again, dear!'

Es wird nichts nützen, wenn sie ihre Köpfe herunterneigen und sagen: ‚Komm wieder herauf, Liebes!'

I shall only look up and say 'Who am I then? Tell me that first, and then, if I like being that person, I'll come up: if not, I'll stay down here till I'm somebody else'—but, oh dear!

Ich werde nur nach oben schauen und sagen: ‚Wer bin ich dann? Sagt mir das zuerst, und dann, wenn mir gefällt, diese Person zu sein, komme ich herauf: wenn nicht, bleibe ich hier unten, bis ich jemand anderes bin' – aber, ach du liebe Zeit!

Vocabulary

ist
Is; third-person singular of 'sein' (to be)
die
The; feminine/plural definite article in German
Hauptstadt
Capital city of a country or region
von
Of, from; common preposition indicating origin or possession
und
And; basic coordinating conjunction connecting words
nein
No; basic word expressing negation or refusal
_das_
That/the; neuter definite article, often used emphatically
alles
Everything, all; refers to the totality of things
falsch
Wrong, false, incorrect; describes an error or untruth
da
There, here, then; indicates place or logical consequence
bin
Am; first-person singular form of 'sein' (to be)
ich
I; first-person singular personal pronoun
sicher
Sure, certain, safe; expressing certainty or security
Ich
I; first-person singular personal pronoun
muss
Must; first-person singular of modal verb 'müssen'
gegen
Against, toward; preposition indicating opposition or direction
ausgetauscht
Exchanged, swapped; past participle of 'austauschen'
worden
Been; past participle used in passive voice constructions
sein
To be; infinitive of the fundamental auxiliary verb
Wie
How, as; interrogative or comparative word in German
macht
Makes, does; third-person singular of 'machen'
das
The, that; neuter definite article or demonstrative pronoun
kleine
Small, little; adjective describing something of small size
Krokodil
Crocodile; large reptile living in tropical waters
seinen
His, its; masculine accusative possessive pronoun
glänzenden
Gleaming, shining; adjective describing a sparkling surface
Schwanz
Tail; the rear appendage of an animal
so
So, thus; adverb indicating manner or degree
schön
Beautiful, lovely, nice; describing aesthetic pleasantness
gießt
Pours, waters; third-person singular of 'gießen'
Wasser
Water; the essential liquid substance for life
vom
From the; contraction of 'von dem'
auf
On, onto, upon; preposition indicating position or direction
jede
Every, each; adjective referring to each individual item
goldene
Golden; adjective describing something gold-colored or precious
Schuppe
Scale; a small flat plate on a fish or reptile
Nein
No; expressing refusal, denial, or disagreement
habe
Have; first-person singular of 'haben' (to have)
mich
Me, myself; first-person singular accusative pronoun
entschieden
Decided; past participle of 'entscheiden' (to decide)
wenn
If, when; subordinating conjunction for conditions or time
bleibe
Stay, remain; first-person singular of 'bleiben'
hier
Here; adverb indicating the current or nearby location
unten
Below, down, downstairs; adverb indicating lower position
Es
It; neuter third-person singular personal pronoun
wird
Will, becomes; third-person singular of 'werden'
nichts
Nothing; pronoun indicating the absence of anything
nützen
To be of use, benefit; to serve a useful purpose
sie
She, they, her; third-person pronoun (feminine or plural)
ihre
Their, her; possessive adjective for feminine or plural
Köpfe
Heads; plural of 'Kopf', the head of a person
herunterneigen
To lean down, bend downward; a reflexive downward motion
sagen
To say, tell; basic verb of verbal communication
Komm
Come; imperative singular form of 'kommen' (to come)
wieder
Again; adverb indicating repetition of an action
herauf
Up here, upward; directional adverb toward the speaker
Liebes
Dear one, darling; affectionate term of endearment
werde
Will; first-person singular future auxiliary of 'werden'
nur
Only, just; adverb limiting or restricting a statement
nach
To, after, toward; preposition of direction or sequence
oben
Above, up, upstairs; adverb indicating a higher position
schauen
To look, gaze; to direct one's eyes at something
Wer
Who; interrogative pronoun asking about a person
dann
Then, afterwards; adverb indicating sequence or consequence
Sagt
Says, tell; third-person singular imperative of 'sagen'
mir
Me, to me; first-person singular dative pronoun
zuerst
First, at first; adverb indicating the first action taken
gefällt
Pleases, likes; third-person singular of 'gefallen'
diese
This, these; demonstrative adjective pointing to nearby things
Person
Person; an individual human being
zu
To, too, at; versatile preposition or infinitive marker
komme
Come; first-person singular of 'kommen' (to come)
nicht
Not; basic negation adverb in German sentences
bis
Until, up to; preposition indicating a time or limit
jemand
Someone, somebody; indefinite pronoun referring to a person
anderes
Another, different, other; pronoun indicating something else
aber
But, however; coordinating conjunction showing contrast
ach
Oh, ah; exclamation expressing surprise, regret, or resignation
du
You; second-person singular informal personal pronoun
liebe
Dear, beloved; affectionate adjective expressing fondness
Zeit
Time; the ongoing progression of events and moments
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