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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland — Page 2

English → Fr Preface Level 5/10

It was as much as she could do, lying down on one side, to look through into the garden with one eye; but to get through was more hopeless than ever: she sat down and began to cry again.

C'était tout ce qu'elle pouvait faire, allongée sur le côté, que de regarder dans le jardin avec un œil ; mais passer était plus désespéré que jamais : elle s'assit et recommença à pleurer.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself," said Alice, "a great girl like you," (she might well say this), "to go on crying in this way! Stop this moment, I tell you!"

« Tu devrais avoir honte de toi, » dit Alice, « une grande fille comme toi, » (elle pouvait bien dire cela), « de continuer à pleurer de cette façon ! Arrête immédiatement, je te le dis ! »

But she went on all the same, shedding gallons of tears, until there was a large pool all round her, about four inches deep and reaching half down the hall.

Mais elle continua quand même, versant des torrents de larmes, jusqu'à ce qu'il y eût une grande mare tout autour d'elle, d'environ dix centimètres de profondeur et s'étendant à mi-chemin dans le couloir.

After a time she heard a little pattering of feet in the distance, and she hastily dried her eyes to see what was coming.

Au bout d'un moment, elle entendit un léger trottinement de pas dans le lointain, et elle s'essuya les yeux à la hâte pour voir ce qui arrivait.

It was the White Rabbit returning, splendidly dressed, with a pair of white kid gloves in one hand and a large fan in the other: he came trotting along in a great hurry, muttering to himself as he came, "Oh! the Duchess, the Duchess! Oh! won't she be savage if I've kept her waiting!"

C'était le Lapin Blanc qui revenait, splendidement habillé, avec une paire de gants de chevreau blancs dans une main et un grand éventail dans l'autre : il arrivait en trottinant à toute allure, marmonnant pour lui-même en chemin, « Oh ! la Duchesse, la Duchesse ! Oh ! qu'elle va être furieuse si je l'ai fait attendre ! »

Alice felt so desperate that she was ready to ask help of any one; so, when the Rabbit came near her, she began, in a low, timid voice, "If you please, sir—"

Alice se sentait si désespérée qu'elle était prête à demander de l'aide à n'importe qui ; ainsi, lorsque le Lapin s'approcha d'elle, elle commença, d'une voix basse et timide, « S'il vous plaît, monsieur — »

The Rabbit started violently, dropped the white kid gloves and the fan, and skurried away into the darkness as hard as he could go.

Le Lapin tressaillit violemment, laissa tomber les gants de chevreau blancs et l'éventail, et détala dans l'obscurité aussi vite qu'il le pouvait.

Vocabulary

était
ay-teh — Was; third person singular imperfect of être
tout
too — All, everything, completely
ce
suh — This, that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
elle
el — She, her; third person feminine pronoun
pouvait
poo-veh — Could; third person singular imperfect of pouvoir
faire
fair — To do, to make
allongée
ah-lon-zhay — Lying down, stretched out (feminine form)
sur
sür — On, upon, over
côté
koh-tay — Side; flank
que
kuh — That, which, than; conjunction or relative pronoun
regarder
ruh-gar-day — To look at, to watch
dans
dahn — In, inside; preposition of location
jardin
zhar-dan — Garden; outdoor cultivated space
avec
ah-vek — With; preposition indicating accompaniment
œil
uh-y — Eye; organ of sight
mais
meh — But; conjunction expressing contrast
passer
pah-say — To pass, to go by, to spend time
plus
plü — More, no more; adverb of quantity or negation
désespéré
day-zess-pay-ray — Desperate, hopeless, in despair
jamais
zhah-meh — Never, ever; adverb of time or negation
assit
ah-see — Sat down; third person singular simple past of asseoir
recommença
ruh-koh-mahn-sah — Started again; third person singular simple past of recommencer
pleurer
pluh-ray — To cry, to weep, to shed tears
devrais
duh-vreh — Should; second person singular conditional of devoir
avoir
ah-vwahr — To have; common auxiliary and main verb
honte
ohnt — Shame, embarrassment
toi
twah — You; stressed second person singular pronoun
dit
dee — Said; third person singular simple past of dire
grande
grahnd — Big, large, great (feminine form)
fille
fee-y — Girl, daughter
comme
kohm — Like, as, how; comparison conjunction
bien
byan — Well, good; adverb or adjective of quality
dire
deer — To say, to tell
cela
suh-lah — That, this; demonstrative pronoun referring to something
continuer
kon-tee-nü-ay — To continue, to keep on, to go on
cette
set — This, that; feminine singular demonstrative adjective
façon
fah-sohn — Way, manner, fashion
Arrête
ah-ret — Stop! (imperative of arrêter, second person singular)
immédiatement
ee-may-dyat-mahn — Immediately, at once, right away
te
tuh — You; second person singular object pronoun
dis
dee — Tell, say (first/second person singular of dire)
Mais
meh — But; conjunction expressing contrast or continuation
continua
kon-tee-nü-ah — Continued; third person singular simple past of continuer
quand
kahn — When; temporal conjunction or adverb
même
mem — Same, even, itself; adverb or adjective
versant
ver-sahn — Pouring, shedding; present participle of verser
torrents
toh-rahn — Torrents, rushing streams; here used metaphorically
larmes
larm — Tears; drops of liquid shed when crying
jusqu'
zhüsk — Until, up to; preposition of time or extent
y
ee — There, it; adverbial pronoun of place
eût
ü — Had; third person singular imperfect subjunctive of avoir
mare
mar — Pool, puddle; small body of standing water
autour
oh-toor — Around, surrounding; adverb or preposition
environ
ahn-vee-rohn — About, approximately, around (a quantity)
dix
dees — Ten; the number 10
centimètres
sahn-tee-metr — Centimetres; metric units of length
profondeur
proh-fohn-dur — Depth; measurement from surface downward
étendant
ay-tahn-dahn — Spreading, extending; present participle of étendre
mi-
mee — Half, mid-; prefix indicating halfway point
chemin
shuh-man — Path, way, road
couloir
koo-lwahr — Corridor, hallway, narrow passage
bout
boo — End, tip, extremity; au bout de means after
moment
moh-mahn — Moment, instant, short period of time
entendit
ahn-tahn-dee — Heard; third person singular simple past of entendre
léger
lay-zhay — Light, slight, gentle (masculine form)
trottinement
troh-teen-mahn — Trotting sound, pitter-patter of small steps
pas
pah — Step, footstep; also negation particle
lointain
lwahn-tan — Distant, far away, in the distance
essuya
ay-swee-yah — Wiped; third person singular simple past of essuyer
yeux
yuh — Eyes; plural of œil
hâte
aht — Haste, hurry, eagerness to act quickly
pour
poor — For, in order to; preposition of purpose
voir
vwahr — To see, to look, to observe
qui
kee — Who, which; relative or interrogative pronoun
arrivait
ah-ree-veh — Was coming, was arriving; imperfect of arriver
Lapin
lah-pan — Rabbit; small furry mammal
Blanc
blahn — White; colour adjective (masculine form)
revenait
ruh-vuh-neh — Was coming back; imperfect of revenir
splendidement
splahn-deed-mahn — Splendidly, magnificently, in a grand manner
habillé
ah-bee-yay — Dressed, clothed (masculine past participle of habiller)
paire
pair — Pair; set of two matching items
gants
gahn — Gloves; hand coverings worn as accessories
chevreau
shuh-vroh — Kid leather, young goat; soft fine leather
blancs
blahn — White (masculine plural); colour adjective
main
man — Hand; part of the body at end of arm
grand
grahn — Large, big, great (masculine form)
éventail
ay-vahn-tie — Fan; handheld device for creating a breeze
autre
ohtr — Other, another; referring to a different one
en
ahn — In, by, while; preposition or gerund marker
trottinant
troh-tee-nahn — Trotting along; present participle of trottiner
toute
toot — All, entire (feminine form); toute allure means full speed
allure
ah-lür — Speed, pace, manner of moving
marmonnant
mar-moh-nahn — Muttering, mumbling; present participle of marmonner
lui-
lwee — Him, himself; stressed third person pronoun prefix
Duchesse
dü-shes — Duchess; noblewoman of high rank
va
vah — Is going to, will; third person singular of aller
être
etr — To be; fundamental auxiliary and copula verb
furieuse
fü-ryuz — Furious, enraged (feminine form)
si
see — If; conditional conjunction or intensifying adverb
ai
ay — Have; first person singular present of avoir
fait
feh — Made, done; past participle of faire
attendre
ah-tahn-dr — To wait, to wait for, to expect
se
suh — Himself, herself, itself; reflexive pronoun
sentait
sahn-teh — Felt, sensed; imperfect of sentir
désespérée
day-zess-pay-ray — Desperate, hopeless (feminine form)
prête
pret — Ready, prepared (feminine form)
demander
duh-mahn-day — To ask, to request, to ask for help
aide
ed — Help, assistance, aid
importe
am-port — Matters; n'importe means no matter, anyone
ainsi
an-see — Thus, so, in this way, accordingly
lorsque
lor-skuh — When, at the time that; temporal conjunction
approcha
ah-proh-shah — Approached; third person singular simple past of approcher
commença
koh-mahn-sah — Began; third person singular simple past of commencer
voix
vwah — Voice; sound produced in speaking or singing
basse
bahs — Low (feminine form); soft and quiet in tone
timide
tee-meed — Shy, timid, lacking confidence
vous
voo — You; second person plural or formal pronoun
plaît
pleh — Please; s'il vous plaît means please
monsieur
muh-syuh — Sir, Mister; polite address for a man
tressaillit
treh-sah-yee — Started, flinched; simple past of tressaillir
violemment
vyoh-lah-mahn — Violently, with great force or intensity
laissa
leh-sah — Let, left, dropped; simple past of laisser
tomber
tohn-bay — To fall, to drop, to tumble down
détala
day-tah-lah — Bolted, scampered off; simple past of détaler
obscurité
ob-skü-ree-tay — Darkness, obscurity, absence of light
aussi
oh-see — Also, too, as well; adverb of addition
vite
veet — Fast, quickly, rapidly
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