Anne of Green Gables — Page 8

English → Fr CHAPTER I. Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Surprised Level 6/10

" she demanded when voice returned to her.

« exigea-t-elle quand la voix lui revint.

"Yes, of course," said Marilla, as if getting boys from orphan asylums in Nova Scotia were part of the usual spring work on any well-regulated Avonlea farm instead of being an unheard of innovation.

« Oui, bien sûr, » dit Marilla, comme si aller chercher des garçons dans des orphelinats de Nouvelle-Écosse faisait partie des travaux habituels du printemps dans n'importe quelle ferme bien tenue d'Avonlea, au lieu d'être une innovation inouïe.

Mrs. Rachel felt that she had received a severe mental jolt.

Mme Rachel eut l'impression d'avoir reçu un violent choc mental.

She thought in exclamation points.

Elle pensait en points d'exclamation.

A boy!

Un garçon !

Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert of all people adopting a boy!

Marilla et Matthew Cuthbert, eux entre tous, adoptant un garçon !

From an orphan asylum!

Dans un orphelinat !

Well, the world was certainly turning upside down!

Eh bien, le monde se mettait décidément sens dessus dessous !

She would be surprised at nothing after this!

Plus rien ne pourrait l'étonner après cela !

Nothing!

Rien !

"What on earth put such a notion into your head?" she demanded disapprovingly.

« Mais qu'est-ce qui vous a mis une telle idée en tête ? » demanda-t-elle d'un ton désapprobateur.

This had been done without her advice being asked, and must perforce be disapproved.

Cela avait été fait sans que son avis ait été sollicité, et devait par conséquent être désapprouvé.

"Well, we've been thinking about it for some time--all winter in fact," returned Marilla.

« Eh bien, nous y avons réfléchi depuis un certain temps — tout l'hiver, en fait, » répondit Marilla.

"Mrs. Alexander Spencer was up here one day before Christmas and she said she was going to get a little girl from the asylum over in Hopeton in the spring.

« Mme Alexander Spencer est venue ici un jour avant Noël et elle a dit qu'elle allait chercher une petite fille à l'orphelinat de Hopeton au printemps.

Her cousin lives there and Mrs. Spencer has visited her and knows all about it.

Sa cousine y habite et Mme Spencer lui a rendu visite et est au courant de tout.

So Matthew and I have talked it over off and on ever since.

Ainsi Matthew et moi en avons parlé de temps en temps depuis lors.

We thought we'd get a boy.

Nous avons pensé que nous prendrions un garçon.

Matthew is getting up in years, you know--he's sixty--and he isn't so spry as he once was.

Matthew prend de l'âge, vous savez — il a soixante ans — et il n'est plus aussi alerte qu'autrefois.

His heart troubles him a good deal.

Son cœur lui cause bien des soucis.

And you know how desperate hard it's got to be to get hired help.

Et vous savez à quel point il est devenu désespérément difficile de trouver de la main-d'œuvre engagée.

Vocabulary

exigea-t-elle: She demanded or required something firmly.
quand: When; used to introduce a time clause.
la: The; feminine definite article in French.
voix: Voice; the sound produced when speaking.
lui: To her, to him; indirect object pronoun.
revint: Came back; past tense of revenir.
Oui: Yes; affirmative response in French.
bien: Well, certainly; used for emphasis or affirmation.
sûr: Sure, certain; expressing confidence or certainty.
dit: Said; past tense of dire, to say.
comme: As, like; used for comparison or manner.
si: If; introduces a conditional clause.
aller: To go; fundamental verb of movement.
chercher: To fetch, to look for something or someone.
des: Some; plural indefinite article in French.
garçons: Boys; plural of garçon, a male child.
dans: In, inside; preposition indicating location or context.
orphelinats: Orphanages; institutions housing children without parents.
de: Of, from; very common French preposition.
Nouvelle-Écosse: Nova Scotia; a Canadian maritime province.
faisait: Was doing, made; imperfect tense of faire.
partie: Part; a portion or component of something.
travaux: Work, tasks; plural of travail, meaning labors.
habituels: Usual, habitual; describing routine or customary activities.
du: Of the; contracted masculine definite article.
printemps: Spring; the season between winter and summer.
n': Not; first part of French negation ne…pas.
importe: Matters; used in n'importe quel meaning any.
quelle: Which, what; feminine interrogative or exclamatory adjective.
ferme: Farm; a rural property for agricultural activities.
tenue: Run, kept; referring to a well-managed establishment.
d': Of; elided form of de before a vowel.
au: To the, at the; contracted masculine article.
lieu: Place; used in au lieu de meaning instead of.
être: To be; essential auxiliary and linking verb.
une: A, an; feminine indefinite article in French.
innovation: Innovation; something new and previously unheard of.
inouïe: Unheard-of, extraordinary; describing something utterly unprecedented.
Mme: Mrs.; abbreviated title for a married woman.
eut: Had; simple past tense of avoir, to have.
l': The; elided definite article before a vowel.
impression: Impression, feeling; a sense or mental perception.
avoir: To have; essential auxiliary and possessive verb.
reçu: Received; past participle of recevoir, to receive.
un: A, one; masculine indefinite article or numeral.
violent: Violent, intense; describing a forceful impact.
choc: Shock, blow; sudden and startling impact or surprise.
mental: Mental; relating to the mind or intellect.
Elle: She; third-person feminine singular pronoun.
pensait: Was thinking; imperfect tense of penser, to think.
en: In, with; preposition with multiple contextual uses.
points: Points, marks; plural of point, a punctuation mark.
exclamation: Exclamation; expressing strong emotion or surprise.
Un: A, one; masculine indefinite article or numeral.
garçon: Boy; a male child or young male person.
et: And; basic coordinating conjunction in French.
eux: Them; stressed third-person masculine plural pronoun.
entre: Among, between; preposition indicating a relationship.
tous: All; referring to every member of a group.
adoptant: Adopting; present participle of adopter, to adopt.
Dans: In; preposition indicating location or circumstance.
orphelinat: Orphanage; institution caring for parentless children.
Eh: Hey, well; interjection expressing surprise or emphasis.
le: The; masculine singular definite article in French.
monde: World, people; referring to everyone or everything.
se: Himself, herself; reflexive pronoun for third person.
mettait: Was putting, placing; imperfect tense of mettre.
décidément: Decidedly, really; used to emphasize a conclusion.
sens: Sense, direction; used in sens dessus dessous, upside down.
dessus: Above, on top; part of expression sens dessus dessous.
dessous: Below, underneath; part of expression meaning upside down.
Plus: No more, no longer; used in negative constructions.
rien: Nothing; used in negative sentences with ne.
ne: Not; first element of French negation construction.
pourrait: Could; conditional tense of pouvoir, to be able.
étonner: To astonish, to surprise; cause amazement in someone.
après: After; preposition indicating sequence or time.
cela: That; demonstrative pronoun referring to something mentioned.
Rien: Nothing; emphatic repetition expressing total disbelief.
Mais: But; coordinating conjunction expressing contrast.
qu': What, that; elided form of que before vowel.
est-ce: Is it; used in qu'est-ce qui for what.
qui: Who, which; relative or interrogative pronoun.
vous: You; second-person plural or formal singular pronoun.
a: Has; third-person singular present tense of avoir.
mis: Put, placed; past participle of mettre, to put.
telle: Such a; feminine adjective indicating a particular kind.
idée: Idea; a thought or concept formed in mind.
tête: Head; the part of the body above the neck.
demanda-t-elle: She asked; inverted form of demander in narration.
ton: Tone; manner or quality of one's voice.
désapprobateur: Disapproving; expressing criticism or lack of approval.
Cela: That; demonstrative pronoun referring to a situation.
avait: Had; imperfect tense of avoir, to have.
été: Been; past participle of être, to be.
fait: Done; past participle of faire, to do.
sans: Without; preposition indicating absence of something.
que: That, which; conjunction or relative pronoun.
son: His, her, its; third-person possessive adjective.
avis: Opinion, advice; one's view on a matter.
ait: Has; present subjunctive of avoir, to have.
sollicité: Sought, requested; past participle of solliciter, to request.
devait: Had to, must; imperfect of devoir, to owe.
par: By, through; preposition indicating means or agent.
conséquent: Consequently; used in par conséquent meaning therefore.
désapprouvé: Disapproved; past participle of désapprouver, to disapprove.
nous: We, us; first-person plural pronoun in French.
y: There, to it; pronoun replacing a previously mentioned place.
avons: Have; first-person plural present tense of avoir.
réfléchi: Thought over; past participle of réfléchir, to reflect.
depuis: Since, for; preposition indicating duration or starting point.
certain: Certain, some; indicating an unspecified but real amount.
temps: Time, weather; a fundamental noun with multiple meanings.
tout: All, entire; adjective or adverb of totality.
hiver: Winter; the coldest season of the year.
répondit: Replied; simple past tense of répondre, to answer.
est: Is; third-person singular present tense of être.
venue: Came; feminine past participle of venir, to come.
ici: Here; adverb indicating the speaker's current location.
jour: Day; a unit of time equal to twenty-four hours.
avant: Before; preposition indicating earlier time or position.
Noël: Christmas; the Christian holiday celebrated on December 25.
elle: She; third-person feminine singular subject pronoun.
allait: Was going; imperfect tense of aller, to go.
petite: Small, little; feminine adjective describing small size.
fille: Girl, daughter; a young female person.
à: To, at, in; very common French preposition.
Sa: His, her; third-person feminine possessive adjective.
cousine: Female cousin; a daughter of one's aunt or uncle.
habite: Lives, resides; third-person singular of habiter.
rendu: Rendered, paid; past participle of rendre, to return.
visite: Visit; the act of going to see someone.
courant: Current, passing; used to indicate the present period.
Ainsi: Thus, so; adverb indicating a result or manner.
moi: Me, I; stressed first-person singular pronoun.
parlé: Spoken; past participle of parler, to speak.
lors: Then, at that time; used in lors de.
Nous: We; first-person plural subject pronoun in French.
pensé: Thought; past participle of penser, to think.
prendrions: Would take; conditional tense of prendre, to take.
prend: Takes; third-person singular present of prendre.
âge: Age; the number of years a person has lived.
savez: Know; second-person plural present of savoir, to know.
il: He, it; third-person masculine singular subject pronoun.
soixante: Sixty; the cardinal number between fifty-nine and sixty-one.
ans: Years; used to express a person's age.
aussi: Also, as; used for addition or comparison.
alerte: Alert, sprightly; describing someone still lively and agile.
autrefois: Formerly, in the past; referring to an earlier time.
Son: His, her; third-person possessive adjective in French.
cœur: Heart; the organ, or used metaphorically for feelings.
cause: Causes; gives rise to something, or a reason.
soucis: Worries, concerns; troubles that cause anxiety or stress.
Et: And; basic coordinating conjunction connecting two elements.
quel: What, which; masculine interrogative or exclamatory adjective.
point: Point, degree; used to indicate extent in expressions.
devenu: Become; past participle of devenir, to become.
désespérément: Desperately; in a way expressing hopelessness or urgency.
difficile: Difficult, hard; not easy to do or achieve.
trouver: To find; to locate or discover something or someone.
main-d'œuvre: Labor, workforce; workers available for employment.
engagée: Hired, engaged; referring to employed or contracted workers.

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