Cranford — Page 2

English → Fr CHAPTER I. Level 7/10

"A man," as one of them observed to me once, "is _so_ in the way in the house!"

« Un homme, » comme l'une d'elles me le fit observer un jour, « est _tellement_ dans les jambes dans la maison ! »

Although the ladies of Cranford know all each other's proceedings, they are exceedingly indifferent to each other's opinions.

Bien que les dames de Cranford connaissent toutes les faits et gestes les unes des autres, elles sont souverainement indifférentes aux opinions des unes et des autres.

Indeed, as each has her own individuality, not to say eccentricity, pretty strongly developed, nothing is so easy as verbal retaliation; but, somehow, good-will reigns among them to a considerable degree.

En effet, comme chacune possède sa propre individualité, pour ne pas dire son excentricité, assez fortement développée, rien n'est aussi aisé que la riposte verbale ; mais, d'une certaine façon, la bonne volonté règne parmi elles dans une mesure considérable.

The Cranford ladies have only an occasional little quarrel, spirited out in a few peppery words and angry jerks of the head; just enough to prevent the even tenor of their lives from becoming too flat.

Les dames de Cranford n'ont que de rares petites querelles, exprimées en quelques mots piquants et en brusques hochements de tête courroucés ; juste assez pour empêcher le cours tranquille de leur vie de devenir trop monotone.

Their dress is very independent of fashion; as they observe, "What does it signify how we dress here at Cranford, where everybody knows us?"

Leur tenue vestimentaire est très indépendante de la mode ; comme elles le font remarquer, « Quelle importance a la façon dont nous nous habillons ici à Cranford, où tout le monde nous connaît ? »

And if they go from home, their reason is equally cogent, "What does it signify how we dress here, where nobody knows us?"

Et si elles s'éloignent de chez elles, leur raisonnement est tout aussi convaincant, « Quelle importance a la façon dont nous nous habillons ici, où personne ne nous connaît ? »

The materials of their clothes are, in general, good and plain, and most of them are nearly as scrupulous as Miss Tyler, of cleanly memory; but I will answer for it, the last gigot, the last tight and scanty petticoat in wear in England, was seen in Cranford—and seen without a smile.

Les tissus de leurs vêtements sont, en général, de bonne qualité et simples, et la plupart d'entre elles sont presque aussi scrupuleuses que Miss Tyler, dont le souvenir propret demeure ; mais j'en réponds, le dernier gigot, le dernier jupon serré et étroit porté en Angleterre, fut aperçu à Cranford — et aperçu sans sourire.

[Picture: A magnificent family red silk umbrella]

[Illustration : Un magnifique parapluie familial en soie rouge]

I can testify to a magnificent family red silk umbrella, under which a gentle little spinster, left alone of many brothers and sisters, used to patter to church on rainy days.

Je puis témoigner d'un magnifique parapluie familial en soie rouge, sous lequel une douce petite vieille fille, restée seule de nombreux frères et sœurs, trottinait jusqu'à l'église les jours de pluie.

Vocabulary

Un: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (masculine).
homme: A male human being; man.
comme: Used to express similarity or comparison; like, as.
l': Contracted definite article before a vowel sound.
une: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (feminine).
d': Contracted preposition 'de' before a vowel sound.
elles: Third-person plural feminine pronoun meaning 'they'.
me: First-person singular object pronoun meaning 'me'.
le: Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular).
fit: Past tense of 'faire'; caused or made someone do something.
observer: To watch carefully or remark upon something.
un: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (masculine).
jour: A period of twenty-four hours; day.
est: Third-person singular present of 'être'; is.
_tellement_: To such a degree; so much, so very.
dans: Preposition indicating location or time; in, inside.
les: Definite plural article meaning 'the'.
jambes: The lower limbs of the human body; legs.
la: Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular).
maison: A building used as a dwelling; house, home.
Bien: Used to express something done well or thoroughly; well.
que: Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'.
dames: Polite term for adult women; ladies.
de: Preposition indicating origin, possession, or relation; of, from.
connaissent: Third-person plural of 'connaître'; to know someone or something.
toutes: Feminine plural of 'tout'; all, every one.
faits: Actions or occurrences; deeds, facts, doings.
et: Coordinating conjunction joining words or clauses; and.
gestes: Movements of the body conveying meaning; gestures, actions.
unes: Feminine plural indefinite pronoun; some, ones.
des: Partitive or plural indefinite article; of the, some.
autres: Referring to additional or different people or things; others.
sont: Third-person plural present of 'être'; are.
souverainement: In an absolute or supreme manner; supremely, utterly.
indifférentes: Showing no interest or concern; indifferent, unconcerned (feminine plural).
aux: Contracted form of 'à les'; to the, at the.
opinions: Personal views or judgments about something; opinions.
En: Preposition meaning 'in' or used in adverbial phrases.
effet: Result or consequence; used in 'en effet' meaning indeed.
chacune: Feminine singular indefinite pronoun; each one, every one.
possède: Third-person singular of 'posséder'; to own or have.
sa: Feminine singular possessive adjective; her, his, its.
propre: Belonging exclusively to oneself; own, or clean.
individualité: Quality of being distinct and unique; individuality.
pour: Preposition indicating purpose or direction; for, in order to.
ne: Negation particle used with 'pas' or alone; not.
pas: Negation word used with 'ne'; not, no.
dire: To express something in words; to say, tell.
son: Possessive adjective for masculine singular nouns; his, her, its.
excentricité: Unconventional or peculiar behavior; eccentricity.
assez: To a sufficient degree; enough, quite, fairly.
fortement: With great force or intensity; strongly, firmly.
développée: Past participle of 'développer'; expanded or cultivated (feminine).
rien: No thing at all; nothing, anything (in negation).
n': Contracted negation particle before a vowel; not.
aussi: Equally or additionally; also, too, as.
aisé: Without difficulty or effort; easy, effortless.
riposte: A quick, sharp reply or retort; comeback, rejoinder.
verbale: Relating to words spoken aloud; verbal, oral (feminine).
mais: Coordinating conjunction indicating contrast; but, however.
certaine: Referring to an unspecified but real thing; a certain (feminine).
façon: Manner or method of doing something; way, fashion.
bonne: Positive quality or moral goodness; good (feminine).
volonté: Readiness or desire to do something; will, goodwill.
règne: Third-person singular of 'régner'; to prevail or reign.
parmi: Preposition indicating inclusion within a group; among.
mesure: Degree or extent of something; measure, extent.
considérable: Large or significant in size or extent; considerable.
Les: Definite plural article meaning 'the'.
ont: Third-person plural present of 'avoir'; have.
rares: Not occurring frequently; rare, infrequent (plural).
petites: Small in size or importance; little, small (feminine plural).
querelles: Minor disputes or arguments between people; quarrels.
exprimées: Past participle of 'exprimer'; communicated or stated (feminine plural).
en: Preposition meaning 'in', 'by', or pronoun 'some of it'.
quelques: A small number of; a few, some.
mots: Units of language with meaning; words.
piquants: Sharp or stinging in quality; biting, cutting (masculine plural).
brusques: Abrupt or curt in manner; abrupt, blunt (plural).
hochements: Movements of nodding or shaking the head; nods.
tête: The uppermost part of the body; head.
courroucés: Filled with strong anger; angered, irate (masculine plural).
juste: Exactly right or fair; just, exactly, barely.
empêcher: To prevent something from happening; to prevent, stop.
cours: The path or flow of something over time; course.
tranquille: Free from disturbance or noise; quiet, calm, peaceful.
leur: Possessive adjective or pronoun; their, to them.
vie: The period from birth to death; life.
devenir: To change into a different state; to become.
trop: Exceeding what is needed or appropriate; too, too much.
monotone: Lacking variation and therefore tedious; monotonous, dull.
Leur: Possessive adjective referring to multiple owners; their.
tenue: Style of dress or clothing worn; attire, outfit.
vestimentaire: Relating to clothing or dress; sartorial, relating to attire.
très: Used to intensify an adjective or adverb; very.
indépendante: Not subject to outside control; independent (feminine singular).
mode: Prevailing style in clothing or behavior; fashion, trend.
font: Third-person plural of 'faire'; make, do, cause.
remarquer: To notice or cause to be noticed; to remark, notice.
Quelle: Interrogative or exclamative adjective; what, which (feminine).
importance: The quality of being significant or valuable; importance.
a: Third-person singular present of 'avoir'; has.
dont: Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'of which', 'from which'.
nous: First-person plural pronoun; we, us.
habillons: First-person plural of 'habiller'; we dress ourselves.
ici: Referring to this place; here.
à: Preposition indicating location, time, or direction; at, to.
où: Relative or interrogative adverb meaning 'where' or 'when'.
tout: Referring to the whole of something; all, every, whole.
monde: All people collectively; world, or everyone (tout le monde).
connaît: Third-person singular of 'connaître'; knows someone or something.
Et: Coordinating conjunction joining elements; and.
si: Conjunction meaning 'if' or adverb meaning 'so, yes'.
s': Reflexive pronoun before a vowel; oneself, themselves.
éloignent: Third-person plural of 's'éloigner'; to move or go away.
chez: Preposition meaning at someone's home or place; at.
raisonnement: Process of logical thinking to reach a conclusion; reasoning.
convaincant: Capable of persuading someone; convincing, persuasive.
personne: An individual human being; person, or nobody (with negation).
tissus: Materials woven or knitted from fibres; fabrics, materials.
leurs: Plural possessive adjective referring to multiple owners; their.
vêtements: Items worn on the body; clothes, garments.
général: Relating to or affecting the whole; general, overall.
qualité: Standard or degree of excellence; quality.
simples: Not complicated or elaborate; simple, plain (plural).
plupart: The greater number or part; most, the majority.
entre: Preposition indicating a position in the middle; between, among.
presque: Very nearly but not completely; almost, nearly.
scrupuleuses: Very careful and thorough about moral correctness; scrupulous (feminine plural).
souvenir: To remember or recall something from the past; memory.
propret: Neatly clean and tidy; neat, tidy (colloquial form).
demeure: A place where someone lives; dwelling, residence.
j': First-person singular subject pronoun before vowel; I.
réponds: First-person singular of 'répondre'; I answer, respond.
dernier: Coming after all others; last, latest (masculine).
gigot: A leg of mutton or lamb; leg of lamb.
jupon: A garment worn under a skirt; petticoat, underskirt.
serré: Fitted or pressed closely together; tight, close-fitting.
étroit: Having little space from side to side; narrow, tight.
porté: Past participle of 'porter'; worn or carried.
Angleterre: Country in the southern part of Great Britain; England.
fut: Third-person singular past tense of 'être'; was.
aperçu: Past participle of 'apercevoir'; noticed or caught sight of.
sans: Preposition indicating absence or lack; without.
sourire: Facial expression showing pleasure; smile, or to smile.
magnifique: Extremely beautiful or impressive; magnificent, splendid.
parapluie: Device held over the head to keep off rain; umbrella.
familial: Relating to or belonging to a family; family (adjective).
soie: Fine, soft fabric produced by silkworms; silk.
rouge: Having the colour of blood or a ripe tomato; red.
Je: First-person singular subject pronoun; I.
puis: First-person singular of 'pouvoir'; I can, I am able.
témoigner: To give evidence or bear witness to something; to testify.
sous: Preposition indicating a position beneath; under, below.
lequel: Relative or interrogative pronoun; which one (masculine singular).
douce: Gentle and kind in manner; sweet, gentle (feminine).
vieille: Having lived for a long time; old (feminine singular).
fille: A female child or young woman; girl, daughter.
restée: Past participle of 'rester'; remained or stayed (feminine).
seule: Without others present; alone, only (feminine singular).
nombreux: Existing or occurring in large numbers; numerous, many.
frères: Male siblings; brothers.
sœurs: Female siblings; sisters.
trottinait: Imperfect tense of 'trottiner'; trotted or scurried along.
jusqu': Preposition meaning up to or as far as; until, up to.
église: Building for Christian worship; church.
jours: Plural of 'jour'; days.
pluie: Water falling from clouds in drops; rain.

← Previous Next →

Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.

Create free account →