Crime and Punishment — Page 5
It looks absurd and that makes it noticeable....
Cela a l'air absurde et c'est ce qui le fait remarquer....
With my rags I ought to wear a cap, any sort of old pancake, but not this grotesque thing.
Avec mes haillons, je devrais porter une casquette, n'importe quelle vieille galette, mais pas cette chose grotesque.
Nobody wears such a hat, it would be noticed a mile off, it would be remembered....
Personne ne porte un tel chapeau, on le remarquerait à un kilomètre, on s'en souviendrait....
What matters is that people would remember it, and that would give them a clue.
Ce qui importe, c'est que les gens s'en souviendraient, et cela leur fournirait un indice.
For this business one should be as little conspicuous as possible....
Pour cette affaire, il faudrait se faire remarquer le moins possible....
Trifles, trifles are what matter!
Les détails, ce sont les détails qui comptent !
Why, it's just such trifles that always ruin everything....
Eh bien, ce sont justement ces petits détails qui font toujours tout échouer....
He had not far to go; he knew indeed how many steps it was from the gate of his lodging house: exactly seven hundred and thirty.
Il n'avait pas loin à aller ; il savait en effet combien de pas il y avait depuis la porte de sa maison de pension : exactement sept cent trente.
He had counted them once when he had been lost in dreams.
Il les avait comptés une fois alors qu'il s'était perdu dans ses rêves.
At the time he had put no faith in those dreams and was only tantalising himself by their hideous but daring recklessness.
À cette époque, il n'accordait aucune foi à ces rêves et ne faisait que se tourmenter par leur témérité hideuse mais audacieuse.
Now, a month later, he had begun to look upon them differently, and, in spite of the monologues in which he jeered at his own impotence and indecision, he had involuntarily come to regard this "hideous" dream as an exploit to be attempted, although he still did not realise this himself.
Maintenant, un mois plus tard, il avait commencé à les envisager différemment, et, malgré les monologues dans lesquels il raillait sa propre impuissance et son indécision, il en était venu involontairement à considérer ce rêve « hideux » comme un exploit à tenter, bien qu'il ne s'en rendît pas encore compte lui-même.
He was positively going now for a "rehearsal" of his project, and at every step his excitement grew more and more violent.
Il allait bel et bien maintenant faire une « répétition » de son projet, et à chaque pas son agitation devenait de plus en plus intense.
With a sinking heart and a nervous tremor, he went up to a huge house which on one side looked on to the canal, and on the other into the street.
Le cœur serré et tremblant nerveusement, il s'approcha d'une immense maison qui donnait d'un côté sur le canal, et de l'autre sur la rue.
Vocabulary
- Cela
- That; this thing or matter.
- air
- Appearance; look; manner or bearing.
- absurde
- Absurd; ridiculous; contrary to reason.
- et
- And; used to connect words or clauses.
- est
- Is; third person singular of être.
- ce
- This; that; it; demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
- qui
- Who; which; that; relative pronoun.
- le
- The; masculine singular definite article.
- fait
- Fact; deed; action; third person singular of faire.
- remarquer
- To notice; to observe; to remark.
- Avec
- With; accompanied by; in the company of.
- mes
- My; plural possessive adjective.
- je
- I; first person singular pronoun.
- devrais
- Should; ought to; conditional of devoir.
- porter
- To carry; to wear; to bear.
- une
- A; an; feminine singular indefinite article.
- casquette
- Cap; peaked hat worn on head.
- importe
- Matters; is important; from importer.
- quelle
- Which; what; feminine form of quel.
- vieille
- Old; aged; feminine form of vieux.
- mais
- But; however; used to contrast ideas.
- pas
- Not; step; negation in French sentences.
- cette
- This; that; feminine singular demonstrative adjective.
- chose
- Thing; object; matter or subject.
- grotesque
- Grotesque; bizarre; absurdly distorted or strange.
- Personne
- Person; nobody; anyone; individual human being.
- ne
- Not; negation particle in French.
- porte
- Carries; wears; door; third person singular.
- un
- A; an; masculine singular indefinite article.
- tel
- Such; like; similar; of that kind.
- chapeau
- Hat; headwear worn on the head.
- on
- One; people; we; indefinite pronoun.
- remarquerait
- Would notice; would remark; conditional tense.
- kilomètre
- Kilometer; unit of distance measurement.
- en
- In; at; by; preposition or pronoun.
- souviendrait
- Would remember; conditional of se souvenir.
- Ce
- This; that; it; demonstrative pronoun.
- que
- That; which; what; relative pronoun.
- les
- The; plural definite article in French.
- gens
- People; folks; persons; plural noun.
- souviendraient
- Would remember; conditional plural of se souvenir.
- cela
- That; this; it; demonstrative pronoun.
- leur
- Their; to them; indirect object pronoun.
- fournirait
- Would provide; would furnish; conditional form.
- indice
- Clue; hint; sign; index or indication.
- Pour
- For; in order to; preposition.
- affaire
- Matter; case; business; affair or deal.
- il
- He; it; masculine singular pronoun.
- faudrait
- Would need; would be necessary; conditional.
- se
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun; himself or herself.
- faire
- To make; to do; to cause.
- moins
- Less; minus; fewer; comparative adverb.
- possible
- Possible; feasible; capable of being done.
- Les
- The; plural definite article in French.
- détails
- Details; particulars; small specific aspects.
- sont
- Are; third person plural of être.
- comptent
- Count; matter; are important; third plural.
- bien
- Well; good; properly; much or very.
- justement
- Exactly; precisely; just; indeed; rightly.
- ces
- These; those; plural demonstrative adjective.
- petits
- Small; little; tiny; plural masculine.
- font
- Make; do; third person plural of faire.
- toujours
- Always; still; forever; all the time.
- tout
- All; everything; whole; complete or entire.
- échouer
- To fail; to be unsuccessful; to flunk.
- avait
- Had; possessed; past tense of avoir.
- loin
- Far; distant; far away or afar.
- aller
- To go; to proceed; to move away.
- savait
- Knew; was aware; past tense of savoir.
- effet
- Effect; consequence; result or impact.
- combien
- How much; how many; what quantity.
- de
- Of; from; some; preposition in French.
- depuis
- Since; for; from; during given time.
- sa
- His; her; its; feminine singular possessive.
- maison
- House; home; dwelling; building for living.
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