← Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus

Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 5

English → Fr Preface Level 7/10

And now, dear Margaret, do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose?

Et maintenant, chère Margaret, ne mérite-je pas d'accomplir quelque grand dessein ?

My life might have been passed in ease and luxury, but I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path.

Ma vie aurait pu se passer dans l'aisance et le luxe, mais j'ai préféré la gloire à toutes les tentations que la richesse plaçait sur mon chemin.

Oh, that some encouraging voice would answer in the affirmative!

Oh, qu'une voix encourageante réponde par l'affirmative !

My courage and my resolution is firm; but my hopes fluctuate, and my spirits are often depressed.

Mon courage et ma résolution sont fermes ; mais mes espoirs fluctuent, et mon moral est souvent bas.

I am about to proceed on a long and difficult voyage, the emergencies of which will demand all my fortitude: I am required not only to raise the spirits of others, but sometimes to sustain my own, when theirs are failing.

Je suis sur le point d'entreprendre un long et difficile voyage, dont les imprévus exigeront toute ma force d'âme : il m'est demandé non seulement de remonter le moral des autres, mais parfois de soutenir le mien, lorsque le leur vient à faiblir.

This is the most favourable period for travelling in Russia.

C'est la période la plus favorable pour voyager en Russie.

They fly quickly over the snow in their sledges; the motion is pleasant, and, in my opinion, far more agreeable than that of an English stagecoach.

Ils filent rapidement sur la neige dans leurs traîneaux ; le mouvement est agréable, et, à mon avis, bien plus plaisant que celui d'une diligence anglaise.

The cold is not excessive, if you are wrapped in furs—a dress which I have already adopted, for there is a great difference between walking the deck and remaining seated motionless for hours, when no exercise prevents the blood from actually freezing in your veins.

Le froid n'est pas excessif, si l'on est enveloppé de fourrures — une tenue que j'ai déjà adoptée, car il y a une grande différence entre arpenter le pont et rester assis immobile pendant des heures, quand aucun exercice n'empêche le sang de littéralement geler dans vos veines.

I have no ambition to lose my life on the post-road between St. Petersburgh and Archangel.

Je n'ai aucune ambition de perdre la vie sur la route de poste entre Saint-Pétersbourg et Arkhangelsk.

Vocabulary

maintenant: mant-nahn — Adverb meaning 'now', referring to the present moment.
chère: shehr — Adjective meaning 'dear' or 'beloved', used affectionately.
ne: nuh — Negative particle used with 'pas' to negate a verb.
mérite-je: meh-reet-zhuh — Inverted form of 'I deserve', asking if one merits something.
pas: pah — Negation word used with 'ne' to mean 'not'.
accomplir: ah-kom-pleer — Verb meaning 'to accomplish' or 'to fulfill' a task.
quelque: kel-kuh — Adjective meaning 'some' or 'any', indicating an unspecified amount.
grand: grahn — Adjective meaning 'great' or 'large' in size or importance.
dessein: deh-san — Noun meaning 'design' or 'purpose', an intended plan or goal.
Ma: mah — Possessive adjective meaning 'my', feminine singular form.
vie: vee — Noun meaning 'life', referring to one's existence or lifetime.
aurait: oh-reh — Conditional form of 'avoir', meaning 'would have'.
pu: pew — Past participle of 'pouvoir', meaning 'been able to'.
se: suh — Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'itself'.
passer: pah-say — Verb meaning 'to pass' or 'to spend' time in a way.
dans: dahn — Preposition meaning 'in' or 'inside' a place or context.
aisance: eh-zahns — Noun meaning 'ease' or 'comfortable affluence' in living.
luxe: lewks — Noun meaning 'luxury', referring to great comfort and extravagance.
mais: meh — Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing a contrast or exception.
ai: ay — First person singular of 'avoir', meaning 'have'.
préféré: pray-fay-ray — Past participle of 'préférer', meaning 'preferred' something.
gloire: glwahr — Noun meaning 'glory' or 'fame', great honor and distinction.
à: ah — Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in' various contexts.
toutes: toot — Adjective meaning 'all', feminine plural form of 'tout'.
tentations: tahn-tah-syohn — Noun meaning 'temptations', strong desires to do something inadvisable.
que: kuh — Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning 'that', 'which', or 'than'.
richesse: ree-shes — Noun meaning 'wealth' or 'richness', abundance of valuable resources.
plaçait: plah-seh — Imperfect tense of 'placer', meaning 'was placing' or 'put'.
sur: sewr — Preposition meaning 'on' or 'upon', indicating position or surface.
mon: mohn — Possessive adjective meaning 'my', masculine singular form.
chemin: shuh-man — Noun meaning 'path' or 'road', a route or way forward.
voix: vwah — Noun meaning 'voice', the sound produced when speaking or singing.
encourageante: ahn-koo-rahzh-ahnt — Adjective meaning 'encouraging', giving hope or confidence to someone.
réponde: ray-pohnd — Subjunctive form of 'répondre', meaning 'may respond' or 'answer'.
par: pahr — Preposition meaning 'by' or 'through', indicating means or agency.
affirmative: ah-feer-mah-teev — Noun or adjective meaning 'affirmative', a positive confirmation or answer.
courage: koo-rahzh — Noun meaning 'courage', the ability to face danger or difficulty.
résolution: ray-zo-lew-syohn — Noun meaning 'resolution' or 'determination', firm decision to act.
sont: sohn — Third person plural of 'être', meaning 'are'.
fermes: fehrm — Adjective meaning 'firm' or 'steady', not wavering in resolve.
mes: may — Possessive adjective meaning 'my', plural form for both genders.
espoirs: es-pwahr — Noun meaning 'hopes', feelings of expectation for positive outcomes.
fluctuent: flew-ktew-ahn — Verb meaning 'fluctuate', to rise and fall unpredictably over time.
moral: mo-rahl — Noun meaning 'morale', the emotional and mental state of a person.
est: eh — Third person singular of 'être', meaning 'is'.
souvent: soo-vahn — Adverb meaning 'often', occurring frequently or regularly.
bas: bah — Adjective meaning 'low', at a reduced or depressed level.
suis: swee — First person singular of 'être', meaning 'am'.
point: pwahn — Archaic negation meaning 'not at all', stronger form of 'pas'.
entreprendre: ahn-truh-prahn-druh — Verb meaning 'to undertake', to begin or take on a task.
long: lohn — Adjective meaning 'long', great in length, distance, or duration.
difficile: dee-fee-seel — Adjective meaning 'difficult', requiring great effort or skill.
voyage: vwah-yahzh — Noun meaning 'journey' or 'trip', traveling from one place to another.
dont: dohn — Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'of which', or 'about which'.
imprévus: am-pray-vew — Noun meaning 'unforeseen events' or 'unexpected occurrences' along the way.
exigeront: eg-zee-zhuh-rohn — Future tense of 'exiger', meaning 'will demand' or 'require'.
toute: toot — Adjective meaning 'all' or 'every', feminine singular form of 'tout'.
force: fors — Noun meaning 'strength' or 'force', physical or mental power.
âme: ahm — Noun meaning 'soul' or 'spirit', the inner essence of a person.
demandé: duh-mahn-day — Past participle of 'demander', meaning 'asked' or 'required'.
non: nohn — Adverb meaning 'no' or 'not', expressing negation or refusal.
seulement: suhl-mahn — Adverb meaning 'only' or 'merely', limiting or restricting a statement.
remonter: ruh-mohn-tay — Verb meaning 'to lift up' or 'to boost' someone's spirits.
autres: oh-truh — Adjective or pronoun meaning 'others' or 'other people'.
parfois: pahr-fwah — Adverb meaning 'sometimes', occurring occasionally but not always.
soutenir: soo-tuh-neer — Verb meaning 'to support' or 'to sustain', providing help to someone.
mien: myahn — Possessive pronoun meaning 'mine', referring to what belongs to me.
lorsque: lors-kuh — Conjunction meaning 'when', indicating a specific time or moment.
leur: luhr — Possessive adjective meaning 'their', belonging to them.
vient: vyahn — Third person singular of 'venir', meaning 'comes' or 'happens to'.
faiblir: fay-bleer — Verb meaning 'to weaken' or 'to falter', losing strength gradually.
période: pay-ree-od — Noun meaning 'period' or 'time', a specific stretch of time.
plus: plew — Adverb meaning 'more' or 'most', indicating greater degree.
favorable: fah-vo-rahbl — Adjective meaning 'favorable', providing positive or advantageous conditions.
pour: poor — Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to', indicating purpose.
voyager: vwah-yah-zhay — Verb meaning 'to travel', moving from one place to another.
en: ahn — Preposition meaning 'in' or 'to', used with countries or states.
filent: feel — Verb meaning 'to glide' or 'speed along', moving swiftly and smoothly.
rapidement: rah-peed-mahn — Adverb meaning 'rapidly' or 'quickly', at a fast speed.
neige: nehzh — Noun meaning 'snow', frozen precipitation falling in white flakes.
leurs: luhr — Possessive adjective meaning 'their', plural form used with plural nouns.
traîneaux: treh-noh — Noun meaning 'sleds' or 'sleighs', vehicles gliding over snow.
mouvement: moov-mahn — Noun meaning 'movement' or 'motion', the act of moving.
agréable: ah-gray-ahbl — Adjective meaning 'pleasant' or 'agreeable', producing a pleasing sensation.
avis: ah-vee — Noun meaning 'opinion' or 'view', a personal judgment or assessment.
bien: byahn — Adverb meaning 'well' or 'very', indicating quality or degree.
plaisant: pleh-zahn — Adjective meaning 'pleasant' or 'enjoyable', giving pleasure or satisfaction.
celui: suh-lwee — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that one' or 'the one', masculine singular.
diligence: dee-lee-zhahns — Noun meaning 'stagecoach', an old horse-drawn public carriage.
anglaise: ahng-glehz — Adjective meaning 'English', relating to England or its culture.
froid: frwah — Noun or adjective meaning 'cold', low temperature or chilly sensation.
excessif: ek-seh-seef — Adjective meaning 'excessive', going beyond what is normal or reasonable.
si: see — Conjunction meaning 'if' or adverb meaning 'so', indicating condition.
on: ohn — Impersonal pronoun meaning 'one' or 'you' in a general sense.
enveloppé: ahn-vuh-lo-pay — Past participle of 'envelopper', meaning 'wrapped' or 'bundled up'.
fourrures: foo-rewr — Noun meaning 'furs', animal pelts used as warm clothing material.
tenue: tuh-new — Noun meaning 'outfit' or 'attire', clothing worn for a specific purpose.
déjà: day-zhah — Adverb meaning 'already', something that has happened before now.
adoptée: ah-dop-tay — Past participle of 'adopter', meaning 'adopted' or 'taken up'.
car: kahr — Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for', giving a reason or explanation.
y: ee — Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there', referring to a previously mentioned place.
grande: grahnd — Adjective meaning 'great' or 'large', feminine form of 'grand'.
différence: dee-fay-rahns — Noun meaning 'difference', a way in which things are unlike.
entre: ahn-truh — Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among', indicating a position or relationship.
arpenter: ahr-pahn-tay — Verb meaning 'to pace' or 'to stride across', walking back and forth.
pont: pohn — Noun meaning 'deck' or 'bridge', a platform above a ship's hull.
rester: reh-stay — Verb meaning 'to stay' or 'to remain', not moving from a place.
assis: ah-see — Past participle of 'asseoir', meaning 'seated' or 'sitting down'.
immobile: ee-mo-beel — Adjective meaning 'motionless' or 'still', not moving at all.
pendant: pahn-dahn — Preposition meaning 'during' or 'for', indicating a duration of time.
heures: uhr — Noun meaning 'hours', units of time each lasting sixty minutes.
quand: kahn — Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when', referring to a time or moment.
aucun: oh-kahn — Adjective or pronoun meaning 'no' or 'none', indicating absence.
exercice: eg-zehr-sees — Noun meaning 'exercise', physical activity to maintain health and fitness.
empêche: ahn-pehsh — Verb meaning 'prevents', stopping something from happening.
sang: sahn — Noun meaning 'blood', the fluid circulating through the body's veins.
littéralement: lee-tay-rahl-mahn — Adverb meaning 'literally', in an exact or actual sense.
geler: zhuh-lay — Verb meaning 'to freeze', turning to ice due to extreme cold.
vos: voh — Possessive adjective meaning 'your', plural form used formally.
veines: vehn — Noun meaning 'veins', blood vessels carrying blood through the body.
aucune: oh-kewn — Adjective meaning 'no' or 'none', feminine form indicating absence.
ambition: ahm-bee-syohn — Noun meaning 'ambition', a strong desire to achieve or accomplish something.
perdre: pehr-druh — Verb meaning 'to lose', failing to keep or maintain something.
route: root — Noun meaning 'road' or 'route', a path taken to reach a destination.
poste: post — Noun meaning 'post' or 'mail station', a relay point for travelers.

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