Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 14

Vocabulary

Vers

vɛʁ — Toward, around (used for approximate time or direction).

deux

dø — The number two.

heures

œʁ — Hours; also used to express clock time.

la

la — Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.

brume

bʁym — Mist or fog, light atmospheric obscuration.

se

sə — Reflexive pronoun meaning 'itself' or 'oneself'.

dissipa

disipa — Dispersed or cleared away (past tense of dissiper).

et

e — Conjunction meaning 'and'.

nous

nu — First-person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'.

aperçûmes

apɛʁsym — We caught sight of; noticed something suddenly.

s'

s — Contracted reflexive pronoun used before a vowel sound.

étendant

etɑ̃dɑ̃ — Stretching or spreading out in a direction.

dans

dɑ̃ — Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'.

toutes

tut — Feminine plural form of 'all' or 'every'.

les

le — Plural definite article meaning 'the'.

directions

diʁɛksjɔ̃ — Plural of direction; ways or orientations in space.

de

də — Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.

vastes

vast — Vast or immense; describing great size or extent.

irrégulières

iʁegyljɛʁ — Irregular, uneven in shape or pattern (feminine plural).

plaines

plɛn — Plains; flat, open expanses of land or surface.

glace

ɡlas — Ice; also means mirror or ice cream in French.

qui

ki — Relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'.

semblaient

sɑ̃blɛ — Seemed or appeared (imperfect tense of sembler).

ne

nə — Negation particle used with 'pas' to negate a verb.

pas

pɑ — Negation word meaning 'not'; also a step or pace.

avoir

avwaʁ — To have; one of the main auxiliary verbs in French.

fin

fɛ̃ — End or conclusion of something.

Quelques-uns

kɛlkəzœ̃ — Some, a few (indefinite pronoun, masculine plural).

mes

me — My (first-person possessive adjective, plural form).

camarades

kamaʁad — Companions or comrades; people sharing an experience.

gémirent

ʒemiʁ — They groaned (simple past of gémir, to groan).

mon

mɔ̃ — My (masculine singular first-person possessive adjective).

propre

pʁɔpʁ — Own (when before a noun); also means clean.

esprit

ɛspʁi — Mind, spirit, or wit; one's mental state or intellect.

commença

kɔmɑ̃sa — Began (simple past of commencer, to begin).

à

a — Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.

inquiéter

ɛ̃kjete — To worry or cause anxiety; to trouble the mind.

pensées

pɑ̃se — Thoughts; ideas passing through one's mind.

anxieuses

ɑ̃ksjøz — Anxious, worried thoughts or feelings (feminine plural).

lorsqu'

lɔʁsk — When; conjunction used before a vowel sound.

un

œ̃ — Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.

étrange

etʁɑ̃ʒ — Strange or unusual; out of the ordinary.

spectacle

spɛktakl — Spectacle or sight; a remarkable or unusual scene.

attira

atiʁa — Attracted or drew (simple past of attirer, to attract).

soudainement

sudɛnmɑ̃ — Suddenly; happening without warning or expectation.

notre

nɔtʁ — Our (first-person plural possessive adjective, singular).

attention

atɑ̃sjɔ̃ — Attention; focused awareness directed at something.

détourna

detuʁna — Diverted or turned away (simple past of détourner).

sollicitude

sɔlisityd — Concern or solicitous worry about a situation.

situation

sitɥasjɔ̃ — Situation; a set of circumstances at a given moment.

Nous

nu — We or us (first-person plural subject pronoun).

traîneau

tʁɛno — Sled or sleigh used for travel over snow or ice.

bas

bɑ — Low; situated at a small height or elevation.

fixé

fikse — Fixed or attached firmly in place.

sur

syʁ — Preposition meaning 'on' or 'upon'.

des

de — Plural indefinite article meaning 'some' or 'of the'.

patins

patɛ̃ — Runners or skates; blades allowing gliding on ice.

tiré

tiʁe — Pulled or drawn; past participle of tirer.

par

paʁ — By or through; preposition indicating agent or means.

chiens

ʃjɛ̃ — Dogs (plural); domesticated canine animals.

passer

pase — To pass or go by; to move past something.

en

ɑ̃ — Preposition meaning 'in', 'by', or 'as a'.

direction

diʁɛksjɔ̃ — Direction; the course or path toward a destination.

du

dy — Contracted article meaning 'of the' (masculine singular).

nord

nɔʁ — North; one of the four cardinal directions.

une

yn — Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.

demi-mille

dəmi mil — Half a mile; approximately 800 meters in distance.

distance

distɑ̃s — Distance; the space between two points or objects.

être

ɛtʁ — Being; also the infinitive of the verb 'to be'.

avait

avɛ — Had (third-person singular imperfect of avoir).

forme

fɔʁm — Form or shape; the outward appearance of something.

d'

d — Contracted preposition 'de' used before a vowel.

homme

ɔm — Man or human being; an adult male person.

mais

mɛ — But; conjunction expressing contrast or exception.

apparemment

apaʁamɑ̃ — Apparently; seemingly based on outward appearance.

stature

statyʁ — Stature; height or physical build of a person.

gigantesque

ʒiɡɑ̃tɛsk — Gigantic or enormous; of immense, remarkable size.

était

etɛ — Was (third-person singular imperfect of être).

assis

asi — Seated or sitting down (past participle of asseoir).

le

lə — Masculine definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'it'.

guidait

ɡidɛ — Was guiding or steering (imperfect of guider).

observâmes

ɔpsɛʁvam — We observed (simple past of observer, to observe).

progression

pʁɔɡʁɛsjɔ̃ — Progression; forward movement or advance over time.

rapide

ʁapid — Fast or rapid; moving with great speed.

voyageur

vwajaʒœʁ — Traveler; a person journeying from place to place.

avec

avɛk — With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means.

nos

no — Our (first-person plural possessive adjective, plural).

télescopes

telɛskɔp — Telescopes; optical instruments for viewing distant objects.

jusqu'

ʒysk — Until or up to (contraction of jusqu'à before vowel).

ce

sə — This or that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective.

qu'

k — That; subordinating conjunction before a vowel sound.

il

il — He or it; third-person masculine singular pronoun.

perdît

pɛʁdi — Lost sight of; subjunctive past of perdre (to lose).

parmi

paʁmi — Among; in the middle or midst of something.

lointaines

lwɛ̃tɛn — Distant or far-off (feminine plural adjective).

irrégularités

iʁegylaʁite — Irregularities; uneven or inconsistent features of terrain.

Cette

sɛt — This (feminine singular demonstrative adjective).

apparition

apaʁisjɔ̃ — Apparition; a sudden or ghostly appearance of something.

excita

ɛksita — Excited or stirred up (simple past of exciter).

étonnement

etɔnmɑ̃ — Astonishment; a feeling of great surprise or wonder.

sans

sɑ̃ — Without; preposition indicating absence of something.

réserve

ʁezɛʁv — Reserve; restraint or something held back.

étions

etjɔ̃ — We were (first-person plural imperfect of être).

que

kə — That; conjunction or relative pronoun linking clauses.

croyions

kʁwajɔ̃ — We believed (first-person plural imperfect of croire).

plusieurs

plyzjœʁ — Several; more than two but not very many.

centaines

sɑ̃tɛn — Hundreds; groups or quantities of approximately one hundred.

milles

mil — Miles; plural of mile, a unit of distance.

toute

tut — All or any (feminine singular form of tout).

terre

Land or earth; solid ground or the planet Earth.

cette

sɛt — This (feminine singular demonstrative adjective).

semblait

sɑ̃blɛ — Seemed (third-person singular imperfect of sembler).

indiquer

ɛ̃dike — To indicate or show; to point something out clearly.

elle

ɛl — She or it; third-person feminine singular pronoun.

n'

n — Negation particle (clipped form of ne) before a vowel.

réalité

ʁealite — Reality; what actually exists or is true.

aussi

osi — Also or as; used for comparison or addition.

éloignée

elwaɲe — Distant or remote (feminine past participle of éloigner).

l'

l — Contracted definite article 'le' or 'la' before vowel.

avions

avjɔ̃ — We had (first-person plural imperfect of avoir).

supposé

sypoze — Supposed or assumed (past participle of supposer).

Enfermés

ɑ̃fɛʁme — Enclosed or trapped (past participle of enfermer).

cependant

səpɑ̃dɑ̃ — However or yet; expressing contrast with prior statement.

impossible

ɛ̃pɔsibl — Impossible; not able to happen or be done.

suivre

sɥivʁ — To follow; to go after or pursue someone or something.

sa

sa — His, her, or its (feminine singular possessive adjective).

trace

tʁas — Trace or track; a mark left by movement or passage.

observée

ɔpsɛʁve — Observed (feminine past participle of observer).

plus

ply — More; used for comparisons or greater degree.

grande

ɡʁɑ̃d — Great or large (feminine singular adjective).

Environ

ɑ̃viʁɔ̃ — About or approximately; an estimated quantity or time.

après

apʁɛ — After; following in time, order, or place.

cet

sɛt — This (masculine singular demonstrative adjective before vowel).

événement

evɛnmɑ̃ — Event; something that happens or takes place.

entendîmes

ɑ̃tɑ̃dim — We heard (simple past of entendre, to hear).

mer

mɛʁ — Sea; a large body of saltwater.

fond

fɔ̃ — Bottom or background; the deepest or base part.

avant

avɑ̃ — Before; preceding in time, order, or position.

nuit

nɥi — Night; the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

brisa

bʁiza — Broke (simple past of briser, to break or shatter).

libéra

libeʁa — Freed or liberated (simple past of libérer).

navire

naviʁ — Ship or vessel; a large boat for sea travel.

restâmes

ʁɛstam — We stayed or remained (simple past of rester).

cape

kap — Cape; in sailing, lying to or holding position.

au

o — Contracted article meaning 'at the' or 'to the'.

matin

matɛ̃ — Morning; the early part of the day.

craignant

kʁɛɲɑ̃ — Fearing (present participle of craindre, to fear).

rencontrer

ʁɑ̃kɔ̃tʁe — To encounter or meet; to come across unexpectedly.

obscurité

ɔpskyʁite — Darkness or obscurity; absence of light.

ces

se — These or those (plural demonstrative adjective).

grandes

ɡʁɑ̃d — Large or great (feminine plural adjective).

masses

mas — Masses; large quantities or bulky amounts of matter.

flottantes

flɔtɑ̃t — Floating (feminine plural present participle of flotter).

dérivent

deʁiv — Drift or float along (third-person plural of dériver).

débâcle

debakl — Breakup of ice; also a sudden disastrous collapse.

Je

ʒə — I; first-person singular subject pronoun.

profitai

pʁɔfite — I took advantage of (simple past of profiter).

temps

tɑ̃ — Time; also weather in another context.

pour

puʁ — For or in order to; preposition of purpose.

me

mə — Me or myself; first-person singular reflexive pronoun.

reposer

ʁəpoze — To rest or relax; to allow oneself to recover.

quelques

kɛlkə — A few or some; indicating a small unspecified number.