Grimms' Fairy Tales — Page 4
You will reach a village in the evening; and when you get there, you will see two inns opposite to each other, one of which is very pleasant and beautiful to look at: go not in there, but rest for the night in the other, though it may appear to you to be very poor and mean.'
Raggiungerai un villaggio la sera; e quando ci arriverai, vedrai due locande di fronte l'una all'altra, una delle quali è molto piacevole e bella da vedere: non entrarci, ma trascorri la notte nell'altra, anche se ti potrebbe sembrare molto povera e misera.'
But the son thought to himself, 'What can such a beast as this know about the matter?'
Ma il figlio pensò tra sé, 'Cosa può sapere di questa faccenda una bestia come questa?'
So he shot his arrow at the fox; but he missed it, and it set up its tail above its back and ran into the wood.
Così scoccò la sua freccia contro la volpe; ma la mancò, e quella alzò la coda sopra la schiena e corse nel bosco.
Then he went his way, and in the evening came to the village where the two inns were; and in one of these were people singing, and dancing, and feasting; but the other looked very dirty, and poor.
Poi proseguì il suo cammino, e la sera giunse al villaggio dove si trovavano le due locande; e in una di esse c'erano persone che cantavano, ballavano e facevano festa; ma l'altra sembrava molto sporca e misera.
'I should be very silly,' said he, 'if I went to that shabby house, and left this charming place'; so he went into the smart house, and ate and drank at his ease, and forgot the bird, and his country too.
'Sarei molto sciocco,' disse, 'se andassi in quella casa squallida, e lasciassi questo posto incantevole'; così entrò nella locanda elegante, mangiò e bevve comodamente, e dimenticò l'uccello, e anche il suo paese.
Time passed on; and as the eldest son did not come back, and no tidings were heard of him, the second son set out, and the same thing happened to him.
Il tempo passò; e poiché il figlio maggiore non tornava, e non si aveva notizia di lui, il secondo figlio si mise in cammino, e la stessa cosa accadde a lui.
Vocabulary
- Raggiungerai
- rad-jun-je-RAI — You will reach (future tense of raggiungere)
- un
- un — A, an (masculine indefinite article)
- villaggio
- vil-LAD-jo — A small rural settlement; village
- la
- la — The (feminine definite article)
- sera
- SE-ra — The evening or nighttime period
- e
- e — And (coordinating conjunction)
- quando
- KWAN-do — When (temporal conjunction or adverb)
- ci
- chi — There; reflexive/locative pronoun particle
- arriverai
- ar-ri-ve-RAI — You will arrive (future tense of arrivare)
- vedrai
- ve-DRAI — You will see (future tense of vedere)
- due
- DU-e — The number two
- locande
- lo-KAN-de — Inns or taverns offering lodging and food
- di
- di — Of, from (common preposition)
- fronte
- FRON-te — Front; facing side of something
- l'
- l — The (elided definite article before vowel)
- una
- U-na — One, a (feminine indefinite article/numeral)
- all'
- all — To the (elided preposition plus article)
- altra
- AL-tra — Other, another (feminine adjective/pronoun)
- delle
- DEL-le — Of the (feminine plural partitive preposition)
- quali
- KWA-li — Which (plural relative or interrogative pronoun)
- è
- è — Is (third-person singular of essere)
- molto
- MOL-to — Very, much (common adverb of degree)
- piacevole
- pia-CHE-vo-le — Pleasant, agreeable, enjoyable
- bella
- BEL-la — Beautiful, pretty (feminine adjective)
- da
- da — From, by, since (versatile preposition)
- vedere
- ve-DE-re — To see (infinitive of common verb)
- non
- non — Not (negation adverb)
- entrarci
- en-TRAR-chi — To enter it; go inside (with particle ci)
- ma
- ma — But (adversative coordinating conjunction)
- trascorri
- tras-KOR-ri — Spend (imperative of trascorrere, time)
- notte
- NOT-te — Night, nighttime period
- nell'
- nell — In the (elided preposition plus article)
- anche
- AN-ke — Also, too, even (adverb)
- se
- se — If (conditional conjunction)
- ti
- ti — You, to you (second-person pronoun)
- potrebbe
- po-TREB-be — Could, might (conditional of potere)
- sembrare
- sem-BRA-re — To seem, to appear (infinitive)
- povera
- PO-ve-ra — Poor, humble, lacking resources (feminine)
- misera
- MI-ze-ra — Wretched, miserable, very poor
- Ma
- ma — But (adversative coordinating conjunction)
- il
- il — The (masculine singular definite article)
- figlio
- FI-lyo — Son, male child
- pensò
- pen-SÒ — Thought (past tense of pensare)
- tra
- tra — Between, among (preposition)
- sé
- sé — Himself, herself, oneself (reflexive pronoun)
- Cosa
- KO-za — What, thing (interrogative pronoun/noun)
- può
- pwò — Can, is able to (third-person of potere)
- sapere
- sa-PE-re — To know (infinitive, knowledge/facts)
- questa
- KWES-ta — This (feminine singular demonstrative adjective)
- faccenda
- fat-CHEN-da — Matter, affair, business, thing
- bestia
- BES-tya — Beast, animal (sometimes used as insult)
- come
- KO-me — How, like, as (adverb/conjunction)
- Così
- ko-ZÌ — So, thus, in this way (adverb)
- scoccò
- skok-KÒ — Shot, released (an arrow); past tense
- sua
- SU-a — His, her, its (feminine possessive adjective)
- freccia
- FRECH-cha — Arrow (projectile shot from a bow)
- contro
- KON-tro — Against, toward (preposition)
- volpe
- VOL-pe — Fox (wild animal)
- mancò
- man-KÒ — Missed (past tense of mancare)
- quella
- KWEL-la — That (feminine singular demonstrative pronoun)
- alzò
- al-ZÒ — Raised, lifted (past tense of alzare)
- coda
- KO-da — Tail of an animal
- sopra
- SO-pra — Above, over, on top of (preposition)
- schiena
- SKYE-na — Back (rear part of the body)
- corse
- KOR-se — Ran (past tense of correre)
- nel
- nel — In the (masculine singular contracted preposition)
- bosco
- BOS-ko — Wood, forest, wooded area
- Poi
- poi — Then, afterwards, next (adverb of sequence)
- proseguì
- pro-se-GWÌ — Continued, proceeded (past tense of proseguire)
- suo
- SU-o — His, her, its (masculine possessive adjective)
- cammino
- kam-MI-no — Path, way, journey on foot
- giunse
- JUN-se — Arrived, reached (past tense of giungere)
- al
- al — To the (masculine singular contracted preposition)
- dove
- DO-ve — Where (relative or interrogative adverb)
- si
- si — Reflexive pronoun (oneself, each other)
- trovavano
- tro-VA-va-no — Were located, were found (imperfect tense)
- le
- le — The (feminine plural definite article)
- in
- in — In, inside (common preposition)
- esse
- ES-se — They, them (feminine third-person pronoun)
- c'
- c — There (elided form of ci before vowel)
- erano
- E-ra-no — Were (imperfect third-person plural of essere)
- persone
- per-SO-ne — People, persons (plural noun)
- che
- ke — Who, that, which (relative conjunction/pronoun)
- cantavano
- kan-TA-va-no — Were singing (imperfect of cantare)
- ballavano
- bal-LA-va-no — Were dancing (imperfect of ballare)
- facevano
- fa-CHE-va-no — Were doing, making (imperfect of fare)
- festa
- FES-ta — Party, celebration, festival
- sembrava
- sem-BRA-va — Seemed, appeared (imperfect of sembrare)
- sporca
- SPOR-ka — Dirty, unclean (feminine adjective)
- Sarei
- sa-REI — I would be (conditional of essere)
- sciocco
- SHOK-ko — Foolish, silly, a fool
- disse
- DIS-se — Said (past tense of dire)
- andassi
- an-DAS-si — I went (subjunctive/conditional of andare)
- casa
- KA-za — House, home
- squallida
- SKWAL-li-da — Squalid, dreary, shabby (feminine adjective)
- lasciassi
- la-SHAS-si — I left behind (subjunctive of lasciare)
- questo
- KWES-to — This (masculine singular demonstrative adjective)
- posto
- POS-to — Place, spot, location
- incantevole
- in-kan-TE-vo-le — Enchanting, charming, delightful
- così
- ko-ZÌ — So, therefore, in this way
- entrò
- en-TRÒ — Entered (past tense of entrare)
- nella
- NEL-la — In the (feminine singular contracted preposition)
- locanda
- lo-KAN-da — Inn, tavern offering lodging and meals
- elegante
- e-le-GAN-te — Elegant, stylish, refined
- mangiò
- man-JÒ — Ate (past tense of mangiare)
- bevve
- BEV-ve — Drank (past tense of bere)
- comodamente
- ko-mo-da-MEN-te — Comfortably, at ease (adverb)
- dimenticò
- di-men-ti-KÒ — Forgot (past tense of dimenticare)
- uccello
- ut-CHEL-lo — Bird (feathered animal)
- paese
- pa-E-ze — Country, village, hometown
- Il
- il — The (masculine singular definite article)
- tempo
- TEM-po — Time, weather (common noun)
- passò
- pas-SÒ — Passed (past tense of passare)
- poiché
- poi-KÉ — Since, because, as (causal conjunction)
- maggiore
- mad-JO-re — Older, greater, major (comparative adjective)
- tornava
- tor-NA-va — Was returning (imperfect of tornare)
- aveva
- a-VE-va — Had (imperfect tense of avere)
- notizia
- no-TI-tsya — News, piece of information, notice
- lui
- lui — He, him (third-person masculine pronoun)
- secondo
- se-KON-do — Second (ordinal number; also 'according to')
- mise
- MI-ze — Put, placed (past tense of mettere)
- stessa
- STES-sa — Same (feminine adjective/pronoun)
- cosa
- KO-za — Thing, matter, object
- accadde
- ak-KAD-de — Happened, occurred (past tense of accadere)
- a
- a — To, at (common preposition)
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