Grimms' Fairy Tales — Page 9

English → It Full Text Level 4/10

As they came to the castle, all was as the fox had said, and at twelve o'clock the young man met the princess going to the bath and gave her the kiss, and she agreed to run away with him, but begged with many tears that he would let her take leave of her father.

Quando arrivarono al castello, tutto era come la volpe aveva detto, e a mezzogiorno il giovane incontrò la principessa che andava al bagno e le diede il bacio, ed ella acconsentì a fuggire con lui, ma lo supplicò con molte lacrime di lasciarla congedarsi da suo padre.

At first he refused, but she wept still more and more, and fell at his feet, till at last he consented; but the moment she came to her father's house the guards awoke and he was taken prisoner again.

Dapprima egli rifiutò, ma ella pianse sempre di più e gli cadde ai piedi, finché alla fine egli acconsentì; ma nel momento in cui ella giunse alla casa di suo padre le guardie si svegliarono ed egli fu fatto di nuovo prigioniero.

Then he was brought before the king, and the king said, 'You shall never have my daughter unless in eight days you dig away the hill that stops the view from my window.'

Fu poi condotto davanti al re, e il re disse: «Non avrai mai mia figlia a meno che in otto giorni tu non scavi via la collina che blocca la vista dalla mia finestra».

Now this hill was so big that the whole world could not take it away: and when he had worked for seven days, and had done very little, the fox came and said.

Ora questa collina era così grande che il mondo intero non avrebbe potuto rimuoverla: e quando egli aveva lavorato per sette giorni, e aveva fatto ben poco, la volpe venne e disse.

'Lie down and go to sleep; I will work for you.'

«Sdraiati e vai a dormire; lavorerò io per te».

And in the morning he awoke and the hill was gone; so he went merrily to the king, and told him that now that it was removed he must give him the princess.

E al mattino si svegliò e la collina era scomparsa; così andò allegramente dal re e gli disse che ora che era stata rimossa doveva dargli la principessa.

Then the king was obliged to keep his word, and away went the young man and the princess; and the fox came and said to him, 'We will have all three, the princess, the horse, and the bird.'

Allora il re fu costretto a mantenere la sua parola, e il giovane e la principessa se ne andarono; e la volpe venne e gli disse: «Avremo tutti e tre: la principessa, il cavallo e l'uccello».

'Ah!

«Ah!

Vocabulary

Quando: Conjunction meaning 'when', introducing a time clause.
arrivarono: They arrived; past tense of 'arrivare'.
al: Contraction of 'a' and 'il', meaning 'to the' or 'at the'.
castello: Castle; a large fortified medieval building.
tutto: Everything or all; indicates totality.
era: Was; third person singular imperfect of 'essere'.
come: As or like; used for comparison or manner.
la: The; feminine singular definite article.
volpe: Fox; a cunning wild animal with a bushy tail.
aveva: Had; third person singular imperfect of 'avere'.
detto: Said; past participle of 'dire', to say.
e: And; basic coordinating conjunction joining elements.
a: To or at; common Italian preposition of place or direction.
mezzogiorno: Noon; the middle of the day, twelve o'clock.
il: The; masculine singular definite article.
giovane: Young man or young person; adjective meaning young.
incontrò: Met or encountered; past tense of 'incontrare'.
principessa: Princess; a female member of a royal family.
che: Who, that, or which; relative or subordinating conjunction.
andava: Was going; imperfect tense of 'andare', to go.
bagno: Bath or bathroom; the act of bathing.
le: To her; indirect object pronoun, or feminine plural article.
diede: Gave; third person singular past tense of 'dare'.
bacio: Kiss; a touch with the lips as a greeting or affection.
ed: And; variant of 'e' used before vowels.
ella: She; formal third person singular feminine pronoun.
acconsentì: Agreed or consented; past tense of 'acconsentire'.
fuggire: To flee or escape; to run away from a place.
con: With; preposition indicating accompaniment or manner.
lui: Him or he; third person singular masculine pronoun.
ma: But; coordinating conjunction expressing contrast.
lo: Him or it; masculine singular direct object pronoun.
supplicò: Begged or implored; past tense of 'supplicare'.
molte: Many; feminine plural adjective indicating large quantity.
lacrime: Tears; drops of liquid shed while crying.
di: Of or from; very common Italian preposition.
lasciarla: To let her; infinitive 'lasciare' with her pronoun attached.
congedarsi: To take leave or say goodbye; reflexive verb.
da: From or by; Italian preposition indicating origin or agent.
suo: His, her, or its; possessive adjective, third person singular.
padre: Father; a male parent.
Dapprima: At first; adverb indicating the beginning of a sequence.
egli: He; formal third person singular masculine subject pronoun.
rifiutò: Refused; past tense of 'rifiutare', to refuse.
pianse: Wept or cried; past tense of 'piangere'.
sempre: Always or increasingly; common Italian adverb of frequency.
più: More; comparative adverb indicating greater degree.
gli: To him; indirect object pronoun, masculine singular.
cadde: Fell; past tense of 'cadere', to fall.
ai: To the; contraction of 'a' and 'i', masculine plural.
piedi: Feet; plural of 'piede', the lower part of the leg.
finché: Until or as long as; temporal subordinating conjunction.
alla: To the; contraction of 'a' and 'la', feminine singular.
fine: End or finally; conclusion of something.
nel: In the; contraction of 'in' and 'il', masculine singular.
momento: Moment; a very brief period of time.
in: In; preposition indicating location or time.
cui: Which or whom; relative pronoun used after prepositions.
giunse: Arrived or reached; past tense of 'giungere'.
casa: House or home; the place where one lives.
guardie: Guards; people employed to protect or watch over something.
si: Himself, herself, or themselves; reflexive pronoun.
svegliarono: Woke up; past tense of 'svegliarsi', to wake.
fu: Was; third person singular simple past of 'essere'.
fatto: Made or done; past participle of 'fare'.
nuovo: New or again; adjective or adverb indicating repetition.
prigioniero: Prisoner; a person captured and held against their will.
Fu: Was; third person singular simple past of 'essere'.
poi: Then or afterwards; adverb indicating subsequent action.
condotto: Led or brought; past participle of 'condurre'.
davanti: In front of or before; preposition of location.
re: King; a male monarch ruling a kingdom.
disse: Said or told; past tense of 'dire'.
Non: Not; basic Italian negation adverb.
avrai: You will have; future tense of 'avere', second singular.
mai: Never or ever; adverb of frequency or negation.
mia: My; feminine singular possessive adjective, first person.
figlia: Daughter; a female child in relation to her parents.
meno: Unless or less; used here in 'a meno che' meaning unless.
otto: Eight; the number 8.
giorni: Days; plural of 'giorno', a 24-hour period.
tu: You; second person singular subject pronoun.
non: Not; Italian negation placed before the verb.
scavi: You dig; present subjunctive of 'scavare', to dig.
via: Away; adverb indicating removal or direction away.
collina: Hill; a raised area of land smaller than a mountain.
blocca: Blocks; third person singular of 'bloccare', to block.
vista: View or sight; what can be seen from a location.
dalla: From the; contraction of 'da' and 'la', feminine singular.
finestra: Window; an opening in a wall for light and air.
Ora: Now; adverb indicating the present moment.
questa: This; feminine singular demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
così: So or thus; adverb indicating manner or degree.
grande: Large or great; adjective describing size or importance.
mondo: World; the earth and all its inhabitants.
intero: Entire or whole; adjective meaning complete, undivided.
avrebbe: Would have; conditional of 'avere', third person singular.
potuto: Been able; past participle of 'potere', to be able.
rimuoverla: To remove it; infinitive of 'rimuovere' with pronoun attached.
quando: When; conjunction introducing a subordinate time clause.
lavorato: Worked; past participle of 'lavorare', to work.
per: For or through; common Italian preposition of purpose or duration.
sette: Seven; the number 7.
ben: Well or very; adverb used for emphasis.
poco: Little or not much; adjective or adverb of small quantity.
venne: Came; past tense of 'venire', to come.
Sdraiati: Lie down; imperative of 'sdraiarsi', reflexive verb.
vai: Go; imperative or present tense of 'andare', to go.
dormire: To sleep; infinitive of the verb meaning to sleep.
lavorerò: I will work; future tense of 'lavorare', first person singular.
io: I; first person singular subject pronoun.
te: You; second person singular object pronoun, used after prepositions.
E: And; coordinating conjunction joining clauses or words.
mattino: Morning; the early part of the day.
svegliò: Woke up; past tense of 'svegliarsi', third person singular.
scomparsa: Disappeared; past participle of 'scomparire', feminine form.
andò: Went; past tense of 'andare', third person singular.
allegramente: Cheerfully; adverb derived from 'allegro', meaning happily.
dal: From the; contraction of 'da' and 'il', masculine singular.
ora: Now or hour; adverb of time or unit of time.
stata: Been; past participle of 'essere', feminine form.
rimossa: Removed; past participle of 'rimuovere', feminine form.
doveva: Had to or was supposed to; imperfect of 'dovere'.
dargli: To give him; infinitive 'dare' with indirect pronoun attached.
Allora: Then or at that point; adverb indicating consequence or time.
costretto: Forced or compelled; past participle of 'costringere'.
mantenere: To keep or maintain; to honor a promise or obligation.
sua: His or her; feminine singular possessive adjective.
parola: Word or promise; a unit of speech or a pledge.
se: Himself or herself; reflexive pronoun, also means 'if'.
ne: Of it, from there; partitive or locative pronoun.
andarono: They went; past tense of 'andare', third person plural.
Avremo: We will have; future tense of 'avere', first person plural.
tutti: All or everyone; masculine plural of 'tutto'.
tre: Three; the number 3.
cavallo: Horse; a large domesticated animal used for riding.
l': The; elided form of 'la' or 'lo' before a vowel.
uccello: Bird; a feathered, winged animal capable of flight.

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