Jane Eyre: An Autobiography — Page 5

English → Fr CHAPTER I Level 7/10

"It is well I drew the curtain," thought I; and I wished fervently he might not discover my hiding-place: nor would John Reed have found it out himself; he was not quick either of vision or conception; but Eliza just put her head in at the door, and said at once—

« C'est heureux que j'aie tiré le rideau », pensai-je ; et je souhaitai ardemment qu'il ne découvrît pas ma cachette : John Reed lui-même ne l'aurait pas trouvée ; il n'était prompt ni de vue ni d'esprit ; mais Eliza passa simplement la tête par la porte, et dit aussitôt :

"She is in the window-seat, to be sure, Jack."

« Elle est sur le siège de la fenêtre, à coup sûr, Jack. »

And I came out immediately, for I trembled at the idea of being dragged forth by the said Jack.

Et je sortis immédiatement, car je tremblais à l'idée d'être traînée dehors par ledit Jack.

"What do you want?" I asked, with awkward diffidence.

« Que voulez-vous ? » demandai-je, avec une timidité maladroite.

"Say, 'What do you want, Master Reed?'" was the answer.

« Dites : "Que désirez-vous, Maître Reed ?" » fut la réponse.

"I want you to come here;" and seating himself in an arm-chair, he intimated by a gesture that I was to approach and stand before him.

« Je veux que vous veniez ici ; » et s'installant dans un fauteuil, il m'indiqua par un geste que je devais m'approcher et me tenir devant lui.

John Reed was a schoolboy of fourteen years old; four years older than I, for I was but ten: large and stout for his age, with a dingy and unwholesome skin; thick lineaments in a spacious visage, heavy limbs and large extremities.

John Reed était un écolier de quatorze ans ; de quatre ans mon aîné, car je n'en avais que dix : grand et corpulent pour son âge, avec un teint terne et malsain ; des traits épais dans un visage large, des membres lourds et de grandes extrémités.

He gorged himself habitually at table, which made him bilious, and gave him a dim and bleared eye and flabby cheeks.

Il se goinfrait habituellement à table, ce qui le rendait bilieux, et lui donnait un œil terne et chassieux ainsi que des joues flasques.

He ought now to have been at school; but his mama had taken him home for a month or two, "on account of his delicate health." Mr.

Il aurait dû être à l'école à cette heure ; mais sa maman l'avait ramené à la maison pour un mois ou deux, « en raison de sa santé délicate. » M.

Vocabulary

C': Contraction of 'ce' meaning 'it' or 'this'.
est: Third person singular of 'être', meaning 'is'.
heureux: Feeling or expressing happiness and contentment.
que: Conjunction meaning 'that', 'which', or 'than'.
j': Contraction of 'je', meaning 'I' before a vowel.
aie: Subjunctive form of 'avoir', meaning 'have'.
tiré: Past participle of 'tirer', meaning 'pulled' or 'drawn'.
le: Definite article meaning 'the' for masculine nouns.
rideau: A curtain or drape hung over a window.
pensai: Simple past of 'penser', meaning 'I thought'.
je: First person singular pronoun meaning 'I'.
et: Conjunction meaning 'and', linking words or clauses.
souhaitai: Simple past of 'souhaiter', meaning 'I wished' earnestly.
ardemment: Adverb meaning 'ardently', with great passion or intensity.
qu': Contraction of 'que' used before a vowel sound.
il: Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'.
ne: Negative particle used with 'pas' to negate verbs.
découvrît: Imperfect subjunctive of 'découvrir', meaning 'discover'.
pas: Negative particle paired with 'ne' meaning 'not'.
ma: Possessive adjective meaning 'my' for feminine nouns.
cachette: A hiding place or secret spot concealed from others.
lui: Third person singular pronoun meaning 'him' or 'her'.
même: Meaning 'even', 'same', or 'himself/herself' depending on context.
l': Contraction of 'le' or 'la' before a vowel.
aurait: Conditional of 'avoir', meaning 'would have'.
trouvée: Past participle of 'trouver', meaning 'found' (feminine agreement).
n': Contraction of 'ne' before a vowel, used in negation.
était: Imperfect of 'être', meaning 'was' or 'used to be'.
prompt: Quick, fast, or ready to act without delay.
ni: Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither', used in negations.
de: Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.
vue: Meaning 'sight' or 'vision'; power of seeing.
d': Contraction of 'de' before a vowel or mute h.
esprit: The mind, wit, or intellectual quickness of a person.
mais: Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing contrast or objection.
passa: Simple past of 'passer', meaning 'passed' or 'went past'.
simplement: Adverb meaning 'simply', 'just', or 'plainly'.
la: Definite article meaning 'the' for feminine nouns.
tête: The head, the uppermost part of the human body.
par: Preposition meaning 'by', 'through', or 'per'.
porte: A door or gate providing entry to a space.
dit: Simple past of 'dire', meaning 'said' or 'told'.
aussitôt: Adverb meaning 'immediately', 'right away', without delay.
Elle: Third person singular feminine pronoun meaning 'she'.
sur: Preposition meaning 'on', 'upon', or 'on top of'.
siège: A seat, chair, or place to sit down.
fenêtre: A window in a wall allowing light and air inside.
à: Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.
coup: A blow or strike; used in many French expressions.
sûr: Meaning 'sure', 'certain', or 'safe' and reliable.
Et: Conjunction meaning 'and', linking clauses or words together.
sortis: Simple past of 'sortir', meaning 'I went out'.
immédiatement: Adverb meaning 'immediately', 'at once', without any delay.
car: Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for', giving a reason.
tremblais: Imperfect of 'trembler', meaning 'I was trembling' with fear.
idée: A thought, concept, or mental representation of something.
être: Infinitive meaning 'to be', fundamental auxiliary verb.
traînée: Dragged or pulled forcibly, past participle of 'traîner'.
dehors: Adverb or noun meaning 'outside' or 'out of doors'.
ledit: Meaning 'the said' or 'the aforementioned', a formal term.
Que: Interrogative meaning 'what' at the start of questions.
voulez: Second person plural of 'vouloir', meaning 'you want'.
vous: Second person plural or formal pronoun meaning 'you'.
demandai: Simple past of 'demander', meaning 'I asked' a question.
avec: Preposition meaning 'with', indicating accompaniment or manner.
une: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' for feminine nouns.
timidité: The quality of being shy, timid, or lacking confidence.
maladroite: Clumsy, awkward, or lacking grace and social ease.
Dites: Imperative of 'dire', meaning 'say' or 'tell me'.
désirez: Second person plural of 'désirer', meaning 'you desire'.
Maître: Meaning 'Master', a title of respect or authority.
fut: Simple past of 'être', meaning 'was' (third person singular).
réponse: A reply or answer given to a question or request.
Je: First person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'.
veux: First person singular of 'vouloir', meaning 'I want'.
veniez: Subjunctive of 'venir', meaning 'you come' (formal, plural).
ici: Adverb meaning 'here', indicating a nearby location.
s': Reflexive pronoun 'se' contracted before a vowel sound.
installant: Present participle of 's'installer', meaning 'settling' into a seat.
un: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' for masculine nouns.
fauteuil: An armchair, a comfortable padded seat with armrests.
m': Contraction of 'me', reflexive or object pronoun meaning 'me'.
indiqua: Simple past of 'indiquer', meaning 'indicated' or 'pointed out'.
geste: A movement of the hand or body conveying meaning.
devais: Imperfect of 'devoir', meaning 'I had to' or 'I must'.
approcher: To approach, to move closer to someone or something.
me: First person singular object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'myself'.
tenir: To hold, keep, or maintain oneself in a position.
devant: Preposition meaning 'in front of' or 'before' someone.
écolier: A schoolboy or young male student attending school.
quatorze: The number fourteen in French.
ans: Plural of 'an', meaning 'years' in reference to age.
quatre: The number four in French.
mon: Possessive adjective meaning 'my' for masculine nouns.
aîné: Meaning 'elder' or 'older', the firstborn or senior sibling.
en: Preposition or pronoun meaning 'in', 'of it', or 'some'.
avais: Imperfect of 'avoir', meaning 'I had' in the past.
dix: The number ten in French.
grand: Meaning 'tall', 'large', or 'great' in size or stature.
corpulent: Having a large, heavy, or stout body; overweight.
pour: Preposition meaning 'for', 'in order to', or 'regarding'.
son: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
âge: The number of years a person has been alive.
teint: The complexion or natural color and tone of skin.
terne: Dull, lackluster, or lacking brightness and vitality.
malsain: Unhealthy, unwholesome, or harmful to health and wellbeing.
des: Plural indefinite article meaning 'some' or 'of the'.
traits: Facial features or characteristic lines of one's face.
épais: Thick, heavy, or coarse in texture or appearance.
visage: The face of a person, its appearance or expression.
large: Wide or broad in measurement from side to side.
membres: Limbs of the body, such as arms and legs.
lourds: Heavy in weight or difficult to lift and move.
grandes: Feminine plural of 'grand', meaning 'large' or 'big'.
extrémités: Extremities, the outermost parts such as hands and feet.
Il: Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'.
se: Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself', 'herself', or 'themselves'.
goinfrait: Imperfect of 'se goinfrer', meaning 'was gorging' or overeating.
habituellement: Adverb meaning 'usually', 'habitually', or 'as a rule'.
table: A flat-surfaced piece of furniture used for meals.
ce: Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'.
qui: Relative pronoun meaning 'who', 'which', or 'that'.
rendait: Imperfect of 'rendre', meaning 'made' or 'rendered' him something.
bilieux: Bilious, relating to excess bile; irritable or sickly-looking.
donnait: Imperfect of 'donner', meaning 'gave' or 'used to give'.
œil: The eye, the organ used for seeing and vision.
chassieux: Having discharge or rheum in the eyes; bleary-eyed.
ainsi: Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this manner'.
joues: The cheeks, the fleshy sides of the human face.
flasques: Flabby, soft, and lacking firmness; saggy in appearance.
dû: Past participle of 'devoir'; meaning 'should have been'.
école: A school, an institution where children receive education.
cette: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' or 'that' for feminine nouns.
heure: An hour, or a specific time of day.
sa: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its' for feminine.
maman: An informal word for 'mother' or 'mum' or 'mom'.
avait: Imperfect of 'avoir', meaning 'had' (third person singular).
ramené: Past participle of 'ramener', meaning 'brought back' home.
maison: A house or home where people live.
mois: A month, one of twelve divisions of the calendar year.
ou: Conjunction meaning 'or', presenting an alternative choice.
deux: The number two in French.
raison: A reason, cause, or justification for something done.
santé: Health, the general condition of a person's body.
délicate: Delicate, fragile, or in a sensitive state of health.
M: Abbreviation for 'Monsieur', meaning 'Mr.' or 'Mister'.

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