Little Women — Page 3

English → Fr CHAPTER ONE Level 6/10

" And Beth looked at her rough hands with a sigh that any one could hear that time.

" Et Beth regarda ses mains rugueuses avec un soupir que tout le monde pouvait entendre cette fois.

"I don't believe any of you suffer as I do," cried Amy, "for you don't have to go to school with impertinent girls, who plague you if you don't know your lessons, and laugh at your dresses, and label your father if he isn't rich, and insult you when your nose isn't nice."

« Je ne crois pas que vous souffriez autant que moi, » s'écria Amy, « car vous n'avez pas à aller à l'école avec des filles impertinentes, qui vous tourmentent si vous ne savez pas vos leçons, qui se moquent de vos robes, qui étiquettent votre père s'il n'est pas riche, et vous insultent quand votre nez n'est pas joli. »

"If you mean libel, I'd say so, and not talk about labels, as if Papa was a pickle bottle," advised Jo, laughing.

« Si tu veux dire diffamer, je le dirais ainsi, et je ne parlerais pas d'étiquettes, comme si Papa était un pot de cornichons, » conseilla Jo en riant.

"I know what I mean, and you needn't be statirical about it. It's proper to use good words, and improve your vocabilary," returned Amy, with dignity.

« Je sais ce que je veux dire, et tu n'as pas besoin d'être satirique à ce sujet. Il convient d'utiliser de bons mots et d'améliorer son vocabulaire, » répondit Amy avec dignité.

"Don't peck at one another, children. Don't you wish we had the money Papa lost when we were little, Jo? Dear me! How happy and good we'd be, if we had no worries!" said Meg, who could remember better times.

« Ne vous chamaillez pas, les enfants. Ne souhaites-tu pas que nous ayons l'argent que Papa a perdu quand nous étions petits, Jo ? Mon Dieu ! Comme nous serions heureux et bons, si nous n'avions pas de soucis ! » dit Meg, qui se souvenait de meilleurs temps.

"You said the other day you thought we were a deal happier than the King children, for they were fighting and fretting all the time, in spite of their money."

« Tu disais l'autre jour que tu pensais que nous étions bien plus heureux que les enfants King, car ils se disputaient et s'inquiétaient tout le temps, malgré leur argent. »

"So I did, Beth. Well, I think we are. For though we do have to work, we make fun of ourselves, and are a pretty jolly set, as Jo would say."

« C'est vrai, Beth. Eh bien, je pense que nous le sommes. Car même si nous devons travailler, nous nous amusons de nous-mêmes, et nous formons une bien joyeuse bande, comme dirait Jo. »

"Jo does use such slang words!" observed Amy, with a reproving look at the long figure stretched on the rug.

« Jo emploie vraiment des mots si vulgaires ! » observa Amy, avec un regard réprobateur vers la longue silhouette étendue sur le tapis.

Vocabulary

regarda: Past tense of 'regarder'; looked at something.
ses: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
mains: Plural noun meaning 'hands', body parts.
rugueuses: Adjective meaning 'rough' or 'coarse' in texture.
soupir: Noun meaning 'sigh', an audible breath of emotion.
tout: Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all', 'every', or 'whole'.
monde: Noun meaning 'world' or 'people'; tout le monde means 'everyone'.
pouvait: Imperfect tense of 'pouvoir'; was able to or could.
entendre: Verb meaning 'to hear' or 'to listen to'.
cette: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' for feminine nouns.
fois: Noun meaning 'time' or 'occasion', used in expressions.
crois: Present tense of 'croire'; believe or think.
souffriez: Imperfect tense of 'souffrir'; were suffering or in pain.
autant: Adverb meaning 'as much' or 'as many'.
s'écria: Reflexive past tense of 'crier'; exclaimed or cried out.
car: Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for', giving a reason.
aller: Infinitive verb meaning 'to go'.
l'école: Noun meaning 'school', a place of learning.
filles: Noun meaning 'girls' or 'daughters'.
impertinentes: Adjective meaning 'impertinent', rude or disrespectful.
tourmentent: Present tense of 'tourmenter'; torment or harass someone.
si: Conjunction meaning 'if' or adverb meaning 'so'.
savez: Present tense of 'savoir'; know a fact or skill.
vos: Possessive adjective meaning 'your' for plural nouns.
leçons: Noun meaning 'lessons', units of learning or instruction.
se moquent: Reflexive verb phrase; mock, make fun of someone.
robes: Noun meaning 'dresses' or 'gowns', items of clothing.
étiquettent: Present tense of 'étiquetter'; label or tag something.
votre: Possessive adjective meaning 'your' for singular nouns.
père: Noun meaning 'father', male parent.
riche: Adjective meaning 'rich' or 'wealthy'.
insultent: Present tense of 'insulter'; insult or offend someone.
quand: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'.
nez: Noun meaning 'nose', facial feature.
joli: Adjective meaning 'pretty' or 'nice-looking'.
Si: Conjunction meaning 'if'; introduces a condition.
veux: Present tense of 'vouloir'; want or wish.
dire: Infinitive verb meaning 'to say' or 'to tell'.
diffamer: Verb meaning 'to defame' or 'to slander' someone.
dirais: Conditional tense of 'dire'; would say.
ainsi: Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'.
parlerais: Conditional tense of 'parler'; would speak or talk.
d'étiquettes: Noun phrase meaning 'of labels' or 'of tags'.
comme: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'like', 'as', or 'how'.
Papa: Informal noun meaning 'Papa' or 'Dad', father.
était: Imperfect tense of 'être'; was.
pot: Noun meaning 'pot' or 'jar', a container.
cornichons: Noun meaning 'pickles' or 'gherkins', pickled cucumbers.
conseilla: Past tense of 'conseiller'; advised or recommended.
riant: Present participle of 'rire'; laughing.
sais: Present tense of 'savoir'; know a fact.
besoin: Noun meaning 'need'; avoir besoin means 'to need'.
être: Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'.
satirique: Adjective meaning 'satirical', using irony or mockery.
sujet: Noun meaning 'subject' or 'topic' of discussion.
convient: Present tense of 'convenir'; is appropriate or suitable.
utiliser: Infinitive verb meaning 'to use' something.
bons: Adjective meaning 'good', masculine plural form.
mots: Noun meaning 'words', units of language.
améliorer: Infinitive verb meaning 'to improve' or 'to enhance'.
son: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
vocabulaire: Noun meaning 'vocabulary', set of known words.
répondit: Past tense of 'répondre'; replied or answered.
dignité: Noun meaning 'dignity', sense of self-worth.
chamaillez: Present tense of 'chamailler'; bicker or squabble.
enfants: Noun meaning 'children', young people.
souhaites: Present tense of 'souhaiter'; wish or desire.
ayons: Subjunctive of 'avoir'; that we have.
argent: Noun meaning 'money' or 'silver'.
perdu: Past participle of 'perdre'; lost.
étions: Imperfect of 'être'; were, first-person plural.
petits: Adjective meaning 'small' or 'little', masculine plural.
Dieu: Noun meaning 'God'; Mon Dieu means 'My God'.
Comme: Conjunction meaning 'how', 'like', or 'as'.
serions: Conditional of 'être'; we would be.
heureux: Adjective meaning 'happy' or 'glad'.
avions: Imperfect of 'avoir'; we had.
soucis: Noun meaning 'worries' or 'concerns', troubles.
dit: Past tense of 'dire'; said.
souvenait: Imperfect of 'souvenir'; remembered or recalled.
meilleurs: Adjective meaning 'better' or 'best', masculine plural.
temps: Noun meaning 'time' or 'weather'.
disais: Imperfect of 'dire'; was saying or used to say.
autre: Adjective meaning 'other' or 'another'.
jour: Noun meaning 'day'.
pensais: Imperfect of 'penser'; was thinking or used to think.
bien: Adverb meaning 'well' or 'very'.
plus: Adverb meaning 'more' or used in negation 'no more'.
disputaient: Imperfect of 'disputer'; were arguing or quarreling.
inquiétaient: Imperfect of 'inquiéter'; were worrying or fretting.
malgré: Preposition meaning 'despite' or 'in spite of'.
leur: Possessive adjective or pronoun meaning 'their' or 'them'.
C'est: Contraction meaning 'it is' or 'that is'.
vrai: Adjective meaning 'true' or 'real'.
Eh: Interjection meaning 'hey' or 'well', expressing reaction.
pense: Present tense of 'penser'; think or believe.
sommes: First-person plural of 'être'; we are.
Car: Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for', giving reason.
même: Adjective or adverb meaning 'same' or 'even'.
devons: Present tense of 'devoir'; must or owe.
travailler: Infinitive verb meaning 'to work'.
amusons: Present tense of 'amuser'; have fun or enjoy ourselves.
mêmes: Plural form of 'même'; same or selves.
formons: Present tense of 'former'; form or make up a group.
joyeuse: Adjective meaning 'joyful' or 'cheerful', feminine form.
bande: Noun meaning 'group', 'band', or 'gang' of people.
dirait: Conditional tense of 'dire'; would say.
emploie: Present tense of 'employer'; use or employ something.
vraiment: Adverb meaning 'really' or 'truly'.
vulgaires: Adjective meaning 'vulgar' or 'common', coarse.
observa: Past tense of 'observer'; observed or remarked.
regard: Noun meaning 'look' or 'gaze', a directed glance.
réprobateur: Adjective meaning 'disapproving' or 'reproving'.
vers: Preposition meaning 'towards' or 'around' a time.
longue: Adjective meaning 'long', feminine form.
silhouette: Noun meaning 'silhouette' or 'figure', an outlined shape.
étendue: Past participle of 'étendre'; stretched out or spread.
tapis: Noun meaning 'rug' or 'carpet', floor covering.

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