Little Women — Page 5

English → Fr CHAPTER ONE Level 6/10

And Jo shook the blue army sock till the needles rattled like castanets, and her ball bounded across the room.

Et Jo secoua la chaussette bleue de soldat jusqu'à ce que les aiguilles s'entrechoquent comme des castagnettes, et sa pelote bondit à travers la pièce.

"Poor Jo! It's too bad, but it can't be helped. So you must try to be contented with making your name boyish, and playing brother to us girls," said Beth, stroking the rough head with a hand that all the dish washing and dusting in the world could not make ungentle in its touch.

« Pauvre Jo ! C'est bien dommage, mais on n'y peut rien. Tu dois donc essayer de te contenter de donner un air masculin à ton prénom, et de jouer les frères pour nous les filles », dit Beth, caressant la tête hirsute d'une main que toute la vaisselle et le ménage du monde n'auraient pu rendre rude au toucher.

"As for you, Amy," continued Meg, "you are altogether too particular and prim. Your airs are funny now, but you'll grow up an affected little goose, if you don't take care. I like your nice manners and refined ways of speaking, when you don't try to be elegant. But your absurd words are as bad as Jo's slang."

« Quant à toi, Amy », continua Meg, « tu es décidément trop difficile et guindée. Tes manières sont amusantes pour l'instant, mais tu deviendras une petite oie affectée si tu n'y prends pas garde. J'aime tes belles manières et ta façon raffinée de parler, quand tu n'essaies pas d'être élégante. Mais tes mots absurdes sont aussi mauvais que l'argot de Jo. »

"If Jo is a tomboy and Amy a goose, what am I, please?" asked Beth, ready to share the lecture.

« Si Jo est un garçon manqué et Amy une oie, qu'est-ce que je suis, s'il vous plaît ? » demanda Beth, prête à prendre sa part de la leçon.

"You're a dear, and nothing else," answered Meg warmly, and no one contradicted her, for the 'Mouse' was the pet of the family.

« Tu es un amour, et rien d'autre », répondit chaleureusement Meg, et personne ne la contredit, car la « Souris » était la chouchoute de la famille.

As young readers like to know 'how people look', we will take this moment to give them a little sketch of the four sisters, who sat knitting away in the twilight, while the December snow fell quietly without, and the fire crackled cheerfully within.

Comme les jeunes lecteurs aiment savoir « à quoi ressemblent les gens », nous allons profiter de ce moment pour leur donner une petite description des quatre sœurs, qui tricotaient tranquillement dans le crépuscule, tandis que la neige de décembre tombait silencieusement dehors, et que le feu crépitait joyeusement dedans.

Vocabulary

Et: Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses.
secoua: Shook something vigorously back and forth.
la: Definite article 'the' for feminine singular nouns.
chaussette: A sock worn on the foot inside a shoe.
bleue: Feminine form of blue, describing color.
de: Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from.'
soldat: A soldier serving in a military force.
jusqu': Preposition meaning 'until' or 'up to.'
à: Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'in.'
ce: Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'that.'
que: Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which.'
les: Definite plural article meaning 'the.'
aiguilles: Knitting needles or sewing needles; thin pointed tools.
s': Reflexive pronoun 'se' elided before a vowel.
entrechoquent: Clash or knock against each other repeatedly.
comme: Conjunction or preposition meaning 'like' or 'as.'
des: Indefinite plural article meaning 'some' or 'any.'
castagnettes: Castanets, small percussion instruments clicked rhythmically.
et: Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses.
sa: Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its.'
pelote: A ball of yarn or thread used in knitting.
bondit: Leaped or sprang suddenly in one direction.
travers: Across or through; used in the phrase 'à travers.'
pièce: A room in a house or building.
Pauvre: Adjective meaning 'poor,' expressing pity or sympathy.
C': Contraction of 'ce' before 'est,' meaning 'it is.'
est: Third-person singular of 'être,' meaning 'is.'
bien: Adverb meaning 'well' or 'very,' intensifying meaning.
dommage: A pity or shame; expressing regret about something.
mais: Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrast.
on: Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one,' 'we,' or 'they.'
n': Negation particle 'ne' elided before a vowel.
y: Pronoun meaning 'there' or referring to a place.
peut: Third-person singular of 'pouvoir,' meaning 'can.'
rien: Nothing; used in negation to mean 'anything.'
Tu: Informal second-person singular subject pronoun meaning 'you.'
dois: Second-person singular of 'devoir,' meaning 'must.'
donc: Conjunction meaning 'therefore,' 'so,' or 'thus.'
essayer: To try or attempt to do something.
te: Reflexive or object pronoun meaning 'yourself' or 'you.'
contenter: To content or satisfy oneself with something.
donner: To give something to someone.
un: Indefinite masculine singular article meaning 'a' or 'an.'
air: An appearance, manner, or look about someone.
masculin: Masculine; relating to male gender or qualities.
ton: Possessive adjective meaning 'your' (informal singular).
prénom: A first name or given name of a person.
jouer: To play a game, instrument, or role.
frères: Brothers; male siblings in a family.
pour: Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to.'
nous: First-person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us.'
filles: Girls or daughters; young female individuals.
dit: Said; past tense of 'dire,' to say.
caressant: Stroking or gently touching in an affectionate way.
tête: The head; top part of a person's body.
hirsute: Disheveled or shaggy; having untidy or unkempt hair.
d': Preposition 'de' elided before a vowel sound.
une: Indefinite feminine singular article meaning 'a' or 'an.'
main: A hand, the body part at the end of the arm.
toute: All or every; feminine singular form of 'tout.'
vaisselle: Dishes or tableware washed after meals.
le: Definite masculine singular article meaning 'the.'
ménage: Housework or household duties performed regularly.
du: Contraction of 'de le,' meaning 'of the.'
monde: The world; all people or society in general.
auraient: Conditional plural of 'avoir,' meaning 'would have.'
pu: Past participle of 'pouvoir,' meaning 'been able to.'
rendre: To make or render something into a certain state.
rude: Rough or harsh to the touch or in manner.
au: Contraction of 'à le,' meaning 'at the' or 'to the.'
toucher: The sense of touch; feeling by physical contact.
Quant: As for; used in the phrase 'quant à.'
toi: Stressed second-person singular pronoun meaning 'you.'
continua: Continued; past tense of 'continuer,' to continue.
tu: Informal second-person singular subject pronoun meaning 'you.'
es: Second-person singular of 'être,' meaning 'you are.'
décidément: Decidedly or definitely; expressing firm conclusion.
trop: Too or too much; exceeding an appropriate amount.
difficile: Difficult, hard, or overly demanding.
guindée: Stiff, prim, or overly formal in manner.
Tes: Possessive adjective meaning 'your' (plural, informal).
manières: Manners or ways of behaving in social situations.
sont: Third-person plural of 'être,' meaning 'are.'
amusantes: Amusing or funny; causing laughter or entertainment.
l': Definite article 'le' or 'la' elided before a vowel.
instant: A moment or instant; a very brief period of time.
deviendras: Future tense of 'devenir,' meaning 'you will become.'
petite: Small or little; feminine form of 'petit.'
oie: A goose; also used figuratively for a silly person.
affectée: Affected or pretentious; behaving in an unnatural manner.
si: Conjunction meaning 'if,' introducing a conditional clause.
prends: Second-person singular of 'prendre,' meaning 'you take.'
pas: Negation word used with 'ne' meaning 'not.'
garde: Guard or care; prendre garde means to be careful.
J': First-person singular pronoun 'je' elided before a vowel.
aime: First-person singular of 'aimer,' meaning 'I like.'
belles: Beautiful; feminine plural form of 'beau.'
ta: Possessive adjective meaning 'your' (feminine singular, informal).
façon: A way or manner of doing something.
raffinée: Refined or elegant; having cultured manners or taste.
parler: To speak or talk; the infinitive of the verb.
quand: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when.'
essaies: Second-person singular of 'essayer,' meaning 'you try.'
être: To be; the infinitive of the verb 'être.'
élégante: Elegant or stylish; graceful in appearance or manner.
Mais: Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrast.
mots: Words; units of language used in speech or writing.
absurdes: Absurd or ridiculous; contrary to reason or sense.
aussi: Also or too; indicating addition or comparison.
mauvais: Bad or poor in quality.
argot: Slang; informal language used by a particular group.
Si: Conjunction meaning 'if,' introducing a conditional clause.
garçon: A boy or young man; also a waiter.
manqué: Failed or missed; 'garçon manqué' means tomboy.
qu': Conjunction 'que' elided before a vowel, meaning 'that.'
est-: Inverted form of 'est' used in questions.
je: First-person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I.'
suis: First-person singular of 'être,' meaning 'I am.'
il: Third-person masculine singular pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it.'
vous: Second-person plural or formal pronoun meaning 'you.'
plaît: Pleases; 's'il vous plaît' means 'please.'
demanda: Asked; past tense of 'demander,' to ask.
prête: Ready or willing to do something.
prendre: To take; common infinitive verb with many uses.
part: A part or share; 'prendre part' means to participate.
leçon: A lesson; instruction given on a particular subject.
amour: Love; a deep affection or romantic feeling.
autre: Another or other; referring to a different person.
répondit: Replied; past tense of 'répondre,' to answer.
chaleureusement: Warmly; in a warm and friendly manner.
personne: A person, or 'nobody' when used with negation.
ne: Negation particle used with 'pas' or other words.
contredit: Contradicted; past tense of 'contredire,' to contradict.
car: Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for,' giving a reason.
Souris: Mouse; nickname used affectionately for Amy.
était: Was; imperfect tense of 'être,' describing past state.
chouchoute: The favorite or pet; a pampered person in a group.
famille: Family; a group of related people living together.
Comme: As or since; introducing a reason or comparison.
jeunes: Young; referring to young people or readers.
lecteurs: Readers; people who read books or texts.
aiment: Third-person plural of 'aimer,' meaning 'they like.'
savoir: To know; refers to knowing facts or information.
quoi: What; interrogative or relative pronoun.
ressemblent: Resemble or look like; third-person plural form.
gens: People; persons in general.
allons: Let's go; first-person plural of 'aller.'
profiter: To take advantage of or make the most of something.
moment: A moment; a brief period or specific point in time.
leur: Their; possessive adjective for third-person plural.
description: A description; a verbal picture of someone or something.
quatre: Four; the number between three and five.
sœurs: Sisters; female siblings sharing the same parents.
qui: Relative pronoun meaning 'who,' 'which,' or 'that.'
tricotaient: Were knitting; imperfect tense of 'tricoter.'
tranquillement: Quietly or calmly; in a peaceful, undisturbed manner.
dans: Preposition meaning 'in' or 'inside.'
crépuscule: Twilight or dusk; the period just after sunset.
tandis: While or whereas; used in 'tandis que.'
neige: Snow; frozen precipitation falling from the sky.
décembre: December; the twelfth and last month of the year.
tombait: Was falling; imperfect tense of 'tomber.'
silencieusement: Silently; without making any noise.
dehors: Outside; outdoors or beyond a building.
feu: Fire; burning flames producing heat and light.
crépitait: Was crackling; imperfect tense of 'crépiter.'
joyeusement: Joyfully; in a happy and cheerful manner.
dedans: Inside; within a building or enclosed space.

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