Little Women — Page 6
It was a comfortable room, though the carpet was faded and the furniture very plain, for a good picture or two hung on the walls, books filled the recesses, chrysanthemums and Christmas roses bloomed in the windows, and a pleasant atmosphere of home peace pervaded it.
C'était une pièce confortable, bien que le tapis fût décoloré et les meubles très simples, car un ou deux bons tableaux étaient accrochés aux murs, des livres remplissaient les recoins, des chrysanthèmes et des roses de Noël fleurissaient aux fenêtres, et une agréable atmosphère de paix domestique y régnait.
Margaret, the eldest of the four, was sixteen, and very pretty, being plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she was rather vain.
Margaret, l'aînée des quatre, avait seize ans et était très jolie, étant potelée et blonde, avec de grands yeux, une abondante chevelure châtain douce, une bouche charmante et des mains blanches dont elle était assez vaniteuse.
Fifteen-year-old Jo was very tall, thin, and brown, and reminded one of a colt, for she never seemed to know what to do with her long limbs, which were very much in her way.
Jo, qui avait quinze ans, était très grande, mince et hâlée, et faisait penser à un poulain, car elle ne semblait jamais savoir que faire de ses longues jambes, qui la gênaient beaucoup.
She had a decided mouth, a comical nose, and sharp, gray eyes, which appeared to see everything, and were by turns fierce, funny, or thoughtful.
Elle avait une bouche déterminée, un nez comique et des yeux gris perçants, qui semblaient tout voir, et qui étaient tour à tour farouches, amusants ou pensifs.
Her long, thick hair was her one beauty, but it was usually bundled into a net, to be out of her way.
Ses longs cheveux épais étaient son seul atout, mais ils étaient généralement enfouis dans une résille pour ne pas la gêner.
Round shoulders had Jo, big hands and feet, a flyaway look to her clothes, and the uncomfortable appearance of a girl who was rapidly shooting up into a woman and didn't like it.
Jo avait les épaules rondes, de grandes mains et de grands pieds, une allure négligée dans ses vêtements, et l'aspect mal à l'aise d'une fille qui devenait rapidement une femme et ne l'appréciait guère.
Elizabeth, or Beth, as everyone called her, was a rosy, smooth-haired, bright-eyed girl of thirteen, with a shy manner, a timid voice, and a peaceful expression which was seldom disturbed.
Elizabeth, ou Beth, comme tout le monde l'appelait, était une fille de treize ans au teint rose, aux cheveux lisses et aux yeux brillants, avec des manières timides, une voix hésitante et une expression paisible qui était rarement troublée.
Vocabulary
- était
- ay-teh — Was; third person singular imperfect of 'être'
- pièce
- pyess — Room; an enclosed space within a building
- confortable
- kon-for-tahbl — Comfortable; providing physical ease and relaxation
- bien
- byahn — Well; in a good or satisfactory manner
- tapis
- tah-pee — Carpet or rug; floor covering in a room
- fût
- few — Was; imperfect subjunctive of 'être'
- décoloré
- day-ko-lo-ray — Faded or discolored; having lost original color
- meubles
- muh-bl — Furniture; movable objects used to furnish a room
- simples
- sahm-pl — Simple; plain, not elaborate or ornate
- car
- kar — Because/for; conjunction introducing a reason
- tableaux
- tah-bloh — Paintings; works of art hung on walls
- accrochés
- ah-kro-shay — Hung; fastened or suspended on a wall
- murs
- mewr — Walls; vertical structures enclosing a room
- livres
- leevr — Books; printed works bound together
- remplissaient
- rom-plee-seh — Filled; were occupying every available space
- recoins
- ruh-kwahn — Nooks; small hidden corners of a room
- chrysanthèmes
- kree-zan-tehm — Chrysanthemums; flowering plants with large blooms
- roses
- rohz — Roses; fragrant flowers, also adjective meaning pink
- Noël
- no-el — Christmas; annual Christian holiday celebrated December 25th
- fleurissaient
- fluh-ree-seh — Were blooming; growing and producing flowers
- fenêtres
- fuh-neh-tr — Windows; openings in a wall fitted with glass
- agréable
- ah-gray-ahbl — Pleasant; giving a sense of enjoyment or comfort
- atmosphère
- at-mos-fehr — Atmosphere; general mood or feeling of a place
- paix
- peh — Peace; state of calm, quiet, and tranquility
- domestique
- do-mes-teek — Domestic; relating to the home and family life
- y
- ee — There/in it; pronoun replacing a previously mentioned place
- régnait
- ray-nyeh — Reigned/prevailed; dominated or was widespread there
- aînée
- eh-nay — Eldest; the oldest among siblings, feminine form
- seize
- sehz — Sixteen; the number 16
- jolie
- zho-lee — Pretty; attractive in appearance, feminine adjective
- étant
- ay-ton — Being; present participle of 'être'
- potelée
- pot-lay — Chubby/plump; pleasantly rounded in body shape
- blonde
- blond — Blonde; having light or golden-colored hair
- yeux
- yuh — Eyes; the organs used for seeing
- abondante
- ah-bon-dont — Abundant; plentiful, present in large quantities
- chevelure
- shuh-vlewer — Hair; the full head of hair on a person
- châtain
- shah-tahn — Chestnut brown; a medium brown hair color
- douce
- doos — Soft/gentle; mild and pleasant, feminine adjective
- bouche
- boosh — Mouth; the opening used for eating and speaking
- charmante
- shar-mont — Charming; delightfully attractive or pleasing, feminine
- mains
- mahn — Hands; the body part at the end of arms
- blanches
- blonsh — White; of a pale or fair color, feminine plural
- dont
- don — Of which/whose; relative pronoun replacing 'de + noun'
- assez
- ah-say — Quite/rather; moderately, to a sufficient degree
- vaniteuse
- vah-nee-tuhz — Vain; excessively proud of one's appearance, feminine
- quinze
- kahnz — Fifteen; the number 15
- mince
- mahns — Slim/thin; having a slender body build
- hâlée
- ah-lay — Tanned; having darkened skin from sun exposure
- faisait
- fuh-zeh — Made/did; third person singular imperfect of 'faire'
- penser
- pon-say — To think; to have thoughts or remind of something
- poulain
- poo-lahn — Colt; a young male horse, used metaphorically here
- semblait
- som-bleh — Seemed; third person singular imperfect of 'sembler'
- jamais
- zha-meh — Never; at no time, used in negation
- savoir
- sah-vwar — To know; to have knowledge or ability to do
- longues
- long — Long; of great length, feminine plural adjective
- jambes
- zhomb — Legs; the lower limbs used for walking
- gênaient
- zheh-neh — Bothered/hindered; caused inconvenience or discomfort
- beaucoup
- boh-koo — A lot/very much; indicating a large degree
- déterminée
- day-tehr-mee-nay — Determined; resolute and firm in purpose, feminine
- nez
- nay — Nose; the facial feature used for smelling
- comique
- ko-meek — Comic/funny; amusing or humorous in appearance
- gris
- gree — Gray; a color between black and white
- perçants
- pehr-son — Piercing; sharp and penetrating, said of eyes
- semblaient
- som-bleh — Seemed; third person plural imperfect of 'sembler'
- voir
- vwar — To see; to perceive with the eyes
- tour
- toor — Turn; here used in 'à tour' meaning in turn
- farouches
- fah-roosh — Wild/fierce; untamed or shy in expression
- amusants
- ah-mew-zon — Amusing; entertaining or causing laughter, plural masculine
- pensifs
- pon-seef — Pensive/thoughtful; deeply or seriously contemplative
- longs
- lon — Long; of great length, masculine plural adjective
- cheveux
- shuh-vuh — Hair; strands of hair on the head
- épais
- ay-peh — Thick; having great density or depth
- seul
- suhl — Only/sole; one and no other, unique
- atout
- ah-too — Asset/trump card; a strong advantage or quality
- généralement
- zhay-nay-ral-mon — Generally; most of the time, usually
- enfouis
- on-fwee — Buried/hidden; tucked away out of sight
- résille
- ray-zeey — Hair net; a mesh net used to contain hair
- gêner
- zheh-nay — To hinder/bother; to cause inconvenience or embarrassment
- épaules
- ay-pohl — Shoulders; the upper body part connecting arms to torso
- rondes
- rond — Round; circular in shape, feminine plural adjective
- pieds
- pyay — Feet; the lower extremities used for walking
- allure
- ah-lewr — Bearing/style; overall manner or appearance of movement
- négligée
- nay-glee-zhay — Careless/untidy; lacking attention to neatness, feminine
- vêtements
- vet-mon — Clothes; garments worn to cover the body
- aspect
- as-peh — Appearance/aspect; the way something or someone looks
- mal
- mal — Badly/ill; in a poor or uncomfortable manner
- aise
- ez — Ease/comfort; a state of feeling at ease
- fille
- feey — Girl; a young female person or daughter
- devenait
- duh-vneh — Was becoming; imperfect of 'devenir', to become
- rapidement
- rah-peed-mon — Rapidly/quickly; at a fast pace or speed
- femme
- fahm — Woman; an adult female person
- appréciait
- ah-pray-syeh — Appreciated; valued or enjoyed, imperfect tense
- guère
- gehr — Hardly/scarcely; used in negation meaning barely
- monde
- mond — World/everyone; here meaning 'everyone' in 'tout le monde'
- appelait
- ah-pleh — Called; used to call by name, imperfect tense
- treize
- trehz — Thirteen; the number 13
- teint
- tahn — Complexion; the natural color and texture of skin
- rose
- rohz — Pink; a light red color, adjective form
- lisses
- lees — Smooth; having an even, flat surface texture
- brillants
- bree-yon — Shining/brilliant; glowing with light or luster
- manières
- mah-nyehr — Manners; ways of behaving or conducting oneself
- timides
- tee-meed — Shy/timid; lacking confidence in social situations
- voix
- vwah — Voice; the sound produced when a person speaks
- hésitante
- ay-zee-tont — Hesitant; uncertain or wavering in speech or action
- expression
- ex-preh-syon — Expression; a look on someone's face conveying feeling
- paisible
- pay-zeebl — Peaceful/calm; tranquil and undisturbed in nature
- rarement
- rahr-mon — Rarely; not often, seldom occurring
- troublée
- troo-blay — Troubled/disturbed; upset or disrupted, feminine form
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