Little Women — Page 8

English → Fr CHAPTER ONE Level 6/10

"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Beth, "let's each get her something for Christmas, and not get anything for ourselves."

« Je vais vous dire ce que nous allons faire », dit Beth, « faisons chacune un cadeau à maman pour Noël, et ne nous achetons rien pour nous-mêmes. »

"That's like you, dear! What will we get?" exclaimed Jo.

« C'est bien de toi, chère ! Qu'allons-nous lui offrir ? » s'exclama Jo.

Everyone thought soberly for a minute, then Meg announced, as if the idea was suggested by the sight of her own pretty hands, "I shall give her a nice pair of gloves."

Chacune réfléchit sérieusement pendant une minute, puis Meg annonça, comme si l'idée lui avait été suggérée par la vue de ses jolis mains, « Je lui offrirai une belle paire de gants. »

"Army shoes, best to be had," cried Jo.

« Des chaussures militaires, les meilleures qu'on puisse trouver », s'écria Jo.

"Some handkerchiefs, all hemmed," said Beth.

« Des mouchoirs, tous ourlés », dit Beth.

"I'll get a little bottle of cologne. She likes it, and it won't cost much, so I'll have some left to buy my pencils," added Amy.

« Je lui achèterai un petit flacon d'eau de Cologne. Elle l'aime bien, et cela ne coûtera pas cher, il m'en restera donc pour acheter mes crayons », ajouta Amy.

"How will we give the things?" asked Meg.

« Comment allons-nous lui remettre les cadeaux ? » demanda Meg.

"Put them on the table, and bring her in and see her open the bundles. Don't you remember how we used to do on our birthdays?" answered Jo.

« Posons-les sur la table, faisons-la entrer et regardons-la ouvrir les paquets. Vous ne vous rappelez pas comment nous faisions pour nos anniversaires ? » répondit Jo.

"I used to be so frightened when it was my turn to sit in the chair with the crown on, and see you all come marching round to give the presents, with a kiss. I liked the things and the kisses, but it was dreadful to have you sit looking at me while I opened the bundles," said Beth, who was toasting her face and the bread for tea at the same time.

« J'avais si peur quand c'était mon tour de m'asseoir sur la chaise avec la couronne, et de vous voir toutes défiler en procession pour apporter les cadeaux, avec un baiser. J'aimais les cadeaux et les baisers, mais c'était terrible de vous avoir assises à me regarder pendant que j'ouvrais les paquets », dit Beth, qui se chauffait le visage et faisait griller le pain pour le thé en même temps.

"Let Marmee think we are getting things for ourselves, and then surprise her. We must go shopping tomorrow afternoon, Meg.

« Laissons Marmee croire que nous achetons des choses pour nous-mêmes, puis surprenons-la. Nous devons aller faire des courses demain après-midi, Meg.

Vocabulary

Je: First person singular pronoun meaning 'I'.
vais: First person singular of 'aller'; to go.
vous: Second person plural or formal pronoun meaning 'you'.
dire: To say or to tell something to someone.
ce: Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'.
que: Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'.
nous: First person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'.
allons: First person plural of 'aller'; we go or let's go.
faire: To do or to make something.
dit: Third person singular past of 'dire'; said or told.
faisons: First person plural of 'faire'; we make or let's make.
chacune: Feminine form of 'each one' or 'every one'.
un: Indefinite article or number meaning 'a' or 'one'.
cadeau: A gift or present given to someone.
à: Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'for'.
maman: Informal word for mother; mom or mummy.
pour: Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'.
Noël: Christmas; the holiday celebrated on December 25th.
et: Conjunction meaning 'and' connecting words or clauses.
ne: Negative particle used with 'pas' to negate verbs.
achetons: First person plural of 'acheter'; we buy or let's buy.
rien: Nothing; used in negative constructions with 'ne'.
nous-mêmes: Reflexive pronoun meaning 'ourselves' or 'we ourselves'.
C'est: Contraction of 'ce est'; it is or that is.
bien: Adverb or adjective meaning 'good', 'well', or 'fine'.
de: Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.
toi: Stressed second person singular pronoun meaning 'you'.
chère: Dear or beloved; feminine form of 'cher'.
Qu'allons-nous: Interrogative phrase meaning 'What are we going to'.
lui: Third person singular indirect pronoun meaning 'him' or 'her'.
offrir: To offer or to give someone a gift.
s'exclama: Third person singular past of 's'exclamer'; exclaimed.
Chacune: Feminine pronoun meaning 'each one' or 'every one'.
réfléchit: Third person singular past of 'réfléchir'; reflected or thought.
sérieusement: Adverb meaning seriously or earnestly.
pendant: Preposition meaning 'during' or 'for' a time period.
une: Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
minute: A unit of time equal to sixty seconds.
puis: Adverb meaning 'then' or 'afterwards' in sequence.
annonça: Third person singular past of 'annoncer'; announced or declared.
comme: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'as', 'like', or 'how'.
si: Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'whether' in conditional clauses.
l'idée: The idea; a thought or concept someone has.
avait: Third person singular imperfect of 'avoir'; had.
été: Past participle of 'être'; been; also means summer.
suggérée: Past participle of 'suggérer'; suggested or proposed.
par: Preposition meaning 'by' or 'through'.
la: Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.
vue: Sight or view; the act of seeing something.
ses: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its' (plural).
jolis: Plural adjective meaning pretty or nice-looking.
mains: Plural of 'main'; hands, the body part.
offrirai: First person singular future of 'offrir'; I will offer or give.
belle: Feminine adjective meaning beautiful or lovely.
paire: A pair; two matching items considered together.
gants: Plural of 'gant'; gloves worn on the hands.
Des: Plural indefinite article meaning 'some' or 'any'.
chaussures: Plural of 'chaussure'; shoes worn on the feet.
militaires: Adjective meaning military-style; relating to the army.
les: Plural definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'them'.
meilleures: Feminine plural superlative of 'bon'; the best ones.
qu'on: Contraction of 'que on'; that one or that we.
puisse: Subjunctive form of 'pouvoir'; can or may be able.
trouver: To find or to locate something or someone.
s'écria: Third person singular past of 's'écrier'; cried out or exclaimed.
mouchoirs: Plural of 'mouchoir'; handkerchiefs used to wipe one's nose.
tous: Masculine plural adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'every'.
ourlés: Past participle of 'ourler'; hemmed, as in fabric edges.
achèterai: First person singular future of 'acheter'; I will buy.
petit: Adjective meaning small, little, or short in size.
flacon: A small bottle, especially for perfume or cologne.
d'eau: Contraction of 'de eau'; of water.
Cologne: Eau de Cologne; a lightly scented perfume water.
Elle: Third person singular feminine pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it'.
l'aime: Contracted form of 'la aime'; loves or likes it.
cela: Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' referring to something mentioned.
coûtera: Third person singular future of 'coûter'; will cost.
pas: Negative particle used with 'ne' to negate verbs.
cher: Adjective meaning expensive or dear in price.
il: Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
m'en: Contraction of 'me en'; of it to me, some left.
restera: Third person singular future of 'rester'; will remain or be left.
donc: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'therefore', 'so', or 'thus'.
acheter: To buy or to purchase something from a store.
mes: Possessive adjective meaning 'my' used before plural nouns.
crayons: Plural of 'crayon'; pencils or drawing crayons.
ajouta: Third person singular past of 'ajouter'; added or said additionally.
Comment: Interrogative adverb meaning 'how' or 'in what way'.
allons-nous: Inverted form of 'nous allons'; are we going.
remettre: To hand over or to give something back to someone.
cadeaux: Plural of 'cadeau'; gifts or presents given to others.
demanda: Third person singular past of 'demander'; asked or inquired.
Posons-les: Imperative of 'poser' with pronoun; let's put them down.
sur: Preposition meaning 'on' or 'upon' something.
table: A table; a flat surface on legs for placing things.
faisons-la: Imperative of 'faire' with pronoun; let's make her come in.
entrer: To enter or to come into a room or place.
regardons-la: Imperative of 'regarder' with pronoun; let's watch her.
ouvrir: To open something such as a door or package.
paquets: Plural of 'paquet'; packages or parcels wrapped up.
Vous: Second person plural or formal pronoun meaning 'you'.
rappelez: Second person plural of 'rappeler'; remember or recall.
comment: Adverb meaning 'how'; used in questions or exclamations.
faisions: First person plural imperfect of 'faire'; we used to do.
nos: First person plural possessive adjective meaning 'our'.
anniversaires: Plural of 'anniversaire'; birthdays or annual celebrations.
répondit: Third person singular past of 'répondre'; replied or answered.
J'avais: Contraction of 'je avais'; I had in the past.
peur: Fear or fright; the feeling of being afraid.
quand: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when' in time expressions.
c'était: Contraction of 'ce était'; it was in imperfect tense.
mon: Masculine singular possessive adjective meaning 'my'.
tour: Turn; one's opportunity or time to do something.
m'asseoir: Reflexive infinitive meaning to sit oneself down.
chaise: A chair; a seat with a back for one person.
avec: Preposition meaning 'with' indicating accompaniment or means.
couronne: A crown or wreath worn on top of the head.
voir: To see or to observe something with one's eyes.
toutes: Feminine plural of 'tout'; all or every one of them.
défiler: To file past or parade in a procession.
en: Preposition meaning 'in', 'on', or 'by'; also pronoun 'of it'.
procession: An orderly line of people moving forward together.
apporter: To bring something to a place or person.
baiser: A kiss; the act of touching with the lips.
J'aimais: Imperfect of 'aimer'; I used to love or like.
baisers: Plural of 'baiser'; kisses given to someone affectionately.
mais: Conjunction meaning 'but' indicating contrast or exception.
terrible: Adjective meaning terrible, dreadful, or very unpleasant.
avoir: To have; auxiliary verb used in compound tenses.
assises: Past participle of 'asseoir' feminine plural; seated or sitting.
me: First person singular object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'myself'.
regarder: To look at or to watch someone or something.
j'ouvrais: First person singular imperfect of 'ouvrir'; I was opening.
qui: Relative pronoun meaning 'who', 'which', or 'that'.
se: Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive verbs meaning 'oneself'.
chauffait: Third person singular imperfect of 'chauffer'; was heating.
le: Masculine definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'him'.
visage: Face; the front part of a person's head.
faisait: Third person singular imperfect of 'faire'; was making or doing.
griller: To toast or to grill something over heat.
pain: Bread; a staple food made from flour and water.
thé: Tea; a hot drink made by infusing dried leaves.
même: Adjective or adverb meaning 'same', 'even', or 'itself'.
temps: Time or weather; used in many French expressions.
Laissons: First person plural imperative of 'laisser'; let's let or allow.
croire: To believe or to think that something is true.
des: Plural indefinite article or contraction of 'de les'.
choses: Plural of 'chose'; things or objects in general.
surprenons-la: Imperative of 'surprendre' with pronoun; let's surprise her.
Nous: First person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'.
devons: First person plural of 'devoir'; we must or have to.
aller: To go; fundamental verb of movement in French.
courses: Errands or shopping; faire les courses means to go shopping.
demain: Adverb meaning 'tomorrow'; the day after today.
après-midi: Afternoon; the time from noon until evening.

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