Little Women — Page 4
Jo immediately sat up, put her hands in her pockets, and began to whistle.
Jo si raddrizzò immediatamente, mise le mani in tasca e cominciò a fischiare.
"Don't, Jo. It's so boyish!"
«Non farlo, Jo. È così da maschiaccio!»
"That's why I do it."
«È proprio per questo che lo faccio.»
"I detest rude, unladylike girls!"
«Detesto le ragazze maleducate e senza grazia!»
"I hate affected, niminy-piminy chits!"
«Odio le ragazzine affettate e smorfiosette!»
"Birds in their little nests agree," sang Beth, the peacemaker, with such a funny face that both sharp voices softened to a laugh, and the "pecking" ended for that time.
«Gli uccellini nel nido vanno d'accordo» cantò Beth, la pacificatrice, con un'espressione così buffa che entrambe le voci aspre si ammorbidirono in una risata, e il «beccarsi» finì per quella volta.
"Really, girls, you are both to be blamed," said Meg, beginning to lecture in her elder-sisterly fashion.
«Davvero, ragazze, avete entrambe torto» disse Meg, cominciando a fare la predica con il suo solito tono da sorella maggiore.
"You are old enough to leave off boyish tricks, and to behave better, Josephine.
«Sei abbastanza grande da smettere con le tue marachelle da maschiaccio e da comportarti meglio, Josephine.
It didn't matter so much when you were a little girl, but now you are so tall, and turn up your hair, you should remember that you are a young lady."
Non importava poi così tanto quando eri piccola, ma ora che sei così alta e porti i capelli raccolti, dovresti ricordare che sei una giovane signorina.»
"I'm not! And if turning up my hair makes me one, I'll wear it in two tails till I'm twenty," cried Jo, pulling off her net, and shaking down a chestnut mane.
«Non lo sono! E se raccogliere i capelli mi rende tale, li porterò in due trecce fino ai vent'anni» gridò Jo, togliendosi la retina e scrollando giù una chioma castana.
"I hate to think I've got to grow up, and be Miss March, and wear long gowns, and look as prim as a China Aster!
«Odio pensare di dover crescere, e diventare la signorina March, e indossare abiti lunghi, e sembrare compita come un'Astro della Cina!
It's bad enough to be a girl, anyway, when I like boy's games and work and manners!
È già abbastanza brutto essere una ragazza, comunque, quando mi piacciono i giochi, le occupazioni e i modi dei maschi!
I can't get over my disappointment in not being a boy.
Non riesco a superare la delusione di non essere un maschio.
And it's worse than ever now, for I'm dying to go and fight with Papa.
E ora è peggio che mai, perché muoio dalla voglia di andare a combattere con papà.
And I can only stay home and knit, like a poky old woman!
E posso solo stare a casa a lavorare a maglia, come una vecchietta noiosa!
Vocabulary
- si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning oneself or each other
- raddrizzò
- Straightened up or corrected posture suddenly
- immediatamente
- Immediately, without any delay
- mise
- Past tense of mettere; placed or put something
- le
- Feminine plural article or indirect pronoun meaning her
- mani
- Hands, the plural of mano
- in
- Preposition meaning in, into, or inside
- tasca
- Pocket, a small pouch sewn into clothing
- e
- Conjunction meaning and, connecting words or clauses
- cominciò
- He or she began or started doing something
- a
- Preposition meaning to, at, or used with infinitives
- fischiare
- To whistle, to make a shrill musical sound
- Non
- Negation word meaning not or do not
- farlo
- To do it, infinitive with attached pronoun
- È
- Third person singular of essere meaning is
- così
- Adverb meaning so, thus, or in this way
- da
- Preposition meaning from, by, or like
- maschiaccio
- Tomboy, a girl who behaves like a boy
- proprio
- Exactly, just, or one's own; used for emphasis
- per
- Preposition meaning for, because of, or through
- questo
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning this
- che
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning that, which, or who
- lo
- Masculine singular direct object pronoun meaning it or him
- faccio
- First person singular of fare meaning I do
- Detesto
- I detest or strongly dislike something very much
- ragazze
- Girls or young women, plural of ragazza
- maleducate
- Rude or badly mannered, lacking proper etiquette
- senza
- Preposition meaning without, lacking something specified
- grazia
- Grace, elegance, or charm in behavior or movement
- Odio
- I hate; strong dislike for someone or something
- ragazzine
- Little girls, diminutive plural of ragazza
- affettate
- Affected or pretentious in manner or behavior
- smorfiosette
- Overly prim girls who make affected or simpering faces
- Gli
- Masculine plural article the or indirect pronoun to him
- uccellini
- Little birds, affectionate diminutive plural of uccello
- nel
- Contraction of in and il meaning in the
- nido
- Nest, the home built by birds for their eggs
- vanno
- Third person plural of andare meaning they go
- d'
- Elided form of di meaning of or from
- accordo
- Agreement; andare d'accordo means to get along well
- cantò
- She sang; past tense of cantare
- la
- Feminine singular definite article meaning the
- pacificatrice
- Peacemaker, a female who reconciles quarreling parties
- con
- Preposition meaning with, accompanied by something
- un'
- Feminine indefinite article meaning a or an before vowel
- espressione
- Expression, a look or gesture conveying feeling
- buffa
- Funny or comical; amusing in an odd way
- entrambe
- Both, referring to two feminine nouns together
- voci
- Voices, plural of voce; sounds made while speaking
- aspre
- Harsh or sharp; rough in sound or tone
- ammorbidirono
- They softened; became less harsh or rough
- una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning a or one
- risata
- A laugh or burst of laughter
- il
- Masculine singular definite article meaning the
- beccarsi
- To peck at each other; to bicker or quarrel
- finì
- It ended or finished; past tense of finire
- quella
- Demonstrative adjective meaning that, feminine singular
- volta
- Time or instance; quella volta means that time
- Davvero
- Really or truly; used to express sincerity or emphasis
- avete
- Second person plural of avere meaning you all have
- torto
- Wrong; avere torto means to be wrong about something
- disse
- Said; past tense of dire, third person singular
- cominciando
- Beginning or starting; gerund form of cominciare
- fare
- To do or make; common infinitive verb in Italian
- predica
- A lecture or sermon; moralizing speech to someone
- suo
- His, her, or its; possessive adjective third person singular
- solito
- Usual or habitual; al solito means as usual
- tono
- Tone of voice or manner of speaking
- sorella
- Sister, a female sibling
- maggiore
- Older or greater; sorella maggiore means older sister
- Sei
- Second person singular of essere meaning you are
- abbastanza
- Enough or quite; sufficiently so for a purpose
- grande
- Big, large, or old enough for something
- smettere
- To stop or quit doing something
- tue
- Your, feminine plural possessive adjective second person
- marachelle
- Mischief or pranks; naughty childish behavior
- comportarti
- To behave yourself; reflexive infinitive with pronoun
- meglio
- Better; adverb comparative of bene meaning well
- importava
- It mattered; imperfect tense of importare
- poi
- Then, afterward, or moreover; used for sequencing
- tanto
- So much or very; used to intensify a statement
- quando
- When; conjunction or adverb indicating time
- eri
- You were; second person singular imperfect of essere
- piccola
- Small or little; feminine adjective referring to young age
- ma
- But; conjunction indicating contrast or contradiction
- ora
- Now; at the present moment
- alta
- Tall; feminine adjective describing height
- porti
- You wear or carry; second person singular of portare
- i
- Masculine plural definite article meaning the
- capelli
- Hair, referring to the hair on one's head
- raccolti
- Gathered up or pulled back, as in a hairstyle
- dovresti
- You should; conditional of dovere expressing obligation
- ricordare
- To remember or recall something from the past
- giovane
- Young; adjective describing youth or a young person
- signorina
- Young lady or Miss; polite address for an unmarried woman
- sono
- I am or they are; form of essere
- E
- Conjunction meaning and, connecting words or clauses
- se
- If; conjunction introducing a conditional clause
- raccogliere
- To gather or put up, as hair in a style
- mi
- Reflexive or direct object pronoun meaning me or myself
- rende
- Makes or renders; third person singular of rendere
- tale
- Such; tal one meaning such a thing or person
- li
- Masculine plural direct object pronoun meaning them
- porterò
- I will wear or carry; future tense of portare
- due
- Two; the cardinal number two
- trecce
- Braids or plaits of hair
- fino
- Until or up to; preposition indicating a limit
- ai
- Contraction of a and i meaning to the, masculine plural
- vent'
- Elided form of venti meaning twenty years
- anni
- Years; plural of anno referring to age or time
- gridò
- She shouted or cried out; past tense of gridare
- togliendosi
- Removing from oneself; gerund of togliersi with pronoun
- retina
- Hair net used to keep hair in place
- scrollando
- Shaking or tossing; gerund of scrollare
- giù
- Down; adverb indicating downward direction or movement
- chioma
- Head of hair or mane; lush flowing hair
- castana
- Chestnut brown in color, referring to hair color
- pensare
- To think about or consider something carefully
- di
- Preposition meaning of, from, or about
- dover
- Elided form of dovere meaning having to or must
- crescere
- To grow up or increase in size or age
- diventare
- To become; to transform into something or someone
- indossare
- To wear or put on clothing or accessories
- abiti
- Clothes or dresses; garments worn by a person
- lunghi
- Long; masculine plural adjective describing length
- sembrare
- To seem or appear to be a certain way
- compita
- Well-mannered or accomplished; a polished young lady
- come
- Like or as; conjunction or adverb of comparison
- della
- Contraction of di and la meaning of the, feminine
- Cina
- China; the country in East Asia
- già
- Already or indeed; adverb indicating prior occurrence
- brutto
- Bad or ugly; used to express something unpleasant
- essere
- To be; the fundamental linking verb in Italian
- ragazza
- Girl or young woman; common everyday vocabulary word
- comunque
- Anyway or however; used to shift or concede in speech
- piacciono
- They please me; used to express liking something
- giochi
- Games or plays; plural of gioco
- occupazioni
- Occupations or activities; things one does regularly
- modi
- Ways or manners; behaviors characteristic of a group
- dei
- Contraction of di and i meaning of the, masculine plural
- maschi
- Males or boys; plural of maschio
- riesco
- I manage or succeed; first person of riuscire
- superare
- To overcome or get over something difficult
- delusione
- Disappointment; the feeling of unmet expectations
- non
- Negation word meaning not
- un
- Masculine indefinite article meaning a or one
- maschio
- Male or boy; masculine gender noun
- è
- Third person singular of essere meaning is
- peggio
- Worse; comparative adverb of male meaning badly
- mai
- Never or ever; used in negation or questions
- perché
- Because or why; introduces reason or question
- muoio
- I am dying; first person singular of morire
- dalla
- Contraction of da and la meaning from the, feminine
- voglia
- Desire or urge to do something strongly
- andare
- To go; very common Italian verb of movement
- combattere
- To fight or combat; engage in battle or struggle
- papà
- Dad or father; informal affectionate term for father
- posso
- I can or I am able; first person of potere
- solo
- Only or alone; used to limit or restrict meaning
- stare
- To stay or be; used with gerunds or locations
- casa
- Home or house; the place where one lives
- lavorare
- To work; to engage in labor or employment
- maglia
- Knitting or a knitted garment; jersey or sweater
- vecchietta
- Little old woman; affectionate or diminutive term
- noiosa
- Boring or tedious; feminine adjective describing dullness
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