Little Women — Page 6

English → It CHAPTER ONE Level 6/10

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.

Era una stanza confortevole, sebbene il tappeto fosse sbiadito e i mobili molto semplici, poiché uno o due bei quadri erano appesi alle pareti, i libri riempivano le nicchie, i crisantemi e le rose di Natale fiorivano nelle finestre, e un piacevole senso di pace domestica la pervadeva.

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, la maggiore delle quattro, aveva sedici anni ed era molto graziosa, essendo paffuta e bionda, con grandi occhi, una folta chioma di morbidi capelli castani, una bocca dolce e mani bianche, delle quali era piuttosto vanitosa.

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, che aveva quindici anni, era molto alta, magra e bruna, e faceva pensare a un puledro, perché non sembrava mai sapere cosa fare con le sue lunghe membra, che le erano di gran impaccio.

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.

Aveva una bocca decisa, un naso buffo e occhi grigi e acuti, che sembravano vedere tutto, e che erano ora feroci, ora divertenti, ora pensierosi.

Her long, thick hair was her one beauty, but it was usually bundled into a net, to be out of her way.

I suoi lunghi e folti capelli erano la sua unica bellezza, ma di solito erano raccolti in una retina, per tenerli fuori dai piedi.

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 aveva le spalle curve, mani e piedi grandi, un aspetto trasandato nei vestiti, e l'aria a disagio di una ragazza che stava rapidamente diventando una donna e non le piaceva affatto.

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, o Beth, come la chiamavano tutti, era una ragazza di tredici anni dal colorito roseo, con i capelli lisci e gli occhi vivaci, dai modi timidi, dalla voce esitante e dall'espressione serena che raramente veniva turbata.

Vocabulary

Era: Third person singular past tense of 'essere' (to be)
una: Indefinite article, feminine singular: 'a' or 'an'
stanza: A room inside a building
confortevole: Comfortable, providing ease and physical comfort
sebbene: Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though'
tappeto: A carpet or rug covering the floor
fosse: Imperfect subjunctive of 'essere'; 'was' in subordinate clauses
sbiadito: Faded, having lost original color or brightness
mobili: Furniture; movable objects used to furnish a room
molto: Adverb or adjective meaning 'very' or 'much'
semplici: Simple, plain, without elaborate decoration or complexity
poiché: Conjunction meaning 'since' or 'because'
uno: Indefinite article or number meaning 'one' or 'a'
due: The number two
bei: Adjective, masculine plural of 'bello': beautiful, lovely
quadri: Paintings or pictures hung on a wall
erano: Third person plural imperfect of 'essere': 'they were'
appesi: Hung, suspended on a wall or hook
alle: Contraction of 'a' + 'le': 'to the' or 'on the' (feminine plural)
pareti: Walls of a room or interior surface
libri: Books, written or printed works
riempivano: Were filling, occupying all available space
nicchie: Niches or alcoves recessed into a wall
crisantemi: Chrysanthemums, flowering plants with dense petals
rose: Roses, fragrant flowering plants
Natale: Christmas, the Christian holiday celebrated December 25th
fiorivano: Were blooming, producing flowers
nelle: Contraction of 'in' + 'le': 'in the' (feminine plural)
finestre: Windows, openings in a wall to admit light
piacevole: Pleasant, agreeable, enjoyable to experience
senso: A sense or feeling; also meaning or direction
pace: Peace, tranquility, absence of conflict or stress
domestica: Domestic, relating to the home and household life
pervadeva: Was pervading, spreading throughout and filling completely
maggiore: Older, greater, or the eldest among a group
delle: Contraction of 'di' + 'le': 'of the' (feminine plural)
quattro: The number four
aveva: Third person singular imperfect of 'avere': 'she had'
sedici: The number sixteen
anni: Years; used to express age
era: Third person singular imperfect of 'essere': 'she was'
graziosa: Pretty, graceful, charming in appearance
essendo: Being; gerund of 'essere' used in subordinate clauses
paffuta: Chubby, pleasantly plump in face or figure
bionda: Blonde, having fair or golden-colored hair
con: Preposition meaning 'with'
grandi: Large, big, or great in size
occhi: Eyes, the organs of sight
folta: Thick, dense, abundant (referring to hair or vegetation)
chioma: A head of hair; thick or flowing hair
morbidi: Soft, gentle, smooth to the touch
capelli: Hair (on the head)
castani: Chestnut-brown, describing medium-brown hair color
bocca: Mouth, the facial opening used for speaking and eating
dolce: Sweet, gentle, pleasing to senses or personality
mani: Hands, the body parts at the end of arms
bianche: White or fair-skinned (feminine plural adjective)
quali: Which, whom; relative pronoun or interrogative adjective
piuttosto: Rather, quite, somewhat; used to modify adjectives
vanitosa: Vain, excessively proud of one's appearance
che: Pronoun or conjunction meaning 'that,' 'who,' or 'which'
quindici: The number fifteen
alta: Tall, of great vertical height
magra: Thin, slender, lacking excess body fat
bruna: Dark-haired or dark-complexioned, brunette
faceva: Made, did; third person singular imperfect of 'fare'
pensare: To think, to consider, to reflect on something
puledro: A young horse, a colt or foal
perché: Because; also used as 'why' in questions
sembrava: Seemed, appeared; imperfect of 'sembrare'
mai: Never; also used with negation to mean 'ever'
sapere: To know; to have knowledge or skill
cosa: Thing; also used as 'what' in questions
fare: To do, to make; a fundamental action verb
sue: Her (possessive adjective, feminine plural)
lunghe: Long, extended in length (feminine plural)
membra: Limbs, the arms and legs of the body
gran: Short form of 'grande': great, big
impaccio: Hindrance, awkwardness, or an encumbering nuisance
Aveva: She had; third person singular imperfect of 'avere'
decisa: Decisive, determined, firm in character
naso: Nose, the facial organ of smell
buffo: Funny, comical, or oddly amusing in appearance
grigi: Gray (masculine plural adjective)
acuti: Sharp, keen, acute; perceptive or intense
sembravano: Seemed, appeared; third person plural imperfect of 'sembrare'
vedere: To see, to perceive with the eyes
tutto: Everything, all; used as pronoun or adjective
ora: Now; also means 'hour'
feroci: Fierce, ferocious, wild in expression or manner
divertenti: Amusing, entertaining, fun to be around
pensierosi: Thoughtful, pensive, deep in thought
suoi: Her or his (possessive adjective, masculine plural)
lunghi: Long (masculine plural adjective)
folti: Thick, dense, abundant (masculine plural)
sua: Her or his (possessive adjective, feminine singular)
unica: Unique, only, sole; one of a kind
bellezza: Beauty, the quality of being beautiful
ma: Conjunction meaning 'but'
solito: Usual, habitual; 'di solito' means 'usually'
raccolti: Gathered, collected, tied up or put together
retina: A hairnet used to keep hair in place
per: Preposition meaning 'for,' 'in order to,' or 'through'
tenerli: To keep them; infinitive 'tenere' with clitic pronoun
fuori: Outside, out; away from a place
dai: Contraction of 'da' + 'i': 'from the' (masculine plural)
piedi: Feet; also means 'foot' as a unit of measure
spalle: Shoulders, the body parts connecting arms to torso
curve: Curved, rounded, bent (feminine plural adjective)
aspetto: Appearance, look, aspect of a person
trasandato: Careless, untidy, slovenly in dress or appearance
nei: Contraction of 'in' + 'i': 'in the' (masculine plural)
vestiti: Clothes, garments; outfits worn on the body
aria: Air; also refers to manner or appearance
disagio: Discomfort, unease, awkwardness in a situation
ragazza: Girl, young woman, or girlfriend
stava: Was; imperfect of 'stare,' used with gerunds for progressive
rapidamente: Rapidly, quickly, at a fast pace
diventando: Becoming; gerund of 'diventare'
donna: Woman, an adult female person
piaceva: Liked, was pleasing; imperfect of 'piacere'
affatto: At all; used in negative sentences for emphasis
come: How, as, like; used in comparisons or questions
chiamavano: Called, named; imperfect of 'chiamare' (third person plural)
tutti: Everyone, all; masculine plural of 'tutto'
tredici: The number thirteen
dal: Contraction of 'da' + 'il': 'from the' (masculine singular)
colorito: Complexion, the natural color and tone of skin
roseo: Rosy, pinkish, having a healthy warm tone
lisci: Smooth, straight, sleek (masculine plural adjective)
vivaci: Lively, vivacious, bright and energetic
modi: Manners, ways of behaving; plural of 'modo'
timidi: Timid, shy, lacking confidence in social situations
dalla: Contraction of 'da' + 'la': 'from the' (feminine singular)
voce: Voice, the sound produced when speaking or singing
esitante: Hesitant, uncertain, showing reluctance or indecision
dall': Contraction of 'da' + elided article before a vowel
espressione: Expression, look on one's face conveying emotion
serena: Serene, calm, peaceful in mood or appearance
raramente: Rarely, seldom, not often
veniva: Came, was coming; imperfect of 'venire'
turbata: Disturbed, troubled, upset emotionally

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