Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 3

Vocabulary

Lì

lì — There, in that place

stava

stava — He/she was, stood (imperfect of stare)

un

un — A, an (masculine indefinite article)

uomo

uomo — A man, adult male person

di

di — Of, from (preposition indicating possession or origin)

proporzioni

proporzioni — Proportions, relative dimensions of a body

fisiche

fisiche — Physical, relating to the body

e

e — And (coordinating conjunction)

statura

statura — Stature, height and build of a person

imponente

imponente — Imposing, impressive in size or appearance

perfetta

perfetta — Perfect, flawless, without defect

intelletto

intelletto — Intellect, the faculty of reasoning and understanding

riccamente

riccamente — Richly, abundantly, in a generous manner

dotato

dotato — Gifted, endowed with natural talents or abilities

eloquenza

eloquenza — Eloquence, skilled and persuasive use of language

naturale

naturale — Natural, innate, not artificially acquired

prodigio

prodigio — Prodigy, a remarkable or extraordinary person or thing

nell'

nell' — In the (contraction of in + l')

anima

anima — Soul, spirit, inner life of a person

manifestamente

manifestamente — Manifestly, obviously, clearly evident to all

creato

creato — Created, made, brought into existence

solo

solo — Only, just, alone

poco

poco — A little, slightly below

al

al — To the, at the (contraction of a + il)

sotto

sotto — Below, beneath, under

degli

degli — Of the (contraction of di + gli, masculine plural)

angeli

angeli — Angels, divine celestial beings

eppure

eppure — And yet, nevertheless, despite this

uno

uno — One, a (masculine indefinite article or numeral)

schiavo

schiavo — A slave, person held in bondage

sì

sì — Yes; also used for emphasis meaning so, such

fuggitivo

fuggitivo — Fugitive, a person who has fled captivity

tremante

tremante — Trembling, shaking with fear or anxiety

per

per — For, because of, through (preposition)

la

la — The (feminine singular definite article)

propria

propria — Own, one's own (feminine possessive adjective)

incolumità

incolumità — Safety, personal security, freedom from harm

a

a — To, at (preposition indicating direction or location)

stento

stento — Difficulty; a stento means barely, hardly

osando

osando — Daring, venturing to do something bold

credere

credere — To believe, to trust, to have faith

che

che — That, which, who (conjunction or pronoun)

sul

sul — On the (contraction of su + il)

suolo

suolo — Soil, ground, territory of a nation

americano

americano — American, relating to America

si

si — Reflexive or impersonal pronoun (oneself, one)

potesse

potesse — Could, might (imperfect subjunctive of potere)

trovare

trovare — To find, to encounter, to locate

bianco

bianco — White; here refers to a white person

lo

lo — Him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)

avrebbe

avrebbe — Would have (conditional of avere)

assistito

assistito — Assisted, helped, aided someone in need

ad

ad — To, at (variant of a before vowels)

ogni

ogni — Every, each, any

rischio

rischio — Risk, danger, potential for harm

amore

amore — Love, deep affection for someone or something

Dio

Dio — God, the supreme divine being

dell'

dell' — Of the (contraction of di + l')

umanità

umanità — Humanity, humankind, the quality of being human

Capace

capace — Capable, able, having the necessary ability

grandi

grandi — Great, large, significant (plural adjective)

traguardi

traguardi — Goals, achievements, milestones to be reached

come

come — As, like, how (conjunction or adverb)

essere

essere — To be (infinitive); also noun: a being

intellettuale

intellettuale — Intellectual, relating to the mind and reasoning

morale

morale — Moral, relating to ethics and right conduct

bisognoso

bisognoso — Needy, in need of, requiring something

nient'

nient' — Nothing (elided form of niente before vowel)

altro

altro — Other, another, else

una

una — A, an (feminine indefinite article)

quantità

quantità — Quantity, amount, a measured portion of something

relativamente

relativamente — Relatively, comparatively, in relation to something else

piccola

piccola — Small, little, of limited size

istruzione

istruzione — Education, instruction, formal learning

farne

farne — To make of him/it (fare + ne combined)

ornamento

ornamento — Ornament, adornment, enriching contribution to society

della

della — Of the (contraction of di + la, feminine)

società

società — Society, community, organized group of people

benedizione

benedizione — Blessing, a beneficial gift or divine favor

sua

sua — His, her, its (feminine possessive adjective)

gente

gente — People, folk, a group of persons

legge

legge — Law, legal rule; also third person reads

del

del — Of the (contraction of di + il, masculine)

paese

paese — Country, nation; also small town or village

voce

voce — Voice, spoken sound; also vote in older usage

popolo

popolo — People, the populace, citizens of a nation

i

i — The (masculine plural definite article)

termini

termini — Terms, words, conditions within a context

codice

codice — Code, legal code, set of laws or rules

schiavi

schiavi — Slaves, people held in bondage (plural)

egli

egli — He (formal or literary third person pronoun)

era

era — Was (imperfect tense of essere)

soltanto

soltanto — Only, merely, just, nothing more than

pezzo

pezzo — Piece, bit, part of a larger whole

proprietà

proprietà — Property, ownership, something owned by someone

bestia

bestia — Beast, animal, creature used as a derogatory term

da

da — From, by, as (preposition with multiple uses)

soma

soma — Burden, load; bestia da soma means beast of burden

bene

bene — Good, well; also a possession or asset

mobile

mobile — Movable; bene mobile means movable property

nondimeno

nondimeno — Nevertheless, nonetheless, despite all this

Un

un — A, an (masculine indefinite article)

caro

caro — Dear, beloved, cherished friend or person

amico

amico — Friend, a close personal companion

convinse

convinse — Convinced, persuaded someone to do something

il

il — The (masculine singular definite article)

signor

signor — Mister, sir (title of respect before a name)

rivolgersi

rivolgersi — To address, to turn to, to speak to someone

alla

alla — To the (contraction of a + la, feminine)

convenzione

convenzione — Convention, formal assembly or gathering of people

Egli

egli — He (literary/formal subject pronoun, third person)

avvicinò

avvicinò — Approached, drew near to something or someone

podio

podio — Podium, raised platform for a public speaker

con

con — With (preposition indicating accompaniment or manner)

esitazione

esitazione — Hesitation, uncertainty before taking an action

imbarazzo

imbarazzo — Embarrassment, awkwardness, feeling of discomfort

necessariamente

necessariamente — Necessarily, inevitably, as a required consequence

propri

propri — Own, one's own (masculine plural possessive adjective)

mente

mente — Mind, the faculty of thought and consciousness

sensibile

sensibile — Sensitive, perceptive, easily affected by emotions

in

in — In, into (preposition of place or state)

posizione

posizione — Position, situation, place in a circumstance

così

così — So, such, in this way

insolita

insolita — Unusual, uncommon, not ordinary or expected

Dopo

dopo — After, following in time or sequence

essersi

essersi — Having been, to have (reflexive infinitive of essere)

scusato

scusato — Apologized, excused oneself for a shortcoming

ignoranza

ignoranza — Ignorance, lack of knowledge or education

aver

aver — Having (shortened infinitive of avere, auxiliary)

ricordato

ricordato — Reminded, recalled something to someone's attention

pubblico

pubblico — Audience, public, group of assembled listeners

schiavitù

schiavitù — Slavery, the institution of owning human beings

cattiva

cattiva — Bad, poor, wicked (feminine adjective)

scuola

scuola — School, place or system of learning

l'

l' — The (elided definite article before a vowel)

cuore

cuore — Heart, the emotional or moral center of a person

umano

umano — Human, relating to people or humanity

procedette

procedette — Proceeded, went on to do the next thing

narrare

narrare — To narrate, to tell, to recount a story

alcuni

alcuni — Some, a few (masculine plural indefinite adjective)

dei

dei — Of the (contraction of di + i, masculine plural)

fatti

fatti — Facts, events, things that actually happened

storia

storia — Story, history, account of past events

nel

nel — In the (contraction of in + il, masculine)

corso

corso — Course, duration; nel corso di means during

suo

suo — His, her, its (masculine possessive adjective)

discorso

discorso — Speech, discourse, formal public address

diede

diede — Gave (past tense of dare)

molti

molti — Many, numerous (masculine plural adjective)

pensieri

pensieri — Thoughts, ideas, mental reflections

nobili

nobili — Noble, elevated, of high moral quality

riflessioni

riflessioni — Reflections, thoughtful considerations on a topic

appassionanti

appassionanti — Passionate, stirring, deeply moving and engaging