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Piccolissima — Page 5

English → Fr Full Text Level 3/10

When, however, Piccolissima was two inches high, and lively as a grasshopper, she became restless in her cocoanut shell; she was desirous to get out of it, to walk, and to jump, and she not only deranged the clock, but she was in real danger.

Cependant, quand Piccolissima eut deux pouces de haut, et fut vive comme une sauterelle, elle devint agitée dans sa coquille de noix de coco ; elle désirait en sortir, marcher et sauter, et non seulement elle dérangeait la pendule, mais elle était en véritable danger.

She was now as much as seven years old, and she amused herself with all sorts of little pranks, and loving ways, with one of her brothers eighteen months old.

Elle avait maintenant jusqu'à sept ans, et elle s'amusait avec toutes sortes de petites espiègleries et de tendresses avec l'un de ses frères âgé de dix-huit mois.

The great boy, in a sort of ecstasy at some of the drolleries of his little sister, seized her and put her in his mouth, taking into it nearly the whole head of the poor little thing.

Le grand garçon, dans une sorte d'extase devant quelques-unes des drôleries de sa petite sœur, la saisit et la mit dans sa bouche, y englobant presque toute la tête de la pauvre petite.

Her cry was so shrill that the baby boy opened his jaws and let the unfortunate Piccolissima fall on the floor.

Son cri était si perçant que le petit garçon ouvrit les mâchoires et laissa tomber la malheureuse Piccolissima sur le sol.

She did not recover for a long time from this fall.

Elle ne se remit pas de longtemps de cette chute.

Another time, a large cat, a great mouser, ran after her, and it was with difficulty they rescued Piccolissima from the claws of Raminagrobis.

Une autre fois, un grand chat, excellent chasseur de souris, courut après elle, et c'est avec difficulté qu'ils arrachèrent Piccolissima aux griffes de Raminagrobis.

The father, Mr. Thumb, could not repress some anxiety about the fate of his amiable daughter, who had more than common intelligence, and who, by her extreme smallness, was exposed to so many dangers.

Le père, M. Pouce, ne pouvait réprimer une certaine anxiété quant au sort de son aimable fille, qui possédait une intelligence supérieure à la moyenne, et qui, en raison de son extrême petitesse, était exposée à tant de dangers.

Piccolissima did her best to acquire knowledge.

Piccolissima faisait de son mieux pour acquérir des connaissances.

She had the best intentions in the world; she desired in every thing to please all who approached her; but her extreme restlessness led her away in spite of herself.

Elle avait les meilleures intentions du monde ; elle désirait en toutes choses plaire à tous ceux qui l'approchaient ; mais son extrême agitation l'entraînait malgré elle.

Vocabulary

Cependant
However; nevertheless; used to contrast ideas.
quand
When; at the time that something occurs.
eut
Past historic of 'avoir'; had (third person singular).
deux
The number two; a basic cardinal number.
pouces
Inches or thumbs; units of measurement or body part.
de
Of, from; a very common French preposition.
haut
High, tall; describing elevated position or height.
et
And; basic coordinating conjunction joining elements.
fut
Past historic of 'être'; was (third person singular).
vive
Lively, vivacious; full of energy and spirit.
comme
Like, as; used for comparisons or manner.
une
A, an; indefinite article, feminine singular form.
sauterelle
Grasshopper; a jumping insect found in fields.
elle
She, her; third person feminine singular pronoun.
devint
Past historic of 'devenir'; became (third person singular).
agitée
Agitated, restless; in a state of excitement or unrest.
dans
In, inside; preposition indicating location within something.
sa
Her, his, its; possessive adjective for feminine nouns.
coquille
Shell; outer hard covering of a nut or mollusk.
noix
Nut or walnut; a hard-shelled edible seed or fruit.
coco
Coconut; tropical fruit with hard shell and white flesh.
désirait
Desired, wanted; imperfect tense of 'désirer'.
en
In, of it; preposition or pronoun with various uses.
sortir
To go out, to exit; leave an enclosed space.
marcher
To walk; to move on foot at a normal pace.
sauter
To jump, to leap; move suddenly off the ground.
non
No; a basic word of negation or refusal.
seulement
Only, merely; limiting something to a single element.
dérangeait
Disturbed, bothered; imperfect of 'déranger', to disturb.
la
The; definite article, feminine singular in French.
pendule
Clock or pendulum; a timekeeping device with swinging weight.
mais
But; conjunction expressing contrast or opposition.
était
Was; imperfect tense of 'être', third person singular.
véritable
Real, true, genuine; describing something authentically so.
danger
Danger; a situation involving risk or potential harm.
Elle
She; third person feminine singular subject pronoun.
avait
Had; imperfect tense of 'avoir', third person singular.
maintenant
Now; at the present moment in time.
jusqu'
Until, up to; preposition indicating a limit or boundary.
à
To, at, in; a very common French preposition.
sept
Seven; the cardinal number between six and eight.
ans
Years (of age); used to express someone's age.
s'
Reflexive pronoun 'se' elided before a vowel sound.
amusait
Amused herself; imperfect of 's'amuser', to have fun.
avec
With; preposition expressing accompaniment or manner.
toutes
All; feminine plural form of 'tout', meaning every.
sortes
Kinds, sorts, types; varieties of things or categories.
petites
Small, little; feminine plural adjective describing small size.
espiègleries
Pranks, mischief; playful and naughty tricks or antics.
tendresses
Tenderness, affections; gentle feelings of love and care.
l'
The; definite article elided before a vowel.
un
A, one; masculine indefinite article or cardinal number.
ses
His, her, its; possessive adjective for plural nouns.
frères
Brothers; male siblings in one's immediate family.
âgé
Aged, old; describing a person's age or elderly status.
dix-huit
Eighteen; the cardinal number between seventeen and nineteen.
mois
Month; one of twelve divisions of the calendar year.
Le
The; masculine singular definite article in French.
grand
Big, great, tall; adjective describing large size or stature.
garçon
Boy; a young male child or youth.
sorte
Sort, kind, type; a category or variety of something.
d'
Of, from; elided preposition 'de' before a vowel.
extase
Ecstasy, rapture; a state of overwhelming joy or delight.
devant
In front of, before; preposition indicating position ahead.
quelques-unes
Some (feminine); a few of a group of things.
des
Some, of the; partitive or plural indefinite article.
drôleries
Funny antics, drolleries; amusing or comical behaviors and acts.
petite
Small, little; feminine singular adjective for small size.
sœur
Sister; a female sibling in one's family.
saisit
Seized, grabbed; past historic of 'saisir', to grasp.
mit
Put, placed; past historic of 'mettre', third person singular.
bouche
Mouth; the facial opening used for eating and speaking.
y
There, it; adverbial pronoun replacing a place or thing.
englobant
Encompassing, engulfing; enclosing or surrounding something entirely.
presque
Almost, nearly; very close to but not quite.
toute
All, entire; feminine singular form of 'tout'.
tête
Head; the upper part of the human body.
pauvre
Poor, unfortunate; lacking resources or deserving pity.
Son
His, her, its; possessive adjective for masculine singular nouns.
cri
Cry, shout; a loud sound expressing emotion or pain.
si
So, if; used for intensity or conditional clauses.
perçant
Piercing, shrill; a sharp, penetrating sound or gaze.
que
That, than, which; conjunction or relative pronoun.
le
The; masculine singular definite article in French.
petit
Small, little; masculine singular adjective for small size.
ouvrit
Opened; past historic of 'ouvrir', third person singular.
les
The; plural definite article for masculine or feminine nouns.
mâchoires
Jaws; the bony structures forming the mouth framework.
laissa
Left, let; past historic of 'laisser', third person singular.
tomber
To fall; to drop or descend under gravity's force.
malheureuse
Unhappy, unfortunate; feminine adjective describing sadness or misfortune.
sur
On, upon; preposition indicating position on a surface.
sol
Floor, ground; the surface on which one stands.
ne
Not; negative particle used with 'pas' for negation.
se
Herself, himself; reflexive pronoun for third person.
remit
Recovered; past historic of 'se remettre', to recover.
pas
Not; part of the standard French negation 'ne...pas'.
longtemps
For a long time; a lengthy duration of time.
cette
This; feminine singular demonstrative adjective in French.
chute
Fall, drop; the act of falling or tumbling down.
Une
A, an; feminine singular indefinite article in French.
autre
Other, another; indicating a different or additional thing.
fois
Time, occasion; an instance or occurrence of something.
chat
Cat; a common domestic feline animal kept as pet.
excellent
Excellent; of very high quality or superior standard.
chasseur
Hunter; one who pursues and catches prey or game.
souris
Mouse; a small rodent often hunted by cats.
courut
Ran; past historic of 'courir', third person singular.
après
After, behind; preposition indicating following in time or space.
c'
It is; elided form of 'ce' before a vowel.
est
Is; third person singular present tense of 'être'.
difficulté
Difficulty; a condition involving trouble or complication.
qu'
That, which; elided form of 'que' before a vowel.
ils
They; masculine or mixed plural third person pronoun.
arrachèrent
Snatched away, tore; past historic of 'arracher', to snatch.
aux
To the, from the; contraction of 'à les'.
griffes
Claws; sharp curved nails of an animal's paw.
père
Father; a male parent in a family.
M.
Monsieur; French abbreviation for Mister, a title of address.
Pouce
Thumb or inch; also a name meaning very small person.
pouvait
Could, was able to; imperfect of 'pouvoir'.
réprimer
To repress, suppress; to hold back a feeling or action.
certaine
Certain, a certain; feminine adjective indicating a specific thing.
anxiété
Anxiety; a feeling of worry or nervous unease.
quant
As for, regarding; used in the phrase 'quant à'.
au
To the, at the; contraction of 'à le'.
sort
Fate, destiny; the outcome or fortune awaiting someone.
son
His, her, its; possessive adjective for masculine singular nouns.
aimable
Kind, amiable, likable; having a pleasant and friendly nature.
fille
Girl, daughter; a young female or one's female child.
qui
Who, which, that; relative or interrogative pronoun.
possédait
Possessed, had; imperfect of 'posséder', to own or have.
intelligence
Intelligence; the ability to learn and understand things.
supérieure
Superior, higher; feminine adjective meaning above average level.
moyenne
Average, mean; a middle level or standard measure.
raison
Reason; the ability to think logically or justification.
extrême
Extreme; at the highest or most intense degree possible.
petitesse
Smallness, tininess; the quality of being very small.
exposée
Exposed, subjected; vulnerable or open to potential dangers.
tant
So many, so much; indicating a large quantity or degree.
dangers
Dangers; situations involving risk or potential harm.
faisait
Did, made; imperfect of 'faire', third person singular.
mieux
Better, best; comparative or superlative of 'bien'.
pour
For, in order to; preposition expressing purpose or destination.
acquérir
To acquire, to obtain; to gain knowledge or possessions.
connaissances
Knowledge, acquaintances; things known or people one knows.
meilleures
Best, better; feminine plural superlative or comparative of 'bon'.
intentions
Intentions; plans or purposes one aims to carry out.
du
Of the, some; masculine singular contraction of 'de le'.
monde
World, people; the earth or a group of people.
choses
Things; objects, matters, or affairs of any kind.
plaire
To please; to give pleasure or satisfaction to someone.
tous
All, everyone; masculine plural form of 'tout'.
ceux
Those (ones); masculine plural demonstrative pronoun.
approchaient
Approached, came near; imperfect of 'approcher'.
agitation
Agitation, restlessness; a state of being excited or troubled.
entraînait
Led, dragged along; imperfect of 'entraîner', to carry away.
malgré
Despite, in spite of; regardless of opposing circumstances.
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