Sense and Sensibility — Page 5

English → Fr CHAPTER II. Level 7/10

Certainly not; but if you observe, people always live for ever when there is an annuity to be paid them; and she is very stout and healthy, and hardly forty.

Certainement pas ; mais si vous observez, les gens vivent toujours éternellement quand il y a une rente à leur verser ; et elle est très robuste et en bonne santé, et à peine quarante ans.

An annuity is a very serious business; it comes over and over every year, and there is no getting rid of it.

Une rente est une affaire très sérieuse ; elle revient encore et encore chaque année, et il n'y a aucun moyen de s'en débarrasser.

You are not aware of what you are doing.

Vous ne savez pas ce que vous faites.

I have known a great deal of the trouble of annuities; for my mother was clogged with the payment of three to old superannuated servants by my father's will, and it is amazing how disagreeable she found it.

J'ai beaucoup connu les ennuis des rentes ; car ma mère était accablée par le versement de trois rentes à de vieux serviteurs mis à la retraite, par la volonté de mon père, et il est étonnant comme elle trouvait cela désagréable.

Twice every year these annuities were to be paid; and then there was the trouble of getting it to them; and then one of them was said to have died, and afterwards it turned out to be no such thing.

Deux fois par an ces rentes devaient être versées ; et puis il y avait la peine de les leur faire parvenir ; et puis l'un d'eux était censé être mort, et il s'avéra ensuite qu'il n'en était rien.

My mother was quite sick of it.

Ma mère en avait tout à fait assez.

Her income was not her own, she said, with such perpetual claims on it; and it was the more unkind in my father, because, otherwise, the money would have been entirely at my mother's disposal, without any restriction whatever.

Son revenu n'était pas le sien, disait-elle, avec de telles réclamations perpétuelles sur celui-ci ; et c'était d'autant plus cruel de la part de mon père, parce que, autrement, l'argent aurait été entièrement à la disposition de ma mère, sans aucune restriction quelconque.

It has given me such an abhorrence of annuities, that I am sure I would not pin myself down to the payment of one for all the world."

Cela m'a donné une telle horreur des rentes, que je suis sûre que je ne m'engagerais pas à en verser une pour rien au monde. »

"It is certainly an unpleasant thing," replied Mr. Dashwood, "to have those kind of yearly drains on one's income.

« C'est certes une chose désagréable, » répondit M. Dashwood, « que d'avoir ces sortes de ponctions annuelles sur ses revenus.

One's fortune, as your mother justly says, is _not_ one's own.

Sa fortune, comme votre mère le dit à juste titre, n'est _pas_ la sienne.

Vocabulary

Certainement: Certainly; used to express agreement or confirmation.
pas: Not; used in negation with 'ne'.
mais: But; conjunction used to contrast two ideas.
si: If; or 'yes' in response to negation.
vous: You; formal or plural second-person pronoun.
observez: You observe; to notice or watch carefully.
les: The; definite article for plural nouns.
gens: People; referring to persons in general.
vivent: Live; third-person plural of 'vivre'.
toujours: Always; or still, indicating continuity.
éternellement: Eternally; living or lasting forever without end.
quand: When; conjunction or adverb indicating time.
il: He or it; third-person singular masculine pronoun.
y: There; adverbial pronoun replacing a location.
a: Has; third-person singular of 'avoir' (to have).
une: A/an; indefinite article for feminine singular nouns.
rente: Annuity or pension; regular income paid periodically.
à: To/at; preposition indicating direction or purpose.
leur: Their or to them; possessive or indirect pronoun.
verser: To pay or pour; to transfer money to someone.
et: And; basic coordinating conjunction joining elements.
elle: She or it; third-person singular feminine pronoun.
est: Is; third-person singular of 'être' (to be).
très: Very; adverb intensifying an adjective or adverb.
robuste: Robust; strong and healthy in constitution.
en: In/on; preposition indicating state or location.
bonne: Good; feminine form of 'bon', meaning healthy here.
santé: Health; the condition of one's physical wellbeing.
peine: Barely or trouble; hardly, scarcely reaching a point.
quarante: Forty; the number 40.
ans: Years; used to express age or duration.
Une: A/an; indefinite article for feminine singular nouns.
affaire: Matter or business; a situation requiring attention.
sérieuse: Serious; grave or significant in nature.
revient: Comes back; returns or recurs regularly.
encore: Again or still; indicating repetition or continuation.
chaque: Each or every; referring to individual items collectively.
année: Year; a full calendar year period.
n'y: Not there; negation combined with locative pronoun 'y'.
aucun: No or none; indicating total absence of something.
moyen: Means or way; a method to achieve something.
de: Of/from; very common preposition with multiple uses.
s'en: Oneself of it; reflexive pronoun combined with 'en'.
débarrasser: To get rid of; to free oneself from something.
Vous: You; formal second-person pronoun, singular or plural.
ne: Not; first part of French negation construction.
savez: Know; second-person plural of 'savoir' (to know).
ce: This/what; demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
que: What/that; relative or conjunction linking clauses.
faites: Do/make; second-person plural of 'faire'.
J'ai: I have; first-person singular of 'avoir'.
beaucoup: A lot; adverb indicating a large quantity.
connu: Known or experienced; past participle of 'connaître'.
ennuis: Troubles or worries; problems causing annoyance.
des: Some/of the; partitive or plural indefinite article.
rentes: Annuities; plural of 'rente', regular income payments.
car: Because/for; conjunction explaining a reason.
ma: My; first-person singular feminine possessive adjective.
mère: Mother; one's female parent.
était: Was; imperfect tense of 'être' (to be).
accablée: Overwhelmed or burdened; weighed down by something heavy.
par: By/through; preposition indicating agent or means.
le: The; definite article for masculine singular nouns.
versement: Payment; the act of paying or transferring money.
trois: Three; the number 3.
vieux: Old; adjective describing elderly or aged persons.
serviteurs: Servants; people employed to serve a household.
mis: Put/placed; past participle of 'mettre'.
la: The; definite article for feminine singular nouns.
retraite: Retirement; withdrawal from active working life.
volonté: Will or wish; desire or decision of someone.
mon: My; first-person singular masculine possessive adjective.
père: Father; one's male parent.
étonnant: Surprising; remarkable or astonishing in some way.
comme: How/as/like; conjunction or adverb of comparison.
trouvait: Found or considered; imperfect of 'trouver'.
cela: That; demonstrative pronoun referring to something distant.
désagréable: Unpleasant; causing discomfort or dissatisfaction.
Deux: Two; the number 2.
fois: Times; occurrences or instances of an event.
an: Year; a calendar year, used after numerals.
ces: These/those; plural demonstrative adjective.
devaient: Had to; imperfect of 'devoir', expressing obligation.
être: To be; fundamental linking or auxiliary verb.
versées: Paid out; feminine plural past participle of 'verser'.
puis: Then; adverb indicating sequence of events.
avait: Had; imperfect third-person singular of 'avoir'.
faire: To do/make; common verb with many uses.
parvenir: To reach or succeed; to manage to deliver something.
l'un: One of them; referring to one among a group.
d'eux: Of them; partitive referring to members of a group.
censé: Supposed to be; expected or considered to be.
mort: Dead; having ceased to live.
s'avéra: Turned out; proved to be upon closer examination.
ensuite: Then/afterwards; indicating what follows in sequence.
qu'il: That he; conjunction plus pronoun in subordinate clause.
n'en: Not of it; negation combined with pronoun 'en'.
rien: Nothing; pronoun indicating complete absence.
Ma: My; feminine possessive adjective, first person singular.
tout: All/quite/completely; adverb or adjective of totality.
fait: Done/made; past participle of 'faire', also 'fact'.
assez: Enough or quite; indicating sufficiency or moderation.
Son: His/her/its; third-person singular possessive adjective.
revenu: Income; money received regularly from work or assets.
n'était: Was not; imperfect negation of 'être'.
sien: His/hers; possessive pronoun indicating ownership.
disait-elle: She would say; imperfect inverted form of 'dire'.
avec: With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means.
telles: Such; feminine plural adjective indicating degree or kind.
réclamations: Claims or complaints; demands made upon someone's resources.
perpétuelles: Perpetual; constant and never-ending in nature.
sur: On/upon; preposition indicating position or subject.
celui-ci: This one; demonstrative pronoun referring to nearby item.
c'était: It was; imperfect form of 'c'est' (it is).
d'autant: All the more; intensifying a comparison or reason.
plus: More; comparative adverb or adjective of quantity.
cruel: Cruel; causing pain or suffering deliberately.
part: Part or side; share or aspect of something.
parce: Because; first part of 'parce que' causal conjunction.
autrement: Otherwise; in a different way or else.
l'argent: The money; silver or currency in general.
aurait: Would have; conditional of 'avoir'.
été: Been; past participle of 'être', also 'summer'.
entièrement: Entirely; completely, without any exception or reservation.
disposition: Disposal or arrangement; availability for one's use.
sans: Without; preposition indicating absence or lack.
restriction: Restriction; a limitation placed on use or freedom.
quelconque: Any whatsoever; of any kind, used for emphasis.
Cela: That; demonstrative pronoun for something previously mentioned.
m'a: Has given me; indirect object pronoun with 'avoir'.
donné: Given; past participle of 'donner' (to give).
telle: Such a; feminine singular demonstrative adjective of degree.
horreur: Horror; intense fear, revulsion, or strong dislike.
je: I; first-person singular subject pronoun.
suis: Am; first-person singular of 'être' (to be).
sûre: Sure/certain; confident about something, feminine form.
m'engagerais: I would commit; conditional of 's'engager' to oblige.
pour: For; preposition indicating purpose, duration, or exchange.
au: To the/at the; contraction of 'à le'.
monde: World; the earth, or people in general.
C'est: It is/that is; very common identifying expression.
certes: Certainly/admittedly; acknowledging a point as true.
chose: Thing; a general word for any object or matter.
répondit: Replied; simple past of 'répondre' (to answer).
M.: Mr.; abbreviation of 'Monsieur', a title of address.
d'avoir: To have; infinitive 'avoir' with elided preposition 'de'.
sortes: Sorts or kinds; varieties of something.
ponctions: Deductions or levies; amounts taken from one's income.
annuelles: Annual; occurring or calculated once every year.
ses: His/her/its; plural possessive adjective, third person.
revenus: Incomes or revenues; plural of 'revenu'.
Sa: His/her; feminine singular possessive adjective, third person.
fortune: Fortune or wealth; total accumulated financial assets.
votre: Your; second-person formal or plural possessive adjective.
dit: Says/said; third-person singular of 'dire' (to say).
juste: Just or right; fair, correct, or precisely so.
titre: Title or right; a legal or formal claim.
n'est: Is not; negated form of third-person singular 'être'.
_pas_: Not; emphasized negation, italicized for stress here.
sienne: Hers; feminine possessive pronoun indicating ownership.

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