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Sense and Sensibility — Page 3

English → It CHAPTER I. Level 7/10

Dashwood had wished for it more for the sake of his wife and daughters than for himself or his son;—but to his son, and his son's son, a child of four years old, it was secured, in such a way, as to leave to himself no power of providing for those who were most dear to him, and who most needed a provision by any charge on the estate, or by any sale of its valuable woods.

Dashwood lo aveva desiderato più per il bene di sua moglie e delle sue figlie che per se stesso o per suo figlio; ma a suo figlio, e al figlio di suo figlio, un bambino di quattro anni, fu assicurato, in modo tale da non lasciargli alcun potere di provvedere a coloro che gli erano più cari, e che più avevano bisogno di una sistemazione, tramite alcun onere sulla proprietà o tramite la vendita dei suoi preziosi boschi.

The whole was tied up for the benefit of this child, who, in occasional visits with his father and mother at Norland, had so far gained on the affections of his uncle, by such attractions as are by no means unusual in children of two or three years old; an imperfect articulation, an earnest desire of having his own way, many cunning tricks, and a great deal of noise, as to outweigh all the value of all the attention which, for years, he had received from his niece and her daughters.

Il tutto era vincolato a beneficio di questo bambino, che, nelle occasionali visite con suo padre e sua madre a Norland, aveva fino ad allora conquistato l'affetto di suo zio, grazie a quelle attrattive che non sono affatto insolite nei bambini di due o tre anni: una pronuncia imperfetta, un ardente desiderio di fare a modo suo, molti piccoli trucchi astuti e un gran fracasso, al punto da superare tutto il valore di tutta l'attenzione che, per anni, egli aveva ricevuto dalla nipote e dalle sue figlie.

He meant not to be unkind, however, and, as a mark of his affection for the three girls, he left them a thousand pounds a-piece.

Non intendeva essere crudele, tuttavia, e, come segno del suo affetto per le tre ragazze, lasciò loro mille sterline ciascuna.

Mr. Dashwood's disappointment was, at first, severe; but his temper was cheerful and sanguine; and he might reasonably hope to live many years, and by living economically, lay by a considerable sum from the produce of an estate already large, and capable of almost immediate improvement.

La delusione del signor Dashwood fu, dapprima, profonda; ma il suo carattere era allegro e ottimista; e poteva ragionevolmente sperare di vivere ancora molti anni, e vivendo con parsimonia, mettere da parte una somma considerevole dai proventi di una proprietà già vasta e suscettibile di un miglioramento quasi immediato.

Vocabulary

lo
Him; masculine singular direct object pronoun.
aveva
He/she had; third person singular past imperfect of avere.
desiderato
Desired, wished for; past participle of desiderare.
più
More; comparative adverb indicating greater degree.
per
For, through; versatile preposition indicating purpose or direction.
il
The; masculine singular definite article.
bene
Good, well-being; welfare or benefit of someone.
di
Of, from; common preposition indicating possession or origin.
sua
His, her; feminine singular possessive adjective.
moglie
Wife; a man's female spouse or partner.
e
And; basic coordinating conjunction joining elements.
delle
Of the; contraction of preposition di and article le.
sue
His, her; feminine plural possessive adjective.
figlie
Daughters; female children of a parent.
che
That, than, who; multipurpose conjunction or relative pronoun.
se
Himself, herself; reflexive pronoun or conditional conjunction.
stesso
Himself, same; emphatic pronoun indicating identity or similarity.
o
Or; disjunctive conjunction presenting alternatives.
suo
His, her; masculine singular possessive adjective.
figlio
Son; male child of a parent.
ma
But; adversative conjunction introducing a contrasting idea.
a
To, at; preposition indicating direction, location, or indirect object.
al
To the; contraction of preposition a and article il.
un
A, an; masculine singular indefinite article.
bambino
Child, baby boy; young male child or infant.
quattro
Four; cardinal number between three and five.
anni
Years; plural of anno, unit of time measurement.
fu
Was; third person singular of essere in past historic.
assicurato
Secured, ensured; past participle of assicurare meaning guaranteed.
in
In, into; preposition indicating location or movement.
modo
Way, manner; method or fashion of doing something.
tale
Such, such a; adjective indicating a particular kind or degree.
da
From, by, since; preposition indicating origin, agent, or duration.
non
Not; basic negation adverb used to negate verbs.
lasciargli
To leave him; infinitive lasciare combined with indirect pronoun gli.
alcun
Any, some; adjective used in negative contexts meaning no.
potere
Power, ability; noun meaning authority or the verb to be able.
provvedere
To provide for; infinitive meaning to supply or take care of.
coloro
Those, those people; plural demonstrative pronoun referring to persons.
gli
To him, the; indirect pronoun or masculine plural article.
erano
Were; third person plural past imperfect of essere.
cari
Dear, beloved; plural adjective meaning cherished or expensive.
avevano
They had; third person plural past imperfect of avere.
bisogno
Need; necessity or requirement for something essential.
una
A, an; feminine singular indefinite article.
sistemazione
Arrangement, settlement; provision of housing or financial security.
tramite
Through, by means of; preposition indicating an intermediary or method.
onere
Burden, charge; legal or financial obligation placed on property.
sulla
On the; contraction of preposition su and article la.
proprietà
Property, estate; real estate or ownership of land and buildings.
la
The, her; feminine singular definite article or direct pronoun.
vendita
Sale; the act of selling goods or property.
dei
Of the; contraction of preposition di and article i.
suoi
His, her; masculine plural possessive adjective.
preziosi
Precious, valuable; plural adjective meaning of great worth or beauty.
boschi
Woods, forests; plural of bosco meaning wooded land.
Il
The; masculine singular definite article starting a sentence.
tutto
Everything, all; pronoun or adjective meaning the whole of something.
era
Was; third person singular past imperfect of essere.
vincolato
Tied, bound; past participle meaning legally restricted or encumbered.
beneficio
Benefit, advantage; gain or profit derived from something.
questo
This; masculine singular demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
nelle
In the; contraction of preposition in and article le.
occasionali
Occasional; plural adjective meaning happening from time to time.
visite
Visits; plural noun meaning trips to see someone or somewhere.
con
With; preposition indicating accompaniment or association.
padre
Father; male parent of a child.
madre
Mother; female parent of a child.
fino
Until, up to; preposition indicating a limit in time or space.
ad
To, up to; variant of a used before vowels.
allora
Then, at that time; adverb indicating a past moment or consequence.
conquistato
Won, conquered; past participle meaning gained through effort or charm.
l'
The; elided form of il or la before a vowel.
affetto
Affection, love; warm emotional attachment toward someone.
zio
Uncle; a parent's brother or honorary male relative.
grazie
Thanks to, because of; preposition or expression of gratitude.
quelle
Those; feminine plural demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
attrattive
Attractions, charms; appealing qualities or characteristics of a person.
sono
Are, I am; first or third person plural present of essere.
affatto
At all, not at all; adverb used to emphasize negation.
insolite
Unusual, uncommon; feminine plural adjective meaning out of the ordinary.
nei
In the; contraction of preposition in and article i.
bambini
Children; plural noun referring to young boys or children generally.
due
Two; cardinal number between one and three.
tre
Three; cardinal number between two and four.
pronuncia
Pronunciation; the way words are articulated and spoken.
imperfetta
Imperfect, flawed; feminine adjective meaning not fully developed or correct.
ardente
Ardent, burning; adjective meaning intense or passionate in desire.
desiderio
Desire, wish; strong feeling of wanting something.
fare
To do, to make; fundamental infinitive verb of action.
molti
Many; masculine plural adjective indicating a large number.
piccoli
Small, little; masculine plural adjective indicating small size.
trucchi
Tricks; clever or mischievous acts performed to amuse.
astuti
Cunning, clever; masculine plural adjective meaning shrewd or crafty.
gran
Great, big; shortened form of grande before a noun.
fracasso
Noise, racket; loud disruptive sound or commotion.
punto
Point, extent; noun indicating a degree or specific moment.
superare
To surpass, overcome; infinitive meaning to exceed or go beyond.
valore
Value, worth; importance or monetary worth of something.
tutta
All, whole; feminine singular adjective meaning the entirety of.
attenzione
Attention; focus or care directed toward a person or thing.
egli
He; formal masculine third person singular subject pronoun.
ricevuto
Received; past participle of ricevere meaning obtained or welcomed.
dalla
From the; contraction of preposition da and article la.
nipote
Niece, nephew, grandchild; relative of the next or second generation.
dalle
From the; contraction of preposition da and article le.
Non
Not; negation adverb used to negate a verb.
intendeva
Intended, meant; third person singular past imperfect of intendere.
essere
To be; fundamental infinitive verb of existence or state.
crudele
Cruel; adjective describing someone who causes pain or suffering.
tuttavia
Nevertheless, however; conjunctive adverb introducing a contrasting idea.
come
As, how, like; conjunction or adverb of comparison or manner.
segno
Sign, token; mark or gesture indicating something else.
del
Of the; contraction of preposition di and article il.
le
The, to her; feminine plural article or indirect pronoun.
ragazze
Girls; plural noun referring to young female persons.
lasciò
Left, bequeathed; third person singular past historic of lasciare.
loro
Their, them, to them; third person plural pronoun or possessive.
mille
One thousand; cardinal number equal to ten hundred.
sterline
Pounds sterling; British currency units, plural of sterlina.
ciascuna
Each one; feminine singular pronoun or adjective meaning every individual.
La
The; feminine singular definite article beginning a sentence.
delusione
Disappointment; feeling of sadness after unmet expectations.
signor
Mr., gentleman; title of address for an adult male.
dapprima
At first, initially; adverb indicating the beginning of a situation.
profonda
Deep, profound; feminine adjective indicating great intensity or depth.
carattere
Character, nature; personality traits defining a person.
allegro
Cheerful, merry; adjective describing a happy and lively disposition.
ottimista
Optimistic; adjective or noun describing a positive outlook on life.
poteva
Could, was able to; third person singular past imperfect of potere.
ragionevolmente
Reasonably; adverb meaning in a sensible or logical manner.
sperare
To hope; infinitive meaning to wish or expect something good.
vivere
To live; infinitive meaning to be alive or experience life.
ancora
Still, yet, again; adverb indicating continuation or repetition.
vivendo
Living, by living; gerund of vivere indicating simultaneous action.
parsimonia
Thrift, frugality; careful and economical use of resources.
mettere
To put, to set aside; infinitive meaning to place something somewhere.
parte
Part, aside; portion of something or a side or direction.
somma
Sum, amount; total quantity of money or numbers added together.
considerevole
Considerable; adjective meaning notably large or significant in amount.
dai
From the; contraction of preposition da and article i.
proventi
Proceeds, revenues; income or profits derived from a source.
già
Already, formerly; adverb indicating something happened before now.
vasta
Vast, extensive; feminine adjective meaning large in area or scope.
suscettibile
Susceptible, capable; adjective meaning open to improvement or influence.
miglioramento
Improvement; the process of becoming or making something better.
quasi
Almost, nearly; adverb indicating something close to completion.
immediato
Immediate; adjective meaning happening without delay or very soon.
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