Sense and Sensibility — Page 4

English → It CHAPTER II. Level 7/10

"There is no knowing what _they_ may expect," said the lady, "but we are not to think of their expectations: the question is, what you can afford to do."

«Non c'è modo di sapere cosa _loro_ possano aspettarsi,» disse la signora, «ma non dobbiamo pensare alle loro aspettative: la questione è ciò che lei può permettersi di fare.»

"Certainly—and I think I may afford to give them five hundred pounds a-piece. As it is, without any addition of mine, they will each have about three thousand pounds on their mother's death—a very comfortable fortune for any young woman."

«Certamente—e penso di potermi permettere di dare loro cinquecento sterline ciascuna. Così com'è, senza alcuna aggiunta da parte mia, ciascuna avrà circa tremila sterline alla morte della madre—una fortuna molto confortevole per qualsiasi giovane donna.»

"To be sure it is; and, indeed, it strikes me that they can want no addition at all. They will have ten thousand pounds divided amongst them. If they marry, they will be sure of doing well, and if they do not, they may all live very comfortably together on the interest of ten thousand pounds."

«Certamente lo è; e, in effetti, mi viene in mente che non abbiano bisogno di alcuna aggiunta. Avranno diecimila sterline divise tra loro. Se si sposano, faranno sicuramente bene, e se non lo faranno, potranno tutte vivere molto comodamente insieme con gli interessi di diecimila sterline.»

"That is very true, and, therefore, I do not know whether, upon the whole, it would not be more advisable to do something for their mother while she lives, rather than for them—something of the annuity kind I mean.—My sisters would feel the good effects of it as well as herself. A hundred a year would make them all perfectly comfortable."

«È molto vero, e, quindi, non so se, tutto sommato, non sarebbe più consigliabile fare qualcosa per la loro madre mentre è in vita, piuttosto che per loro—qualcosa del tipo di una rendita annua intendo.—Le mie sorelle ne sentirebbero i buoni effetti quanto lei stessa. Cento sterline all'anno le renderebbe tutte perfettamente a proprio agio.»

His wife hesitated a little, however, in giving her consent to this plan.

Sua moglie esitò un poco, tuttavia, nel dare il suo consenso a questo piano.

"To be sure," said she, "it is better than parting with fifteen hundred pounds at once. But, then, if Mrs. Dashwood should live fifteen years we shall be completely taken in."

«Certamente,» disse lei, «è meglio che separarsi da millecinquecento sterline in una volta sola. Ma, allora, se la signora Dashwood dovesse vivere quindici anni saremo completamente fregati.»

"Fifteen years! my dear Fanny; her life cannot be worth half that purchase.

«Quindici anni! mia cara Fanny; la sua vita non può valere la metà di tale spesa.

Vocabulary

Non: Negation word meaning 'not' in Italian.
c': Contraction of 'ci' before a vowel.
è: Third person singular of 'essere'; means 'is'.
modo: Way, manner, or method of doing something.
di: Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'by'.
sapere: To know a fact or piece of information.
cosa: Thing; also used as 'what' in questions.
loro: Third person plural pronoun meaning 'they' or 'their'.
possano: Subjunctive form of 'potere'; meaning 'they can'.
aspettarsi: Reflexive verb meaning to expect something.
disse: Past tense of 'dire'; meaning 'said'.
la: Definite article feminine singular; meaning 'the'.
signora: Polite title for a woman; meaning 'Mrs.' or 'lady'.
ma: Conjunction meaning 'but', expressing contrast.
dobbiamo: First person plural of 'dovere'; meaning 'we must'.
pensare: To think about or consider something carefully.
alle: Contraction of 'a' and 'le'; meaning 'to the'.
aspettative: Expectations or hopes regarding a future outcome.
questione: Question, issue, or matter under discussion.
ciò: Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this thing'.
che: Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'.
lei: Third person singular feminine pronoun; meaning 'she'.
può: Third person singular of 'potere'; meaning 'can'.
permettersi: Reflexive verb meaning to afford or allow oneself.
fare: Infinitive verb meaning 'to do' or 'to make'.
Certamente: Adverb meaning 'certainly' or 'of course'.
penso: First person singular of 'pensare'; meaning 'I think'.
permettere: To allow, permit, or enable someone to do something.
dare: Infinitive verb meaning 'to give'.
cinquecento: The number five hundred in Italian.
sterline: Plural of 'sterlina'; British pounds sterling currency.
ciascuna: Feminine form of 'each one' or 'every one'.
Così: Adverb meaning 'so', 'thus', or 'in this way'.
com': Contraction of 'come' before vowel; meaning 'as' or 'like'.
senza: Preposition meaning 'without'.
alcuna: Feminine singular meaning 'any' or 'no' (negative context).
aggiunta: Addition or supplement added to something existing.
da: Preposition meaning 'from', 'by', or 'since'.
parte: Part, portion, or role in something larger.
mia: Possessive adjective feminine singular; meaning 'my'.
avrà: Third person singular future of 'avere'; meaning 'will have'.
circa: Adverb meaning 'approximately' or 'about'.
tremila: The number three thousand in Italian.
alla: Contraction of 'a' and 'la'; meaning 'at the' or 'to the'.
morte: Noun meaning 'death'.
della: Contraction of 'di' and 'la'; meaning 'of the'.
madre: Noun meaning 'mother'.
una: Indefinite article feminine singular; meaning 'a' or 'one'.
fortuna: Fortune, luck, or a large sum of money.
molto: Adverb or adjective meaning 'very' or 'much'.
confortevole: Adjective meaning 'comfortable' or 'pleasant'.
per: Preposition meaning 'for', 'per', or 'through'.
qualsiasi: Adjective meaning 'any' or 'whatever kind of'.
giovane: Adjective or noun meaning 'young' or 'young person'.
donna: Noun meaning 'woman'.
lo: Masculine singular direct object pronoun meaning 'it' or 'him'.
in: Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'.
effetti: Plural of 'effetto'; in 'in effetti' means 'in fact'.
mi: First person singular reflexive or object pronoun; 'me'.
viene: Third person singular of 'venire'; meaning 'comes'.
mente: Noun meaning 'mind'; in 'viene in mente' means 'occurs to'.
abbiano: Subjunctive of 'avere'; meaning 'that they have'.
bisogno: Need or necessity; 'avere bisogno' means 'to need'.
Avranno: Third person plural future of 'avere'; 'they will have'.
diecimila: The number ten thousand in Italian.
divise: Past participle of 'dividere'; meaning 'divided' or 'split'.
tra: Preposition meaning 'between', 'among', or 'within'.
Se: Conjunction meaning 'if'; introduces a conditional clause.
si: Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'themselves'.
sposano: Third person plural of 'sposarsi'; meaning 'they marry'.
faranno: Third person plural future of 'fare'; 'they will do'.
sicuramente: Adverb meaning 'surely', 'certainly', or 'definitely'.
potranno: Third person plural future of 'potere'; 'they will be able'.
tutte: Feminine plural of 'tutto'; meaning 'all' or 'everyone'.
vivere: Infinitive verb meaning 'to live'.
comodamente: Adverb meaning 'comfortably' or 'at ease'.
insieme: Adverb meaning 'together' or 'all at once'.
con: Preposition meaning 'with'.
gli: Definite article masculine plural; meaning 'the'.
interessi: Plural of 'interesse'; means 'interests' or financial 'interest'.
È: Third person singular of 'essere'; meaning 'is'.
vero: Adjective meaning 'true' or 'real'.
quindi: Conjunction meaning 'therefore', 'so', or 'then'.
so: First person singular of 'sapere'; meaning 'I know'.
tutto: Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all', 'every', or 'everything'.
sommato: Past participle; in 'tutto sommato' means 'all things considered'.
sarebbe: Conditional of 'essere'; meaning 'it would be'.
più: Adverb meaning 'more' or 'most'; comparative marker.
consigliabile: Adjective meaning 'advisable' or 'recommendable'.
qualcosa: Indefinite pronoun meaning 'something'.
mentre: Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'whereas'.
vita: Noun meaning 'life'.
piuttosto: Adverb meaning 'rather', 'quite', or 'instead'.
del: Contraction of 'di' and 'il'; meaning 'of the'.
tipo: Noun meaning 'type', 'kind', or 'sort'.
rendita: Income, revenue, or annuity received regularly.
annua: Feminine adjective meaning 'annual' or 'yearly'.
intendo: First person singular of 'intendere'; meaning 'I mean'.
Le: Definite article feminine plural 'the'; also indirect pronoun.
mie: Feminine plural possessive adjective meaning 'my'.
sorelle: Plural of 'sorella'; meaning 'sisters'.
ne: Pronoun meaning 'of it', 'of them', or 'some'.
sentirebbero: Conditional of 'sentire'; meaning 'they would feel'.
buoni: Masculine plural of 'buono'; meaning 'good' or 'benefits'.
quanto: Meaning 'as much as', 'how much', or 'as'.
stessa: Feminine form of 'stesso'; meaning 'same' or 'herself'.
Cento: The number one hundred in Italian.
all': Contraction of 'a' and 'l''; meaning 'at the' or 'to the'.
anno: Noun meaning 'year'.
renderebbe: Conditional of 'rendere'; meaning 'it would make' or 'render'.
perfettamente: Adverb meaning 'perfectly' or 'absolutely'.
agio: Ease, comfort; 'a proprio agio' means 'at ease'.
Sua: Formal possessive adjective feminine; meaning 'his/her/your'.
moglie: Noun meaning 'wife'.
esitò: Third person singular past of 'esitare'; meaning 'hesitated'.
un: Indefinite article masculine singular; meaning 'a' or 'one'.
poco: Adjective or adverb meaning 'a little' or 'few'.
tuttavia: Conjunction meaning 'however', 'nevertheless', or 'yet'.
nel: Contraction of 'in' and 'il'; meaning 'in the'.
suo: Possessive adjective masculine singular; meaning 'his', 'her'.
consenso: Consent, agreement, or approval given to something.
questo: Demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'this'.
piano: Plan, scheme; also means 'floor' or 'flat' or 'slowly'.
meglio: Comparative adverb meaning 'better'.
separarsi: Reflexive infinitive meaning 'to separate' or 'to part with'.
millecinquecento: The number one thousand five hundred in Italian.
volta: Noun meaning 'time', 'turn', or 'occasion'.
sola: Feminine adjective meaning 'alone', 'single', or 'only'.
Ma: Conjunction meaning 'but', expressing contrast or objection.
allora: Adverb meaning 'then', 'so', or 'at that time'.
dovesse: Subjunctive imperfect of 'dovere'; meaning 'should' or 'had to'.
quindici: The number fifteen in Italian.
anni: Plural of 'anno'; meaning 'years'.
saremo: First person plural future of 'essere'; 'we will be'.
completamente: Adverb meaning 'completely' or 'entirely'.
fregati: Colloquial past participle; meaning 'cheated' or 'done for'.
Quindici: The number fifteen; repeated here for emphasis.
cara: Feminine adjective meaning 'dear', 'beloved', or 'expensive'.
valere: Infinitive verb meaning 'to be worth' or 'to count'.
metà: Noun meaning 'half' or 'middle'.
tale: Adjective meaning 'such', 'such a', or 'that kind of'.
spesa: Expense, cost, or expenditure; also means 'shopping'.

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