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The Brothers Karamazov — Page 1

English → De Chapter II. Level 8/10

He Gets Rid Of His Eldest Son

Er wird seinen ältesten Sohn los

You can easily imagine what a father such a man could be and how he would bring up his children.

Man kann sich leicht vorstellen, was für ein Vater ein solcher Mann sein konnte und wie er seine Kinder erziehen würde.

His behavior as a father was exactly what might be expected.

Sein Verhalten als Vater war genau das, was man hätte erwarten können.

He completely abandoned the child of his marriage with Adelaïda Ivanovna, not from malice, nor because of his matrimonial grievances, but simply because he forgot him.

Er verließ das Kind aus seiner Ehe mit Adelaïda Iwanowna vollständig, nicht aus Bosheit, noch wegen seiner ehelichen Beschwerden, sondern einfach weil er ihn vergaß.

While he was wearying every one with his tears and complaints, and turning his house into a sink of debauchery, a faithful servant of the family, Grigory, took the three-year-old Mitya into his care.

Während er alle mit seinen Tränen und Klagen ermüdete und sein Haus in eine Stätte der Ausschweifung verwandelte, nahm ein treuer Diener der Familie, Grigori, den dreijährigen Mitja in seine Obhut.

If he hadn't looked after him there would have been no one even to change the baby's little shirt.

Wenn er sich nicht um ihn gekümmert hätte, wäre niemand dagewesen, der dem Kind auch nur das Hemdchen gewechselt hätte.

It happened moreover that the child's relations on his mother's side forgot him too at first.

Es geschah überdies, dass die Verwandten des Kindes mütterlicherseits ihn zunächst ebenfalls vergaßen.

His grandfather was no longer living, his widow, Mitya's grandmother, had moved to Moscow, and was seriously ill, while his daughters were married, so that Mitya remained for almost a whole year in old Grigory's charge and lived with him in the servant's cottage.

Sein Großvater lebte nicht mehr, seine Witwe, Mitjas Großmutter, war nach Moskau gezogen und schwer krank, während seine Töchter verheiratet waren, sodass Mitja fast ein ganzes Jahr unter der Obhut des alten Grigori blieb und bei ihm in der Gesindehütte lebte.

But if his father had remembered him (he could not, indeed, have been altogether unaware of his existence) he would have sent him back to the cottage, as the child would only have been in the way of his debaucheries.

Aber wenn sein Vater sich an ihn erinnert hätte (er konnte sich seiner Existenz freilich nicht völlig unbewusst gewesen sein), hätte er ihn zurück in die Hütte geschickt, da das Kind seinen Ausschweifungen nur im Wege gewesen wäre.

But a cousin of Mitya's mother, Pyotr Alexandrovitch Miüsov, happened to return from Paris.

Aber ein Vetter von Mitjas Mutter, Pjotr Alexandrowitsch Mjussow, kehrte zufällig aus Paris zurück.

Vocabulary

wird
Third person singular present of 'werden', meaning 'will/becomes'
seinen
Accusative masculine possessive pronoun meaning 'his'
ältesten
Superlative adjective meaning 'oldest' in declined form
Sohn
Noun meaning 'son', a male child
los
Particle meaning 'rid of' or 'let's go'
Man
Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one' or 'people generally'
kann
Modal verb meaning 'can' or 'is able to'
sich
Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'themselves'
leicht
Adjective or adverb meaning 'easy' or 'easily'
vorstellen
Verb meaning 'to imagine' or 'to introduce'
was
Pronoun or conjunction meaning 'what' or 'that'
für
Preposition meaning 'for' indicating purpose or type
Vater
Noun meaning 'father', a male parent
solcher
Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'such a' or 'such'
Mann
Noun meaning 'man' or 'husband'
sein
Verb meaning 'to be'; also possessive 'his'
konnte
Past tense of 'können', meaning 'was able to' or 'could'
wie
Conjunction or adverb meaning 'how' or 'as'
seine
Possessive pronoun meaning 'his' in nominative/accusative form
Kinder
Plural noun meaning 'children'
erziehen
Verb meaning 'to raise' or 'to educate children'
würde
Conditional form of 'werden', meaning 'would'
Sein
Possessive pronoun or verb 'to be'; here meaning 'his'
Verhalten
Noun meaning 'behavior' or 'conduct' of a person
als
Conjunction meaning 'as' or 'when' in comparisons
war
Past tense of 'sein', meaning 'was'
genau
Adverb or adjective meaning 'exactly' or 'precise'
hätte
Subjunctive past of 'haben', meaning 'would have'
erwarten
Verb meaning 'to expect' or 'to await'
können
Modal verb meaning 'to be able to' or 'can'
verließ
Past tense of 'verlassen', meaning 'abandoned' or 'left'
Kind
Noun meaning 'child', a young person
aus
Preposition meaning 'from' or 'out of'
seiner
Genitive/dative possessive pronoun meaning 'his'
Ehe
Noun meaning 'marriage' or 'matrimony'
mit
Preposition meaning 'with' indicating accompaniment
vollständig
Adverb or adjective meaning 'completely' or 'entirely'
Bosheit
Noun meaning 'malice' or 'wickedness'
noch
Conjunction or adverb meaning 'nor' or 'still'
wegen
Preposition meaning 'because of' or 'due to'
ehelichen
Adjective meaning 'marital' or 'conjugal', relating to marriage
Beschwerden
Plural noun meaning 'complaints' or 'grievances'
sondern
Conjunction meaning 'but rather', correcting a negation
einfach
Adjective or adverb meaning 'simple' or 'simply'
weil
Conjunction meaning 'because', introducing a causal clause
ihn
Accusative personal pronoun meaning 'him'
vergaß
Past tense of 'vergessen', meaning 'forgot'
Während
Conjunction or preposition meaning 'while' or 'during'
alle
Pronoun or adjective meaning 'all' or 'everyone'
Tränen
Plural noun meaning 'tears', drops from crying
Klagen
Plural noun meaning 'complaints' or 'laments'
ermüdete
Past tense of 'ermüden', meaning 'exhausted' or 'tired out'
Haus
Noun meaning 'house' or 'home'
Stätte
Noun meaning 'place' or 'site', often formal usage
Ausschweifung
Noun meaning 'debauchery' or 'excess', immoral indulgence
verwandelte
Past tense of 'verwandeln', meaning 'transformed' or 'turned into'
nahm
Past tense of 'nehmen', meaning 'took'
treuer
Adjective meaning 'faithful' or 'loyal'
Diener
Noun meaning 'servant' or 'attendant'
Familie
Noun meaning 'family', a group of related people
dreijährigen
Adjective meaning 'three-year-old' in declined form
Obhut
Noun meaning 'care' or 'custody', protection of someone
Wenn
Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'when' in conditionals
um
Preposition meaning 'around', 'at', or 'for'
gekümmert
Past participle of 'kümmern', meaning 'cared for'
wäre
Subjunctive past of 'sein', meaning 'would be'
niemand
Pronoun meaning 'nobody' or 'no one'
dagewesen
Past participle of 'dasein', meaning 'been there/present'
auch
Adverb meaning 'also' or 'even'
nur
Adverb meaning 'only' or 'just'
Hemdchen
Diminutive noun meaning 'little shirt' or 'small garment'
gewechselt
Past participle of 'wechseln', meaning 'changed' or 'exchanged'
geschah
Past tense of 'geschehen', meaning 'happened' or 'occurred'
überdies
Adverb meaning 'moreover' or 'besides', adding information
dass
Conjunction meaning 'that', introducing a subordinate clause
Verwandten
Plural noun meaning 'relatives' or 'family members'
Kindes
Genitive form of 'Kind', meaning 'of the child'
mütterlicherseits
Adverb meaning 'on the mother's side', maternal relatives
zunächst
Adverb meaning 'at first' or 'initially'
ebenfalls
Adverb meaning 'likewise' or 'also'
vergaßen
Past tense plural of 'vergessen', meaning 'forgot'
Großvater
Noun meaning 'grandfather', father's or mother's father
lebte
Past tense of 'leben', meaning 'lived'
mehr
Adverb or adjective meaning 'more' or 'no longer'
Witwe
Noun meaning 'widow', a woman whose husband has died
Großmutter
Noun meaning 'grandmother', father's or mother's mother
nach
Preposition meaning 'to', 'after', or 'according to'
gezogen
Past participle of 'ziehen', meaning 'moved' or 'gone'
schwer
Adjective or adverb meaning 'heavy', 'difficult', or 'seriously'
krank
Adjective meaning 'sick' or 'ill'
während
Conjunction or preposition meaning 'while' or 'during'
Töchter
Plural noun meaning 'daughters'
verheiratet
Adjective or past participle meaning 'married'
waren
Past tense plural of 'sein', meaning 'were'
sodass
Conjunction meaning 'so that', indicating result
fast
Adverb meaning 'almost' or 'nearly'
ganzes
Adjective meaning 'whole' or 'entire' in neuter form
Jahr
Noun meaning 'year', a unit of time
unter
Preposition meaning 'under', 'among', or 'below'
alten
Adjective meaning 'old' in declined form
blieb
Past tense of 'bleiben', meaning 'stayed' or 'remained'
bei
Preposition meaning 'at', 'near', or 'with'
ihm
Dative personal pronoun meaning 'him' or 'it'
Gesindehütte
Noun meaning 'servants' quarters' or 'servant's cottage'
Aber
Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing a contrasting statement
wenn
Conjunction meaning 'when' or 'if' in subordinate clauses
an
Preposition meaning 'at', 'on', or 'to'
erinnert
Past participle of 'erinnern', meaning 'remembered' or 'reminded'
Existenz
Noun meaning 'existence' or 'presence'
freilich
Adverb meaning 'of course' or 'admittedly'
völlig
Adverb or adjective meaning 'completely' or 'utterly'
unbewusst
Adjective meaning 'unconscious' or 'unaware'
gewesen
Past participle of 'sein', meaning 'been'
zurück
Adverb meaning 'back' indicating return direction
Hütte
Noun meaning 'hut' or 'cottage', a small simple dwelling
geschickt
Past participle of 'schicken', meaning 'sent'; also 'skillful'
da
Adverb or conjunction meaning 'there', 'then', or 'since'
Ausschweifungen
Plural noun meaning 'debauches' or 'excesses'
Wege
Dative of 'Weg', meaning 'way' or 'path'; 'in the way'
Vetter
Noun meaning 'male cousin' or 'cousin'
von
Preposition meaning 'from' or 'of'
Mutter
Noun meaning 'mother', a female parent
kehrte
Past tense of 'kehren', meaning 'returned' or 'turned back'
zufällig
Adverb or adjective meaning 'by chance' or 'accidental'
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