The Brothers Karamazov — Page 1

English → Fr Chapter I. Level 8/10

Alexey Fyodorovitch Karamazov was the third son of Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov, a land owner well known in our district in his own day, and still remembered among us owing to his gloomy and tragic death, which happened thirteen years ago, and which I shall describe in its proper place.

Alexei Fiodorovitch Karamazov était le troisième fils de Fiodor Pavlovitch Karamazov, un propriétaire terrien très connu dans notre district en son temps, et dont on se souvient encore parmi nous en raison de sa mort sombre et tragique, survenue il y a treize ans, et que je décrirai en temps voulu.

For the present I will only say that this "landowner"—for so we used to call him, although he hardly spent a day of his life on his own estate—was a strange type, yet one pretty frequently to be met with, a type abject and vicious and at the same time senseless.

Pour l'instant, je dirai seulement que ce « propriétaire terrien » — car c'est ainsi que nous l'appelions, bien qu'il n'eût guère passé un seul jour de sa vie sur son propre domaine — était un type étrange, mais que l'on rencontre assez fréquemment, un type abject et vicieux, et en même temps insensé.

But he was one of those senseless persons who are very well capable of looking after their worldly affairs, and, apparently, after nothing else.

Mais il était l'un de ces êtres insensés qui sont tout à fait capables de veiller à leurs affaires terrestres, et, apparemment, à rien d'autre.

Fyodor Pavlovitch, for instance, began with next to nothing; his estate was of the smallest; he ran to dine at other men's tables, and fastened on them as a toady, yet at his death it appeared that he had a hundred thousand roubles in hard cash.

Fiodor Pavlovitch, par exemple, avait commencé avec presque rien ; son domaine était des plus modestes ; il courait dîner à la table des autres et s'y accrochait en véritable parasite, et pourtant, à sa mort, il apparut qu'il possédait cent mille roubles en argent liquide.

At the same time, he was all his life one of the most senseless, fantastical fellows in the whole district.

En même temps, il fut toute sa vie l'un des individus les plus insensés et les plus fantasques de tout le district.

I repeat, it was not stupidity—the majority of these fantastical fellows are shrewd and intelligent enough—but just senselessness, and a peculiar national form of it.

Je le répète, ce n'était pas de la stupidité — la majorité de ces individus fantasques sont suffisamment rusés et intelligents — mais simplement de l'insouciance, et une forme particulièrement nationale de celle-ci.

He was married twice, and had three sons, the eldest, Dmitri, by his first wife, and two, Ivan and Alexey, by his second.

Il s'était marié deux fois et avait eu trois fils : l'aîné, Dmitri, de sa première femme, et deux autres, Ivan et Alexei, de la seconde.

Vocabulary

était: ay-tay — Was; third-person singular past tense of 'être'.
le: luh — The; masculine singular definite article in French.
troisième: trwa-zyem — Third; ordinal number following second.
fils: feess — Son; male offspring of a parent.
de: duh — Of, from; common French preposition indicating possession or origin.
un: uhn — A, one; masculine singular indefinite article or number.
propriétaire: pro-pree-ay-tair — Owner, landlord; person who owns property or land.
terrien: teh-ryahn — Landowner; relating to land or earthly matters.
très: treh — Very; adverb intensifying an adjective or adverb.
connu: ko-noo — Known, famous; past participle of 'connaître'.
dans: dahn — In, within; preposition indicating location or time.
notre: no-truh — Our; first-person plural possessive adjective.
district: dees-treekt — District; an administrative or geographical subdivision.
en: ahn — In, on; preposition indicating location, time, or manner.
son: sohn — His, her, its; third-person singular possessive adjective.
temps: tahn — Time; the indefinite continued progress of existence.
et: ay — And; coordinating conjunction joining words or clauses.
dont: dohn — Whose, of which; relative pronoun expressing possession.
on: ohn — One, we, they; impersonal subject pronoun in French.
se: suh — Oneself; reflexive pronoun for third-person subjects.
souvient: soo-vyahn — Remembers; third-person singular present of 'se souvenir'.
encore: ahn-kor — Still, yet, again; adverb indicating continuation or repetition.
parmi: par-mee — Among, amongst; preposition indicating inclusion in a group.
nous: noo — We, us; first-person plural subject or object pronoun.
raison: reh-zohn — Reason, cause; the basis or motive for something.
sa: sa — His, her, its; feminine singular possessive adjective.
mort: mor — Death; the end of life or existence.
sombre: sohm-bruh — Dark, gloomy; adjective describing a dark or dismal quality.
tragique: tra-zheek — Tragic; relating to or characterized by tragedy or disaster.
survenue: soor-vuh-noo — Occurred, happened; past participle of 'survenir', meaning to occur.
il: eel — He, it; third-person masculine singular subject pronoun.
y: ee — There, it; adverbial pronoun referring to a place or thing.
a: a — Has; third-person singular present tense of 'avoir'.
treize: trehz — Thirteen; the cardinal number between twelve and fourteen.
ans: ahn — Years; plural of 'an', referring to units of time.
que: kuh — That, which, what; conjunction or relative pronoun in French.
je: zhuh — I; first-person singular subject pronoun in French.
décrirai: day-kree-ray — Will describe; first-person future tense of 'décrire'.
voulu: voo-loo — Wanted, wished; past participle of 'vouloir'.
Pour: poor — For, in order to; preposition expressing purpose or duration.
l'instant: lahn-stahn — The moment; refers to the present or current instant.
dirai: dee-ray — Will say; first-person singular future tense of 'dire'.
seulement: suhl-mahn — Only, just; adverb limiting or restricting a statement.
ce: suh — This, that; demonstrative adjective or pronoun in French.
car: kar — Because, for; conjunction giving a reason or explanation.
c'est: say — It is, this is; contraction of 'ce est' in French.
ainsi: an-see — Thus, so; adverb meaning in this way or manner.
l'appelions: la-puh-lyohn — We called him; imperfect tense of 'appeler' with pronoun.
bien: byahn — Well, good; adverb or adjective expressing quality or approval.
qu'il: keel — That he; contraction of 'que' and 'il' in French.
n'eût: nuh — Had not; subjunctive imperfect of 'avoir' with negation.
guère: gair — Hardly, scarcely; adverb expressing a small or insufficient degree.
passé: pa-say — Spent, passed; past participle of 'passer', to pass or spend.
seul: suhl — Alone, single, only; adjective meaning without others present.
jour: zhoor — Day; a 24-hour period of time.
vie: vee — Life; the existence of a living being.
sur: soor — On, upon; preposition indicating position above or on a surface.
propre: pro-pruh — Own, clean; adjective meaning belonging to oneself or clean.
domaine: do-men — Estate, domain; a large area of land owned by someone.
type: teep — Type, kind; a category or sort of person or thing.
étrange: ay-trahnzh — Strange, odd; adjective describing something unusual or peculiar.
mais: meh — But; coordinating conjunction expressing contrast or exception.
l'on: lohn — One; stylistic form of 'on' used after a vowel sound.
rencontre: rahn-kon-truh — Meets, encounters; third-person singular present of 'rencontrer'.
assez: a-say — Enough, quite, rather; adverb expressing sufficiency or degree.
fréquemment: fray-ka-mahn — Frequently, often; adverb indicating something happens regularly.
abject: ab-zhekt — Abject, despicable; adjective meaning utterly degraded or contemptible.
vicieux: vee-syuh — Vicious, depraved; adjective describing immoral or corrupt behavior.
même: mem — Even, same; adverb or adjective indicating identity or emphasis.
insensé: an-sahn-say — Senseless, foolish; adjective describing irrational or absurd behavior.
Mais: meh — But; coordinating conjunction expressing contrast or exception.
l'un: luhn — One of; referring to one individual from a group.
ces: say — These, those; plural demonstrative adjective in French.
êtres: eh-truh — Beings, creatures; plural noun referring to living entities.
qui: kee — Who, which, that; relative or interrogative pronoun in French.
sont: sohn — Are; third-person plural present tense of 'être'.
tout: too — All, everything, very; adjective or adverb expressing totality.
à: a — To, at, in; preposition indicating direction, location, or purpose.
fait: fay — Done, made; past participle of 'faire', to do or make.
capables: ka-pab-luh — Capable, able; adjective meaning having the ability to do something.
veiller: vay-yay — To watch over, look after; to care for or manage something.
leurs: luhr — Their; third-person plural possessive adjective in French.
affaires: a-fair — Affairs, business matters; plural noun for personal or professional concerns.
terrestres: teh-res-truh — Earthly, worldly; adjective relating to the earth or material life.
apparemment: a-pa-ra-mahn — Apparently, seemingly; adverb indicating something appears to be true.
rien: ryahn — Nothing; pronoun indicating the absence of anything.
d'autre: doh-truh — Else, other; expression meaning anything or something else.
par: par — By, through, per; preposition indicating means, agency, or rate.
exemple: eg-zahm-pluh — Example; an instance used to illustrate a point or rule.
avait: a-vay — Had; third-person singular imperfect tense of 'avoir'.
commencé: ko-mahn-say — Started, begun; past participle of 'commencer', to begin.
avec: a-vek — With; preposition indicating accompaniment or association.
presque: presk — Almost, nearly; adverb indicating something is close to being true.
des: day — Some, of the; plural indefinite article or partitive in French.
plus: ploo — More, most; adverb used for comparisons or to indicate greater degree.
modestes: mo-dest — Modest, humble; adjective describing simplicity or lack of pretension.
courait: koo-ray — Was running; third-person singular imperfect tense of 'courir'.
dîner: dee-nay — To dine, dinner; to eat an evening meal or the meal itself.
la: la — The; feminine singular definite article in French.
table: ta-bluh — Table; a piece of furniture with a flat top surface.
autres: oh-truh — Others; plural pronoun or adjective referring to different people.
s'y: see — Himself there; reflexive pronoun combined with adverbial 'y'.
accrochait: a-kro-shay — Was clinging, hooking; imperfect of 'accrocher', to hang or cling.
véritable: vay-ree-tab-luh — True, real, genuine; adjective emphasizing authenticity or reality.
parasite: pa-ra-zeet — Parasite; a person living off others without contributing anything.
pourtant: poor-tahn — However, yet, nevertheless; adverb expressing contrast or concession.
apparut: a-pa-roo — Appeared; third-person singular simple past of 'apparaître'.
possédait: po-say-day — Possessed, owned; third-person singular imperfect of 'posséder'.
cent: sahn — Hundred; the cardinal number equal to ten times ten.
mille: meel — Thousand; the cardinal number equal to ten times one hundred.
argent: ar-zhahn — Money, silver; noun for currency or the metal silver.
liquide: lee-keed — Liquid, cash; adjective or noun for fluid or ready cash.
En: ahn — In, as; preposition indicating state, manner, or material.
fut: foo — Was; third-person singular simple past of 'être'.
toute: toot — All, entire; feminine singular form of 'tout', meaning whole.
individus: an-dee-vee-doo — Individuals, persons; plural noun referring to specific people.
les: lay — The; plural definite article for both genders in French.
fantasques: fahn-task — Whimsical, eccentric; adjective describing capricious or odd behavior.
Je: zhuh — I; first-person singular subject pronoun in French.
répète: ray-pet — Repeat; first-person singular present tense of 'répéter'.
n'était: nay-tay — Was not; negated imperfect form of 'être' with 'ne'.
pas: pa — Not; negation particle used with 'ne' to negate a verb.
stupidité: stoo-pee-dee-tay — Stupidity; the quality of being unintelligent or foolish.
majorité: ma-zho-ree-tay — Majority; the greater number or part of a group.
suffisamment: soo-fee-za-mahn — Sufficiently, enough; adverb indicating an adequate degree or amount.
rusés: roo-zay — Cunning, crafty; adjective describing clever or sly people.
intelligents: an-tel-ee-zhahn — Intelligent, smart; adjective describing high mental ability.
simplement: sahm-pluh-mahn — Simply, just; adverb meaning in a straightforward or plain manner.
l'insouciance: lan-soo-syahns — Carelessness, nonchalance; carefree lack of concern or worry.
une: oon — A, an; feminine singular indefinite article in French.
forme: form — Form, shape; the visible shape or configuration of something.
particulièrement: par-tee-koo-lyair-mahn — Particularly, especially; adverb emphasizing a specific or notable degree.
nationale: na-syo-nal — National; adjective relating to a nation or its people.
celle-ci: sel-see — This one; feminine demonstrative pronoun referring to a nearby thing.
Il: eel — He, it; third-person masculine singular subject pronoun.
s'était: say-tay — Had; reflexive auxiliary imperfect of 'être' with pronoun.
marié: ma-ryay — Married; past participle of 'se marier', to get married.
deux: duh — Two; the cardinal number between one and three.
fois: fwa — Times; noun referring to occurrences or instances.
eu: oo — Had; past participle of 'avoir', to have.
trois: trwa — Three; the cardinal number between two and four.
l'aîné: lay-nay — The eldest; the firstborn or oldest child in a family.
première: pruh-myair — First; feminine ordinal number, indicating the earliest position.
femme: fam — Woman, wife; noun referring to an adult female or spouse.
seconde: suh-gohnd — Second; feminine ordinal number or a unit of time.

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