The Brothers Karamazov — Page 3
" Hearing all about Adelaïda Ivanovna, whom he, of course, remembered, and in whom he had at one time been interested, and learning of the existence of Mitya, he intervened, in spite of all his youthful indignation and contempt for Fyodor Pavlovitch.
Avendo saputo tutto di Adelaïda Ivanovna, della quale si ricordava naturalmente, e per la quale aveva provato un tempo un certo interesse, e venendo a conoscenza dell'esistenza di Mitya, egli intervenne, nonostante tutta la sua giovanile indignazione e il suo disprezzo per Fyodor Pavlovitch.
He made the latter's acquaintance for the first time, and told him directly that he wished to undertake the child's education.
Fece la conoscenza di quest'ultimo per la prima volta, e gli disse direttamente che desiderava occuparsi dell'educazione del bambino.
He used long afterwards to tell as a characteristic touch, that when he began to speak of Mitya, Fyodor Pavlovitch looked for some time as though he did not understand what child he was talking about, and even as though he was surprised to hear that he had a little son in the house.
Soleva raccontare in seguito, come tratto caratteristico, che quando aveva cominciato a parlare di Mitya, Fyodor Pavlovitch aveva guardato per un po' come se non capisse di quale bambino stesse parlando, e persino come se fosse sorpreso di sapere che aveva un figlioletto in casa.
The story may have been exaggerated, yet it must have been something like the truth.
Il racconto poteva essere esagerato, eppure doveva contenere qualcosa di simile alla verità.
Fyodor Pavlovitch was all his life fond of acting, of suddenly playing an unexpected part, sometimes without any motive for doing so, and even to his own direct disadvantage, as, for instance, in the present case.
Fyodor Pavlovitch era stato per tutta la vita amante della recitazione, di interpretare all'improvviso una parte inaspettata, a volte senza alcun motivo per farlo, e persino a diretto svantaggio di se stesso, come, ad esempio, nel caso presente.
This habit, however, is characteristic of a very great number of people, some of them very clever ones, not like Fyodor Pavlovitch.
Questa abitudine, tuttavia, è caratteristica di un grandissimo numero di persone, alcune delle quali molto intelligenti, a differenza di Fyodor Pavlovitch.
Pyotr Alexandrovitch carried the business through vigorously, and was appointed, with Fyodor Pavlovitch, joint guardian of the child, who had a small property, a house and land, left him by his mother.
Pyotr Alexandrovitch portò avanti la questione con vigore, e fu nominato, insieme a Fyodor Pavlovitch, cotutore del bambino, che possedeva una piccola proprietà, una casa e un terreno, lasciatogli dalla madre.
Vocabulary
- Avendo
- ah-VEN-doh — Having (gerund of avere, used in subordinate clauses)
- saputo
- sah-POO-toh — Having found out or learned something
- tutto
- TOOT-toh — Everything, all, the whole
- di
- dee — Of, from, by (common preposition)
- della
- DEL-lah — Of the, from the (feminine contraction)
- quale
- KWAH-leh — Which, who (relative or interrogative pronoun)
- si
- see — Reflexive pronoun: himself, herself, oneself, themselves
- ricordava
- ree-kor-DAH-vah — Was remembering, used to remember (imperfect tense)
- naturalmente
- nah-too-ral-MEN-teh — Naturally, of course, as expected
- e
- eh — And (coordinating conjunction)
- per
- pehr — For, through, in order to (preposition)
- la
- lah — The (feminine definite article); her (pronoun)
- aveva
- ah-VEH-vah — Had (third person singular imperfect of avere)
- provato
- proh-VAH-toh — Felt, experienced, tried (past participle of provare)
- un
- oon — A, an (masculine indefinite article)
- tempo
- TEM-poh — Time; a period or moment in the past
- certo
- CHER-toh — Certain, sure; a certain (adjective/determiner)
- interesse
- een-teh-RES-seh — Interest, curiosity, concern toward something
- venendo
- veh-NEN-doh — Coming (gerund of venire)
- a
- ah — To, at (common preposition indicating direction or location)
- conoscenza
- koh-noh-SHEN-tsah — Knowledge, acquaintance, awareness of something
- dell'
- del — Of the (elided form before a vowel)
- esistenza
- eh-zis-TEN-tsah — Existence, the fact of existing or being
- egli
- EH-lyee — He (formal/literary third person masculine subject pronoun)
- intervenne
- een-tehr-VEN-neh — Intervened, stepped in to act (past absolute tense)
- nonostante
- noh-noh-STAN-teh — Despite, notwithstanding, in spite of
- tutta
- TOOT-tah — All, whole, entire (feminine form of tutto)
- sua
- SOO-ah — His, her, its (feminine possessive adjective/pronoun)
- giovanile
- joh-vah-NEE-leh — Youthful, juvenile, relating to youth
- indignazione
- een-dee-nyah-TSYOH-neh — Indignation, strong displeasure at unfair treatment
- il
- eel — The (masculine singular definite article)
- suo
- SOO-oh — His, her, its (masculine possessive adjective/pronoun)
- disprezzo
- dees-PRET-tsoh — Contempt, scorn, strong disrespect for someone
- Fece
- FEH-cheh — Did, made (third person singular past absolute of fare)
- quest'
- kwest — This (elided demonstrative pronoun before vowel)
- ultimo
- OOL-tee-moh — Last, final, the most recent one
- prima
- PREE-mah — Before, first, earlier (adverb/adjective)
- volta
- VOL-tah — Time, occasion, instance of something occurring
- gli
- lyee — To him, him (indirect object pronoun, masculine)
- disse
- DEES-seh — Said, told (third person singular past absolute of dire)
- direttamente
- dee-ret-tah-MEN-teh — Directly, straightforwardly, without intermediary
- che
- keh — That, which, who (conjunction or relative pronoun)
- desiderava
- deh-zee-deh-RAH-vah — Desired, wanted, wished for (imperfect tense)
- occuparsi
- ok-koo-PAR-see — To take care of, deal with, concern oneself
- educazione
- eh-doo-kah-TSYOH-neh — Education, upbringing, proper manners and formation
- del
- del — Of the (masculine singular contracted preposition)
- bambino
- bam-BEE-noh — Child, baby, young boy
- Soleva
- soh-LEH-vah — Used to (imperfect of solere, habitual past action)
- raccontare
- rak-kon-TAH-reh — To tell, narrate, recount a story or event
- in
- een — In, at, within (common locative preposition)
- seguito
- SEH-gwee-toh — Afterward, later; in seguito means subsequently
- come
- KOH-meh — How, as, like (conjunction or adverb)
- tratto
- TRAT-toh — Trait, feature, characteristic aspect of someone
- caratteristico
- kah-rat-teh-REES-tee-koh — Characteristic, typical, distinctive of a person
- quando
- KWAN-doh — When (temporal conjunction or interrogative adverb)
- cominciato
- koh-meen-CHAH-toh — Begun, started (past participle of cominciare)
- parlare
- par-LAH-reh — To speak, talk (common infinitive verb)
- guardato
- gwar-DAH-toh — Looked, watched, stared (past participle of guardare)
- po'
- poh — A little, a bit (shortened form of poco)
- se
- seh — If, whether (conditional conjunction)
- non
- nohn — Not (standard negation adverb in Italian)
- capisse
- kah-PEES-seh — Understood (imperfect subjunctive of capire)
- stesse
- STES-seh — Were staying or were (imperfect subjunctive of stare)
- persino
- per-SEE-noh — Even, as far as, going so far as to
- fosse
- FOS-seh — Were (imperfect subjunctive of essere, third person)
- sorpreso
- sor-PREH-zoh — Surprised, astonished (past participle of sorprendere)
- sapere
- sah-PEH-reh — To know (a fact), to be aware of something
- figlioletto
- fee-lyoh-LET-toh — Little son, baby boy (diminutive of figliolo)
- casa
- KAH-zah — House, home, dwelling place
- Il
- eel — The (masculine singular definite article)
- racconto
- rak-KON-toh — Story, account, tale, narrative
- poteva
- poh-TEH-vah — Could, was able to (imperfect of potere)
- essere
- ES-seh-reh — To be (fundamental auxiliary and linking verb)
- esagerato
- eh-zah-jeh-RAH-toh — Exaggerated, overstated, beyond truth or proportion
- eppure
- ep-POO-reh — And yet, nevertheless, still, even so
- doveva
- doh-VEH-vah — Had to, must have (imperfect of dovere)
- contenere
- kon-teh-NEH-reh — To contain, hold, include within itself
- qualcosa
- kwal-KOH-zah — Something, anything (indefinite pronoun)
- simile
- SEE-mee-leh — Similar, like, resembling something else
- alla
- AL-lah — To the, at the (feminine contracted preposition)
- verità
- veh-ree-TAH — Truth, reality, factual accuracy
- era
- EH-rah — Was (third person singular imperfect of essere)
- stato
- STAH-toh — Been (past participle of essere); also state/condition
- vita
- VEE-tah — Life, lifetime, way of living
- amante
- ah-MAN-teh — Lover, fan, enthusiast; one who loves something deeply
- recitazione
- reh-chee-tah-TSYOH-neh — Acting, recitation, performance on stage
- interpretare
- een-tehr-preh-TAH-reh — To interpret, perform, play a role or part
- all'
- al — To the, at the (elided contraction before vowel)
- improvviso
- eem-prov-VEE-zoh — Sudden, unexpected; all'improvviso means suddenly
- una
- OO-nah — A, an (feminine indefinite article)
- parte
- PAR-teh — Part, role, share; fare una parte means play a role
- inaspettata
- een-as-pet-TAH-tah — Unexpected, unanticipated, coming without warning
- volte
- VOL-teh — Times, occasions (plural of volta)
- senza
- SEN-tsah — Without (preposition indicating absence or lack)
- alcun
- al-KOON — Any, no (indefinite adjective before masculine noun)
- motivo
- moh-TEE-voh — Reason, motive, cause for an action
- farlo
- FAR-loh — To do it (infinitive fare with clitic pronoun lo)
- diretto
- dee-RET-toh — Direct, straight, aimed without deviation
- svantaggio
- zvan-TAD-joh — Disadvantage, drawback, unfavorable condition
- stesso
- STES-soh — Same, himself, itself (emphatic pronoun/adjective)
- ad
- ahd — To, at (variant of a used before vowels)
- esempio
- eh-ZEM-pyoh — Example, instance; ad esempio means for example
- nel
- nel — In the (masculine singular contracted preposition)
- caso
- KAH-zoh — Case, instance, situation, circumstance
- presente
- preh-ZEN-teh — Present, current, the case at hand
- Questa
- KWES-tah — This (feminine demonstrative adjective/pronoun)
- abitudine
- ah-bee-TOO-dee-neh — Habit, custom, regular behavioral tendency
- tuttavia
- toot-tah-VEE-ah — However, nevertheless, yet, all the same
- è
- eh — Is (third person singular present of essere)
- caratteristica
- kah-rat-teh-REES-tee-kah — Characteristic, trait, defining feature (feminine noun)
- grandissimo
- gran-DEES-see-moh — Very great, enormous (superlative of grande)
- numero
- NOO-meh-roh — Number, quantity, amount
- persone
- per-SOH-neh — People, persons (plural of persona)
- alcune
- al-KOO-neh — Some, a few (feminine plural indefinite adjective)
- delle
- DEL-leh — Of the, some (feminine plural contracted preposition)
- quali
- KWAH-lee — Which, who (plural relative or interrogative pronoun)
- molto
- MOL-toh — Very, much, a lot (adverb/adjective of quantity)
- intelligenti
- een-tel-lee-JEN-tee — Intelligent, smart, clever (plural adjective)
- differenza
- deef-feh-REN-tsah — Difference, distinction, contrast between things
- portò
- por-TOH — Carried, brought forward (past absolute of portare)
- avanti
- ah-VAN-tee — Forward, ahead, onward in space or time
- questione
- kwes-TYOH-neh — Question, issue, matter under discussion
- con
- kon — With (preposition indicating accompaniment or means)
- vigore
- vee-GOH-reh — Vigor, energy, forcefulness in action
- fu
- foo — Was (third person singular past absolute of essere)
- nominato
- noh-mee-NAH-toh — Appointed, named, designated to a position
- insieme
- een-SYEH-meh — Together, jointly, at the same time
- possedeva
- pos-seh-DEH-vah — Owned, possessed, had (imperfect of possedere)
- piccola
- PEEK-koh-lah — Small, little (feminine adjective)
- proprietà
- proh-pryeh-TAH — Property, ownership, estate, land owned
- terreno
- ter-REH-noh — Land, ground, terrain, plot of earth
- lasciatogli
- lah-shah-TOH-lyee — Left to him (past participle with indirect object clitic)
- dalla
- DAL-lah — From the, by the (feminine contracted preposition)
- madre
- MAH-dreh — Mother (female parent)
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →