The Expedition of Humphry Clinker — Page 1
As I have nothing more at heart than to convince you I am incapable of forgetting, or neglecting the friendship I made at college, now begin that correspondence by letters, which you and I agreed, at parting, to cultivate.
Comme je n'ai rien plus à cœur que de vous convaincre que je suis incapable d'oublier ou de négliger l'amitié que j'ai nouée au collège, je commence à présent cette correspondance par lettres, que vous et moi avons convenu, en nous séparant, d'entretenir.
I begin it sooner than I intended, that you may have it in your power to refute any idle reports which may be circulated to my prejudice at Oxford, touching a foolish quarrel, in which I have been involved on account of my sister, who had been some time settled here in a boarding-school.
Je la commence plus tôt que je ne l'avais prévu, afin que vous ayez le pouvoir de réfuter les bruits oiseux qui pourraient circuler à mon détriment à Oxford, au sujet d'une sotte querelle dans laquelle je me suis trouvé impliqué à cause de ma sœur, qui était depuis quelque temps pensionnaire ici dans un internat.
When I came hither with my uncle and aunt (who are our guardians) to fetch her away, I found her a fine tall girl, of seventeen, with an agreeable person; but remarkably simple, and quite ignorant of the world.
Lorsque je vins ici avec mon oncle et ma tante (qui sont nos tuteurs) pour la ramener, je la trouvai grande et belle fille de dix-sept ans, d'une apparence agréable, mais d'une simplicité remarquable et tout à fait ignorante du monde.
This disposition, and want of experience, had exposed her to the addresses of a person--I know not what to call him, who had seen her at a play; and, with a confidence and dexterity peculiar to himself, found means to be recommended to her acquaintance.
Cette disposition et ce manque d'expérience l'avaient exposée aux galanteries d'un individu — je ne sais trop comment l'appeler — qui l'avait vue au théâtre et qui, avec une assurance et une dextérité qui lui étaient propres, avait trouvé le moyen de se faire recommander à sa connaissance.
It was by the greatest accident I intercepted one of his letters; as it was my duty to stifle this correspondence in its birth, I made it my business to find him out, and tell him very freely my sentiments of the matter.
C'est tout à fait par hasard que j'interceptai une de ses lettres ; comme il était de mon devoir d'étouffer cette correspondance dans l'œuf, je me donnai pour tâche de le retrouver et de lui dire très librement ce que je pensais de l'affaire.
The spark did not like the stile I used, and behaved with abundance of mettle.
Le freluquet n'apprécia guère le ton que j'employai et fit preuve d'une abondance de fougue.
Vocabulary
- Comme
- As, like, since; used for comparison or cause
- je
- First person singular subject pronoun: I
- n'
- Negative particle, contracted before vowel
- ai
- First person singular of avoir: I have
- rien
- Nothing; used in negative constructions
- plus
- More; no longer; used in comparisons and negation
- à
- To, at, in; very common preposition
- cœur
- Heart; center of feeling or affection
- que
- That, than, which; versatile conjunction or pronoun
- de
- Of, from, some; very common preposition
- vous
- You (formal or plural second person pronoun)
- convaincre
- To convince, to persuade someone of something
- suis
- First person singular of être: I am
- incapable
- Unable, incapable; lacking ability to do something
- d'
- Contracted form of de before a vowel
- oublier
- To forget; to fail to remember something
- ou
- Or; conjunction linking alternatives
- négliger
- To neglect, to disregard, to fail to care for
- l'
- Contracted definite article before vowel: the
- amitié
- Friendship; bond of affection between people
- j'
- Contracted first person pronoun before vowel: I
- nouée
- Formed, tied; past participle of nouer (to form a bond)
- au
- Contracted form of à le: at the, to the
- collège
- Middle school; French secondary school for ages 11–15
- commence
- Begin, start; first person singular of commencer
- présent
- Present, now; current moment or time
- cette
- This (feminine demonstrative adjective)
- correspondance
- Correspondence; exchange of letters between people
- par
- By, through, per; common preposition
- lettres
- Letters; written communications sent to someone
- et
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- moi
- Me, I; stressed first person pronoun
- avons
- First person plural of avoir: we have
- convenu
- Agreed upon; past participle of convenir (to agree)
- en
- In, by, while; versatile preposition or pronoun
- nous
- We, us; first person plural pronoun
- séparant
- Separating; present participle of séparer
- entretenir
- To maintain, to keep up; to sustain a relationship
- la
- The (feminine definite article); or her, it
- tôt
- Early, soon; sooner than expected
- ne
- Negative particle used with pas, rien, plus, etc.
- avais
- First person singular imperfect of avoir: I had
- prévu
- Foreseen, planned; past participle of prévoir
- afin
- So that, in order to; expresses purpose
- ayez
- Subjunctive/imperative of avoir: that you have
- le
- The (masculine definite article); or him, it
- pouvoir
- To be able to; can; also means power
- réfuter
- To refute, to disprove, to counter an argument
- les
- The (plural definite article); or them
- bruits
- Rumors, noises; sounds or unverified reports
- oiseux
- Idle, pointless; trivial and without substance
- qui
- Who, which, that; relative or interrogative pronoun
- pourraient
- Could; third person plural conditional of pouvoir
- circuler
- To circulate, to spread; to move around freely
- mon
- My (masculine possessive adjective)
- détriment
- Detriment, harm; disadvantage caused to someone
- sujet
- Subject, topic; matter under discussion
- une
- A, an (feminine indefinite article); one
- sotte
- Foolish, silly (feminine adjective); a foolish woman
- querelle
- Quarrel, dispute; angry argument between people
- dans
- In, inside; common preposition of location or time
- laquelle
- Which (feminine relative pronoun after preposition)
- me
- Me, myself; first person singular object pronoun
- trouvé
- Found, considered; past participle of trouver
- impliqué
- Involved, implicated; past participle of impliquer
- cause
- Cause, reason; grounds for action or event
- ma
- My (feminine possessive adjective)
- sœur
- Sister; female sibling
- était
- Was, were; third person singular imperfect of être
- depuis
- Since, for; indicates duration from a point in time
- quelque
- Some, a few; indefinite adjective indicating approximation
- temps
- Time, weather; duration or atmospheric conditions
- pensionnaire
- Boarder; student living at a residential school
- ici
- Here; in this place
- un
- A, an (masculine indefinite article); one
- internat
- Boarding school; school where students live on-site
- Lorsque
- When; conjunction introducing a time clause
- vins
- Came; first person singular past historic of venir
- avec
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment
- oncle
- Uncle; brother of one's parent
- tante
- Aunt; sister of one's parent
- sont
- Are; third person plural present of être
- tuteurs
- Guardians, tutors; people legally responsible for another
- pour
- For, in order to; common preposition of purpose
- ramener
- To bring back, to take someone home
- trouvai
- Found; first person singular past historic of trouver
- grande
- Tall, big, great (feminine adjective)
- belle
- Beautiful, lovely (feminine adjective)
- fille
- Girl, daughter; young female or female child
- dix-sept
- Seventeen; cardinal number
- ans
- Years (of age); used with numbers for age
- apparence
- Appearance; outward look or impression given
- agréable
- Pleasant, agreeable; nice and enjoyable
- mais
- But; adversative conjunction expressing contrast
- simplicité
- Simplicity, naivety; lack of sophistication or guile
- remarquable
- Remarkable, notable; worthy of special attention
- tout
- All, every, quite; versatile adjective or adverb
- fait
- Fact, done; past participle of faire or noun
- ignorante
- Ignorant (feminine); lacking knowledge of the world
- monde
- World, people, society; the social world
- Cette
- This (feminine demonstrative adjective)
- disposition
- Disposition, tendency; natural inclination of character
- manque
- Lack, absence; insufficient quantity of something
- expérience
- Experience; knowledge gained through living
- avaient
- Had; third person plural imperfect of avoir
- exposée
- Exposed, subjected to; left vulnerable to something
- aux
- To the, at the (plural contracted article)
- galanteries
- Flatteries, gallantries; charming attentions toward women
- individu
- Individual, person; often implies a dubious character
- sais
- Know; first person singular present of savoir
- trop
- Too, too much; excessive degree
- comment
- How; interrogative or exclamative adverb
- appeler
- To call, to name; to give a name to someone
- vue
- Seen; past participle of voir, or view/sight
- théâtre
- Theater; building or art form of dramatic performance
- assurance
- Confidence, assurance; self-assured manner
- dextérité
- Dexterity, skill; cleverness and adroitness in action
- lui
- Him, her, to him/her; indirect object pronoun
- étaient
- Were; third person plural imperfect of être
- propres
- Own, proper; belonging specifically to someone
- moyen
- Means, way; method used to achieve something
- se
- Himself, herself, themselves; reflexive pronoun
- faire
- To do, to make; very common versatile verb
- recommander
- To recommend, to introduce oneself favorably
- sa
- His, her (feminine possessive adjective)
- connaissance
- Acquaintance, knowledge; person one knows or familiarity
- C'
- Contracted form of ce before est: it is
- est
- Is; third person singular present of être
- hasard
- Chance, accident; something happening by luck
- interceptai
- Intercepted; first person singular past historic of intercepter
- ses
- His, her, its (plural possessive adjective)
- il
- He, it; third person masculine singular pronoun
- devoir
- Must, to owe; to have an obligation to do something
- étouffer
- To smother, to stifle; to suppress something at the start
- œuf
- Egg; here figuratively, nip in the bud
- donnai
- Gave; first person singular past historic of donner
- tâche
- Task, job; duty assigned to someone
- retrouver
- To find again, to meet up; to rediscover something
- dire
- To say, to tell; fundamental verb of speech
- très
- Very; adverb intensifying adjectives or adverbs
- librement
- Freely, candidly; without constraint or reserve
- pensais
- Thought; first person singular imperfect of penser
- affaire
- Matter, affair, business; situation requiring attention
- Le
- The (masculine definite article)
- freluquet
- Fop, whippersnapper; conceited insignificant young man
- apprécia
- Appreciated; third person singular past historic of apprécier
- guère
- Hardly, scarcely; used in negative constructions
- ton
- Tone; manner or quality of expression used
- employai
- Used, employed; first person singular past historic of employer
- fit
- Did, made; third person singular past historic of faire
- preuve
- Proof, evidence; demonstration of a quality
- abondance
- Abundance, plenty; great quantity of something
- fougue
- Ardor, fiery spirit; passionate impetuous energy
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →