The Expedition of Humphry Clinker — Page 1

English → It DEAR PHILLIPS, Level 8/10

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.

Non avendo nulla più a cuore che convincerti che sono incapace di dimenticare o trascurare l'amicizia che ho stretto al college, inizio ora quella corrispondenza epistolare che tu ed io abbiamo concordato, al momento del congedo, di coltivare.

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.

La inizio prima di quanto avessi previsto, affinché tu abbia il potere di confutare qualsiasi chiacchiera oziosa che possa circolare a mio discredito ad Oxford, riguardo a una sciocca lite nella quale sono rimasto coinvolto a causa di mia sorella, che era da qualche tempo sistemata qui in un collegio.

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.

Quando sono giunto qui con mio zio e mia zia (che sono i nostri tutori) per portarla via, l'ho trovata una bella ragazza alta, di diciassette anni, dall'aspetto gradevole; ma straordinariamente ingenua e del tutto ignara del mondo.

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.

Questo carattere e la mancanza di esperienza l'avevano esposta alle attenzioni di un individuo — non so come chiamarlo — che l'aveva vista a teatro; e che, con una sfrontatezza e una destrezza a lui peculiari, aveva trovato il modo di farsi raccomandare alla sua conoscenza.

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.

Fu per puro caso che intercettai una delle sue lettere; poiché era mio dovere soffocare questa corrispondenza sul nascere, mi adoperai per rintracciarlo e dirgli molto francamente la mia opinione sulla faccenda.

The spark did not like the stile I used, and behaved with abundance of mettle.

Il bellimbusto non gradì il tono che usai, e si comportò con grande fegato.

Vocabulary

Non: non — Negation word meaning 'not' in Italian
avendo: avendo — Gerund of 'avere'; meaning 'having'
nulla: nulla — Nothing; used to express absence or negation
più: più — More; also used to mean 'no longer' with negation
a: a — Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'
cuore: cuore — Heart; also used metaphorically for deep concern
che: che — Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that', 'which', or 'who'
convincerti: convincerti — To convince you; infinitive with clitic pronoun attached
sono: sono — First person singular of 'essere'; meaning 'I am'
incapace: incapace — Incapable; unable to do something
di: di — Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'
dimenticare: dimenticare — To forget; to fail to remember something
o: o — Conjunction meaning 'or'; presents an alternative
trascurare: trascurare — To neglect or overlook someone or something
l': l' — Elided definite article 'il' or 'la' before a vowel
amicizia: amicizia — Friendship; a close bond between people
ho: ho — First person singular of 'avere'; meaning 'I have'
stretto: stretto — Past participle of 'stringere'; forged or established closely
al: al — Contraction of 'a' and 'il'; meaning 'at the' or 'to the'
college: college — English loanword; residential educational institution
inizio: inizio — Beginning or start of something
ora: ora — Now; at this moment in time
quella: quella — Demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'that' (feminine)
corrispondenza: corrispondenza — Correspondence; exchange of letters between people
epistolare: epistolare — Relating to letters or written correspondence
tu: tu — Second person singular pronoun meaning 'you' (informal)
ed: ed — Variant of 'e'; conjunction meaning 'and' before vowels
io: io — First person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
abbiamo: abbiamo — First person plural of 'avere'; meaning 'we have'
concordato: concordato — Agreed upon; past participle of 'concordare'
momento: momento — Moment; a specific point or short period in time
del: del — Contraction of 'di' and 'il'; meaning 'of the'
congedo: congedo — Farewell or leave-taking; parting from someone
coltivare: coltivare — To cultivate; to nurture a relationship or habit
La: la — Definite article for feminine singular nouns
prima: prima — First; also used as adverb meaning 'before' or 'earlier'
quanto: quanto — How much; used in comparisons or exclamations
avessi: avessi — Past subjunctive of 'avere'; meaning 'had' (hypothetical)
previsto: previsto — Expected or foreseen; past participle of 'prevedere'
affinché: affinché — So that; conjunction expressing purpose or intention
abbia: abbia — Present subjunctive of 'avere'; meaning 'may have'
il: il — Definite article for masculine singular nouns
potere: potere — Power or ability; also the infinitive 'to be able'
confutare: confutare — To refute or disprove a claim or argument
qualsiasi: qualsiasi — Any; whichever; used before nouns for generality
chiacchiera: chiacchiera — Gossip or idle chatter; informal talk
oziosa: oziosa — Idle or lazy; without purpose or productivity
possa: possa — Present subjunctive of 'potere'; meaning 'may be able'
circolare: circolare — To circulate; to spread around among people
mio: mio — Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (masculine singular)
discredito: discredito — Discredit; damage to one's reputation or standing
ad: ad — Variant of preposition 'a'; used before vowels
riguardo: riguardo — Regard or respect; also meaning 'concerning' or 'about'
una: una — Indefinite article for feminine singular nouns; meaning 'a'
sciocca: sciocca — Silly or foolish; used to describe a trivial matter
lite: lite — Quarrel or argument between people
nella: nella — Contraction of 'in' and 'la'; meaning 'in the' (feminine)
quale: quale — Which or who; relative pronoun used in formal Italian
rimasto: rimasto — Past participle of 'rimanere'; meaning 'remained' or 'stayed'
coinvolto: coinvolto — Involved; past participle of 'coinvolgere'
causa: causa — Cause or reason; also meaning 'because of' as preposition
mia: mia — Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (feminine singular)
sorella: sorella — Sister; female sibling
era: era — Third person singular imperfect of 'essere'; meaning 'was'
da: da — Preposition meaning 'from', 'by', or 'since'
qualche: qualche — Some; a few; used before singular nouns
tempo: tempo — Time; also weather depending on context
sistemata: sistemata — Settled or placed; past participle of 'sistemare' (feminine)
qui: qui — Here; indicating a nearby location
in: in — Preposition meaning 'in', 'into', or 'at'
un: un — Indefinite article for masculine singular nouns; meaning 'a'
collegio: collegio — Boarding school or residential educational institution
Quando: quando — When; temporal conjunction or interrogative adverb
giunto: giunto — Past participle of 'giungere'; meaning 'arrived' or 'reached'
con: con — Preposition meaning 'with'
zio: zio — Uncle; male relative who is parent's brother
e: e — Conjunction meaning 'and'; connects words or clauses
zia: zia — Aunt; female relative who is parent's sister
i: i — Definite article for masculine plural nouns
nostri: nostri — Possessive adjective meaning 'our' (masculine plural)
tutori: tutori — Guardians or tutors; those responsible for someone's care
per: per — Preposition meaning 'for', 'through', or 'in order to'
portarla: portarla — To take or bring her; infinitive with clitic pronoun
via: via — Away; also a street or route
trovata: trovata — Found; past participle of 'trovare' (feminine singular)
bella: bella — Beautiful or pretty; feminine adjective of 'bello'
ragazza: ragazza — Girl or young woman
alta: alta — Tall; feminine adjective describing height
diciassette: diciassette — Seventeen; the number 17
anni: anni — Years; plural of 'anno'; used with age
dall': dall' — Contraction of 'da' and 'l''; meaning 'from the'
aspetto: aspetto — Appearance or aspect; how someone or something looks
gradevole: gradevole — Pleasant or agreeable in appearance or manner
ma: ma — Conjunction meaning 'but'; introduces a contrast
straordinariamente: straordinariamente — Extraordinarily; to an unusual or remarkable degree
ingenua: ingenua — Naive or innocent; lacking worldly experience
tutto: tutto — Everything or all; entirely without exception
ignara: ignara — Unaware or ignorant of something; not knowing
mondo: mondo — World; the totality of human society and experience
Questo: questo — This; demonstrative pronoun or adjective (masculine singular)
carattere: carattere — Character or nature; personality traits of a person
la: la — Definite article or third person feminine pronoun 'her'
mancanza: mancanza — Lack or absence of something needed or expected
esperienza: esperienza — Experience; knowledge gained through practice or events
avevano: avevano — Third person plural imperfect of 'avere'; meaning 'they had'
esposta: esposta — Exposed or vulnerable; past participle of 'esporre' (feminine)
alle: alle — Contraction of 'a' and 'le'; meaning 'to the' (feminine plural)
attenzioni: attenzioni — Attentions; interest or care directed toward someone
individuo: individuo — Individual or person; often used with a negative connotation
non: non — Negation word meaning 'not' in Italian
so: so — First person singular of 'sapere'; meaning 'I know'
come: come — How or as; used in questions and comparisons
chiamarlo: chiamarlo — To call him; infinitive with masculine clitic pronoun
aveva: aveva — Third person singular imperfect of 'avere'; meaning 'had'
vista: vista — Seen; past participle of 'vedere'; also means 'sight'
teatro: teatro — Theater; a building or venue for dramatic performances
sfrontatezza: sfrontatezza — Impudence or brazenness; bold shameless behavior
destrezza: destrezza — Dexterity or skill; cleverness in handling situations
lui: lui — Third person masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'him'
peculiari: peculiari — Peculiar or distinctive; characteristics unique to someone
trovato: trovato — Found; past participle of 'trovare' (masculine singular)
modo: modo — Way or manner; method of doing something
farsi: farsi — Reflexive infinitive of 'fare'; to make oneself or get
raccomandare: raccomandare — To recommend or introduce oneself favorably to others
alla: alla — Contraction of 'a' and 'la'; meaning 'to the' (feminine)
sua: sua — Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its' (feminine)
conoscenza: conoscenza — Acquaintance or knowledge; familiarity with someone
Fu: fu — Third person singular passato remoto of 'essere'; meaning 'was'
puro: puro — Pure or mere; used to emphasize chance or coincidence
caso: caso — Case or chance; a coincidental or random occurrence
intercettai: intercettai — I intercepted; passato remoto first person of 'intercettare'
delle: delle — Contraction of 'di' and 'le'; meaning 'of the' (feminine plural)
sue: sue — Possessive adjective meaning 'his' or 'her' (feminine plural)
lettere: lettere — Letters; written communications or alphabet characters
poiché: poiché — Since or because; causal conjunction in formal Italian
dovere: dovere — Duty or obligation; also the infinitive 'to have to'
soffocare: soffocare — To smother or suppress; to prevent something from spreading
questa: questa — Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' (feminine)
sul: sul — Contraction of 'su' and 'il'; meaning 'on the' (masculine)
nascere: nascere — To be born; also used figuratively for something arising
mi: mi — First person singular reflexive or object pronoun 'me' or 'myself'
adoperai: adoperai — I worked or endeavored; passato remoto of 'adoperarsi'
rintracciarlo: rintracciarlo — To track him down; infinitive with masculine clitic pronoun
dirgli: dirgli — To tell him; infinitive 'dire' with indirect object clitic
molto: molto — Very or much; used to intensify adjectives or verbs
francamente: francamente — Frankly or honestly; in a direct and candid manner
opinione: opinione — Opinion or view; personal judgment on a matter
sulla: sulla — Contraction of 'su' and 'la'; meaning 'on the' (feminine)
faccenda: faccenda — Matter or affair; a situation requiring attention
Il: il — Definite article for masculine singular nouns
bellimbusto: bellimbusto — Dandy or fop; a vain self-important man
gradì: gradì — He appreciated; passato remoto third person of 'gradire'
tono: tono — Tone; the manner or attitude conveyed in speech
usai: usai — I used; passato remoto first person singular of 'usare'
si: si — Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself', 'herself', or 'themselves'
comportò: comportò — He behaved; passato remoto third person of 'comportarsi'
grande: grande — Great or large; used to describe size or magnitude
fegato: fegato — Liver; idiomatically used to mean nerve or audacity

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