The Great Gatsby — Page 15
Before I could answer her eyes fastened with an awed expression on her little finger.
Bevor ich antworten konnte, hefteten sich ihre Augen mit einem ehrfürchtigen Ausdruck auf ihren kleinen Finger.
We all looked—the knuckle was black and blue.
Wir alle schauten hin – der Knöchel war blau und schwarz unterlaufen.
Sometimes she and Miss Baker talked at once, unobtrusively and with a bantering inconsequence that was never quite chatter, that was as cool as their white dresses and their impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire.
Manchmal sprachen sie und Miss Baker gleichzeitig, unauffällig und mit einer neckischen Zusammenhanglosigkeit, die nie ganz zum Geplapper wurde, die so kühl war wie ihre weißen Kleider und ihre unpersönlichen Augen in der Abwesenheit jeglichen Verlangens.
They were here, and they accepted Tom and me, making only a polite pleasant effort to entertain or to be entertained.
Sie waren hier, und sie akzeptierten Tom und mich, wobei sie sich nur höflich und angenehm bemühten, zu unterhalten oder unterhalten zu werden.
They knew that presently dinner would be over and a little later the evening too would be over and casually put away.
Sie wussten, dass das Abendessen bald vorbei sein würde und etwas später auch der Abend vorbei und beiläufig beiseitegelegt sein würde.
It was sharply different from the West, where an evening was hurried from phase to phase towards its close, in a continually disappointed anticipation or else in sheer nervous dread of the moment itself.
Es war ein deutlicher Unterschied zum Westen, wo ein Abend von Phase zu Phase seiner Neige entgegengehetzt wurde, in einer ständig enttäuschten Erwartung oder in schlichter nervöser Angst vor dem Moment selbst.
Vocabulary
- Bevor
- Before; prior to a particular event or time.
- ich
- I; first person singular pronoun.
- antworten
- To answer; to respond to a question.
- konnte
- Could; past tense of können (to be able).
- hefteten
- Fixed; fastened; directed steadily toward something.
- sich
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun for third person.
- ihre
- Their; possessive pronoun for plural third person.
- Augen
- Eyes; plural of Auge.
- mit
- With; expressing accompaniment or association.
- einem
- A; an; indefinite article dative masculine.
- Ausdruck
- Expression; appearance or manifestation of feeling.
- auf
- On; upon; preposition indicating position or direction.
- ihren
- Their; possessive pronoun accusative or dative form.
- kleinen
- Small; little; adjective describing size.
- Finger
- Finger; digit on hand or foot.
- Wir
- We; first person plural pronoun.
- alle
- All; everyone; totality of a group.
- schauten
- Looked; gazed; past tense of schauen.
- hin
- There; in that direction; toward.
- der
- The; definite article masculine nominative singular.
- war
- Was; past tense of sein (to be).
- blau
- Blue; color of the sky or ocean.
- und
- And; conjunction connecting words or clauses.
- schwarz
- Black; darkest color; absence of light.
- Manchmal
- Sometimes; occasionally; at irregular intervals.
- sprachen
- Spoke; past tense of sprechen (to speak).
- sie
- She; they; third person pronoun.
- Miss
- Miss; title for unmarried woman.
- Baker
- Baker; one who bakes bread or cakes.
- gleichzeitig
- Simultaneously; at the same time as.
- unauffällig
- Inconspicuous; not drawing attention; discreet.
- einer
- One; indefinite pronoun or article form.
- die
- The; definite article feminine or plural.
- nie
- Never; not at any time.
- ganz
- Completely; entirely; wholly without exception.
- zum
- To the; contraction of zu dem.
- wurde
- Became; past tense of werden (to become).
- so
- So; as; in such a manner.
- kühl
- Cool; cold; emotionally aloof or reserved.
- wie
- As; how; in what manner.
- weißen
- White; color of snow or milk.
- Kleider
- Clothes; garments; plural of Kleid (dress).
- unpersönlichen
- Impersonal; lacking human warmth or feeling.
- in
- In; within; preposition of position.
- Abwesenheit
- Absence; state of not being present.
- jeglichen
- Any; any kind of; whatsoever.
- Verlangen
- Desire; longing; strong wish for something.
- Sie
- You; formal address; third person plural.
- waren
- Were; past tense of sein (to be).
- hier
- Here; in this place; at this location.
- akzeptierten
- Accepted; received willingly; past tense.
- mich
- Me; first person singular accusative pronoun.
- wobei
- Whereby; during which; in which process.
- nur
- Only; merely; exclusively; just.
- höflich
- Polite; courteous; showing good manners.
- angenehm
- Pleasant; agreeable; enjoyable; nice.
- bemühten
- Tried; made effort; past tense of bemühen.
- zu
- To; toward; infinitive marker.
- unterhalten
- To entertain; to keep someone amused.
- oder
- Or; conjunction offering alternative choices.
- werden
- To become; to get; auxiliary verb.
- wussten
- Knew; were aware; past tense of wissen.
- dass
- That; conjunction introducing subordinate clause.
- das
- The; that; neuter definite article.
- Abendessen
- Dinner; evening meal; supper.
- bald
- Soon; in the near future; shortly.
- vorbei
- Over; past; finished; gone by.
- sein
- To be; exist; auxiliary verb.
- würde
- Would; conditional form of werden.
- etwas
- Something; anything; a certain amount.
- später
- Later; at a subsequent time.
- auch
- Also; too; likewise; as well.
- Abend
- Evening; time from sunset to bedtime.
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