The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People — Page 2
I have had very little experience of it myself up to the present.
Ich selbst habe bis jetzt sehr wenig Erfahrung damit gemacht.
I have only been married once.
Ich bin nur einmal verheiratet gewesen.
That was in consequence of a misunderstanding between myself and a young person.
Das geschah infolge eines Missverständnisses zwischen mir und einer jungen Person.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
[Languidly_._] I don't know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane.
[Träge_._ ] Ich weiß nicht, ob mich Ihr Familienleben sonderlich interessiert, Lane.
LANE.
LANE.
No, sir; it is not a very interesting subject.
Nein, mein Herr; es ist kein sehr interessantes Thema.
I never think of it myself.
Ich denke selbst nie daran.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
Very natural, I am sure.
Sehr natürlich, da bin ich sicher.
That will do, Lane, thank you.
Das genügt, Lane, danke.
LANE.
LANE.
Thank you, sir.
Danke, mein Herr.
[Lane goes out.]
[Lane geht ab.]
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
Lane's views on marriage seem somewhat lax.
Lanes Ansichten über die Ehe scheinen etwas lax zu sein.
Really, if the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them?
Wirklich, wenn die unteren Stände uns kein gutes Beispiel geben, wozu sind sie dann überhaupt nütze?
They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility.
Sie scheinen als Klasse überhaupt kein Gefühl für moralische Verantwortung zu haben.
[Enter Lane.]
[Lane tritt auf.]
LANE.
LANE.
Mr. Ernest Worthing.
Mr. Ernest Worthing.
[Enter Jack.]
[Jack tritt auf.]
[Lane goes out_._]
[Lane geht ab_._]
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
How are you, my dear Ernest?
Wie geht es Ihnen, mein lieber Ernest?
What brings you up to town?
Was führt Sie in die Stadt?
JACK.
JACK.
Oh, pleasure, pleasure!
Oh, Vergnügen, Vergnügen!
What else should bring one anywhere?
Was sonst sollte einen irgendwohin führen?
Eating as usual, I see, Algy!
Du isst wie gewöhnlich, wie ich sehe, Algy!
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
[Stiffly_._] I believe it is customary in good society to take some slight refreshment at five o'clock.
[Steif_._ ] Ich glaube, es ist in der guten Gesellschaft üblich, um fünf Uhr eine kleine Erfrischung zu sich zu nehmen.
Where have you been since last Thursday?
Wo sind Sie seit letzten Donnerstag gewesen?
JACK.
JACK.
[Sitting down on the sofa.] In the country.
[Setzt sich auf das Sofa.] Auf dem Land.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
What on earth do you do there?
Was um alles in der Welt tun Sie dort?
JACK.
JACK.
[Pulling off his gloves_._] When one is in town one amuses oneself.
[Zieht seine Handschuhe aus_._ ] Wenn man in der Stadt ist, amüsiert man sich selbst.
When one is in the country one amuses other people.
Wenn man auf dem Land ist, amüsiert man andere Leute.
It is excessively boring.
Es ist überaus langweilig.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
And who are the people you amuse?
Und wer sind die Menschen, die Sie amüsieren?
JACK.
JACK.
[Airily_.
[Leichthin_.
Vocabulary
- selbst
- Reflexive/emphatic word meaning 'myself' or 'itself'
- bis
- Preposition meaning 'until' or 'up to'
- wenig
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'little' or 'few'
- Erfahrung
- Noun meaning 'experience' gained through practice
- damit
- Pronoun/conjunction meaning 'with it' or 'so that'
- einmal
- Adverb meaning 'once' or 'one time'
- verheiratet
- Adjective meaning 'married', in wedded state
- geschah
- Past tense of 'geschehen', meaning 'happened' or 'occurred'
- infolge
- Preposition meaning 'as a result of' or 'due to'
- Missverständnisses
- Genitive of 'Missverständnis', meaning 'misunderstanding'
- zwischen
- Preposition meaning 'between' two things or people
- Träge
- Adjective meaning 'lazy', 'sluggish', or 'lethargic'
- ob
- Conjunction meaning 'whether' or 'if' in indirect questions
- Ihr
- Formal possessive pronoun meaning 'your' (formal)
- Familienleben
- Compound noun meaning 'family life' at home
- sonderlich
- Adverb meaning 'particularly' or 'especially', often negative
- Thema
- Noun meaning 'topic', 'subject', or 'theme'
- daran
- Pronominal adverb meaning 'about it' or 'on it'
- natürlich
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'naturally' or 'of course'
- da
- Adverb or conjunction meaning 'there', 'since', or 'because'
- sicher
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'sure', 'safe', or 'certainly'
- genügt
- Third person singular of 'genügen', meaning 'suffices'
- ab
- Separable prefix or preposition meaning 'off' or 'away'
- Ansichten
- Plural of 'Ansicht', meaning 'views' or 'opinions'
- Ehe
- Noun meaning 'marriage' or 'matrimony'
- scheinen
- Infinitive meaning 'to seem' or 'to appear'
- etwas
- Pronoun or adverb meaning 'something' or 'somewhat'
- lax
- Adjective meaning 'lax', 'loose', or 'slack'
- Wirklich
- Adverb meaning 'really' or 'truly'
- wenn
- Conjunction meaning 'when' or 'if'
- unteren
- Declined adjective meaning 'lower' in rank or class
- Stände
- Plural of 'Stand', meaning 'classes' or 'estates' socially
- Beispiel
- Noun meaning 'example' or 'model' to follow
- wozu
- Interrogative adverb meaning 'what for' or 'for what purpose'
- überhaupt
- Adverb meaning 'at all', 'generally', or 'in the first place'
- nütze
- Adjective meaning 'useful' or 'of use'
- als
- Conjunction or preposition meaning 'as', 'than', or 'when'
- Klasse
- Noun meaning 'class', social group or category
- Gefühl
- Noun meaning 'feeling', 'sense', or 'emotion'
- moralische
- Declined adjective meaning 'moral' or 'ethical'
- Verantwortung
- Noun meaning 'responsibility' or 'accountability'
- tritt
- Third person singular of 'treten', meaning 'steps' or 'enters'
- Ihnen
- Dative formal 'you', meaning 'to you' (polite)
- lieber
- Comparative of 'lieb'; also adverb meaning 'rather' or 'dear'
- führt
- Third person singular of 'führen', meaning 'leads' or 'brings'
- Vergnügen
- Noun meaning 'pleasure', 'enjoyment', or 'amusement'
- sonst
- Adverb meaning 'otherwise', 'else', or 'usually'
- sollte
- Past subjunctive of 'sollen', meaning 'should' or 'ought to'
- irgendwohin
- Adverb meaning 'somewhere', 'to some place' unspecified
- führen
- Infinitive meaning 'to lead', 'to guide', or 'to take'
- gewöhnlich
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'usual', 'ordinary', or 'normally'
- Steif
- Adjective meaning 'stiff', 'formal', or 'rigid'
- Gesellschaft
- Noun meaning 'society', 'company', or 'social class'
- üblich
- Adjective meaning 'usual', 'customary', or 'common'
- Erfrischung
- Noun meaning 'refreshment', a light snack or drink
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself', 'himself', 'themselves'
- seit
- Preposition meaning 'since' or 'for' a period of time
- letzten
- Declined adjective meaning 'last' in sequence or time
- Donnerstag
- Noun meaning 'Thursday', the fourth day of the week
- Setzt
- Third person singular or imperative of 'setzen', 'sits' or 'set'
- alles
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'everything' or 'all'
- Zieht
- Third person singular of 'ziehen', meaning 'pulls' or 'draws'
- Handschuhe
- Plural noun meaning 'gloves' worn on the hands
- Wenn
- Conjunction meaning 'when' or 'if'
- man
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one', 'you', or 'people'
- amüsiert
- Verb form meaning 'amuses' or 'entertains'
- andere
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'others'
- Leute
- Plural noun meaning 'people' or 'folks'
- überaus
- Adverb meaning 'exceedingly', 'extremely', or 'very'
- langweilig
- Adjective meaning 'boring', 'dull', or 'tedious'
- amüsieren
- Infinitive meaning 'to amuse' or 'to entertain'
- Leichthin
- Adverb meaning 'lightly', 'casually', or 'offhandedly'
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