The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People — Page 5
And before I allow you to marry her, you will have to clear up the whole question of Cecily.
Und bevor ich erlaube, dass Sie sie heiraten, müssen Sie die ganze Angelegenheit mit Cecily klären.
[Rings bell.]
[Klingelt.]
JACK.
JACK.
Cecily! What on earth do you mean?
Cecily! Was um alles in der Welt meinen Sie damit?
What do you mean, Algy, by Cecily!
Was meinen Sie, Algy, mit Cecily!
I don't know any one of the name of Cecily.
Ich kenne niemanden mit dem Namen Cecily.
[Enter Lane.]
[Lane tritt auf.]
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
Bring me that cigarette case Mr. Worthing left in the smoking-room the last time he dined here.
Bringen Sie mir das Zigarettenetui, das Herr Worthing beim letzten Mal, als er hier speiste, im Raucherzimmer liegengelassen hat.
LANE.
LANE.
Yes, sir.
Jawohl, Sir.
[Lane goes out.]
[Lane geht ab.]
JACK.
JACK.
Do you mean to say you have had my cigarette case all this time?
Wollen Sie damit sagen, dass Sie mein Zigarettenetui die ganze Zeit gehabt haben?
I wish to goodness you had let me know.
Ich wünschte beim Himmel, Sie hätten es mich wissen lassen.
I have been writing frantic letters to Scotland Yard about it.
Ich habe deswegen verzweifelte Briefe an Scotland Yard geschrieben.
I was very nearly offering a large reward.
Ich war nahe daran, eine hohe Belohnung auszusetzen.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
Well, I wish you would offer one.
Nun, ich wünschte, Sie würden eine aussetzen.
I happen to be more than usually hard up.
Ich bin zufällig mehr als sonst in Geldnot.
JACK.
JACK.
There is no good offering a large reward now that the thing is found.
Es hat keinen Sinn, eine hohe Belohnung auszusetzen, jetzt wo das Ding gefunden ist.
[Enter Lane with the cigarette case on a salver. Algernon takes it at once. Lane goes out.]
[Lane tritt mit dem Zigarettenetui auf einem Tablett auf. Algernon nimmt es sofort. Lane geht ab.]
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
I think that is rather mean of you, Ernest, I must say.
Ich finde das ziemlich kleinlich von Ihnen, Ernest, das muss ich sagen.
[Opens case and examines it.]
[Öffnet das Etui und untersucht es.]
However, it makes no matter, for, now that I look at the inscription inside, I find that the thing isn't yours after all.
Wie auch immer, es spielt keine Rolle, denn jetzt, da ich mir die Inschrift im Inneren ansehe, stelle ich fest, dass das Ding schließlich gar nicht Ihres ist.
JACK.
JACK.
Of course it's mine.
Natürlich gehört es mir.
[Moving to him.]
[Geht auf ihn zu.]
You have seen me with it a hundred times, and you have no right whatsoever to read what is written inside.
Sie haben mich hundertmal damit gesehen, und Sie haben keinerlei Recht, das zu lesen, was innen geschrieben steht.
Vocabulary
- bevor
- Subordinating conjunction meaning 'before' in time.
- erlaube
- First-person form of erlauben; to permit or allow something.
- dass
- Subordinating conjunction introducing a dependent clause.
- heiraten
- Verb meaning to marry or get married to someone.
- müssen
- Modal verb expressing necessity or obligation to do something.
- ganze
- Adjective meaning whole, entire, or complete.
- Angelegenheit
- Noun meaning matter, affair, or business concern.
- klären
- Verb meaning to clarify, settle, or resolve a matter.
- Klingelt
- Third-person singular of klingeln; to ring a bell.
- alles
- Pronoun meaning everything or all things combined.
- Welt
- Noun meaning world or the entire earth.
- meinen
- Verb meaning to mean, think, or intend something.
- damit
- Adverb or conjunction meaning with that or thereby.
- kenne
- First-person form of kennen; to know or be acquainted with.
- niemanden
- Accusative of niemand; no one, nobody at all.
- Namen
- Noun meaning name or names of a person or thing.
- tritt
- Third-person singular of treten; to step or enter.
- Bringen
- Infinitive or imperative of bringen; to bring something here.
- Zigarettenetui
- Noun meaning a cigarette case for holding cigarettes.
- Herr
- Noun meaning mister, sir, or gentleman as a title.
- letzten
- Adjective meaning last or most recent in a sequence.
- Mal
- Noun meaning time or occasion in a repeated series.
- als
- Conjunction meaning when or than, used in comparisons.
- speiste
- Past tense of speisen; to dine or eat a meal.
- Raucherzimmer
- Noun meaning smoking room, a room designated for smoking.
- liegengelassen
- Past participle of liegenlassen; to have left something behind.
- Jawohl
- Affirmative interjection meaning yes indeed or certainly, sir.
- Wollen
- Modal verb meaning to want or intend to do something.
- sagen
- Infinitive of sagen; to say, tell, or express something.
- Zeit
- Noun meaning time, period, or a specific moment.
- wünschte
- Past tense of wünschen; wished or desired something strongly.
- Himmel
- Noun meaning heaven, sky, or used in exclamations.
- hätten
- Subjunctive form of haben; would have had something.
- wissen
- Infinitive meaning to know a fact or information.
- lassen
- Verb meaning to let, allow, or cause something to happen.
- deswegen
- Adverb meaning therefore, because of that, or for that reason.
- verzweifelte
- Adjective or past tense; desperate, despairing, or frantic.
- Briefe
- Plural of Brief; letters written and sent to someone.
- geschrieben
- Past participle of schreiben; written, as in a letter.
- nahe
- Adjective or adverb meaning near, close, or almost doing something.
- daran
- Adverb meaning at it, close to it, or about to.
- hohe
- Adjective meaning high, large, or significant in amount.
- Belohnung
- Noun meaning reward offered for finding something or someone.
- auszusetzen
- Infinitive of aussetzen; to offer, expose, or suspend something.
- Nun
- Adverb meaning now or well, used to begin a statement.
- würden
- Conditional form of werden; would, used in polite requests.
- aussetzen
- Verb meaning to offer a reward or to suspend something.
- zufällig
- Adverb or adjective meaning by chance, accidentally, or coincidentally.
- mehr
- Adverb or adjective meaning more, additional, or no longer.
- sonst
- Adverb meaning otherwise, else, or usually in other cases.
- Geldnot
- Noun meaning financial distress, shortage of money, or hardship.
- Sinn
- Noun meaning sense, meaning, or point of something.
- jetzt
- Adverb meaning now or at the present moment in time.
- wo
- Relative or interrogative adverb meaning where or now that.
- Ding
- Noun meaning thing, object, or item of some kind.
- gefunden
- Past participle of finden; found, discovered after searching.
- Tablett
- Noun meaning tray, a flat carrier for serving items.
- nimmt
- Third-person singular of nehmen; takes or picks something up.
- sofort
- Adverb meaning immediately, at once, without any delay.
- finde
- First-person singular of finden; I find or consider something.
- ziemlich
- Adverb meaning quite, rather, or fairly to a degree.
- kleinlich
- Adjective meaning petty, small-minded, or unnecessarily narrow.
- Ihnen
- Formal dative pronoun meaning 'you' in polite address.
- muss
- First/third-person singular of müssen; must or has to.
- Öffnet
- Third-person singular or imperative of öffnen; opens something.
- Etui
- Noun meaning a small decorative case for personal items.
- untersucht
- Third-person singular of untersuchen; examines or investigates something.
- immer
- Adverb meaning always or ever in ongoing situations.
- spielt
- Third-person singular of spielen; plays or is relevant here.
- Rolle
- Noun meaning role, part, or relevance in a situation.
- denn
- Conjunction meaning because or for, explaining a reason.
- da
- Adverb or conjunction meaning there, here, since, or as.
- Inschrift
- Noun meaning inscription, text written or engraved on something.
- Inneren
- Noun or adjective meaning interior, inner part of something.
- ansehe
- First-person singular of ansehen; to look at or examine.
- stelle
- First-person singular of stellen; to place or here to find.
- fest
- Adjective or separable prefix; firm, or to establish a fact.
- schließlich
- Adverb meaning finally, after all, or in the end.
- gar
- Adverb intensifier meaning at all or even, used with negation.
- Ihres
- Formal possessive pronoun meaning yours (genitive polite form).
- Natürlich
- Adverb meaning naturally, of course, or obviously as expected.
- gehört
- Past participle of gehören; belongs to someone or something.
- hundertmal
- Adverb meaning a hundred times, emphasizing frequent repetition.
- gesehen
- Past participle of sehen; seen, having observed something before.
- keinerlei
- Determiner meaning no kind of, absolutely no, whatsoever.
- Recht
- Noun meaning right, entitlement, or legal claim to something.
- lesen
- Infinitive meaning to read written text or printed material.
- innen
- Adverb meaning inside, on the inner side of something.
- steht
- Third-person singular of stehen; stands or is written there.
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