The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People — Page 10
That wouldn't be at all a bad thing.
Das wäre gar keine schlechte Sache.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
Literary criticism is not your forte, my dear fellow.
Literaturkritik ist nicht Ihre Stärke, mein lieber Freund.
Don't try it.
Versuchen Sie es gar nicht erst.
You should leave that to people who haven't been at a University.
Das sollten Sie den Leuten überlassen, die keine Universität besucht haben.
They do it so well in the daily papers.
Die machen das so gut in den Tageszeitungen.
What you really are is a Bunburyist.
Was Sie wirklich sind, ist ein Bunburyist.
I was quite right in saying you were a Bunburyist.
Ich hatte völlig recht, als ich sagte, Sie seien ein Bunburyist.
You are one of the most advanced Bunburyists I know.
Sie sind einer der fortgeschrittensten Bunburyisten, die ich kenne.
JACK.
JACK.
What on earth do you mean?
Was in aller Welt meinen Sie damit?
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
You have invented a very useful younger brother called Ernest, in order that you may be able to come up to town as often as you like.
Sie haben einen sehr nützlichen jüngeren Bruder namens Ernest erfunden, damit Sie so oft wie Sie möchten in die Stadt kommen können.
I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose.
Ich habe einen unschätzbar wertvollen dauerhaften Kranken namens Bunbury erfunden, damit ich aufs Land fahren kann, wann immer es mir beliebt.
Bunbury is perfectly invaluable.
Bunbury ist absolut unschätzbar wertvoll.
If it wasn't for Bunbury's extraordinary bad health, for instance, I wouldn't be able to dine with you at Willis's to-night, for I have been really engaged to Aunt Augusta for more than a week.
Wenn es nicht Bunburys außerordentlich schlechte Gesundheit wäre, zum Beispiel, könnte ich heute Abend nicht mit Ihnen bei Willis speisen, denn ich bin seit mehr als einer Woche wirklich bei Tante Augusta eingeplant.
JACK.
JACK.
I haven't asked you to dine with me anywhere to-night.
Ich habe Sie heute Abend nirgendwo zum Essen eingeladen.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
I know.
Ich weiß.
You are absurdly careless about sending out invitations.
Sie sind absurd nachlässig, wenn es darum geht, Einladungen zu verschicken.
It is very foolish of you.
Das ist sehr töricht von Ihnen.
Nothing annoys people so much as not receiving invitations.
Nichts ärgert die Menschen so sehr wie das Ausbleiben von Einladungen.
JACK.
JACK.
You had much better dine with your Aunt Augusta.
Sie täten viel besser daran, mit Ihrer Tante Augusta zu speisen.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
I haven't the smallest intention of doing anything of the kind.
Ich habe nicht die geringste Absicht, irgendetwas dergleichen zu tun.
To begin with, I dined there on Monday, and once a week is quite enough to dine with one's own relations.
Zunächst einmal habe ich dort am Montag gespeist, und einmal pro Woche ist oft genug, um mit seinen eigenen Verwandten zu speisen.
Vocabulary
- wäre
- Would be (past subjunctive of 'sein')
- gar
- At all; used for emphasis in negations
- keine
- No, not any (negative article)
- schlechte
- Bad, poor (adjective, inflected form)
- Sache
- Thing, matter, affair
- Literaturkritik
- Literary criticism, analysis of literature
- Ihre
- Your (formal possessive pronoun, capitalized)
- Stärke
- Strength, strong point, forte
- lieber
- Dear, beloved (adjective, inflected)
- Freund
- Friend, male companion
- Versuchen
- To try, attempt (infinitive/noun form)
- erst
- First, only, not until
- sollten
- Should (past subjunctive of 'sollen')
- Leuten
- People, folks (dative plural)
- überlassen
- To leave to, entrust to someone
- Universität
- University, institution of higher education
- besucht
- Attended, visited (past participle of 'besuchen')
- Tageszeitungen
- Daily newspapers (plural noun)
- wirklich
- Really, truly, genuinely
- hatte
- Had (simple past of 'haben')
- völlig
- Completely, totally, utterly
- recht
- Right, correct; 'recht haben' means to be right
- als
- When, as, than (conjunction/preposition)
- sagte
- Said (simple past of 'sagen')
- seien
- Are/be (subjunctive form of 'sein')
- einer
- One of, a (indefinite pronoun, genitive)
- fortgeschrittensten
- Most advanced (superlative adjective, inflected)
- kenne
- Know (first person singular of 'kennen')
- aller
- Of all, everyone's (genitive plural)
- Welt
- World, earth, universe
- meinen
- To mean, think, intend
- damit
- With that, thereby, by this
- nützlichen
- Useful, helpful (adjective, inflected form)
- jüngeren
- Younger (comparative adjective, inflected)
- Bruder
- Brother (male sibling)
- namens
- Named, by the name of (preposition)
- erfunden
- Invented, made up (past participle of 'erfinden')
- oft
- Often, frequently (adverb of frequency)
- möchten
- Would like to (modal verb, polite desire)
- Stadt
- City, town (noun)
- können
- To be able to, can (modal verb)
- unschätzbar
- Invaluable, inestimable, priceless
- wertvollen
- Valuable, precious (adjective, inflected)
- dauerhaften
- Lasting, durable, permanent (adjective, inflected)
- Kranken
- Sick person, patient (noun, inflected)
- aufs
- Onto the, to the (contraction of 'auf das')
- Land
- Country, land, rural area
- fahren
- To travel, drive, go by vehicle
- kann
- Can, is able to (modal verb, singular)
- wann
- When (interrogative adverb of time)
- immer
- Always, ever (adverb of frequency)
- mir
- Me, to me (dative of 'ich')
- beliebt
- Popular, pleasing; 'mir beliebt' means it pleases me
- absolut
- Absolutely, completely (adverb/adjective)
- wertvoll
- Valuable, worthwhile, precious
- Wenn
- If, when (conditional conjunction)
- außerordentlich
- Extraordinary, exceptional, remarkably
- Gesundheit
- Health; also said after someone sneezes
- zum
- To the, for the (contraction of 'zu dem')
- Beispiel
- Example; 'zum Beispiel' means for example
- könnte
- Could (past subjunctive of 'können')
- heute
- Today (adverb of time)
- Abend
- Evening, nighttime beginning at dusk
- Ihnen
- You (formal dative pronoun)
- bei
- At, near, with (preposition of location)
- speisen
- To dine, eat a formal meal
- denn
- Because, for; also a question particle
- seit
- Since, for (preposition indicating duration)
- mehr
- More (comparative adverb/adjective)
- Woche
- Week (unit of time, seven days)
- Tante
- Aunt (female relative, parent's sister)
- eingeplant
- Scheduled, planned in (past participle of 'einplanen')
- nirgendwo
- Nowhere, not anywhere (adverb of place)
- Essen
- Food; meal; eating (noun/infinitive)
- eingeladen
- Invited (past participle of 'einladen')
- weiß
- Knows (knows, first/third person of 'wissen')
- absurd
- Absurd, ridiculous, nonsensical
- nachlässig
- Careless, negligent, sloppy
- wenn
- When, if (subordinating conjunction)
- darum
- About it, therefore, for that reason
- geht
- Goes; 'es geht um' means it concerns
- Einladungen
- Invitations (plural of 'Einladung')
- verschicken
- To send out, dispatch (invitations, letters)
- töricht
- Foolish, silly, unwise
- Nichts
- Nothing (indefinite pronoun)
- ärgert
- Annoys, irritates (third person of 'ärgern')
- Menschen
- People, humans (plural of 'Mensch')
- Ausbleiben
- Absence, failure to appear, non-arrival
- täten
- Would do (past subjunctive of 'tun')
- viel
- Much, a lot, many
- besser
- Better (comparative of 'gut')
- daran
- At it, on it, therein (prepositional adverb)
- Ihrer
- Your (formal genitive/dative possessive pronoun)
- geringste
- Slightest, least (superlative of 'gering')
- Absicht
- Intention, purpose, aim
- irgendetwas
- Something, anything (indefinite pronoun)
- dergleichen
- Such things, the like, of that sort
- tun
- To do, to perform an action
- Zunächst
- First of all, to begin with (adverb)
- einmal
- Once, one time; 'zunächst einmal' means first of all
- dort
- There, over there (adverb of place)
- am
- On the, at the (contraction of 'an dem')
- Montag
- Monday (first day of the German work week)
- gespeist
- Dined (past participle of 'speisen')
- pro
- Per, for each (preposition, Latin origin)
- genug
- Enough, sufficient (adverb/adjective)
- um
- Around, at, in order to (preposition/conjunction)
- seinen
- His, its (accusative masculine possessive pronoun)
- eigenen
- Own, one's own (adjective, inflected form)
- Verwandten
- Relatives, family members (plural noun, inflected)
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