The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People — Page 1
Morning-room in Algernon's flat in Half-Moon Street. The room is luxuriously and artistically furnished. The sound of a piano is heard in the adjoining room.
Petit salon dans l'appartement d'Algernon, dans Half-Moon Street. La pièce est meublée avec luxe et goût artistique. On entend le son d'un piano dans la pièce voisine.
[Lane is arranging afternoon tea on the table, and after the music has ceased, Algernon enters.]
[Lane dispose le thé de l'après-midi sur la table, et après que la musique s'est tue, Algernon entre.]
Did you hear what I was playing, Lane?
Avez-vous entendu ce que je jouais, Lane ?
I didn't think it polite to listen, sir.
Je n'ai pas pensé qu'il était poli d'écouter, monsieur.
I'm sorry for that, for your sake. I don't play accurately—any one can play accurately—but I play with wonderful expression. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science for Life.
J'en suis désolé, pour vous. Je ne joue pas avec précision — n'importe qui peut jouer avec précision — mais je joue avec une expression merveilleuse. En ce qui concerne le piano, le sentiment est mon fort. Je réserve la science pour la Vie.
Yes, sir.
Oui, monsieur.
And, speaking of the science of Life, have you got the cucumber sandwiches cut for Lady Bracknell?
Et, parlant de la science de la Vie, avez-vous préparé les sandwichs au concombre pour Lady Bracknell ?
Yes, sir. [Hands them on a salver.]
Oui, monsieur. [Les présente sur un plateau.]
[Inspects them, takes two, and sits down on the sofa.] Oh! . by the way, Lane, I see from your book that on Thursday night, when Lord Shoreman and Mr. Worthing were dining with me, eight bottles of champagne are entered as having been consumed.
[Les inspecte, en prend deux, et s'assoit sur le canapé.] Oh ! à propos, Lane, je vois dans votre registre que jeudi soir, quand Lord Shoreman et M. Worthing dînaient avec moi, huit bouteilles de champagne sont inscrites comme ayant été consommées.
Yes, sir; eight bottles and a pint.
Oui, monsieur ; huit bouteilles et une pinte.
Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne? I ask merely for information.
Pourquoi est-ce que dans la maison d'un célibataire les domestiques boivent invariablement le champagne ? Je pose la question simplement pour m'informer.
I attribute it to the superior quality of the wine, sir. I have often observed that in married households the champagne is rarely of a first-rate brand.
Je l'attribue à la qualité supérieure du vin, monsieur. J'ai souvent observé que dans les ménages mariés, le champagne est rarement d'une marque de premier ordre.
Good heavens! Is marriage so demoralising as that?
Grand Dieu ! Le mariage est-il à ce point démoralisant ?
I believe it _is_ a very pleasant state, sir.
Je crois que c'est _vraiment_ un état très agréable, monsieur.
Vocabulary
- Petit
- Small or little in size
- salon
- Living room or formal sitting room
- dans
- In or inside a place
- l'
- Contracted definite article before vowel sounds
- appartement
- A self-contained residential dwelling unit
- d'
- Contracted preposition meaning of or from
- La
- Definite article the, feminine singular form
- pièce
- A room in a building or dwelling
- est
- Third person singular of être, meaning is
- meublée
- Furnished with furniture, describing a room
- avec
- With, expressing accompaniment or manner
- luxe
- Luxury, great comfort and elegance
- et
- And, connecting words or clauses together
- goût
- Taste, sense of aesthetic refinement
- artistique
- Artistic, relating to art and aesthetic sensibility
- On
- One or people, indefinite subject pronoun
- entend
- One hears or can hear a sound
- le
- Definite article the, masculine singular form
- son
- Sound or noise heard from somewhere
- un
- Indefinite article a or an, masculine
- piano
- A keyboard musical instrument with strings
- la
- Definite article the, feminine singular form
- voisine
- Female neighbor living nearby
- dispose
- Arranges or sets out objects carefully
- thé
- Tea, a popular hot beverage drink
- de
- Of or from, a preposition
- après-midi
- Afternoon, the period after midday
- sur
- On or upon a surface
- table
- A flat-surfaced piece of furniture
- après
- After, indicating sequence in time
- que
- That or which, a conjunction or pronoun
- musique
- Music, the art of organized sound
- s'
- Reflexive pronoun contracted before vowel sounds
- tue
- Stops or dies, ceases here referring to music
- Avez-vous
- Have you, formal second person question form
- entendu
- Heard, past participle of entendre
- ce
- This or that, demonstrative adjective or pronoun
- jouais
- Was playing, imperfect tense of jouer
- Je
- I, first person singular subject pronoun
- n'
- Negation particle contracted before vowel sounds
- ai
- Have, first person singular of avoir
- pas
- Not, negation word used with ne
- pensé
- Thought, past participle of penser
- qu'
- That, conjunction contracted before vowel sounds
- il
- He or it, third person singular pronoun
- était
- Was, imperfect tense of être
- poli
- Polite, showing good manners and courtesy
- écouter
- To listen attentively to something or someone
- monsieur
- Mister or sir, polite address for men
- J'
- I, contracted before vowel sounds
- en
- Of it or about it, pronoun or preposition
- suis
- Am, first person singular of être
- désolé
- Sorry, expressing regret or apology
- pour
- For, indicating purpose or on behalf of
- vous
- You, formal or plural second person pronoun
- ne
- Negation particle used before a verb
- joue
- Plays, third person singular of jouer
- précision
- Precision, exactness and accuracy in execution
- importe
- Matters or is important, from importer
- qui
- Who or which, relative or interrogative pronoun
- peut
- Can, third person singular of pouvoir
- mais
- But, introducing contrast or opposition
- une
- A or an, indefinite article feminine form
- expression
- Expression, conveying feeling through performance
- merveilleuse
- Marvelous or wonderful, feminine adjective
- En
- In or about, preposition or pronoun
- concerne
- Concerns or relates to a topic
- sentiment
- Feeling or emotion experienced deeply
- mon
- My, masculine singular possessive adjective
- fort
- Strong or strongly, adjective or adverb
- réserve
- Reserve, restraint in expressing emotions
- science
- Science or systematic knowledge of something
- Vie
- Life, the state of being alive
- Oui
- Yes, affirmative response in French
- Et
- And, coordinating conjunction linking elements
- parlant
- Speaking or while speaking, present participle
- avez-vous
- Have you, formal interrogative verb form
- préparé
- Prepared, past participle of préparer
- les
- The, definite article plural form
- sandwichs
- Sandwiches, bread filled with various ingredients
- au
- With or to the, contracted masculine article
- concombre
- Cucumber, a green vegetable used in sandwiches
- présente
- Presents or offers something to someone
- plateau
- Tray, a flat container for carrying things
- inspecte
- Inspects or examines something carefully
- prend
- Takes, third person singular of prendre
- deux
- Two, the number two
- assoit
- Sits down, third person singular of asseoir
- canapé
- Sofa, an upholstered seat for several people
- Oh
- Oh, exclamation expressing surprise or reaction
- à
- To or at, a common preposition
- propos
- Subject or matter, as in à propos de
- vois
- See, first person singular of voir
- votre
- Your, formal singular possessive adjective
- registre
- Register or account book for records
- jeudi
- Thursday, the fifth day of the week
- soir
- Evening, the later part of the day
- quand
- When, conjunction or adverb of time
- M.
- Abbreviation of Monsieur, Mister
- dînaient
- Were dining, imperfect tense of dîner
- moi
- Me or I, emphatic first person pronoun
- huit
- Eight, the number eight
- bouteilles
- Bottles, containers for liquid beverages
- champagne
- Champagne, a sparkling wine from France
- sont
- Are, third person plural of être
- inscrites
- Recorded or listed, feminine past participle
- comme
- As or like, expressing comparison or manner
- ayant
- Having, present participle of avoir
- été
- Been, past participle of être
- consommées
- Consumed, feminine past participle of consommer
- pinte
- Pint, a unit of liquid measurement
- Pourquoi
- Why, asking for a reason or cause
- est-ce
- Is it, interrogative expression in French
- maison
- House or home, a residential building
- célibataire
- Bachelor or single, unmarried person
- domestiques
- Servants or domestic staff of a household
- boivent
- Drink, third person plural of boire
- invariablement
- Invariably, always without exception or change
- pose
- Poses or asks a question formally
- question
- Question, an inquiry seeking information or answer
- simplement
- Simply, in a plain or straightforward manner
- m'
- Me, contracted reflexive or object pronoun
- informer
- To inform or notify someone about something
- attribue
- Attributes or credits something to a cause
- qualité
- Quality, the degree of excellence of something
- supérieure
- Superior or higher, feminine adjective of quality
- du
- Of the, contracted masculine definite article
- vin
- Wine, an alcoholic drink made from grapes
- souvent
- Often, happening frequently or many times
- observé
- Observed or noticed, past participle of observer
- ménages
- Households or married couples living together
- mariés
- Married, adjective describing people who are wed
- rarement
- Rarely, seldom or not very often
- marque
- Brand or label of a product
- premier
- First or leading, masculine ordinal adjective
- ordre
- Order or class, level of rank or quality
- Grand
- Great or large, expressing magnitude or importance
- Dieu
- God, the supreme divine being
- Le
- The, masculine singular definite article
- mariage
- Marriage, the union of two people
- est-il
- Is it, inverted interrogative form of être
- point
- Not at all, negation in older French style
- démoralisant
- Demoralizing, causing loss of confidence or spirit
- crois
- Believe or think, first person of croire
- c'
- It is, contracted demonstrative pronoun ce
- vraiment
- Really or truly, expressing sincerity or emphasis
- état
- State or condition, the way something is
- très
- Very, intensifying adjective or adverb
- agréable
- Pleasant or agreeable, causing enjoyment or pleasure
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