The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People — Page 2

Vocabulary

en

Preposition or pronoun meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'some'

ai

First-person singular of 'avoir,' meaning 'have'

moi

Stressed pronoun meaning 'me' or 'I'

même

Means 'same,' 'even,' or 'itself'

très

Adverb meaning 'very,' intensifying adjectives or adverbs

peu

Means 'little' or 'few,' indicating small amount

expérience

Noun meaning 'experience' or 'experiment'

jusqu'

Contracted form of 'jusqu'à,' meaning 'until' or 'up to'

à

Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'in'

présent

Means 'present' or 'now'; also a noun for 'gift'

Je

First-person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'

été

Past participle of 'être' meaning 'been'

marié

Adjective or past participle meaning 'married'

une

Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'

seule

Adjective meaning 'alone,' 'single,' or 'only'

fois

Noun meaning 'time' or 'occasion,' as in 'once'

était

Imperfect tense of 'être,' meaning 'was' or 'were'

suite

Noun meaning 'continuation,' 'suite,' or 'sequence'

un

Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'

malentendu

Noun meaning 'misunderstanding' between people

entre

Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'

jeune

Adjective meaning 'young' or 'youthful'

personne

Noun meaning 'person'; also pronoun meaning 'nobody'

Avec

Preposition meaning 'with'

langueur

Noun meaning 'languidness,' 'listlessness,' or 'weariness'

ne

Negation particle used with 'pas' to negate verbs

suis

First-person singular of 'être,' meaning 'am'

pas

Negation word meaning 'not'; also means 'step'

sûr

Adjective meaning 'sure,' 'certain,' or 'safe'

être

Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'

intéressé

Adjective meaning 'interested' or 'self-interested'

par

Preposition meaning 'by,' 'through,' or 'per'

votre

Possessive adjective meaning 'your' (formal or plural)

vie

Noun meaning 'life'

Non

Interjection meaning 'no'

monsieur

Noun meaning 'sir' or 'mister,' respectful address for men

ce

Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'it'

sujet

Noun meaning 'subject,' 'topic,' or 'matter'

intéressant

Adjective meaning 'interesting' or 'engaging'

y

Pronoun meaning 'there' or 'to it,' replacing a place

pense

First/third-person singular of 'penser,' meaning 'think'

jamais

Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever'

Très

Adverb meaning 'very,' intensifying adjectives or adverbs

naturel

Adjective meaning 'natural,' 'normal,' or 'unaffected'

bien

Adverb or adjective meaning 'well,' 'good,' or 'quite'

merci

Interjection meaning 'thank you'

Merci

Interjection meaning 'thank you'

sort

Noun meaning 'fate,' 'lot,' or 'spell'; verb 'goes out'

opinions

Noun meaning 'opinions' or 'views'

sur

Preposition meaning 'on,' 'about,' or 'over'

mariage

Noun meaning 'marriage' or 'wedding'

semblent

Third-person plural of 'sembler,' meaning 'seem'

quelque

Adjective meaning 'some,' 'a few,' or 'any'

relâchées

Adjective meaning 'lax,' 'loose,' or 'relaxed' (feminine plural)

Vraiment

Adverb meaning 'really,' 'truly,' or 'indeed'

si

Conjunction meaning 'if'; also adverb meaning 'so' or 'yes'

classes

Noun meaning 'classes' or 'social classes'

inférieures

Adjective meaning 'lower' or 'inferior' (feminine plural)

nous

Pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'

donnent

Third-person plural of 'donner,' meaning 'give'

bon

Adjective meaning 'good' or 'right'

exemple

Noun meaning 'example' or 'model'

quoi

Pronoun meaning 'what,' used in questions or exclamations

diable

Noun meaning 'devil'; used in exclamations like 'what the devil'

peuvent

Third-person plural of 'pouvoir,' meaning 'can' or 'are able'

elles

Third-person feminine plural pronoun meaning 'they' or 'them'

servir

Verb meaning 'to serve,' 'to be useful,' or 'to help'

Ils

Third-person masculine plural subject pronoun meaning 'they'

tant

Adverb meaning 'so much,' 'so many,' or 'as long as'

que

Conjunction meaning 'that,' 'than,' or 'as'

classe

Noun meaning 'class,' 'classroom,' or 'social class'

avoir

Infinitive meaning 'to have'; auxiliary verb in French

absolument

Adverb meaning 'absolutely' or 'completely'

aucun

Adjective or pronoun meaning 'no,' 'none,' or 'any'

sens

Noun meaning 'sense,' 'meaning,' or 'direction'

responsabilités

Noun meaning 'responsibilities' or 'duties' (plural)

morales

Adjective meaning 'moral' or 'ethical' (feminine plural)

Entre

Verb form meaning 'enters'; also preposition 'between'

M.

Abbreviation for 'Monsieur,' meaning 'Mr.'

Comment

Adverb meaning 'how,' used in questions

allez

Second-person plural of 'aller,' meaning 'go' or 'are going'

vous

Pronoun meaning 'you' (formal or plural)

mon

Masculine possessive adjective meaning 'my'

cher

Adjective meaning 'dear,' 'beloved,' or 'expensive'

qui

Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'

amène

Third-person singular of 'amener,' meaning 'brings' or 'leads'

ville

Noun meaning 'city' or 'town'

plaisir

Noun meaning 'pleasure' or 'enjoyment'

pourrait

Conditional of 'pouvoir,' meaning 'could' or 'might'

amener

Verb meaning 'to bring,' 'to lead,' or 'to take someone'

quelqu'

Contracted form of 'quelque,' part of 'quelqu'un' meaning 'someone'

part

Noun meaning 'part,' 'share,' or 'place' as in 'quelque part'

autrement

Adverb meaning 'otherwise,' 'differently,' or 'or else'

Toujours

Adverb meaning 'always' or 'still'

manger

Verb meaning 'to eat'

vois

First-person singular of 'voir,' meaning 'see' or 'I see'

raideur

Noun meaning 'stiffness,' 'rigidity,' or 'inflexibility'

crois

First-person singular of 'croire,' meaning 'believe' or 'think'

usage

Noun meaning 'custom,' 'practice,' or 'use'

dans

Preposition meaning 'in,' 'inside,' or 'within'

bonne

Feminine adjective meaning 'good,' 'right,' or 'proper'

société

Noun meaning 'society,' 'company,' or 'social circle'

prendre

Verb meaning 'to take,' 'to have,' or 'to grab'

léger

Adjective meaning 'light,' 'slight,' or 'mild'

rafraîchissement

Noun meaning 'refreshment' or 'cooling drink'

cinq

Number meaning 'five'

heures

Noun meaning 'hours' or 'o'clock'

Où

Adverb meaning 'where,' used in questions or relative clauses

étiez

Second-person plural imperfect of 'être,' meaning 'were'

depuis

Preposition meaning 'since' or 'for' a period of time

jeudi

Noun meaning 'Thursday'

dernier

Adjective meaning 'last,' 'previous,' or 'final'

asseyant

Present participle of 's'asseoir,' meaning 'sitting down'

canapé

Noun meaning 'sofa,' 'couch,' or small appetizer

À

Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'in'

campagne

Noun meaning 'countryside,' 'campaign,' or 'rural area'

Que

Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'what,' 'that,' or 'than'

faites

Second-person plural of 'faire,' meaning 'do' or 'make'

là

Adverb meaning 'there' or 'here'

bas

Adjective or adverb meaning 'low,' 'down,' or 'quiet'

Retirant

Present participle of 'retirer,' meaning 'removing' or 'withdrawing'

ses

Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its' (plural)

gants

Noun meaning 'gloves'

Quand

Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'

on

Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one,' 'we,' 'they,' or 'people'

se

Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself,' 'himself,' or 'herself'

divertit

Third-person singular of 'divertir,' meaning 'amuses' or 'entertains'

soi

Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself,' used with impersonal subjects

autres

Adjective or pronoun meaning 'others' or 'other'

excessivement

Adverb meaning 'excessively' or 'extremely'

ennuyeux

Adjective meaning 'boring,' 'tedious,' or 'annoying'

sont

Third-person plural of 'être,' meaning 'are'

gens

Noun meaning 'people' or 'folks'

divertissez

Second-person plural of 'divertir,' meaning 'amuse' or 'entertain'

air

Noun meaning 'air,' 'appearance,' or 'manner'

dégagé

Adjective meaning 'casual,' 'detached,' or 'free and easy'