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.
Et avant que je vous permette de l'épouser, vous devrez éclaircir toute la question de Cecily.
[Rings bell.]
[Sonne.]
Cecily! What on earth do you mean?
Cecily ! Que voulez-vous dire, au nom du ciel ?
What do you mean, Algy, by Cecily!
Qu'entendez-vous par Cecily, Algy !
I don't know any one of the name of Cecily.
Je ne connais personne du nom de Cecily.
[Enter Lane.]
[Entre Lane.]
Bring me that cigarette case Mr. Worthing left in the smoking-room the last time he dined here.
Apportez-moi cet étui à cigarettes que M. Worthing a laissé dans le fumoir la dernière fois qu'il a dîné ici.
Yes, sir.
Bien, monsieur.
[Lane goes out.]
[Lane sort.]
Do you mean to say you have had my cigarette case all this time?
Voulez-vous dire que vous avez eu mon étui à cigarettes tout ce temps ?
I wish to goodness you had let me know.
J'aurais bien voulu que vous me le fassiez savoir.
I have been writing frantic letters to Scotland Yard about it.
J'ai écrit des lettres frénétiques à Scotland Yard à ce sujet.
I was very nearly offering a large reward.
J'étais sur le point d'offrir une grosse récompense.
Well, I wish you would offer one.
Eh bien, je souhaiterais que vous en offrissiez une.
I happen to be more than usually hard up.
Il se trouve que je suis plus à court d'argent que d'habitude.
There is no good offering a large reward now that the thing is found.
Il ne sert à rien d'offrir une grosse récompense maintenant que la chose est retrouvée.
[Enter Lane with the cigarette case on a salver. Algernon takes it at once. Lane goes out.]
[Entre Lane avec l'étui à cigarettes sur un plateau. Algernon le prend aussitôt. Lane sort.]
I think that is rather mean of you, Ernest, I must say.
Je trouve cela plutôt mesquin de votre part, Ernest, je dois dire.
[Opens case and examines it.]
[Ouvre l'étui et l'examine.]
However, it makes no matter, for, now that I look at the inscription inside, I find that the thing isn't yours after all.
Cependant, cela n'a pas d'importance, car, maintenant que je regarde l'inscription à l'intérieur, je constate que la chose ne vous appartient pas, après tout.
Of course it's mine.
C'est bien sûr le mien.
[Moving to him.]
[S'approchant de lui.]
You have seen me with it a hundred times, and you have no right whatsoever to read what is written inside.
Vous m'avez vu avec lui cent fois, et vous n'avez absolument aucun droit de lire ce qui est écrit à l'intérieur.
Vocabulary
- avant
- ah-vahn — Preposition or adverb meaning 'before' in time.
- permette
- pehr-meht — Subjunctive form of 'permettre', meaning 'to allow'.
- épouser
- ay-poo-zay — Verb meaning 'to marry' someone.
- devrez
- duh-vray — Future tense of 'devoir', meaning 'you will have to'.
- éclaircir
- ay-klair-seer — Verb meaning 'to clarify' or 'to clear up'.
- Sonne
- sohn — Third person singular of 'sonner', meaning 'rings a bell'.
- nom
- nohn — Noun meaning 'name'; used in exclamations.
- ciel
- syehl — Noun meaning 'sky' or 'heaven', used in exclamations.
- entendez-
- ahn-tahn-day — Part of 'entendez-vous', meaning 'do you mean' or 'hear'.
- connais
- koh-nay — First person singular of 'connaître', meaning 'to know a person'.
- personne
- pehr-sohn — Noun or pronoun meaning 'person' or 'nobody'.
- Entre
- ahn-truh — Verb form of 'entrer', meaning 'enters'; also preposition 'between'.
- Apportez-
- ah-por-tay — Imperative of 'apporter', meaning 'bring' something to someone.
- étui
- ay-twee — Noun meaning 'case' or 'holder' for small objects.
- laissé
- leh-say — Past participle of 'laisser', meaning 'left behind' something.
- fumoir
- fü-mwar — Noun meaning 'smoking room', a designated area for smoking.
- dernière
- dehr-nyair — Feminine adjective meaning 'last' or 'most recent'.
- fois
- fwah — Noun meaning 'time' as in an instance or occasion.
- dîné
- dee-nay — Past participle of 'dîner', meaning 'had dinner'.
- sort
- sor — Third person singular of 'sortir', meaning 'goes out' or 'exits'.
- temps
- tahn — Noun meaning 'time' or 'weather'.
- aurais
- oh-ray — Conditional of 'avoir', meaning 'I would have'.
- voulu
- voo-lü — Past participle of 'vouloir', meaning 'wanted' or 'wished'.
- fassiez
- fah-syay — Subjunctive of 'faire', meaning 'you would make or do'.
- savoir
- sah-vwar — Infinitive meaning 'to know' a fact or information.
- écrit
- ay-kree — Past participle of 'écrire', meaning 'written'.
- lettres
- leh-truh — Plural noun meaning 'letters' written correspondence.
- frénétiques
- fray-nay-teek — Adjective meaning 'frantic' or 'frenzied', showing wild urgency.
- sujet
- sü-zhay — Noun meaning 'subject' or 'topic'; 'au sujet de' means 'about'.
- étais
- ay-tay — Imperfect tense of 'être', meaning 'I was'.
- point
- pwahn — Noun meaning 'point'; 'sur le point de' means 'about to'.
- offrir
- oh-freer — Infinitive meaning 'to offer' or 'to give as a gift'.
- grosse
- grohs — Feminine adjective meaning 'large', 'big', or 'substantial'.
- récompense
- ray-kohm-pahns — Noun meaning 'reward' or 'compensation' for a service.
- souhaiterais
- sweh-tuh-ray — Conditional of 'souhaiter', meaning 'I would wish or hope'.
- offrissiez
- oh-free-syay — Imperfect subjunctive of 'offrir', meaning 'you offered'.
- trouve
- troov — Third person singular of 'trouver', meaning 'finds' or 'happens'.
- court
- koor — Adjective meaning 'short'; 'court d'argent' means 'short of money'.
- argent
- ar-zhahn — Noun meaning 'money' or 'silver'.
- habitude
- ah-bee-tüd — Noun meaning 'habit' or 'custom'; 'd'habitude' means 'usually'.
- sert
- sehr — Third person singular of 'servir', meaning 'serves' or 'is useful'.
- rien
- ryahn — Pronoun meaning 'nothing'; used in negation 'ne...rien'.
- maintenant
- mahnt-nahn — Adverb meaning 'now' or 'at this moment'.
- chose
- shohz — Noun meaning 'thing' or 'matter'.
- retrouvée
- ruh-troo-vay — Past participle of 'retrouver', feminine, meaning 'found again'.
- plateau
- plah-toh — Noun meaning 'tray' used to carry objects.
- prend
- prahn — Third person singular of 'prendre', meaning 'takes'.
- aussitôt
- oh-see-toh — Adverb meaning 'immediately' or 'right away'.
- cela
- suh-lah — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'it'.
- plutôt
- plü-toh — Adverb meaning 'rather' or 'somewhat'.
- mesquin
- mehs-kahn — Adjective meaning 'petty', 'mean-spirited', or 'stingy'.
- part
- par — Noun meaning 'part' or 'side'; 'de votre part' means 'on your part'.
- dois
- dwah — First person singular of 'devoir', meaning 'I must' or 'I owe'.
- Ouvre
- oo-vruh — Imperative of 'ouvrir', meaning 'open' something.
- examine
- ehg-zah-meen — Third person singular of 'examiner', meaning 'examines' closely.
- Cependant
- suh-pahn-dahn — Conjunction meaning 'however' or 'nevertheless'.
- importance
- ahm-por-tahns — Noun meaning 'importance' or 'significance'.
- car
- kar — Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for', explaining a reason.
- regarde
- ruh-gard — Third person singular of 'regarder', meaning 'looks at'.
- inscription
- ahn-skreep-syohn — Noun meaning 'inscription' or 'writing' engraved on an object.
- intérieur
- ahn-tay-ryur — Noun or adjective meaning 'interior' or 'inside'.
- constate
- kohn-stat — Third person singular of 'constater', meaning 'notes' or 'observes'.
- appartient
- ah-par-tyahn — Third person singular of 'appartenir', meaning 'belongs to'.
- après
- ah-pray — Preposition meaning 'after' in time or order.
- sûr
- sür — Adjective meaning 'sure' or 'certain'.
- mien
- myahn — Possessive pronoun meaning 'mine' (masculine singular).
- approchant
- ah-proh-shahn — Present participle of 's'approcher', meaning 'approaching' someone.
- vu
- vü — Past participle of 'voir', meaning 'seen'.
- absolument
- ab-soh-lü-mahn — Adverb meaning 'absolutely' or 'completely'.
- aucun
- oh-kuhn — Adjective or pronoun meaning 'no', 'none', or 'not any'.
- droit
- drwah — Noun meaning 'right' as in entitlement; also 'straight' or 'law'.
- lire
- leer — Infinitive meaning 'to read'.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →