The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People — Page 10
That wouldn't be at all a bad thing.
Ce ne serait pas du tout une mauvaise chose.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
Literary criticism is not your forte, my dear fellow. Don't try it. You should leave that to people who haven't been at a University. They do it so well in the daily papers. What you really are is a Bunburyist. I was quite right in saying you were a Bunburyist. You are one of the most advanced Bunburyists I know.
La critique littéraire n'est pas votre fort, mon cher ami. N'essayez pas. Vous devriez laisser cela aux gens qui n'ont pas fréquenté une université. Ils s'en acquittent si bien dans les journaux quotidiens. Ce que vous êtes vraiment, c'est un Bunburyiste. J'avais tout à fait raison de dire que vous étiez un Bunburyiste. Vous êtes l'un des Bunburyistes les plus accomplis que je connaisse.
JACK.
JACK.
What on earth do you mean?
Mais que voulez-vous dire au juste ?
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. 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. Bunbury is perfectly invaluable. 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.
Vous avez inventé un très commode frère cadet prénommé Ernest, afin de pouvoir monter en ville aussi souvent que vous le souhaitez. Moi, j'ai inventé un invalide permanent d'une inestimable utilité appelé Bunbury, afin de pouvoir descendre à la campagne chaque fois que je le désire. Bunbury est absolument irremplaçable. Sans la santé extraordinairement mauvaise de Bunbury, par exemple, je ne pourrais pas dîner avec vous chez Willis's ce soir, car j'ai été bel et bien invité chez tante Augusta depuis plus d'une semaine.
JACK.
JACK.
I haven't asked you to dine with me anywhere to-night.
Je ne vous ai pas invité à dîner avec moi où que ce soit ce soir.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
I know. You are absurdly careless about sending out invitations. It is very foolish of you. Nothing annoys people so much as not receiving invitations.
Je le sais. Vous êtes d'une négligence absurde quand il s'agit d'envoyer des invitations. C'est très sot de votre part. Rien n'irrite davantage les gens que de ne pas recevoir d'invitations.
JACK.
JACK.
You had much better dine with your Aunt Augusta.
Vous feriez bien mieux de dîner avec votre tante Augusta.
ALGERNON.
ALGERNON.
I haven't the smallest intention of doing anything of the kind. To begin with, I dined there on Monday, and once a week is quite enough to dine with one's own relations.
Je n'ai pas la moindre intention de faire quoi que ce soit de la sorte. Pour commencer, j'y ai dîné lundi, et une fois par semaine est bien suffisant pour dîner avec ses propres parents.
Vocabulary
- serait
- Conditional form of 'être': 'would be'
- tout
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'all', 'every', or 'completely'
- mauvaise
- Feminine adjective meaning 'bad' or 'poor'
- chose
- Noun meaning 'thing' or 'matter'
- critique
- Noun meaning 'criticism' or 'critique'; also 'critic'
- littéraire
- Adjective meaning 'literary', relating to literature
- fort
- Noun or adjective meaning 'strength', 'strong point', or 'strong'
- cher
- Adjective meaning 'dear' or 'expensive'
- ami
- Noun meaning 'friend'
- essayez
- Imperative/present form of 'essayer': 'try'
- devriez
- Conditional of 'devoir': 'you should' or 'you ought to'
- laisser
- Infinitive meaning 'to leave', 'to let', or 'to allow'
- cela
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this'
- gens
- Noun meaning 'people' or 'persons'
- fréquenté
- Past participle of 'fréquenter': 'attended' or 'frequented'
- université
- Noun meaning 'university' or 'college'
- acquittent
- Third plural of 's'acquitter': 'discharge', 'carry out a duty'
- journaux
- Plural noun meaning 'newspapers' or 'journals'
- quotidiens
- Adjective or noun meaning 'daily' or 'daily newspapers'
- vraiment
- Adverb meaning 'truly', 'really', or 'genuinely'
- avais
- Imperfect of 'avoir': 'I had' or 'I was having'
- raison
- Noun meaning 'reason'; 'avoir raison' means 'to be right'
- dire
- Infinitive meaning 'to say' or 'to tell'
- étiez
- Second person plural imperfect of 'être': 'you were'
- accomplis
- Adjective meaning 'accomplished', 'skilled', or 'complete'
- connaisse
- Subjunctive of 'connaître': 'know' or 'be acquainted with'
- juste
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'just', 'fair', or 'exactly'
- inventé
- Past participle of 'inventer': 'invented' or 'made up'
- commode
- Adjective meaning 'convenient', 'handy', or 'practical'
- frère
- Noun meaning 'brother'
- cadet
- Adjective or noun meaning 'younger', 'junior sibling'
- prénommé
- Adjective meaning 'named', 'called by the first name'
- afin
- Conjunction used in 'afin de/que': 'in order to/that'
- pouvoir
- Infinitive meaning 'to be able to' or 'can'
- monter
- Infinitive meaning 'to go up', 'to come up', or 'to climb'
- ville
- Noun meaning 'city' or 'town'
- souvent
- Adverb meaning 'often' or 'frequently'
- souhaitez
- Second plural of 'souhaiter': 'wish' or 'desire'
- invalide
- Noun or adjective meaning 'invalid', 'disabled person'
- permanent
- Adjective meaning 'permanent' or 'constant'
- inestimable
- Adjective meaning 'invaluable', 'priceless', or 'immeasurable'
- utilité
- Noun meaning 'usefulness', 'utility', or 'value'
- appelé
- Past participle of 'appeler': 'called' or 'named'
- descendre
- Infinitive meaning 'to go down', 'to come down'
- campagne
- Noun meaning 'countryside', 'country', or 'campaign'
- chaque
- Adjective meaning 'each' or 'every'
- fois
- Noun meaning 'time', 'instance', or 'occasion'
- désire
- First/third person singular of 'désirer': 'desire', 'wish'
- absolument
- Adverb meaning 'absolutely' or 'completely'
- irremplaçable
- Adjective meaning 'irreplaceable', 'impossible to replace'
- Sans
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- santé
- Noun meaning 'health' or 'wellbeing'
- extraordinairement
- Adverb meaning 'extraordinarily' or 'remarkably'
- exemple
- Noun meaning 'example'; 'par exemple' means 'for example'
- pourrais
- Conditional of 'pouvoir': 'I/you could' or 'I/you would be able'
- dîner
- Infinitive or noun meaning 'to have dinner' or 'dinner'
- chez
- Preposition meaning 'at the home/place of'
- soir
- Noun meaning 'evening' or 'tonight'
- car
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for'
- été
- Past participle of 'être': 'been'; also noun meaning 'summer'
- bel
- Masculine adjective before vowel meaning 'beautiful' or 'fine'
- invité
- Past participle of 'inviter': 'invited'; also noun 'guest'
- tante
- Noun meaning 'aunt'
- depuis
- Preposition meaning 'since' or 'for' (duration)
- semaine
- Noun meaning 'week'
- où
- Relative adverb or interrogative meaning 'where' or 'when'
- soit
- Subjunctive of 'être': 'be'; also 'either...or' conjunction
- sais
- First/second person singular of 'savoir': 'know'
- négligence
- Noun meaning 'negligence', 'carelessness', or 'oversight'
- absurde
- Adjective meaning 'absurd', 'ridiculous', or 'nonsensical'
- agit
- Third singular of 'agir': 'acts'; 's'agit de' means 'it is about'
- envoyer
- Infinitive meaning 'to send'
- invitations
- Plural noun meaning 'invitations'
- sot
- Adjective or noun meaning 'foolish', 'silly', or 'fool'
- part
- Noun meaning 'part', 'share'; 'de sa part' means 'on their part'
- Rien
- Pronoun meaning 'nothing' or 'anything' (in negation)
- irrite
- Third singular of 'irriter': 'irritates' or 'annoys'
- davantage
- Adverb meaning 'more', 'further', or 'to a greater extent'
- recevoir
- Infinitive meaning 'to receive' or 'to welcome'
- feriez
- Conditional of 'faire': 'you would do' or 'you would make'
- mieux
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'better' or 'best'
- moindre
- Adjective meaning 'least', 'slightest', or 'lesser'
- intention
- Noun meaning 'intention', 'plan', or 'purpose'
- faire
- Infinitive meaning 'to do' or 'to make'
- quoi
- Pronoun meaning 'what'; used in questions or exclamations
- sorte
- Noun meaning 'sort', 'kind', or 'type'
- commencer
- Infinitive meaning 'to begin' or 'to start'
- y
- Pronoun meaning 'there' or 'to it/them'
- dîné
- Past participle of 'dîner': 'dined' or 'had dinner'
- lundi
- Noun meaning 'Monday'
- suffisant
- Adjective meaning 'sufficient', 'enough', or 'self-satisfied'
- propres
- Adjective meaning 'own', 'clean', or 'proper'
- parents
- Noun meaning 'parents' or 'relatives'
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