The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — Page 2
" In this character, it was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of downgoing men.
„In dieser Eigenschaft war es häufig sein Schicksal, der letzte angesehene Bekannte und der letzte gute Einfluss im Leben von Menschen zu sein, die auf dem absteigenden Ast waren.
And to such as these, so long as they came about his chambers, he never marked a shade of change in his demeanour.
Und gegenüber solchen Menschen, solange sie in seine Kanzlei kamen, ließ er nie den geringsten Wandel in seinem Benehmen erkennen.
No doubt the feat was easy to Mr. Utterson; for he was undemonstrative at the best, and even his friendship seemed to be founded in a similar catholicity of good-nature.
Zweifellos fiel ihm diese Leistung leicht, denn er war im besten Fall zurückhaltend, und selbst seine Freundschaft schien auf einer ähnlichen Allgemeinheit der Gutmütigkeit zu gründen.
It is the mark of a modest man to accept his friendly circle ready-made from the hands of opportunity; and that was the lawyer's way.
Es ist das Zeichen eines bescheidenen Mannes, seinen Freundeskreis fertig aus den Händen des Zufalls zu empfangen; und das war die Art des Anwalts.
His friends were those of his own blood or those whom he had known the longest; his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time, they implied no aptness in the object.
Seine Freunde waren die seines eigenen Blutes oder jene, die er am längsten kannte; seine Zuneigungen, wie Efeu, waren das Gewächs der Zeit, sie setzten keine besondere Eignung des Gegenstands voraus.
Hence, no doubt the bond that united him to Mr. Richard Enfield, his distant kinsman, the well-known man about town.
Daher zweifellos das Band, das ihn mit Mr. Richard Enfield verband, seinem entfernten Verwandten, dem stadtbekannten Mann.
It was a nut to crack for many, what these two could see in each other, or what subject they could find in common.
Es war für viele ein Rätsel, was diese beiden aneinander finden konnten oder welches gemeinsame Thema sie haben mochten.
It was reported by those who encountered them in their Sunday walks, that they said nothing, looked singularly dull and would hail with obvious relief the appearance of a friend.
Von denen, die ihnen bei ihren Sonntagsspaziergängen begegneten, wurde berichtet, dass sie nichts sagten, merkwürdig gelangweilt dreinschauten und das Erscheinen eines Bekannten mit offensichtlicher Erleichterung begrüßten.
Vocabulary
- dieser
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this' (dative/genitive).
- Eigenschaft
- Quality, capacity, or characteristic of something.
- häufig
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'frequently' or 'often'.
- Schicksal
- Fate or destiny assigned to a person.
- letzte
- Adjective meaning 'last' or 'final'.
- angesehene
- Adjective meaning 'respected' or 'esteemed'.
- Bekannte
- Acquaintance; someone known but not a close friend.
- Einfluss
- Influence or effect one has on someone.
- Leben
- Noun meaning 'life' or 'living'.
- Menschen
- Plural noun meaning 'people' or 'humans'.
- absteigenden
- Adjective meaning 'descending' or 'declining' (downward trend).
- Ast
- Branch of a tree; idiomatically used for decline.
- gegenüber
- Preposition meaning 'towards' or 'opposite'.
- solchen
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'such' (dative plural).
- solange
- Conjunction meaning 'as long as'.
- Kanzlei
- Law office or chancellery where legal work is done.
- ließ
- Past tense of 'lassen'; meaning 'let' or 'allowed'.
- nie
- Adverb meaning 'never'.
- geringsten
- Superlative of 'gering'; meaning 'slightest' or 'least'.
- Wandel
- Change or transformation over time.
- Benehmen
- Behavior or conduct toward others.
- erkennen
- To recognize, detect, or perceive something.
- Zweifellos
- Adverb meaning 'undoubtedly' or 'without doubt'.
- Leistung
- Achievement, performance, or feat accomplished.
- leicht
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'easy' or 'light'.
- denn
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or particle for emphasis.
- Fall
- Case, instance, or fall; common in set phrases.
- zurückhaltend
- Adjective meaning 'reserved' or 'restrained' in manner.
- selbst
- Pronoun or adverb meaning 'even', 'oneself', or 'itself'.
- Freundschaft
- Friendship; close bond between people.
- schien
- Past tense of 'scheinen'; meaning 'seemed' or 'appeared'.
- ähnlichen
- Adjective meaning 'similar' or 'like' (dative form).
- Allgemeinheit
- Generality or the general public as a concept.
- Gutmütigkeit
- Good-naturedness or kindheartedness as a character trait.
- gründen
- To found, base, or establish something on a foundation.
- Zeichen
- Sign or mark indicating something meaningful.
- bescheidenen
- Adjective meaning 'modest' or 'humble' in character.
- Freundeskreis
- Circle of friends; one's social group.
- fertig
- Adjective meaning 'ready', 'finished', or 'complete'.
- Zufalls
- Genitive of 'Zufall'; meaning 'of chance' or 'fate'.
- empfangen
- To receive or accept something given to you.
- Art
- Type, kind, or manner of something.
- Anwalts
- Genitive of 'Anwalt'; meaning 'of a lawyer'.
- Freunde
- Plural noun meaning 'friends'.
- eigenen
- Adjective meaning 'own' (dative/accusative inflected form).
- Blutes
- Genitive of 'Blut'; meaning 'of blood', referring to kin.
- jene
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' or 'that'.
- längsten
- Superlative of 'lang'; meaning 'longest'.
- kannte
- Past tense of 'kennen'; meaning 'knew' (a person/thing).
- Zuneigungen
- Plural of 'Zuneigung'; meaning 'affections' or 'fondnesses'.
- Efeu
- Ivy; a clinging climbing plant.
- Gewächs
- Plant or growth; something that grows organically.
- Zeit
- Time; duration or a specific point in time.
- setzten
- Past tense plural of 'setzen'; meaning 'placed' or 'set'.
- besondere
- Adjective meaning 'special' or 'particular'.
- Eignung
- Suitability or aptitude for a particular purpose.
- Gegenstands
- Genitive of 'Gegenstand'; meaning 'of an object/subject'.
- voraus
- Adverb meaning 'ahead' or 'in advance'; part of 'voraussetzen'.
- Daher
- Adverb meaning 'therefore' or 'hence'.
- zweifellos
- Adverb meaning 'undoubtedly' or 'without doubt'.
- Band
- Bond or tie connecting people; also means 'volume/ribbon'.
- verband
- Past tense of 'verbinden'; meaning 'connected' or 'linked'.
- entfernten
- Adjective meaning 'distant' or 'remote' (dative/accusative form).
- Verwandten
- Relative or family member; a relation by blood or marriage.
- stadtbekannten
- Adjective meaning 'well-known throughout the city'.
- Mann
- Noun meaning 'man' or 'husband'.
- viele
- Pronoun or adjective meaning 'many'.
- Rätsel
- Puzzle or mystery that is difficult to explain.
- beiden
- Pronoun meaning 'both' referring to two people.
- aneinander
- Adverb meaning 'in each other' or 'about one another'.
- finden
- To find or discover something.
- welches
- Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning 'which'.
- gemeinsame
- Adjective meaning 'common' or 'shared' between people.
- Thema
- Topic or theme of a conversation or discussion.
- mochten
- Past tense of 'mögen'; meaning 'liked' or 'might have'.
- denen
- Relative pronoun meaning 'those' or 'whom' (dative plural).
- Sonntagsspaziergängen
- Plural dative of 'Sonntagsspaziergang'; meaning 'Sunday walks'.
- begegneten
- Past tense of 'begegnen'; meaning 'encountered' or 'met'.
- berichtet
- Past participle of 'berichten'; meaning 'reported' or 'told'.
- nichts
- Pronoun meaning 'nothing'.
- merkwürdig
- Adjective meaning 'strange', 'odd', or 'remarkable'.
- gelangweilt
- Past participle of 'langweilen'; meaning 'bored'.
- dreinschauten
- Past tense of 'dreinschauen'; meaning 'looked' with an expression.
- Erscheinen
- Noun meaning 'appearance' or 'arrival' of someone.
- Bekannten
- Genitive/dative of 'Bekannte'; meaning 'acquaintance'.
- offensichtlicher
- Adjective meaning 'obvious' or 'evident' (comparative/inflected).
- Erleichterung
- Relief; feeling of ease after tension or burden.
- begrüßten
- Past tense plural of 'begrüßen'; meaning 'greeted'.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →