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 questo carattere, era spesso sua fortuna essere l'ultima rispettabile conoscenza e l'ultima buona influenza nella vita degli uomini in rovina.
And to such as these, so long as they came about his chambers, he never marked a shade of change in his demeanour.
E con persone come queste, finché frequentavano il suo studio, non lasciava mai trasparire la minima ombra di cambiamento nel suo contegno.
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.
Senza dubbio tale impresa era facile per il signor Utterson; poiché egli era nel migliore dei casi poco espansivo, e persino la sua amicizia sembrava fondata su una simile cattolicità di buona natura.
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.
È segno di un uomo modesto accettare la propria cerchia di amici già bella e pronta dalle mani dell'opportunità; e questo era il modo dell'avvocato.
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.
I suoi amici erano quelli del suo stesso sangue o quelli che conosceva da più tempo; i suoi affetti, come l'edera, erano il frutto del tempo, e non implicavano alcuna particolare attitudine nell'oggetto.
Hence, no doubt the bond that united him to Mr. Richard Enfield, his distant kinsman, the well-known man about town.
Di qui, senza dubbio, il legame che lo univa al signor Richard Enfield, suo lontano parente, il noto habitué della città.
It was a nut to crack for many, what these two could see in each other, or what subject they could find in common.
Era un osso duro da rodere per molti, capire cosa questi due potessero vedere l'uno nell'altro, o quale argomento potessero trovare in comune.
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.
Si raccontava da parte di coloro che li incontravano durante le loro passeggiate domenicali, che non dicevano nulla, apparivano singolarmente tetri e salutavano con evidente sollievo la comparsa di un amico.
Vocabulary
- questo
- Demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'this'
- carattere
- Character, personality, or temperament of a person
- era
- Third person singular imperfect of 'essere', meaning 'was'
- spesso
- Adverb meaning 'often' or 'frequently'
- sua
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'
- fortuna
- Luck, fortune, or good fate
- essere
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'
- ultima
- Adjective meaning 'last' or 'final'
- rispettabile
- Adjective meaning 'respectable' or 'honorable'
- conoscenza
- Knowledge, acquaintance, or familiarity with someone
- buona
- Adjective meaning 'good', feminine form of 'buono'
- influenza
- Influence or effect exerted on someone or something
- vita
- Noun meaning 'life' or 'lifetime'
- degli
- Contraction of 'di' and 'gli', meaning 'of the'
- uomini
- Plural noun meaning 'men' or 'human beings'
- rovina
- Ruin, downfall, or destruction of a person or thing
- persone
- Plural noun meaning 'people' or 'persons'
- queste
- Feminine plural demonstrative pronoun meaning 'these'
- finché
- Conjunction meaning 'as long as' or 'until'
- frequentavano
- They frequented or regularly visited a place
- studio
- Study room, office, or place of professional work
- lasciava
- Imperfect tense of 'lasciare', meaning 'used to let'
- mai
- Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever'
- trasparire
- To show through, to become visible or apparent
- minima
- Superlative adjective meaning 'slightest' or 'minimal'
- ombra
- Shadow, shade, or trace of something
- cambiamento
- Change or alteration in behavior or circumstance
- contegno
- Composure, bearing, or manner of conduct
- senza
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- dubbio
- Doubt, uncertainty, or hesitation
- tale
- Adjective meaning 'such' or 'this kind of'
- impresa
- Enterprise, undertaking, or challenging task
- facile
- Adjective meaning 'easy' or 'simple'
- signor
- Title of respect meaning 'Mr.' before a name
- poiché
- Conjunction meaning 'since', 'because', or 'as'
- egli
- Formal third person singular pronoun meaning 'he'
- migliore
- Adjective meaning 'better' or 'best'
- casi
- Plural noun meaning 'cases', 'situations', or 'instances'
- poco
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'little', 'few', or 'not much'
- espansivo
- Expansive, outgoing, or demonstratively communicative
- persino
- Adverb meaning 'even', emphasizing an extreme case
- amicizia
- Friendship or the bond between friends
- sembrava
- Imperfect of 'sembrare', meaning 'it seemed' or 'appeared'
- fondata
- Founded or based on something, past participle of 'fondare'
- simile
- Adjective meaning 'similar', 'such', or 'like'
- natura
- Nature, character, or inherent quality of something
- segno
- Sign, mark, or indication of something
- uomo
- Noun meaning 'man' or 'human being'
- modesto
- Adjective meaning 'modest', 'humble', or 'unassuming'
- accettare
- To accept or receive something willingly
- propria
- Possessive adjective meaning 'one's own'
- cerchia
- Circle or group of acquaintances, friends, or associates
- amici
- Plural noun meaning 'friends'
- bella
- Adjective meaning 'beautiful', 'fine', or 'good'
- pronta
- Adjective meaning 'ready' or 'prepared'
- mani
- Plural noun meaning 'hands'
- opportunità
- Opportunity or favorable circumstance
- modo
- Way, manner, or method of doing something
- avvocato
- Lawyer or attorney who practices law professionally
- suoi
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', masculine plural
- stesso
- Adjective meaning 'same' or 'very', used for emphasis
- sangue
- Blood, or family relation by blood
- conosceva
- Imperfect of 'conoscere', meaning 'he knew' or 'was acquainted'
- tempo
- Time, weather, or a period of duration
- affetti
- Affections, emotional bonds, or feelings of fondness
- edera
- Ivy, a clinging plant that grows on walls or trees
- frutto
- Fruit, result, or outcome of something
- implicavano
- They implied or required a particular quality or skill
- alcuna
- Adjective meaning 'any' or 'no', feminine singular form
- particolare
- Adjective meaning 'particular', 'special', or 'specific'
- attitudine
- Aptitude, natural ability, or tendency toward something
- oggetto
- Object, subject matter, or purpose of something
- legame
- Bond, tie, or connection between people or things
- univa
- Imperfect of 'unire', meaning 'united' or 'connected them'
- lontano
- Adjective meaning 'distant', 'far', or 'remote'
- parente
- Relative or family member related by blood or marriage
- noto
- Adjective meaning 'well-known', 'noted', or 'famous'
- città
- City or town as a place of urban habitation
- osso
- Bone, or idiomatically a tough or hard problem
- duro
- Adjective meaning 'hard', 'tough', or 'difficult'
- rodere
- To gnaw or chew on something persistently
- molti
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'many' or 'a lot of'
- capire
- To understand or comprehend something
- cosa
- Noun meaning 'thing' or interrogative 'what'
- potessero
- Subjunctive imperfect of 'potere', meaning 'could' or 'might'
- vedere
- To see or to meet with someone
- altro
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'another'
- quale
- Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'what'
- argomento
- Topic, argument, or subject of conversation
- trovare
- To find or discover something or someone
- comune
- Adjective meaning 'common', 'shared', or 'mutual'
- raccontava
- Imperfect of 'raccontare', meaning 'used to tell' or 'narrate'
- parte
- Part, portion, or side in a situation
- coloro
- Pronoun meaning 'those' referring to specific people
- incontravano
- Imperfect of 'incontrare', meaning 'they used to meet'
- durante
- Preposition meaning 'during' a period of time
- loro
- Pronoun meaning 'their', 'them', or 'they'
- passeggiate
- Plural noun meaning 'walks' or 'strolls' outdoors
- domenicali
- Adjective meaning 'Sunday', relating to Sunday activities
- dicevano
- Imperfect of 'dire', meaning 'they used to say'
- nulla
- Pronoun meaning 'nothing' or 'not anything'
- apparivano
- Imperfect of 'apparire', meaning 'they appeared' or 'seemed'
- singolarmente
- Adverb meaning 'singularly', 'remarkably', or 'strangely'
- tetri
- Adjective meaning 'gloomy', 'dark', or 'somber'
- salutavano
- Imperfect of 'salutare', meaning 'they used to greet'
- evidente
- Adjective meaning 'evident', 'obvious', or 'clear'
- sollievo
- Relief from stress, pain, or an unpleasant situation
- comparsa
- Appearance or arrival of someone, also a minor actor
- amico
- Noun meaning 'friend' or 'companion'
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