The Tale of Benjamin Bunny — Page 3
Little Benjamin said that the first thing to be done was to get back Peter's clothes, in order that they might be able to use the pocket-handkerchief.
Il piccolo Beniamino disse che la prima cosa da fare era recuperare i vestiti di Pietro, in modo che potessero essere in grado di usare il fazzoletto.
They took them off the scarecrow.
Li tolsero dallo spaventapasseri.
There had been rain during the night; there was water in the shoes, and the coat was somewhat shrunk.
Era piovuto durante la notte; c'era acqua nelle scarpe, e il cappotto si era un po' ristretto.
Benjamin tried on the tam-o'-shanter, but it was too big for him.
Beniamino provò il berretto scozzese, ma era troppo grande per lui.
Then he suggested that they should fill the pocket-handkerchief with onions, as a little present for his Aunt.
Poi suggerì che avrebbero dovuto riempire il fazzoletto con le cipolle, come un piccolo regalo per sua Zia.
Peter did not seem to be enjoying himself; he kept hearing noises.
Pietro non sembrava divertirsi; continuava a sentire dei rumori.
Benjamin, on the contrary, was perfectly at home, and ate a lettuce leaf.
Beniamino, al contrario, si sentiva perfettamente a suo agio, e mangiò una foglia di lattuga.
He said that he was in the habit of coming to the garden with his father to get lettuces for their Sunday dinner.
Disse che era solito venire in giardino con suo padre a prendere le lattughe per il loro pranzo domenicale.
(The name of little Benjamin's papa was old Mr. Benjamin Bunny.)
(Il nome del papà del piccolo Beniamino era il vecchio Signor Beniamino Coniglio.)
The lettuces certainly were very fine.
Le lattughe erano certamente molto belle.
Peter did not eat anything; he said he should like to go home.
Pietro non mangiò nulla; disse che avrebbe voluto andare a casa.
Presently he dropped half the onions.
Ben presto lasciò cadere metà delle cipolle.
Little Benjamin said that it was not possible to get back up the pear-tree with a load of vegetables.
Il piccolo Beniamino disse che non era possibile risalire sul pero con un carico di verdure.
He led the way boldly towards the other end of the garden.
Si avviò con decisione verso l'altra estremità del giardino.
They went along a little walk on planks, under a sunny, red brick wall.
Camminarono lungo un piccolo sentiero di assi, sotto un soleggiato muro di mattoni rossi.
The mice sat on their doorsteps cracking cherry-stones; they winked at Peter Rabbit and little Benjamin Bunny.
I topi sedevano sulle loro soglie a schiacciar noccioli di ciliegia; fecero l'occhiolino a Pietro Coniglio e al piccolo Beniamino Bunny.
Presently Peter let the pocket-handkerchief go again.
Ben presto Pietro lasciò andare di nuovo il fazzoletto.
Vocabulary
- piccolo
- Small in size or young in age.
- disse
- Past tense of 'dire'; he/she said.
- prima
- First in order or sequence; before something else.
- cosa
- A thing, object, or matter.
- fare
- To do or to make something.
- era
- Past tense of 'essere'; he/she/it was.
- recuperare
- To recover, retrieve, or get back something.
- vestiti
- Clothes or garments worn on the body.
- modo
- A way, manner, or means of doing something.
- potessero
- Subjunctive past of 'potere'; they could or might.
- essere
- To be; fundamental linking or auxiliary verb.
- grado
- Degree or level; 'in grado di' means able to.
- usare
- To use or make use of something.
- fazzoletto
- A handkerchief or small cloth for wiping.
- Li
- Third person plural object pronoun meaning 'them'.
- tolsero
- Past tense of 'togliere'; they removed or took off.
- spaventapasseri
- A scarecrow placed in fields to frighten birds.
- Era
- Past tense of 'essere'; he/she/it was.
- piovuto
- Past participle of 'piovere'; it had rained.
- durante
- Preposition meaning 'during' a period of time.
- notte
- The night; the dark hours after sunset.
- acqua
- Water; the clear liquid essential for life.
- scarpe
- Shoes worn on the feet for protection.
- cappotto
- An overcoat or heavy outer garment for warmth.
- si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself', 'herself', or 'itself'.
- po'
- A little; a small amount or degree.
- ristretto
- Tight, narrow, or shrunken after washing.
- provò
- Past tense of 'provare'; he/she tried or attempted.
- berretto
- A cap or small hat worn on the head.
- scozzese
- Scottish; relating to Scotland or its tartan pattern.
- troppo
- Too much; excessively large or great in degree.
- grande
- Big, large, or great in size or importance.
- Poi
- Then, afterwards; indicating what happens next.
- suggerì
- Past tense of 'suggerire'; he/she suggested something.
- avrebbero
- Conditional of 'avere'; they would have done.
- dovuto
- Past participle of 'dovere'; had to or owed.
- riempire
- To fill up or stuff something with contents.
- cipolle
- Onions; pungent bulb vegetables used in cooking.
- come
- As, like, or how; used for comparison or manner.
- regalo
- A gift or present given to someone.
- Zia
- Aunt; a parent's sister or uncle's wife.
- sembrava
- Past tense of 'sembrare'; he/she/it seemed.
- divertirsi
- To enjoy oneself or have a good time.
- continuava
- Past continuous of 'continuare'; he/she kept on doing.
- sentire
- To hear, feel, or sense something.
- rumori
- Noises or sounds, often unwanted or startling.
- contrario
- The opposite or contrary; on the other hand.
- sentiva
- Past continuous of 'sentire'; he/she was feeling.
- perfettamente
- Perfectly; in a completely satisfactory or ideal manner.
- agio
- Ease or comfort; 'a proprio agio' means at ease.
- mangiò
- Past tense of 'mangiare'; he/she ate something.
- foglia
- A leaf of a plant or tree.
- lattuga
- Lettuce; a leafy green vegetable eaten in salads.
- Disse
- Past tense of 'dire'; he/she said or stated.
- solito
- Usual or customary; 'di solito' means usually.
- venire
- To come; to move toward a place or person.
- giardino
- A garden; a cultivated outdoor area for plants.
- padre
- Father; a male parent or paternal figure.
- prendere
- To take, grab, or pick up something.
- lattughe
- Plural of lattuga; lettuces or heads of lettuce.
- loro
- Their or they; third person plural pronoun or adjective.
- pranzo
- Lunch; the midday meal eaten around noon.
- domenicale
- Relating to Sunday; a Sunday meal or event.
- nome
- A name given to a person, place, or thing.
- papà
- Dad or daddy; an informal word for father.
- vecchio
- Old; having existed or lived for many years.
- Signor
- Mister or Sir; a formal title for a man.
- Coniglio
- Rabbit; a small furry mammal with long ears.
- erano
- Past tense of 'essere'; they were in a state.
- certamente
- Certainly; without any doubt, definitely so.
- molto
- Very or much; indicating a high degree.
- belle
- Beautiful or lovely; feminine plural of 'bello'.
- nulla
- Nothing; not anything at all.
- avrebbe
- Conditional of 'avere'; he/she would have.
- voluto
- Past participle of 'volere'; wanted or wished for.
- andare
- To go; to move from one place to another.
- casa
- Home or house; where one lives.
- Ben
- Short for 'bene' or a prefix meaning 'well' or 'soon'.
- presto
- Soon or quickly; in a short time.
- lasciò
- Past tense of 'lasciare'; he/she let go or left.
- cadere
- To fall down; to drop from a higher position.
- metà
- Half; one of two equal parts of something.
- possibile
- Possible; able to happen or be done.
- risalire
- To climb back up or go back up something.
- pero
- A pear tree; fruit-bearing deciduous garden tree.
- carico
- A load or cargo; something heavy being carried.
- verdure
- Vegetables; edible plants or plant parts eaten as food.
- avviò
- Past tense of 'avviarsi'; he/she set off or started.
- decisione
- A decision; a choice made after consideration.
- verso
- Toward; in the direction of a place.
- altra
- Other or another; a different one.
- estremità
- End or extremity; the farthest point of something.
- Camminarono
- Past tense of 'camminare'; they walked together.
- lungo
- Along or long; following the length of something.
- sentiero
- A path or trail through an outdoor area.
- assi
- Planks or boards; flat pieces of cut wood.
- sotto
- Under or below; in a lower position than.
- soleggiato
- Sunny; exposed to and lit by sunlight.
- muro
- A wall; a vertical structure enclosing or dividing space.
- mattoni
- Bricks; rectangular blocks used for building walls.
- rossi
- Red; plural masculine adjective describing a red color.
- topi
- Mice or rats; small rodent animals.
- sedevano
- Past continuous of 'sedere'; they were sitting down.
- soglie
- Thresholds or doorsteps at the entrance of a home.
- schiacciar
- To crack or crush; short form of 'schiacciare'.
- noccioli
- Cherry pits or small hard stones inside fruits.
- ciliegia
- A cherry; a small round red or dark fruit.
- fecero
- Past tense of 'fare'; they did or made something.
- occhiolino
- A wink; closing one eye briefly as a signal.
- nuovo
- New; recently made, acquired, or encountered.
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