The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck — Page 4

Vocabulary

Disse

He/she said, past tense of 'dire'

che

That, which, or who; conjunction/relative pronoun

amava

He/she loved, imperfect tense of 'amare'

le

The (feminine plural article) or 'her'

uova

Eggs; plural of 'uovo'

e

And; common coordinating conjunction

gli

The (masculine plural article) or 'to him'

anatroccoli

Ducklings; young ducks

sarebbe

He/she would be; conditional of 'essere'

stato

Been; past participle of 'essere'

orgoglioso

Proud; feeling satisfaction or pleasure

di

Of, from; very common Italian preposition

vedere

To see; infinitive of common verb

un

A, an; indefinite masculine singular article

bel

Beautiful, nice; shortened form of 'bello'

nido

Nest; a bird's home or resting place

pieno

Full; filled to capacity with something

nel

In the; contraction of 'in' and 'il'

suo

His, her, its; third-person possessive adjective

capanno

Shed, hut; small rustic shelter or outbuilding

veniva

Was coming, used to come; imperfect of 'venire'

ogni

Every, each; common Italian adjective

pomeriggio

Afternoon; the time period after midday

depose

She laid (eggs); past tense of 'deporre'

nove

Nine; the number 9

Erano

They were; imperfect tense of 'essere'

bianco-verdastre

Whitish-green; compound color adjective, feminine plural

molto

Very, much; common Italian intensifier adverb

grandi

Large, big; plural adjective describing size

Il

The; definite masculine singular article

gentiluomo

Gentleman; a refined or well-mannered man

dalla

From the; contraction of 'da' and 'la'

faccia

Face; the front part of someone's head

volpe

Fox; a cunning wild animal

ammirava

Was admiring; imperfect tense of 'ammirare'

immensamente

Immensely, enormously; to a very great degree

Era

He/she was; imperfect tense of 'essere'

solito

Used to, accustomed; as in 'era solito'

rigirarle

To turn them over; infinitive with pronoun attached

contarle

To count them; infinitive of 'contare' with pronoun

quando

When; common temporal conjunction

non

Not; standard Italian negation word

c'

There (elided); short form of 'ci' before vowel

era

There was, he/she was; imperfect of 'essere'

Alla

At the, to the; contraction of 'a' and 'la'

fine

End; conclusion of something; 'alla fine' means finally

disse

He/she said; past tense of 'dire'

intendeva

Intended, meant; imperfect tense of 'intendere'

cominciare

To begin, to start; common Italian infinitive

a

To, at; very common Italian preposition

covare

To brood, to incubate; sit on eggs to hatch

il

The; definite masculine singular article

giorno

Day; a 24-hour period

dopo

After, later; common Italian temporal adverb

porterò

I will bring; future tense of 'portare'

con

With; common Italian preposition

me

Me; first-person singular stressed pronoun

sacchetto

Small bag, pouch; a little sack

grano

Grain, wheat; cereal crop or seed

così

So, thus, therefore; common Italian adverb

dovrò

I will have to; future tense of 'dovere'

mai

Never, ever; common Italian temporal adverb

lasciare

To leave, to let go; common Italian infinitive

finché

Until, as long as; Italian temporal conjunction

saranno

They will be; future tense of 'essere'

schiuse

Hatched; past participle of 'schiudere', to hatch

Potrebbero

They could; conditional tense of 'potere'

prendere

To take, to catch; common Italian infinitive

freddo

Cold; low temperature or feeling cold

la

The (feminine singular article) or 'her'

coscienziosa

Conscientious; careful, diligent, and responsible

Signora

Madam, Mrs.; respectful title for a woman

prego

Please, you're welcome; polite Italian expression

disturbarsi

To bother oneself, to trouble oneself

provvederò

I will provide, take care of; future of 'provvedere'

io

I; first-person singular personal pronoun

all'

To the; contraction of 'a' and 'la/lo' before vowel

avena

Oats; a type of cereal grain

Ma

But; common Italian coordinating conjunction

prima

Before, first; common Italian temporal adverb

lei

She, you (formal); Italian pronoun

inizi

You begin; present subjunctive/indicative of 'iniziare'

sua

His, her, your (formal); possessive adjective

noiosa

Boring, tedious; causing boredom or annoyance

covata

Brood, clutch; a batch of eggs being incubated

ho

I have; first-person singular of 'avere'

intenzione

Intention; a plan or purpose to do something

offrirle

To offer you/her; infinitive of 'offrire' with pronoun

piacere

Pleasure; enjoyment or a pleasing experience

Facciamo

Let's make, let's do; first-person plural of 'fare'

una

A, one; indefinite feminine singular article

cena

Dinner, supper; the evening meal

tutta

All, entire; feminine singular of 'tutto'

per

For, by, through; very common Italian preposition

noi

We, us; first-person plural pronoun

Posso

I can, may I; first-person singular of 'potere'

chiederle

To ask you/her; infinitive of 'chiedere' with pronoun

portare

To bring, to carry; common Italian infinitive

alcune

Some, a few; feminine plural indefinite adjective

erbe

Herbs; aromatic plants used in cooking

dal

From the; contraction of 'da' and 'il'

giardino

Garden; a cultivated outdoor space with plants

della

Of the; contraction of 'di' and 'la'

fattoria

Farm; a rural property for raising animals/crops

fare

To make, to do; most common Italian infinitive

frittata

Omelet; an Italian egg dish cooked in a pan

saporita

Tasty, flavorful; having a good, savory flavor

Salvia

Sage; an aromatic herb used in cooking

timo

Thyme; an aromatic herb used in cooking

menta

Mint; a fragrant herb used in cooking

due

Two; the number 2

cipolle

Onions; common cooking vegetables

po'

A little, a bit; shortened form of 'poco'

prezzemolo

Parsley; a common herb used in Italian cooking

Provvederò

I will provide; future tense of 'provvedere'

al

To the, at the; contraction of 'a' and 'il'

lardo

Lard, cured fatback; pig fat used in cooking

ripieno

Stuffing, filling; mixture used to fill food

cordiale

Cordial, warm, friendly; hearty and affable manner

dai

From the; contraction of 'da' and 'i'

baffi

Whiskers, mustache; hair above lip or on animals

fulvi

Tawny, reddish-brown; warm golden-brown color

sempliciona

Simple-minded woman, naive woman; unsophisticated female person

nemmeno

Not even; Italian negative adverb for emphasis

riferimento

Reference; a mention or allusion to something

alla

To the, at the; contraction of 'a' and 'la'

alle

To the (plural); contraction of 'a' and 'le'

rese

Made her, rendered; past tense of 'rendere'

sospettosa

Suspicious; feeling or showing distrust of someone

Girò

She walked around, turned; past tense of 'girare'

mordicchiando

Nibbling, gnawing; present participle of 'mordicchiare'

pezzettini

Tiny pieces, small bits; diminutive of 'pezzetti'

tutti

All, every; masculine plural of 'tutto'

i

The; definite masculine plural article

diversi

Various, different, several; masculine plural adjective

tipi

Types, kinds; plural of 'tipo'

si

Oneself, reflexive pronoun; also 'one uses'

usano

They use, one uses; present tense of 'usare'

dell'

Of the; contraction of 'di' before vowel sound

anatra

Duck; a water bird commonly kept on farms

arrosto

Roast; cooked meat prepared by roasting

E

And; coordinating conjunction (also 'è' means 'is')

dondolò

She waddled, swayed; past tense of 'dondolare'

fino

Until, up to; common Italian preposition/adverb

in

In, into; common Italian preposition

cucina

Kitchen; the room where food is prepared

prese

She took, grabbed; past tense of 'prendere'

da

From, by, since; common Italian preposition

cesto

Basket; a woven container for carrying items