The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse — Page 4

Vocabulary

Era

Third person singular imperfect of 'essere' (to be)

seduto

Seated, sitting down

su

On, upon, up

una

Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'

piccola

Small, little (feminine form)

sedia

Chair, a piece of furniture for sitting

a

Preposition meaning 'at', 'to', or 'in'

dondolo

Rocking, as in a rocking chair

giocherellando

Fiddling, playing idly with something

con

With, together with

i

Masculine plural definite article meaning 'the'

pollici

Thumbs; also means inches

e

And, a coordinating conjunction

sorridendo

Smiling, present participle of 'sorridere'

piedi

Feet, the lower extremities of the body

sul

Contraction of 'su' and 'il' meaning 'on the'

Viveva

He/she/it lived, imperfect tense of 'vivere'

in

In, inside, within a place

uno

Masculine indefinite article or number 'one'

scarico

Drain, discharge point for water or waste

sotto

Under, below, beneath something

la

Feminine definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'her'

siepe

Hedge, a row of dense shrubs or bushes

un

Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'

fosso

Ditch, a narrow channel dug in the ground

molto

Very, much, a lot

sporco

Dirty, unclean, filthy

umido

Damp, humid, moist

Illustrazione

Illustration, a picture accompanying a text

Signor

Mister, a title of respect for a man

Seduto

Seated, sitting (past participle of 'sedere')

gocciolante

Dripping, trickling drops of liquid

Come

How, as, like; used in questions and comparisons

sta

He/she/it is (from 'stare'), used in greetings

Mio

My, belonging to me (masculine form)

caro

Dear, beloved; also expensive

si

Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself', 'herself', 'oneself'

è

Is, third person singular of 'essere'

bagnato

Wet, soaked with water

moltissimo

Very much, extremely, a great deal

Grazie

Thank you, an expression of gratitude

Signora

Mrs., a title of respect for a woman

Mi

Me, myself; first person reflexive/object pronoun

siedo

I sit, first person singular of 'sedersi'

po'

A little, a bit (shortened form of 'poco')

asciugo

I dry, first person singular of 'asciugare'

disse

Said, third person singular past tense of 'dire'

il

Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'

Sedette

He/she sat down, past tense of 'sedere'

sorrise

He/she smiled, past tense of 'sorridere'

l'

Elided definite article 'lo' or 'la' before a vowel

acqua

Water, a clear liquid essential for life

gocciolava

Was dripping, imperfect tense of 'gocciolare'

dalle

From the (feminine plural contraction of 'da' and 'le')

del

Of the (masculine singular contraction of 'di' and 'il')

suo

His, her, its; possessive adjective

cappotto

Overcoat, a heavy outer garment

La

Her, it; feminine direct object pronoun

girò

Turned, rotated; past tense of 'girare'

straccio

Rag, a torn or worn-out piece of cloth

Rimase

Remained, stayed; past tense of 'rimanere'

così

So, thus, like this, in this way

lungo

Long, lengthy in time or space

che

That, which, who; a versatile conjunction or pronoun

fu

Was, it was; past tense of 'essere'

necessario

Necessary, required, essential

chiedergli

To ask him, infinitive with indirect object pronoun

se

If, whether; a conditional conjunction

voleva

Wanted, wished; imperfect tense of 'volere'

restare

To stay, to remain somewhere

cena

Dinner, the evening meal

Prima

First, before, earlier

gli

To him; masculine indirect object pronoun

offrì

Offered; past tense of 'offrire'

dei

Some; partitive article (masculine plural)

di

Of, from; a very common preposition

ciliegia

Cherry, a small round red fruit

Niente

Nothing, not anything

denti

Teeth, the hard structures in the mouth

Aprì

Opened; past tense of 'aprire'

bocca

Mouth, the opening in the face for eating

modo

Way, manner, method

assolutamente

Absolutely, completely, entirely

inutilmente

Uselessly, in vain, without effect

largo

Wide, broad, large in extent

non

Not, a negation word

aveva

Had; imperfect tense of 'avere'

davvero

Really, truly, indeed

neanche

Not even, neither, nor even

dente

Tooth, a single hard structure in the mouth

testa

Head, the uppermost part of the body

Dar

To give (shortened infinitive of 'dare')

da

From, by, since; a versatile preposition

mangiare

To eat, the act of consuming food

al

To the (masculine singular contraction of 'a' and 'il')

Poi

Then, afterwards, next in sequence

semi

Seeds, the units from which plants grow

Soffiò

Blew; past tense of 'soffiare'

per

For, through, by means of

tutta

All, whole, entire (feminine singular form)

stanza

Room, an enclosed space inside a building

Ora

Now, at this moment; also means 'hour'

quello

That, that one (masculine demonstrative pronoun)

vorrei

I would like; conditional of 'volere'

sarebbe

Would be; conditional of 'essere'

piattino

Small plate, saucer, a little dish

miele

Honey, the sweet substance made by bees

Temo

I fear, I am afraid; first person of 'temere'

averne

To have any of it, infinitive with partitive pronoun

sorridente

Smiling, having a smile on one's face

Lo

It, him; masculine singular direct object pronoun

sento

I smell, I hear, I feel; first person of 'sentire'

dall'

From the (elided contraction of 'da' and article)

odore

Smell, scent, odor

questo

This, this one (masculine demonstrative pronoun)

sono

I am or they are; form of 'essere'

venuto

Come, arrived; past participle of 'venire'

trovarla

To find her, infinitive with object pronoun attached

Il

Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'

alzò

Rose, got up; past tense of 'alzarsi'

pesantemente

Heavily, in a heavy or laborious manner

tavola

Table, a flat surface used for dining

cominciò

Began, started; past tense of 'cominciare'

guardare

To look, to watch, to observe

negli

In the (masculine plural contraction of 'in' and 'gli')

armadi

Wardrobes, large cupboards for storing items