The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 2

Vocabulary

dicendo

saying, telling; present participle of 'dire'

che

that, which, who; common conjunction and pronoun

era

was; third person singular imperfect of 'essere'

venuto

come; past participle of 'venire'

a

to, at; basic preposition indicating direction or location

consultarci

to consult us; reflexive infinitive with us pronoun

o

or; conjunction presenting an alternative

piuttosto

rather, quite; used to introduce a preference or correction

chiedere

to ask, to request something from someone

l'

the; elided definite article before a vowel

opinione

opinion; a personal view or judgment on something

del

of the; contracted preposition and masculine definite article

mio

my; first person singular possessive adjective

amico

friend; a person one knows and likes well

riguardo

regarding, concerning; preposition about a subject

una

a, an; indefinite article for feminine singular nouns

certa

certain, a particular; adjective indicating a specific thing

faccenda

matter, affair, business; a thing to deal with

ufficiale

official; relating to authority or formal government matters

aveva

had; third person singular imperfect of 'avere'

causato

caused; past participle of 'causare', to cause

non

not; basic negation adverb in Italian

pochi

few, not many; adjective indicating a small number

problemi

problems; plural of 'problema', difficulties or issues

Se

if; conditional conjunction introducing a hypothesis

si

oneself, itself; reflexive pronoun used with verbs

tratta

it is about, it concerns; from 'trattarsi di'

di

of, from; very common Italian preposition

qualcosa

something; indefinite pronoun referring to an unspecified thing

richiede

requires, demands; third person singular of 'richiedere'

riflessione

reflection, thought; careful consideration of something

osservò

observed, remarked; third person singular past of 'osservare'

astenendosi

refraining, abstaining; reflexive gerund of 'astenersi'

dall'

from the; elided contracted preposition and article

accendere

to light, to turn on; ignite a flame or device

lo

the, it; masculine singular definite article or pronoun

esamineremo

we will examine; first person plural future of 'esaminare'

con

with; preposition indicating accompaniment or means

maggior

greater, more; elided form of 'maggiore'

profitto

profit, benefit; advantage gained from an action

nell'

in the; elided contracted preposition and article

oscurità

darkness, obscurity; state of being without light

Questa

this; feminine singular demonstrative pronoun or adjective

è

is; third person singular present of 'essere'

un'

a, an; elided feminine indefinite article

altra

another, other; feminine adjective indicating a different one

delle

of the, some; contracted preposition with plural article

vostre

your; second person plural possessive adjective, feminine

strane

strange, odd; feminine plural adjective meaning unusual

idee

ideas; plural of 'idea', thoughts or concepts

disse

said; third person singular past of 'dire'

il

the; masculine singular definite article

Prefetto

Prefect; a high-ranking official, here a police chief

abitudine

habit, custom; a regular behavior or practice

chiamare

to call, to name; to give a label to something

strana

strange, odd; feminine singular adjective meaning unusual

ogni

every, each; adjective referring to all things individually

cosa

thing; a general noun for any object or matter

andasse

went, would go; third person imperfect subjunctive of 'andare'

oltre

beyond, past; preposition indicating exceeding a limit

la

the; feminine singular definite article

sua

his, her, its; third person singular possessive adjective

comprensione

comprehension, understanding; ability to grasp meaning

e

and; basic coordinating conjunction

viveva

lived, was living; third person imperfect of 'vivere'

così

so, thus, in this way; common adverb of manner

in

in, into; basic preposition of location or state

mezzo

middle, amid; in the middle of something

vera

true, real; feminine adjective emphasizing authenticity

propria

own, proper; feminine adjective emphasizing possession or authenticity

legione

legion; a vast multitude of people or things

stranezze

oddities, eccentricities; plural of 'stranezza', strange things

Verissimo

very true, absolutely true; superlative of 'vero'

mentre

while, whereas; conjunction indicating simultaneous actions

offriva

offered; third person singular imperfect of 'offrire'

al

to the; contracted preposition and masculine article

visitatore

visitor; a person who visits a place or person

pipa

pipe; a tube used for smoking tobacco

gli

to him, the; indirect pronoun or masculine plural article

avvicinava

brought closer; imperfect of 'avvicinare', to move near

comoda

comfortable; feminine adjective describing ease and comfort

poltrona

armchair; a large comfortable padded chair with armrests

E

and; coordinating conjunction starting a new thought

qual

what, which; elided form of 'quale' in questions

difficoltà

difficulty; a problem or challenge that requires effort

stavolta

this time; adverb referring to the current occasion

chiesi

I asked; first person singular past of 'chiedere'

Niente

nothing; pronoun indicating absence of anything

nuovo

new; adjective describing something recently made or occurred

fatto

done, made; past participle of 'fare', also means 'fact'

assassinii

murders; plural of 'assassinio', killings of people

spero

I hope; first person singular present of 'sperare'

Oh

oh; exclamation expressing surprise or understanding

no

no; basic negation in response to a question

niente

nothing; pronoun indicating a complete absence

genere

kind, type, genre; a category or sort of something

Il

the; masculine singular definite article starting a sentence

davvero

really, truly; adverb emphasizing truth or sincerity

molto

very, much; adverb or adjective of high degree

semplice

simple, easy; adjective meaning not complex or complicated

dubito

I doubt; first person singular present of 'dubitare'

possiamo

we can; first person plural present of 'potere'

cavarcela

to manage it, to get by; idiomatic expression of coping

abbastanza

enough, quite; adverb indicating sufficient degree

bene

well, good; adverb indicating a positive manner

da

from, by, since; versatile preposition of origin or agent

soli

alone, by ourselves; plural adjective meaning without help

ma

but; conjunction introducing a contrast or exception

ho

I have; first person singular present of 'avere'

pensato

thought; past participle of 'pensare', to think

avrebbe

would have; third person singular conditional of 'avere'

voluto

wanted; past participle of 'volere', to want

sentirne

to hear about it; infinitive of 'sentire' with particle

i

the; masculine plural definite article

dettagli

details; plural of 'dettaglio', specific pieces of information

perché

because, why; conjunction or interrogative adverb

straordinariamente

extraordinarily; adverb meaning in an unusual, remarkable way

Semplice

simple; adjective used here as an exclamation of irony

Ebbene

well then; discourse marker introducing a conclusion

sì

yes; basic affirmative response

esattamente

exactly; adverb meaning precisely or just so

neanche

not even, neither; negative adverb reinforcing negation

siamo

we are; first person plural present of 'essere'

rimasti

remained; past participle of 'rimanere', to stay or remain

tutti

all, everyone; pronoun or adjective meaning every person

perplessi

perplexed, puzzled; adjective meaning confused or uncertain

eppure

and yet, nevertheless; conjunction expressing unexpected contrast

ci

us, to us, there; reflexive or locative pronoun

sconcerta

disconcerts, baffles; third person singular of 'sconcertare'

tutto

everything, all; pronoun or adjective of totality

Forse

perhaps, maybe; adverb expressing uncertainty

proprio

exactly, precisely, own; adverb or adjective of emphasis

semplicità

simplicity; the quality of being uncomplicated or plain

della

of the; contracted preposition with feminine definite article

mettervi

to put you, to place you; infinitive with pronoun attached

Che

what; exclamatory pronoun expressing surprise or annoyance

sciocchezze

nonsense, foolishness; plural of 'sciocchezza', silly things

dite

you say; second person plural present of 'dire'

rispose

replied, answered; third person singular past of 'rispondere'

ridendo

laughing; present participle of 'ridere', to laugh

gusto

taste, pleasure; enjoyment or appreciation of something

mistero

mystery; something secret, unknown, or puzzling

un

a, an; masculine singular indefinite article

po'

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

troppo

too, too much; adverb indicating excess

evidente

evident, obvious; adjective meaning clearly apparent to all