← The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 13

English → It THE PURLOINED LETTER Level 8/10

"'We will suppose,' said the miser, 'that his symptoms are such and such; now, doctor, what would you have directed him to take?'

"'Supponiamo,' disse l'avaro, 'che i suoi sintomi siano tali e tali; ora, dottore, cosa gli avreste prescritto di prendere?'

"'Take!' said Abernethy, 'why, take advice, to be sure.'"

"'Prendere!' disse Abernethy, 'ma sì, prendere un consiglio, certamente.'"

"But," said the Prefect, a little discomposed, "I am perfectly willing to take advice, and to pay for it.

"Ma," disse il Prefetto, un po' turbato, "sono perfettamente disposto a prendere un consiglio, e a pagarlo.

I would really give fifty thousand francs to any one who would aid me in the matter."

Darei davvero cinquantamila franchi a chiunque mi aiutasse in questa faccenda."

"In that case," replied Dupin, opening a drawer, and producing a check-book, "you may as well fill me up a check for the amount mentioned.

"In tal caso," rispose Dupin, aprendo un cassetto e tirando fuori un libretto degli assegni, "farete altrettanto bene a compilarmi un assegno per la somma menzionata.

When you have signed it, I will hand you the letter."

Quando l'avrete firmato, vi consegnerò la lettera."

I was astounded.

Rimasi stupefatto.

The Prefect appeared absolutely thunder-stricken.

Il Prefetto sembrò assolutamente fulminato.

For some minutes he remained speechless and motionless, looking incredulously at my friend with open mouth, and eyes that seemed starting from their sockets;

Per alcuni minuti rimase senza parole e immobile, guardando il mio amico con incredulità, a bocca aperta e con occhi che sembravano voler uscire dalle orbite;

then, apparently recovering himself in some measure, he seized a pen, and after several pauses and vacant stares, finally filled up and signed a check for fifty thousand francs, and handed it across the table to Dupin.

poi, apparentemente riacquistando in qualche misura il controllo di sé, afferrò una penna, e dopo varie pause e sguardi vacui, alla fine compilò e firmò un assegno per cinquantamila franchi, e lo passò attraverso il tavolo a Dupin.

The latter examined it carefully and deposited it in his pocket-book; then, unlocking an escritoire, took thence a letter and gave it to the Prefect.

Quest'ultimo lo esaminò attentamente e lo depositò nel suo portafoglio; poi, aprendo un scrittoio, ne prese una lettera e la consegnò al Prefetto.

Vocabulary

Supponiamo
Let us suppose; used to introduce a hypothesis.
disse
He/she said; past tense of 'dire'.
l'
Elided definite article 'il' or 'la' before vowels.
avaro
Miser; a greedy or stingy person.
che
That; conjunction or relative pronoun in Italian.
i
Definite article 'the' for masculine plural nouns.
suoi
His/her/its; possessive adjective for plural nouns.
sintomi
Symptoms; signs indicating a medical condition.
siano
They are; subjunctive form of 'essere'.
tali
Such; of that kind or degree.
e
And; basic Italian coordinating conjunction.
ora
Now; at the present moment.
dottore
Doctor; a medical professional or academic title.
cosa
What; interrogative pronoun asking about something.
gli
To him; indirect object pronoun in Italian.
avreste
You would have; conditional tense of 'avere'.
prescritto
Prescribed; past participle of 'prescrivere'.
di
Of; common Italian preposition indicating possession.
prendere
To take; common Italian verb with many uses.
Prendere
To take; infinitive used here as exclamation.
ma
But; conjunction indicating contrast or objection.
sì
Yes; affirmative response in Italian.
un
A/an; indefinite article for masculine singular nouns.
consiglio
Advice or counsel; a recommendation given to someone.
certamente
Certainly; expressing definite agreement or affirmation.
Ma
But; conjunction used to introduce a contrast.
il
The; definite article for masculine singular nouns.
Prefetto
Prefect; a high-ranking administrative or police official.
po'
A little; truncated form of 'poco'.
turbato
Troubled or disturbed; upset by something unexpected.
sono
I am / they are; present tense of 'essere'.
perfettamente
Perfectly; in a complete or flawless manner.
disposto
Willing or disposed; ready to do something.
a
To/at; common Italian preposition of place or direction.
pagarlo
To pay him/it; infinitive with clitic pronoun attached.
Darei
I would give; first-person conditional of 'dare'.
davvero
Really; truly; used to emphasize a statement.
cinquantamila
Fifty thousand; a large numerical quantity.
franchi
Francs; historical currency units used in Europe.
chiunque
Anyone; whoever; indefinite pronoun in Italian.
mi
Me; first-person singular direct or indirect pronoun.
aiutasse
Would help; imperfect subjunctive of 'aiutare'.
in
In; Italian preposition indicating location or state.
questa
This; feminine singular demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
faccenda
Matter or affair; a task or piece of business.
In
In; preposition used at the start of a phrase.
tal
Such; shortened form of 'tale' before a noun.
caso
Case or situation; a particular instance or circumstance.
rispose
He/she replied; past tense of 'rispondere'.
aprendo
Opening; gerund of 'aprire' indicating simultaneous action.
cassetto
Drawer; a sliding compartment in furniture.
tirando
Pulling or drawing out; gerund of 'tirare'.
fuori
Out; outside; indicating movement or position outward.
libretto
Little book; small booklet, here a checkbook.
degli
Of the; combined preposition and plural article.
assegni
Checks; written bank payment orders.
farete
You will do; future tense of 'fare'.
altrettanto
Just as much; equally; the same amount.
bene
Well; in a good or satisfactory manner.
compilarmi
To fill out for me; infinitive with clitic pronoun.
assegno
Check; a written order to pay a bank amount.
per
For; Italian preposition indicating purpose or destination.
la
The; definite article for feminine singular nouns.
somma
Sum; a total amount of money.
menzionata
Mentioned; previously referred to in the conversation.
Quando
When; temporal conjunction or interrogative adverb.
avrete
You will have; future tense of 'avere'.
firmato
Signed; past participle of 'firmare'.
vi
To you; second-person plural pronoun or particle.
consegnerò
I will deliver; future tense of 'consegnare'.
lettera
Letter; a written message or document.
Rimasi
I remained; past tense of 'rimanere'.
stupefatto
Astonished; completely stunned or amazed by something.
Il
The; definite article for masculine singular nouns.
sembrò
He/she seemed; past tense of 'sembrare'.
assolutamente
Absolutely; in a complete or total manner.
fulminato
Struck by lightning; thunderstruck with shock.
Per
For; preposition indicating duration or purpose.
alcuni
Some; a few; indefinite adjective for plural nouns.
minuti
Minutes; units of time equal to sixty seconds.
rimase
He/she remained; past tense of 'rimanere'.
senza
Without; Italian preposition indicating absence of something.
parole
Words; units of spoken or written language.
immobile
Motionless; not moving, completely still.
guardando
Looking at; gerund of 'guardare' indicating ongoing action.
mio
My; first-person singular possessive adjective.
amico
Friend; a person with whom one has a bond.
con
With; Italian preposition indicating accompaniment or manner.
incredulità
Disbelief; inability or refusal to believe something.
bocca
Mouth; the opening in the face used for speaking.
aperta
Open; feminine past participle of 'aprire'.
occhi
Eyes; the organs of sight on the human face.
sembravano
They seemed; imperfect tense of 'sembrare'.
voler
To want; truncated infinitive of 'volere'.
uscire
To go out; to exit or leave a place.
dalle
From the; combined preposition and feminine plural article.
orbite
Orbits; eye sockets holding the eyeballs in place.
poi
Then; afterwards; indicating a subsequent action.
apparentemente
Apparently; seemingly; on the surface or outwardly.
riacquistando
Regaining; gerund of 'riacquistare', recovering something lost.
qualche
Some; a certain amount of; an indefinite adjective.
misura
Measure or degree; a quantity or extent of something.
controllo
Control; the ability to manage or restrain oneself.
sé
Oneself; reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject.
afferrò
He/she grabbed; past tense of 'afferrare'.
una
A/an; indefinite article for feminine singular nouns.
penna
Pen; a writing instrument, also means feather.
dopo
After; following in time or sequence.
varie
Various; several different kinds or instances.
pause
Pauses; brief stops or interruptions in activity.
sguardi
Glances or looks; quick directed gazes.
vacui
Vacant; empty or blank, as in an expressionless gaze.
alla
To the; combined preposition and feminine singular article.
fine
End; the conclusion or last part of something.
compilò
He/she filled out; past tense of 'compilare'.
firmò
He/she signed; past tense of 'firmare'.
lo
It/him; masculine singular direct object pronoun.
passò
He/she passed; past tense of 'passare'.
attraverso
Across; through; indicating movement from one side to another.
tavolo
Table; a piece of furniture with a flat surface.
Quest'
This; elided form of 'questo/questa' before a vowel.
ultimo
Last; the final one in a series or group.
esaminò
He/she examined; past tense of 'esaminare'.
attentamente
Carefully; with close attention and thoroughness.
depositò
He/she deposited; past tense of 'depositare'.
nel
In the; combined preposition and masculine singular article.
suo
His/her/its; possessive adjective for singular nouns.
portafoglio
Wallet; a small flat case for carrying money.
scrittoio
Writing desk; a piece of furniture for writing.
ne
Of it/them; partitive or replacement pronoun in Italian.
prese
He/she took; past tense of 'prendere'.
consegnò
He/she handed over; past tense of 'consegnare'.
al
To the; combined preposition and masculine singular article.
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