The Yellow Wallpaper — Page 5

Vocabulary

Siamo

We are; first person plural of 'essere'

stati

Been; past participle of 'essere' (to be)

qui

Here; indicates a nearby location

due

Two; the number 2

settimane

Weeks; plural of 'settimana'

e

And; basic coordinating conjunction

non

Not; basic negation word

mi

Me/myself; first person singular pronoun

era

Was; third person singular imperfect of 'essere'

venuta

Come; feminine past participle of 'venire'

voglia

Desire or urge to do something

di

Of/to; very common Italian preposition

scrivere

To write; basic verb of composition

prima

Before/earlier; indicates time preceding something

da

From/since/by; versatile Italian preposition

quel

That; masculine singular demonstrative adjective

primo

First; masculine ordinal adjective

giorno

Day; a 24-hour period of time

Sono

I am/they are; form of 'essere'

seduta

Seated/sitting; feminine past participle of 'sedere'

vicino

Near/close to; indicates proximity

alla

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

finestra

Window; opening in a wall for light

adesso

Now; at the present moment

quassù

Up here; indicates location elevated above speaker

in

In/at; basic Italian preposition of location

questo

This; masculine singular demonstrative adjective

atroce

Atrocious/dreadful; describes something horrifyingly bad

camerino

Small room; diminutive of 'camera'

c'è

There is; contracted form of 'ci è'

nulla

Nothing; complete absence of something

che

That/which/who; common conjunction and pronoun

impedisca

Prevents/hinders; subjunctive of 'impedire'

quanto

How much/as much as; quantity or degree

voglio

I want; first person singular of 'volere'

se

If/whether; introduces conditional clauses

la

The; feminine singular definite article

mancanza

Lack/absence; shortage of something needed

forze

Strengths/forces; plural of 'forza'

è

Is; third person singular of 'essere'

via

Away/gone; indicates absence or departure

tutto

All/everything; totality of something

il

The; masculine singular definite article

persino

Even; emphasizes an extreme or surprising case

alcune

Some; feminine plural indefinite adjective

notti

Nights; plural of 'notte'

quando

When; introduces temporal clauses

i

The; masculine plural definite article

suoi

His/her/its; masculine plural possessive adjective

casi

Cases; plural of 'caso', situations or instances

sono

Are/I am; form of 'essere'

gravi

Serious/severe; describes grave or critical situations

contenta

Happy/pleased; feminine adjective expressing satisfaction

mio

My; masculine singular first person possessive

caso

Case/situation; a particular instance or circumstance

sia

Is/be; subjunctive form of 'essere'

grave

Serious/grave; describes something critically important

Ma

But; basic adversative conjunction

questi

These; masculine plural demonstrative adjective

disturbi

Disturbances/disorders; plural of 'disturbo'

nervosi

Nervous; masculine plural adjective relating to nerves

tremendamente

Tremendously; to an extreme or overwhelming degree

deprimenti

Depressing; things that cause sadness or low spirits

sa

Knows/you know; third person singular of 'sapere'

soffra

Suffers; subjunctive of 'soffrire'

davvero

Really/truly; emphasizes truth or sincerity

Sa

Knows/you know; formal second person of 'sapere'

motivo

Reason/motive; cause or justification for something

soffrire

To suffer; to endure pain or hardship

lo

Him/it; masculine singular direct object pronoun

soddisfa

Satisfies; third person singular of 'soddisfare'

Certo

Certainly/of course; expresses agreement or affirmation

solo

Only/alone; indicates singularity or isolation

nervosismo

Nervousness; state of anxiety or nervous tension

Mi

Me/myself; first person singular clitic pronoun

pesa

Weighs/burdens; third person singular of 'pesare'

così

So/thus; indicates degree or manner

tanto

So much/a lot; indicates large quantity or degree

riuscire

To manage/succeed; to be able to accomplish something

a

To/at; basic Italian preposition

compiere

To fulfill/accomplish; to carry out a duty

dovere

Duty/obligation; also modal verb meaning must

alcun

Any; used in negative contexts to mean 'any'

modo

Way/manner; method or means of doing something

Volevo

I wanted; first person imperfect of 'volere'

essere

To be; fundamental Italian verb of existence

aiuto

Help/aid; assistance provided to someone in need

un

A/an; masculine singular indefinite article

vero

True/real; genuine or authentic

sollievo

Relief; sense of comfort after stress or pain

conforto

Comfort/consolation; emotional support or solace

invece

Instead/on the contrary; introduces a contrasting idea

già

Already; indicates something has occurred beforehand

peso

Weight/burden; something heavy physically or emotionally

sommato

Added up/summed; past participle of 'sommare'

Nessuno

Nobody/no one; indicates complete absence of persons

crederebbe

Would believe; conditional of 'credere'

sforzo

Effort/exertion; energy expended to achieve something

costi

Costs; subjunctive of 'costare', to cost effort

fare

To do/make; one of the most common Italian verbs

poco

Little/few; small quantity or amount

cui

Which/whom; relative pronoun used after prepositions

capace

Capable/able; having the ability to do something

vestirmi

To dress myself; reflexive infinitive of 'vestirsi'

intrattenere

To entertain; to keep guests occupied and amused

gli

The/him; masculine plural article or indirect pronoun

ospiti

Guests; people invited to one's home

impartire

To give/issue; to assign orders or instructions

ordini

Orders/instructions; directives given to others

È

Is; third person singular present of 'essere'

fortunato

Lucky/fortunate; having good fortune

cavi

Manages/gets by; subjunctive of 'cavarsela'

bene

Well/good; indicates something is done properly

col

With the; contraction of 'con' and 'il'

bambino

Child/baby; a young infant or small child

Un

A/one; masculine indefinite article

caro

Dear/darling; affectionate term or expensive

Eppure

And yet/nevertheless; introduces surprising contrast

riesco

I manage/succeed; first person of 'riuscire'

stare

To stay/be; indicates state or position

con

With; basic Italian preposition of accompaniment

lui

Him/he; third person masculine subject or object pronoun

fa

Makes/causes; third person singular of 'fare'

tanta

So much/a lot; feminine singular of 'tanto'

agitazione

Agitation/restlessness; state of nervous excitement

Suppongo

I suppose/assume; first person of 'supporre'

mai

Never/ever; negates or emphasizes temporal occurrence

stato

Been/state; past participle of 'essere'

nervoso

Nervous/irritable; feeling anxious or agitated

vita

Life; the state of being alive

sua

His/her; feminine singular possessive adjective

prende

Takes/makes fun; third person of 'prendere'

giro

Round/turn; in 'prendere in giro' means to mock

per

For/through; common Italian preposition

questa

This; feminine singular demonstrative adjective

carta

Paper/wallpaper; sheet material or wall covering

parati

Wallpaper; decorative paper covering interior walls

All'inizio

At first/in the beginning; at the start

aveva

Had; third person singular imperfect of 'avere'

intenzione

Intention; plan or purpose to do something

stanza

Room; enclosed space within a building

ma

But; basic adversative conjunction

poi

Then/afterwards; indicates subsequent action or time

disse

Said; third person singular past of 'dire'

stavo

I was; first person imperfect of 'stare'

lasciando

Letting/allowing; gerund of 'lasciare'

prendesse

Would take; imperfect subjunctive of 'prendere'

sopravvento

Upper hand/dominance; control over a situation

niente

Nothing; complete absence of anything

peggio

Worse; comparative of 'male', indicating inferiority

paziente

Patient; someone under medical care, or adjective meaning tolerant

cedere

To yield/give in; to surrender to pressure

tali

Such; indicates a quality or type of thing

fantasie

Fantasies/whims; imaginative or fanciful thoughts