War and Peace — Page 8
"They say old maids have a mania for matchmaking, and though I don't feel that weakness in myself as yet, I know a little person who is very unhappy with her father.
„Man sagt, alte Jungfern haben einen Heiratsschwindel, und obwohl ich diese Schwäche noch nicht an mir selbst spüre, kenne ich eine kleine Person, die mit ihrem Vater sehr unglücklich ist.
She is a relation of yours, Princess Mary Bolkónskaya."
Sie ist eine Verwandte von Ihnen, Fürstin Maria Bolkonskaja."
Prince Vasíli did not reply, though, with the quickness of memory and perception befitting a man of the world, he indicated by a movement of the head that he was considering this information.
Fürst Wassili antwortete nicht, obwohl er mit der einem Weltmann eigenen Schnelligkeit des Gedächtnisses und der Auffassung durch eine Kopfbewegung andeutete, dass er diese Mitteilung in Betracht zog.
"Do you know," he said at last, evidently unable to check the sad current of his thoughts, "that Anatole is costing me forty thousand rubles a year?
„Wissen Sie," sagte er schließlich, offensichtlich außerstande, den traurigen Gedankenstrom zu hemmen, „dass Anatole mich vierzigtausend Rubel im Jahr kostet?
And," he went on after a pause, "what will it be in five years, if he goes on like this?"
Und," fuhr er nach einer Pause fort, „was wird es in fünf Jahren sein, wenn er so weitermacht?"
Presently he added: "That's what we fathers have to put up with.... Is this princess of yours rich?"
Kurz darauf fügte er hinzu: „Das ist es, womit wir Väter uns abfinden müssen.... Ist diese Ihre Fürstin reich?"
"Her father is very rich and stingy.
„Ihr Vater ist sehr reich und geizig.
He lives in the country.
Er lebt auf dem Land.
He is the well-known Prince Bolkónski who had to retire from the army under the late Emperor, and was nicknamed 'the King of Prussia.'
Er ist der bekannte Fürst Bolkonski, der unter dem verstorbenen Kaiser aus der Armee ausscheiden musste und den Spitznamen „der König von Preußen" erhielt.
He is very clever but eccentric, and a bore.
Er ist sehr klug, aber exzentrisch und ein Langweiler.
The poor girl is very unhappy.
Das arme Mädchen ist sehr unglücklich.
She has a brother; I think you know him, he married Lise Meinen lately.
Sie hat einen Bruder; ich glaube, Sie kennen ihn, er hat kürzlich Lise Meinen geheiratet.
He is an aide-de-camp of Kutúzov's and will be here tonight."
Er ist ein Adjutant Kutusows und wird heute Abend hier sein."
"Listen, dear Annette," said the prince, suddenly taking Anna Pávlovna's hand and for some reason drawing it downwards.
„Hören Sie, liebe Annette," sagte der Fürst, indem er plötzlich Anna Pawlownas Hand ergriff und sie aus irgendeinem Grund nach unten zog.
Vocabulary
- Man
- One; people in general; indefinite pronoun
- sagt
- Says; third person singular of sagen
- alte
- Old; adjective describing age of something
- haben
- To have; auxiliary and main verb
- einen
- A; indefinite article masculine accusative case
- und
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- obwohl
- Although; even though; concessive subordinating conjunction
- ich
- I; first person singular nominative pronoun
- diese
- This; demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- Schwäche
- Weakness; lack of strength or resolve
- noch
- Still; yet; used with negation or continuation
- nicht
- Not; basic negation word in German
- an
- At; on; preposition indicating position or direction
- mir
- Me; first person singular dative pronoun
- selbst
- Myself; oneself; intensifying reflexive pronoun
- spüre
- Feel; sense; first person singular of spüren
- kenne
- Know; first person singular of kennen
- eine
- A; one; indefinite article feminine nominative
- kleine
- Small; little; adjective describing size
- Person
- Person; individual human being
- die
- The; who; definite article or relative pronoun
- mit
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- ihrem
- Her; their; possessive pronoun dative masculine
- Vater
- Father; male parent
- sehr
- Very; intensifying adverb
- unglücklich
- Unhappy; unfortunate; not content or joyful
- ist
- Is; third person singular of sein
- Sie
- She; they; formal you; pronoun
- Verwandte
- Relative; family member; relation
- von
- Of; from; preposition indicating origin or belonging
- Ihnen
- You; formal dative second person pronoun
- antwortete
- Answered; replied; past tense of antworten
- er
- He; third person singular masculine pronoun
- der
- The; who; definite article or relative pronoun
- einem
- A; one; indefinite article dative masculine
- eigenen
- Own; one's own; adjective in declined form
- Schnelligkeit
- Speed; quickness; swiftness of action or thought
- des
- Of the; definite article genitive masculine/neuter
- Gedächtnisses
- Memory; faculty of remembering; genitive form
- Auffassung
- Comprehension; perception; way of understanding something
- durch
- Through; by means of; preposition
- Kopfbewegung
- Head movement; nod or gesture of the head
- andeutete
- Indicated; hinted; past tense of andeuten
- dass
- That; subordinating conjunction introducing clause
- Mitteilung
- Communication; message; piece of information shared
- in
- In; into; preposition of location or direction
- Betracht
- Consideration; in Betracht ziehen means to consider
- zog
- Drew; pulled; past tense of ziehen
- Wissen
- Knowledge; knowing; to know as a noun or verb
- sagte
- Said; past tense of sagen
- schließlich
- Finally; eventually; in the end
- offensichtlich
- Obviously; evidently; clearly apparent
- außerstande
- Unable; incapable; not in a position to do
- den
- The; definite article accusative masculine
- traurigen
- Sad; sorrowful; adjective in declined form
- zu
- To; too; preposition or infinitive marker
- hemmen
- To inhibit; to restrain; to hold back
- mich
- Me; first person singular accusative pronoun
- im
- In the; contraction of in dem
- Jahr
- Year; period of twelve months
- kostet
- Costs; third person singular of kosten
- Und
- And; coordinating conjunction
- fuhr
- Drove; went; past tense of fahren
- nach
- After; to; following; preposition of direction/time
- einer
- A; one; indefinite article genitive or dative feminine
- Pause
- Pause; break; short stop in speech or activity
- fort
- Away; forth; forward; continuation prefix or adverb
- was
- What; interrogative or relative pronoun
- wird
- Will; becomes; auxiliary for future or passive
- es
- It; third person singular neuter pronoun
- fünf
- Five; the number 5
- Jahren
- Years; dative plural of Jahr
- sein
- To be; also his; verb or possessive pronoun
- wenn
- If; when; conditional or temporal conjunction
- so
- So; thus; in this way; adverb
- weitermacht
- Continues; carries on; third person of weitermachen
- Kurz
- Short; brief; soon; adjective or adverb
- darauf
- Thereafter; on it; shortly after that
- fügte
- Added; joined; past tense of fügen
- hinzu
- In addition; added; part of hinzufügen
- Das
- That; the; neuter definite article or pronoun
- womit
- With which; whereby; relative or interrogative pronoun
- wir
- We; first person plural nominative pronoun
- Väter
- Fathers; plural of Vater
- uns
- Us; ourselves; first person plural dative/accusative
- abfinden
- To come to terms with; to accept reluctantly
- müssen
- Must; to have to; modal verb of necessity
- Ist
- Is; third person singular of sein
- Ihre
- Her; your (formal); possessive pronoun feminine
- reich
- Rich; wealthy; having great financial resources
- Ihr
- Your (formal); her; possessive pronoun
- geizig
- Stingy; miserly; reluctant to spend money
- Er
- He; third person singular masculine pronoun
- lebt
- Lives; third person singular of leben
- auf
- On; upon; preposition of location or direction
- dem
- The; dative masculine/neuter definite article
- Land
- Country; land; countryside; rural area
- bekannte
- Known; acquainted; past of bekanntmachen or adjective
- unter
- Under; beneath; among; preposition
- verstorbenen
- Deceased; late; adjective for someone who died
- Kaiser
- Emperor; title of supreme ruler
- aus
- From; out of; preposition of origin or exit
- Armee
- Army; military land forces
- ausscheiden
- To withdraw; to retire; to leave a position
- musste
- Had to; past tense of müssen
- Spitznamen
- Nickname; informal name given to a person
- König
- King; male monarch of a kingdom
- erhielt
- Received; obtained; past tense of erhalten
- klug
- Clever; smart; intelligent; adjective
- aber
- But; however; coordinating conjunction
- exzentrisch
- Eccentric; odd; unconventionally behaving person
- ein
- A; one; indefinite article masculine/neuter
- Langweiler
- Bore; dull person who causes boredom
- arme
- Poor; unfortunate; adjective in declined form
- Mädchen
- Girl; young female; neuter noun
- hat
- Has; third person singular of haben
- Bruder
- Brother; male sibling
- glaube
- Believe; think; first person singular of glauben
- kennen
- To know; to be acquainted with someone
- ihn
- Him; third person singular masculine accusative
- kürzlich
- Recently; lately; not long ago
- Meinen
- My; mine; possessive pronoun in declined form
- geheiratet
- Married; past participle of heiraten
- heute
- Today; on this day; current day
- Abend
- Evening; the later part of the day
- hier
- Here; in this place; adverb of location
- Hören
- Hear; listen; infinitive or imperative of hören
- liebe
- Dear; beloved; adjective used in address
- indem
- While; by doing; subordinating conjunction of manner
- plötzlich
- Suddenly; all at once; without warning
- Hand
- Hand; body part at the end of the arm
- ergriff
- Seized; grasped; past tense of ergreifen
- sie
- She; they; her; third person pronoun
- irgendeinem
- Some; any; some unspecified dative masculine/neuter
- Grund
- Reason; ground; cause; basis for something
- unten
- Below; downstairs; at the bottom
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