War and Peace — Page 3
Well, and what has been decided about Novosíltsev's dispatch? You know everything."
Eh bien, qu'a-t-on décidé au sujet de la dépêche de Novosíltsev ? Vous savez tout."
"What can one say about it?" replied the prince in a cold, listless tone.
« Que peut-on en dire ? » répondit le prince d'un ton froid et indifférent.
"What has been decided? They have decided that Buonaparte has burnt his boats, and I believe that we are ready to burn ours."
« Qu'a-t-on décidé ? On a décidé que Buonaparte a brûlé ses vaisseaux, et je crois que nous sommes prêts à brûler les nôtres. »
Prince Vasíli always spoke languidly, like an actor repeating a stale part.
Le prince Vasíli parlait toujours avec langueur, comme un acteur qui récite un rôle éculé.
Anna Pávlovna Schérer on the contrary, despite her forty years, overflowed with animation and impulsiveness.
Anna Pávlovna Schérer, au contraire, malgré ses quarante ans, débordait d'animation et d'impulsivité.
To be an enthusiast had become her social vocation and, sometimes even when she did not feel like it, she became enthusiastic in order not to disappoint the expectations of those who knew her.
Être une enthousiaste était devenu sa vocation sociale et, parfois même lorsqu'elle n'en avait pas envie, elle s'enthousiasmait pour ne pas décevoir les attentes de ceux qui la connaissaient.
The subdued smile which, though it did not suit her faded features, always played round her lips expressed, as in a spoiled child, a continual consciousness of her charming defect, which she neither wished, nor could, nor considered it necessary, to correct.
Le sourire discret qui, bien qu'il ne convînt pas à ses traits fanés, jouait toujours autour de ses lèvres exprimait, comme chez un enfant gâté, une conscience continuelle de son charmant défaut, qu'elle ne souhaitait ni corriger, ni ne pouvait corriger, ni ne jugeait nécessaire de corriger.
In the midst of a conversation on political matters Anna Pávlovna burst out:
Au milieu d'une conversation sur des sujets politiques, Anna Pávlovna s'exclama :
"Oh, don't speak to me of Austria. Perhaps I don't understand things, but Austria never has wished, and does not wish, for war.
« Oh, ne me parlez pas de l'Autriche. Peut-être que je ne comprends pas les choses, mais l'Autriche n'a jamais voulu, et ne veut pas, la guerre.
She is betraying us! Russia alone must save Europe.
Elle nous trahit ! La Russie seule doit sauver l'Europe.
Our gracious sovereign recognizes his high vocation and will be true to it.
Notre gracieux souverain reconnaît sa haute vocation et y restera fidèle.
That is the one thing I have faith in!
C'est la seule chose en laquelle j'ai foi !
Our good and wonderful sovereign has to perform the noblest role on earth, and he is so virtuous and noble that God will not forsake him.
Notre bon et merveilleux souverain doit jouer le rôle le plus noble sur terre, et il est si vertueux et si noble que Dieu ne l'abandonnera pas.
Vocabulary
- bien
- Well; good; expressing affirmation or transition
- décidé
- Decided; resolved upon after deliberation
- au
- Contraction of à le; at the, to the
- sujet
- Subject; topic under discussion or consideration
- de
- Of, from; common French preposition
- la
- The; feminine definite article in French
- dépêche
- Dispatch; official message or telegram sent urgently
- Vous
- You; formal or plural second-person pronoun
- savez
- You know; second-person plural of savoir
- tout
- Everything; all; completely
- Que
- What; that; interrogative or relative pronoun
- en
- Of it, about it; pronoun replacing partitive phrase
- dire
- To say; to tell
- répondit
- Replied; past tense of répondre, to answer
- le
- The; masculine definite article or direct object pronoun
- prince
- Prince; male member of a royal family
- d'un
- In a; with a; contraction of de un
- ton
- Tone; manner of speaking or voice quality
- froid
- Cold; emotionally distant or indifferent in manner
- et
- And; coordinating conjunction linking words or clauses
- indifférent
- Indifferent; showing no interest or concern
- On
- One; people; impersonal subject pronoun in French
- a
- Has; third-person singular of avoir, to have
- que
- That; conjunction introducing a subordinate clause
- brûlé
- Burned; set fire to; destroyed by fire
- ses
- His, her, its; third-person possessive adjective plural
- vaisseaux
- Ships; vessels used for naval warfare or transport
- je
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- crois
- Believe; think; first-person singular of croire
- nous
- We; us; first-person plural pronoun
- sommes
- Are; first-person plural of être, to be
- prêts
- Ready; prepared to do something
- à
- To; at; in; common French preposition
- brûler
- To burn; to set something on fire
- les
- The; plural definite article or direct object pronoun
- nôtres
- Ours; plural possessive pronoun referring to our own
- Le
- The; masculine definite article
- parlait
- Was speaking; imperfect tense of parler, to speak
- toujours
- Always; still; at all times
- avec
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or manner
- langueur
- Languidness; slow, weary, listless manner of speaking
- comme
- Like; as; in the manner of
- un
- A; an; masculine indefinite article
- acteur
- Actor; person who performs roles on stage or screen
- qui
- Who; which; relative or interrogative pronoun
- récite
- Recites; delivers lines from memory in a routine way
- rôle
- Role; part played by an actor
- éculé
- Worn-out; hackneyed; describing something overused and stale
- contraire
- Contrary; opposite; on the other hand
- malgré
- Despite; in spite of; regardless of
- quarante
- Forty; the cardinal number 40
- ans
- Years; used with age to express someone's age
- débordait
- Was overflowing; brimming with energy or emotion
- d'animation
- With animation; liveliness; enthusiastic energy
- d'impulsivité
- Of impulsiveness; tendency to act without forethought
- Être
- To be; infinitive of the verb être
- une
- A; an; feminine indefinite article
- enthousiaste
- Enthusiast; person who shows great eagerness and passion
- était
- Was; third-person singular imperfect of être
- devenu
- Become; past participle of devenir, to become
- sa
- Her; his; its; feminine singular possessive adjective
- vocation
- Vocation; calling; one's social role or purpose
- sociale
- Social; relating to society or social interactions
- parfois
- Sometimes; occasionally; not always
- même
- Even; same; emphasizing identity or degree
- avait
- Had; third-person singular imperfect of avoir
- pas
- Not; negative particle used with ne
- envie
- Desire; wish; inclination to do something
- elle
- She; her; third-person feminine singular pronoun
- s'enthousiasmait
- Was getting enthusiastic; reflexive imperfect of s'enthousiasmer
- pour
- For; in order to; preposition of purpose
- ne
- Not; negative particle used with pas or other negatives
- décevoir
- To disappoint; to fail to meet someone's expectations
- attentes
- Expectations; hopes or anticipations placed in someone
- ceux
- Those; the ones; demonstrative pronoun masculine plural
- connaissaient
- Knew; were acquainted with; imperfect of connaître
- sourire
- Smile; the act or expression of smiling
- discret
- Discreet; subtle; not drawing attention to itself
- convînt
- Was fitting; suited; imperfect subjunctive of convenir
- traits
- Features; facial characteristics or lines of the face
- fanés
- Faded; withered; describing aged or tired facial features
- jouait
- Played; was playing; imperfect tense of jouer
- autour
- Around; surrounding; in the vicinity of
- lèvres
- Lips; the fleshy parts around the mouth
- exprimait
- Expressed; conveyed; imperfect tense of exprimer
- chez
- In; among; at the home or within a person
- enfant
- Child; young person; boy or girl
- gâté
- Spoiled; pampered; excessively indulged child or person
- conscience
- Awareness; consciousness; continual sense of something
- continuelle
- Continual; constant; unceasing over time
- son
- His; her; its; masculine singular possessive adjective
- charmant
- Charming; delightful; pleasing in manner or appearance
- défaut
- Flaw; fault; a personal weakness or shortcoming
- souhaitait
- Wished; desired; imperfect tense of souhaiter
- ni
- Neither; nor; used in negative constructions
- corriger
- To correct; to fix a fault or error
- pouvait
- Could; was able to; imperfect of pouvoir
- jugeait
- Judged; considered; imperfect tense of juger
- nécessaire
- Necessary; essential; required for a purpose
- Au
- At the; to the; contraction of à and le
- milieu
- Middle; midst; center of an activity or conversation
- conversation
- Conversation; spoken exchange between two or more people
- sur
- On; about; concerning a topic
- des
- Some; of the; partitive or plural indefinite article
- sujets
- Subjects; topics; matters being discussed
- politiques
- Political; relating to politics or government affairs
- s'exclama
- Exclaimed; cried out; reflexive past of s'exclamer
- me
- Me; to me; first-person singular object pronoun
- parlez
- Speak; talk; second-person plural imperative of parler
- l'Autriche
- Austria; central European country
- Peut-être
- Perhaps; maybe; expressing possibility or uncertainty
- comprends
- Understand; first-person singular of comprendre
- choses
- Things; matters; objects or affairs
- mais
- But; however; conjunction expressing contrast
- jamais
- Never; ever; used in negative or emphatic contexts
- voulu
- Wanted; wished; past participle of vouloir
- veut
- Wants; third-person singular present of vouloir
- guerre
- War; armed conflict between nations or groups
- Elle
- She; it; third-person feminine singular pronoun
- trahit
- Betrays; betrayed; third-person singular of trahir
- La
- The; feminine definite article
- Russie
- Russia; large country spanning Europe and Asia
- seule
- Alone; only; the sole one capable of something
- doit
- Must; should; third-person singular of devoir
- sauver
- To save; to rescue from danger or ruin
- l'Europe
- Europe; the continent
- Notre
- Our; first-person plural possessive adjective
- gracieux
- Gracious; kind; showing grace and benevolence
- souverain
- Sovereign; ruler; monarch of a country
- reconnaît
- Recognizes; acknowledges; third-person singular of reconnaître
- haute
- High; lofty; describing elevated mission or calling
- y
- There; to it; adverbial pronoun of place or reference
- restera
- Will remain; future tense of rester, to stay
- fidèle
- Faithful; loyal; remaining true to a commitment
- C'est
- It is; this is; common French presentative expression
- chose
- Thing; matter; something referred to generally
- laquelle
- Which; relative pronoun referring to a feminine noun
- j'ai
- I have; first-person singular of avoir
- foi
- Faith; belief; trust in something or someone
- bon
- Good; kind; of high quality or moral character
- merveilleux
- Wonderful; marvelous; extraordinarily good or admirable
- jouer
- To play; to perform a role or part
- plus
- More; most; used in comparatives and superlatives
- noble
- Noble; distinguished; morally elevated or aristocratic
- terre
- Earth; land; ground; the world
- il
- He; it; third-person masculine singular subject pronoun
- est
- Is; third-person singular present of être
- si
- So; if; expressing degree or condition
- vertueux
- Virtuous; morally upright; possessing strong ethical qualities
- Dieu
- God; the supreme divine being
- l'abandonnera
- Will abandon him; future tense of abandonner with pronoun
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →