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.
« On dit que les vieilles filles ont la manie du mariage, et bien que je ne ressente pas encore cette faiblesse en moi-même, je connais une petite personne qui est très malheureuse avec son père.
She is a relation of yours, Princess Mary Bolkónskaya."
Elle est de votre parenté, la princesse Marie Bolkonskaïa. »
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.
Le prince Vassili ne répondit pas, mais, avec cette vivacité de mémoire et de perception qui sied à un homme du monde, il indiqua d'un mouvement de tête qu'il prenait en considération cette information.
"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?
« Savez-vous, dit-il enfin, manifestement incapable de freiner le cours mélancolique de ses pensées, qu'Anatole me coûte quarante mille roubles par an ?
And," he went on after a pause, "what will it be in five years, if he goes on like this?"
Et, poursuivit-il après une pause, qu'en sera-t-il dans cinq ans, s'il continue ainsi ? »
Presently he added: "That's what we fathers have to put up with.... Is this princess of yours rich?"
Il ajouta peu après : « Voilà ce que nous, les pères, devons endurer… Cette princesse dont vous parlez est-elle riche ? »
"Her father is very rich and stingy.
« Son père est très riche et avare.
He lives in the country.
Il vit à la campagne.
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.'
C'est le célèbre prince Bolkonski qui dut quitter l'armée sous le défunt Empereur, et que l'on surnommait « le Roi de Prusse ».
He is very clever but eccentric, and a bore.
Il est très intelligent mais excentrique, et ennuyeux.
The poor girl is very unhappy.
La pauvre fille est très malheureuse.
She has a brother; I think you know him, he married Lise Meinen lately.
Elle a un frère ; je crois que vous le connaissez, il a épousé récemment Lise Meinen.
He is an aide-de-camp of Kutúzov's and will be here tonight."
Il est aide de camp de Koutouzov et sera ici ce soir. »
"Listen, dear Annette," said the prince, suddenly taking Anna Pávlovna's hand and for some reason drawing it downwards.
« Écoutez, chère Annette, dit le prince en prenant soudainement la main d'Anna Pavlovna et en la tirant vers le bas pour une raison quelconque.
Vocabulary
- On
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one,' 'we,' or 'they.'
- dit
- Third person singular of 'dire'; says or said.
- que
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which.'
- les
- Definite plural article meaning 'the.'
- vieilles
- Adjective meaning old, referring to elderly women.
- filles
- Noun meaning girls or daughters.
- ont
- Third person plural of 'avoir'; they have.
- la
- Definite feminine singular article meaning 'the.'
- manie
- Obsessive habit or fixation about something.
- du
- Contracted article combining 'de' and 'le.'
- mariage
- Noun meaning marriage or wedding ceremony.
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses.
- bien
- Adverb meaning well; also used for emphasis.
- je
- First person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I.'
- ne
- Negative particle used with 'pas' to negate verbs.
- ressente
- Subjunctive form of 'ressentir'; to feel or sense.
- pas
- Negation particle used with 'ne' meaning 'not.'
- encore
- Adverb meaning still, yet, or again.
- cette
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' before feminine noun.
- faiblesse
- Noun meaning weakness or frailty in character.
- en
- Preposition or pronoun meaning 'in,' 'of it,' or 'some.'
- moi-même
- Reflexive emphatic pronoun meaning 'myself.'
- connais
- First person singular of 'connaître'; I know someone.
- une
- Indefinite feminine singular article meaning 'a' or 'an.'
- petite
- Adjective meaning small or little, feminine form.
- personne
- Noun meaning person or individual; also 'nobody' negatively.
- qui
- Relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which.'
- est
- Third person singular of 'être'; is.
- très
- Adverb meaning very, intensifying an adjective or adverb.
- malheureuse
- Adjective meaning unhappy or unfortunate, feminine form.
- avec
- Preposition meaning with, indicating accompaniment or association.
- son
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its.'
- père
- Noun meaning father or male parent.
- Elle
- Third person feminine singular pronoun meaning 'she.'
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of,' 'from,' or 'about.'
- votre
- Possessive adjective meaning 'your' in formal address.
- parenté
- Noun meaning kinship, family relation, or relatives.
- princesse
- Noun meaning princess, a female member of royalty.
- Le
- Definite masculine singular article meaning 'the.'
- prince
- Noun meaning prince, a male member of royalty.
- répondit
- Past tense of 'répondre'; he replied or answered.
- mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrasting idea.
- vivacité
- Noun meaning liveliness, vivacity, or spirited energy.
- mémoire
- Noun meaning memory or recollection of past events.
- perception
- Noun meaning perception or awareness of one's surroundings.
- sied
- Third person singular of 'seoir'; suits or befits someone.
- à
- Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'in.'
- un
- Indefinite masculine singular article meaning 'a' or 'one.'
- homme
- Noun meaning man or human being.
- monde
- Noun meaning world or society; 'monde' implies high society.
- il
- Third person masculine singular pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it.'
- indiqua
- Past tense of 'indiquer'; he indicated or pointed out.
- d'un
- Contracted preposition and article meaning 'of a' or 'with a.'
- mouvement
- Noun meaning movement or motion of the body.
- tête
- Noun meaning head, referring to the body part.
- qu'il
- Contraction of 'que' and 'il'; that he.
- prenait
- Imperfect tense of 'prendre'; he was taking or considering.
- considération
- Noun meaning consideration or thoughtful attention to something.
- information
- Noun meaning information or a piece of news.
- Savez-vous
- Inverted question form of 'savoir'; do you know?
- dit-il
- Inverted form meaning 'said he' used in narration.
- enfin
- Adverb meaning finally, at last, or in short.
- manifestement
- Adverb meaning manifestly, obviously, or clearly evident.
- incapable
- Adjective meaning incapable or unable to do something.
- freiner
- Verb meaning to brake, slow down, or restrain something.
- le
- Definite masculine singular article or direct object pronoun 'him/it.'
- cours
- Noun meaning course, flow, or progression of something.
- mélancolique
- Adjective meaning melancholic or sadly pensive in nature.
- ses
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its' (plural).
- pensées
- Noun meaning thoughts or reflective ideas in one's mind.
- me
- First person singular object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'to me.'
- coûte
- Third person singular of 'coûter'; costs a certain amount.
- quarante
- Number meaning forty, used in counting or quantities.
- mille
- Number meaning thousand, used for large quantities.
- roubles
- Noun meaning rubles, the Russian monetary currency unit.
- par
- Preposition meaning 'per,' 'by,' or 'through.'
- an
- Noun meaning year, used for measuring periods of time.
- poursuivit-il
- Inverted past tense meaning 'he continued' speaking or narrating.
- après
- Preposition or adverb meaning 'after' in time or sequence.
- pause
- Noun meaning pause or brief stop in speech or action.
- qu'en
- Contraction of 'que' and 'en'; what will become of it.
- sera-t-il
- Future tense inverted form; what will it be?
- dans
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'within' a time or place.
- cinq
- Number meaning five, a basic cardinal number.
- ans
- Noun meaning years, plural of 'an.'
- s'il
- Contraction of 'si' and 'il'; if he.
- continue
- Third person singular of 'continuer'; he continues doing something.
- ainsi
- Adverb meaning thus, so, or in this manner.
- Il
- Third person masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it.'
- ajouta
- Past tense of 'ajouter'; he added a remark or comment.
- peu
- Adverb meaning little or a bit; 'un peu' means a little.
- Voilà
- Exclamation meaning 'there it is' or 'that's it.'
- ce
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'that.'
- nous
- First person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us.'
- pères
- Noun meaning fathers, plural of 'père.'
- devons
- First person plural of 'devoir'; we must or have to.
- endurer
- Verb meaning to endure, suffer, or bear hardship.
- Cette
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' before a feminine noun.
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'of whom,' 'whose,' or 'of which.'
- vous
- Second person pronoun meaning 'you,' formal or plural.
- parlez
- Second person plural of 'parler'; you speak or are speaking.
- est-elle
- Inverted question form meaning 'is she?' used formally.
- riche
- Adjective meaning rich or wealthy in financial resources.
- Son
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its.'
- avare
- Adjective or noun meaning miserly, stingy, or a miser.
- vit
- Third person singular of 'vivre'; he or she lives.
- campagne
- Noun meaning countryside, rural area, or military campaign.
- C'est
- Contraction of 'ce' and 'est'; it is or this is.
- célèbre
- Adjective meaning famous, celebrated, or well-known.
- dut
- Past tense of 'devoir'; had to or was obliged to.
- quitter
- Verb meaning to leave, quit, or depart from a place.
- l'armée
- Noun meaning the army or military forces.
- sous
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'during' a reign or period.
- défunt
- Adjective or noun meaning deceased or late, referring to someone dead.
- Empereur
- Noun meaning emperor, the ruler of an empire.
- l'on
- Stylistic variant of 'on' used after certain conjunctions.
- surnommait
- Imperfect tense of 'surnommer'; they nicknamed or called someone.
- Roi
- Noun meaning king, the male monarch of a kingdom.
- intelligent
- Adjective meaning intelligent, smart, or mentally sharp.
- excentrique
- Adjective meaning eccentric or unconventionally odd in behavior.
- ennuyeux
- Adjective meaning boring, tedious, or tiresome to encounter.
- La
- Definite feminine singular article meaning 'the.'
- pauvre
- Adjective meaning poor; also used for 'poor thing' sympathetically.
- fille
- Noun meaning girl or daughter.
- a
- Third person singular of 'avoir'; has.
- frère
- Noun meaning brother or male sibling.
- crois
- First person singular of 'croire'; I believe or think.
- connaissez
- Second person plural of 'connaître'; you know someone or something.
- épousé
- Past participle of 'épouser'; married someone.
- récemment
- Adverb meaning recently or not long ago.
- aide
- Noun meaning aide or helper; 'aide de camp' is a military assistant.
- camp
- Noun meaning camp; in 'aide de camp,' a military assistant.
- sera
- Future tense of 'être'; will be.
- ici
- Adverb meaning here, indicating a nearby location.
- soir
- Noun meaning evening or tonight.
- Écoutez
- Imperative plural of 'écouter'; listen! or please listen.
- chère
- Adjective meaning dear or beloved, used as a term of address.
- prenant
- Present participle of 'prendre'; taking or grabbing something.
- soudainement
- Adverb meaning suddenly or all at once without warning.
- main
- Noun meaning hand, the body part used for grasping.
- tirant
- Present participle of 'tirer'; pulling or drawing something toward.
- vers
- Preposition meaning toward or in the direction of.
- bas
- Adjective or adverb meaning low or down.
- pour
- Preposition meaning 'for,' 'in order to,' or 'because of.'
- raison
- Noun meaning reason, cause, or rational justification for something.
- quelconque
- Adjective meaning some, any, or whatever; often implies insignificance.
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