War and Peace — Page 5
Anna Pávlovna in dismay detained him with the words: "Do you know the Abbé Morio? He is a most interesting man."
Anna Pávlovna, consternée, le retint par ces mots : « Connaissez-vous l'abbé Morio ? C'est un homme des plus intéressants. »
"Yes, I have heard of his scheme for perpetual peace, and it is very interesting but hardly feasible."
« Oui, j'ai entendu parler de son projet de paix perpétuelle, et il est très intéressant mais guère réalisable. »
"You think so?" rejoined Anna Pávlovna in order to say something and get away to attend to her duties as hostess.
« Vous le pensez ? » répliqua Anna Pávlovna afin de dire quelque chose et de s'éloigner pour remplir ses devoirs de maîtresse de maison.
But Pierre now committed a reverse act of impoliteness.
Mais Pierre commit alors une impolitesse de sens inverse.
First he had left a lady before she had finished speaking to him, and now he continued to speak to another who wished to get away.
Il avait d'abord quitté une dame avant qu'elle eût fini de lui parler, et maintenant il continuait à parler à une autre qui souhaitait s'en aller.
With his head bent, and his big feet spread apart, he began explaining his reasons for thinking the abbé's plan chimerical.
La tête penchée et les grands pieds écartés, il commença à exposer ses raisons de trouver le plan de l'abbé chimérique.
"We will talk of it later," said Anna Pávlovna with a smile.
« Nous en parlerons plus tard », dit Anna Pávlovna avec un sourire.
And having got rid of this young man who did not know how to behave, she resumed her duties as hostess and continued to listen and watch, ready to help at any point where the conversation might happen to flag.
Et s'étant débarrassée de ce jeune homme qui ne savait pas se conduire, elle reprit ses fonctions de maîtresse de maison et continua d'écouter et d'observer, prête à intervenir en tout endroit où la conversation viendrait à languir.
Vocabulary
- consternée
- Feeling shocked, dismayed, or deeply troubled by something.
- retint
- Past tense of retenir; held back or detained someone.
- mots
- Plural noun meaning 'words' in French.
- Connaissez-vous
- Formal question meaning 'Do you know (someone/something)?'
- l'abbé
- Title referring to a Catholic abbot or priest.
- homme
- Noun meaning 'man' referring to an adult male.
- intéressants
- Adjective meaning 'interesting' in masculine plural form.
- entendu
- Past participle of entendre meaning 'heard'.
- parler
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to speak' or 'to talk'.
- projet
- Noun meaning 'project' or 'plan' for a future endeavor.
- paix
- Noun meaning 'peace', absence of war or conflict.
- perpétuelle
- Adjective meaning 'perpetual', everlasting, or never-ending.
- intéressant
- Adjective meaning 'interesting', worth one's attention.
- guère
- Adverb meaning 'hardly' or 'scarcely', indicating very little.
- réalisable
- Adjective meaning 'feasible' or 'achievable', able to be realized.
- pensez
- Second-person plural of penser meaning 'you think'.
- répliqua
- Past tense of répliquer meaning 'replied' or 'retorted'.
- afin
- Conjunction used in 'afin de/que' meaning 'in order to'.
- dire
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to say' or 'to tell'.
- quelque
- Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a certain', used before nouns.
- chose
- Noun meaning 'thing', referring to an unspecified object or matter.
- s'éloigner
- Reflexive verb meaning 'to move away' or 'to withdraw'.
- remplir
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to fulfill' or 'to carry out'.
- devoirs
- Plural noun meaning 'duties', 'obligations', or 'homework'.
- maîtresse
- Noun meaning 'mistress' or 'hostess', female in charge.
- maison
- Noun meaning 'house' or 'home', a place of residence.
- commit
- Past tense of commettre meaning 'committed' an error or act.
- alors
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'at that moment'.
- impolitesse
- Noun meaning 'rudeness' or 'impoliteness', a discourteous act.
- sens
- Noun meaning 'sense', 'direction', or 'meaning'.
- inverse
- Adjective meaning 'opposite' or 'reverse' in direction or order.
- d'abord
- Adverbial phrase meaning 'first' or 'at first'.
- quitté
- Past participle of quitter meaning 'left' or 'departed from'.
- dame
- Noun meaning 'lady' or 'woman', polite term of address.
- avant
- Preposition or adverb meaning 'before' in time or order.
- eût
- Subjunctive imperfect of avoir meaning 'had', used in literary French.
- fini
- Past participle of finir meaning 'finished' or 'done'.
- maintenant
- Adverb meaning 'now' or 'at this moment'.
- continuait
- Imperfect tense of continuer meaning 'was continuing'.
- souhaitait
- Imperfect tense of souhaiter meaning 'was wishing' or 'wanted'.
- aller
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to go' in French.
- tête
- Noun meaning 'head', the uppermost part of the body.
- penchée
- Adjective/past participle meaning 'bent' or 'inclined', tilted.
- pieds
- Plural noun meaning 'feet', the lower extremities of legs.
- écartés
- Past participle meaning 'spread apart' or 'set wide apart'.
- commença
- Past tense of commencer meaning 'began' or 'started'.
- exposer
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to explain', 'to present', or 'to expose'.
- raisons
- Plural noun meaning 'reasons' or 'justifications' for something.
- trouver
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to find' or 'to consider'.
- plan
- Noun meaning 'plan' or 'scheme', a proposed course of action.
- chimérique
- Adjective meaning 'chimerical', illusory, or wildly unrealistic.
- parlerons
- Future tense of parler meaning 'we will speak' or 'talk'.
- tard
- Adverb meaning 'late' or 'later' in time.
- sourire
- Noun or verb meaning 'smile' or 'to smile'.
- s'étant
- Reflexive gerund of être meaning 'having oneself' become free.
- débarrassée
- Past participle of débarrasser meaning 'rid herself' of someone.
- jeune
- Adjective meaning 'young', referring to a youthful person.
- savait
- Imperfect tense of savoir meaning 'knew' or 'knew how'.
- conduire
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to conduct oneself' or 'to behave'.
- reprit
- Past tense of reprendre meaning 'resumed' or 'took up again'.
- fonctions
- Plural noun meaning 'functions', 'duties', or 'roles'.
- continua
- Past tense of continuer meaning 'continued' doing something.
- d'écouter
- Infinitive phrase meaning 'to listen' after a preposition.
- d'observer
- Infinitive phrase meaning 'to observe' or 'to watch carefully'.
- prête
- Adjective meaning 'ready' or 'prepared', feminine form.
- intervenir
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to intervene' or 'to step in'.
- endroit
- Noun meaning 'place' or 'spot', a specific location.
- conversation
- Noun meaning 'conversation', an exchange of words between people.
- viendrait
- Conditional of venir meaning 'would come' or 'might come'.
- languir
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to languish', flag, or lose momentum.
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