War and Peace — Page 6

English → It CHAPTER I Level 8/10

She added that Her Majesty had deigned to show Baron Funke beaucoup d'estime, and again her face clouded over with sadness.

Aggiunse che Sua Maestà aveva degnato il barone Funke di beaucoup d'estime, e di nuovo il suo volto si offuscò di tristezza.

The prince was silent and looked indifferent.

Il principe tacque e sembrò indifferente.

But, with the womanly and courtierlike quickness and tact habitual to her, Anna Pávlovna wished both to rebuke him (for daring to speak as he had done of a man recommended to the Empress) and at the same time to console him, so she said:

Ma, con la prontezza e il tatto femminili e da cortigiana che le erano abituali, Anna Pávlovna desiderava al tempo stesso rimproverarlo (per aver osato parlare come aveva fatto di un uomo raccomandato all'Imperatrice) e consolarlo, e così disse:

"Now about your family. Do you know that since your daughter came out everyone has been enraptured by her? They say she is amazingly beautiful."

«Ora parliamo della sua famiglia. Sa che da quando sua figlia è entrata in società tutti ne sono rimasti incantati? Dicono che sia straordinariamente bella.»

The prince bowed to signify his respect and gratitude.

Il principe si inchinò in segno di rispetto e gratitudine.

"I often think," she continued after a short pause, drawing nearer to the prince and smiling amiably at him as if to show that political and social topics were ended and the time had come for intimate conversation—"I often think how unfairly sometimes the joys of life are distributed.

«Penso spesso,» continuò dopo una breve pausa, avvicinandosi al principe e sorrendendogli amabilmente come per far capire che gli argomenti politici e sociali erano esauriti e che era giunto il momento della conversazione intima, «penso spesso quanto ingiustamente a volte le gioie della vita siano distribuite.

Why has fate given you two such splendid children?

Perché il destino le ha dato due figli così splendidi?

I don't speak of Anatole, your youngest.

Non parlo di Anatole, il suo figlio minore.

I don't like him," she added in a tone admitting of no rejoinder and raising her eyebrows.

Non mi piace,» aggiunse in un tono che non ammetteva replica, alzando le sopracciglia.

"Two such charming children. And really you appreciate them less than anyone, and so you don't deserve to have them."

«Due figli così affascinanti. E in realtà lei li apprezza meno di chiunque altro, e quindi non merita di averli.»

And she smiled her ecstatic smile.

E lei sorrise con il suo sorriso estatico.

"I can't help it," said the prince. "Lavater would have said I lack the bump of paternity."

«Non posso farci niente,» disse il principe. «Lavater avrebbe detto che mi manca il bernoccolo della paternità.»

"Don't joke; I mean to have a serious talk with you.

«Non scherzi; ho intenzione di avere una conversazione seria con lei.

Vocabulary

Aggiunse: He/she added, said something further in conversation.
che: Common conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'.
Sua: Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'your' (formal).
Maestà: Title of respect meaning 'Majesty,' used for royalty.
aveva: Past tense of 'avere'; 'had' in third person singular.
degnato: Past participle of 'degnare'; to have deemed worthy or honored.
barone: Nobleman title meaning 'baron' in the aristocratic hierarchy.
di: Very common preposition meaning 'of,' 'from,' or 'by.'
nuovo: Adjective meaning 'new' or 'fresh'; used widely.
suo: Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its.'
volto: Noun meaning 'face'; refers to a person's facial expression.
si: Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself,' 'herself,' or 'itself.'
offuscò: Past tense of 'offuscare'; to cloud over or darken.
tristezza: Noun meaning 'sadness' or 'sorrow'; an emotional state.
principe: Noun meaning 'prince'; a male member of royalty.
tacque: Past tense of 'tacere'; he/she fell silent or said nothing.
sembrò: Past tense of 'sembrare'; appeared or seemed a certain way.
indifferente: Adjective meaning 'indifferent'; showing no interest or concern.
Ma: Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrasting statement.
con: Preposition meaning 'with,' indicating accompaniment or means.
prontezza: Noun meaning 'quickness' or 'readiness'; swift responsiveness.
tatto: Noun meaning 'tact'; sensitivity in dealing with others.
femminili: Adjective meaning 'feminine'; relating to women or femininity.
da: Preposition meaning 'from,' 'by,' or 'since'; very versatile.
cortigiana: Noun meaning 'courtier woman'; a lady of the royal court.
erano: Past tense of 'essere'; third person plural meaning 'were.'
abituali: Adjective meaning 'habitual' or 'customary'; done out of habit.
desiderava: Imperfect tense of 'desiderare'; was wanting or wishing something.
al: Contraction of 'a' and 'il,' meaning 'to the' (masculine).
tempo: Noun meaning 'time' or 'weather'; frequently used word.
stesso: Adjective meaning 'same' or 'itself'; used for emphasis.
rimproverarlo: Infinitive with pronoun; to scold or reproach him.
per: Preposition meaning 'for,' 'in order to,' or 'because of.'
aver: Shortened infinitive of 'avere'; to have, used in compounds.
osato: Past participle of 'osare'; to have dared or ventured.
parlare: Infinitive meaning 'to speak' or 'to talk'; basic verb.
come: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'as,' 'how,' or 'like.'
fatto: Past participle of 'fare'; 'done' or 'made'; also 'fact.'
uomo: Noun meaning 'man'; referring to an adult male person.
raccomandato: Past participle of 'raccomandare'; recommended or referred by someone.
all'Imperatrice: Prepositional phrase meaning 'to the Empress'; royalty reference.
consolarlo: Infinitive with pronoun; to console or comfort him.
così: Adverb meaning 'so,' 'thus,' or 'in this way.'
disse: Past tense of 'dire'; he/she said something to someone.
Ora: Adverb meaning 'now'; referring to the present moment.
parliamo: First person plural of 'parlare'; 'let's talk' or 'we speak.'
della: Contraction of 'di' and 'la,' meaning 'of the' (feminine).
famiglia: Noun meaning 'family'; one's relatives or household.
Sa: Third person singular of 'sapere'; 'he/she knows' or formal 'do you know.'
quando: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'; used in time clauses.
figlia: Noun meaning 'daughter'; a female child of a parent.
è: Third person singular of 'essere'; 'is,' the verb 'to be.'
entrata: Past participle of 'entrare'; entered; also noun meaning 'entrance.'
società: Noun meaning 'society' or 'social circle'; group of people.
tutti: Pronoun or adjective meaning 'everyone' or 'all.'
ne: Pronoun meaning 'of it,' 'of them,' or 'about it.'
sono: First or third person plural of 'essere'; 'I am' or 'they are.'
rimasti: Past participle plural of 'rimanere'; remained or were left.
incantati: Past participle plural of 'incantare'; enchanted or charmed.
Dicono: Third person plural of 'dire'; 'they say' or 'it is said.'
sia: Subjunctive of 'essere'; 'that she/he/it is' or 'may be.'
straordinariamente: Adverb meaning 'extraordinarily' or 'remarkably'; extreme degree.
bella: Adjective meaning 'beautiful' or 'pretty'; feminine form.
inchinò: Past tense of 'inchinarsi'; bowed as a gesture of respect.
segno: Noun meaning 'sign' or 'gesture'; an indication of something.
rispetto: Noun meaning 'respect'; high regard shown toward someone.
gratitudine: Noun meaning 'gratitude'; feeling of thankfulness toward others.
Penso: First person singular of 'pensare'; 'I think' or 'I believe.'
spesso: Adverb meaning 'often' or 'frequently'; regular occurrence.
continuò: Past tense of 'continuare'; he/she continued speaking or doing.
dopo: Preposition or adverb meaning 'after' or 'afterwards.'
breve: Adjective meaning 'brief' or 'short'; limited in duration.
pausa: Noun meaning 'pause' or 'break'; a temporary stop.
avvicinandosi: Gerund of 'avvicinarsi'; approaching or drawing closer to someone.
sorrendendogli: Gerund of 'sorridere' with pronoun; smiling at him kindly.
amabilmente: Adverb meaning 'amiably' or 'kindly'; in a pleasant manner.
far: Shortened infinitive of 'fare'; to make or cause something.
capire: Infinitive meaning 'to understand'; grasping meaning or information.
gli: Indirect pronoun meaning 'to him'; also masculine plural article.
argomenti: Noun plural meaning 'topics' or 'arguments'; subjects of discussion.
politici: Adjective or noun plural meaning 'political' or 'politicians.'
sociali: Adjective plural meaning 'social'; relating to society or community.
esauriti: Past participle plural of 'esaurire'; exhausted or used up completely.
era: Imperfect of 'essere'; 'was,' third person singular past.
giunto: Past participle of 'giungere'; arrived or reached a point.
momento: Noun meaning 'moment'; a specific point or brief period in time.
conversazione: Noun meaning 'conversation'; an exchange of spoken words.
intima: Adjective meaning 'intimate' or 'private'; close and personal.
penso: First person singular of 'pensare'; 'I think' or 'I consider.'
quanto: Adverb or pronoun meaning 'how much' or 'as much as.'
ingiustamente: Adverb meaning 'unjustly' or 'unfairly'; without fairness.
volte: Noun plural meaning 'times'; 'a volte' means 'sometimes.'
gioie: Noun plural meaning 'joys'; pleasures or sources of happiness.
vita: Noun meaning 'life'; one's existence or way of living.
siano: Subjunctive plural of 'essere'; 'that they are' or 'may be.'
distribuite: Past participle plural of 'distribuire'; distributed or shared out.
Perché: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'why' or 'because.'
destino: Noun meaning 'destiny' or 'fate'; one's predetermined life course.
ha: Third person singular of 'avere'; 'has,' an auxiliary verb.
dato: Past participle of 'dare'; 'given'; also used in expressions.
due: Number meaning 'two'; the cardinal number 2.
figli: Noun plural meaning 'children' or 'sons'; offspring of a parent.
splendidi: Adjective plural meaning 'splendid' or 'wonderful'; excellent quality.
Non: Negation word meaning 'not'; used to negate verbs.
parlo: First person singular of 'parlare'; 'I speak' or 'I am speaking.'
figlio: Noun meaning 'son' or 'child'; male offspring of parents.
minore: Adjective meaning 'minor,' 'younger,' or 'smaller'; lesser degree.
mi: First person reflexive or indirect pronoun meaning 'me' or 'to me.'
piace: Third person singular of 'piacere'; 'it pleases,' meaning 'I like it.'
aggiunse: Past tense of 'aggiungere'; he/she added a further remark.
tono: Noun meaning 'tone'; the quality or manner of one's voice.
non: Negation particle meaning 'not'; placed before verbs.
ammetteva: Imperfect of 'ammettere'; was admitting or allowing something.
replica: Noun meaning 'reply' or 'objection'; a response to a statement.
alzando: Gerund of 'alzare'; raising or lifting something upward.
sopracciglia: Noun plural meaning 'eyebrows'; the arched hairs above eyes.
affascinanti: Adjective plural meaning 'fascinating' or 'charming'; captivating people.
realtà: Noun meaning 'reality'; the actual state of things.
lei: Pronoun meaning 'she,' 'her,' or formal 'you.'
li: Direct pronoun meaning 'them'; referring to masculine plural objects.
apprezza: Third person singular of 'apprezzare'; appreciates or values someone.
meno: Adverb meaning 'less'; comparative of little or few.
chiunque: Indefinite pronoun meaning 'anyone' or 'whoever'; any person.
altro: Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'another.'
quindi: Conjunction meaning 'therefore' or 'so'; indicating a conclusion.
merita: Third person singular of 'meritare'; deserves or merits something.
averli: Infinitive with pronoun; to have them, referring to children.
sorrise: Past tense of 'sorridere'; he/she smiled at someone.
sorriso: Noun meaning 'smile'; an expression showing happiness or amusement.
estatico: Adjective meaning 'ecstatic' or 'blissful'; showing great joy.
posso: First person singular of 'potere'; 'I can' or 'I am able.'
farci: Infinitive 'fare' with 'ci'; 'to do about it' or 'to make.'
niente: Pronoun meaning 'nothing'; the absence of anything.
avrebbe: Conditional of 'avere'; 'he/she would have'; used in hypotheticals.
detto: Past participle of 'dire'; 'said' or 'told'; used in compounds.
manca: Third person singular of 'mancare'; lacks or is missing something.
bernoccolo: Noun meaning 'bump' or 'knack'; talent or natural aptitude.
paternità: Noun meaning 'paternity' or 'fatherhood'; state of being a father.
scherzi: Noun plural or subjunctive; 'jokes' or 'don't joke about it.'
ho: First person singular of 'avere'; 'I have,' auxiliary verb.
intenzione: Noun meaning 'intention'; a plan or aim to do something.
avere: Infinitive meaning 'to have'; one of the two key auxiliary verbs.
seria: Adjective meaning 'serious'; not joking, earnest in manner.

← Previous Next →

Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.

Create free account →