White nights, and other stories — Page 6

English → It Full Text Level 7/10

If a window opened after delicate fingers, white as snow, had tapped upon the pane, and the head of a pretty girl was thrust out, calling to a street-seller with pots of flowers--at once on the spot I fancied that those flowers were being bought not simply in order to enjoy the flowers and the spring in stuffy town lodgings, but because they would all be very soon moving into the country and could take the flowers with them.

Se una finestra si apriva dopo che dita delicate, bianche come la neve, avevano bussato sul vetro, e la testa di una bella ragazza si sporgeva, chiamando un venditore ambulante con vasi di fiori -- subito, lì per lì, immaginavo che quei fiori venissero acquistati non semplicemente per godere dei fiori e della primavera nei soffocanti alloggi cittadini, ma perché tutti si sarebbero presto trasferiti in campagna e avrebbero potuto portare i fiori con sé.

What is more, I made such progress in my new peculiar sort of investigation that I could distinguish correctly from the mere air of each in what summer villa he was living.

Per di più, feci tali progressi nel mio nuovo e peculiare tipo di indagine che riuscivo a distinguere correttamente, dal solo aspetto di ciascuno, in quale villa estiva egli abitasse.

The inhabitants of Kamenny and Aptekarsky Islands or of the Peterhof Road were marked by the studied elegance of their manner, their fashionable summer suits, and the fine carriages in which they drove to town.

Gli abitanti delle isole Kamenny e Aptekarsky o della strada di Peterhof si distinguevano per l'eleganza ricercata dei loro modi, i raffinati abiti estivi alla moda e le belle carrozze con cui si recavano in città.

Visitors to Pargolovo and places further away impressed one at first sight by their reasonable and dignified air; the tripper to Krestovsky Island could be recognized by his look of irrepressible gaiety.

I visitatori di Pargolovo e dei luoghi più lontani colpivano a prima vista per il loro aspetto assennato e dignitoso; il gitante diretto all'isola Krestovsky si riconosceva dal suo sguardo di gaiezza irrefrenabile.

Vocabulary

Se: se — Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'whether' in Italian.
una: una — Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (feminine).
finestra: fi-nes-tra — A window in a wall or building.
si: si — Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'itself'.
apriva: a-pri-va — Past imperfect of 'aprire'; was opening.
dopo: do-po — Preposition or adverb meaning 'after' or 'afterwards'.
che: ke — Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that,' 'which,' or 'who'.
dita: di-ta — Plural of 'dito'; fingers of the hand.
delicate: de-li-ca-te — Adjective meaning delicate, gentle, or fragile (feminine plural).
bianche: bian-ke — Adjective meaning white (feminine plural form).
come: co-me — Adverb or conjunction meaning 'like,' 'as,' or 'how'.
la: la — Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular).
neve: ne-ve — Noun meaning snow, frozen precipitation.
avevano: a-ve-va-no — Past imperfect of 'avere'; they had.
bussato: bus-sa-to — Past participle of 'bussare'; knocked (on a surface).
sul: sul — Contraction of 'su' and 'il'; on the.
vetro: ve-tro — Noun meaning glass, a transparent solid material.
e: e — Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses.
testa: tes-ta — Noun meaning head, the upper part of the body.
di: di — Preposition meaning 'of,' 'from,' or 'about'.
bella: bel-la — Adjective meaning beautiful or lovely (feminine singular).
ragazza: ra-gaz-za — Noun meaning girl or young woman.
sporgeva: spor-ge-va — Past imperfect of 'sporgere'; was leaning out or protruding.
chiamando: chia-man-do — Gerund of 'chiamare'; calling or summoning someone.
un: un — Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (masculine).
venditore: ven-di-to-re — Noun meaning seller or vendor of goods.
ambulante: am-bu-lan-te — Adjective meaning itinerant or traveling, as a street vendor.
con: con — Preposition meaning 'with,' indicating accompaniment or means.
vasi: va-si — Plural of 'vaso'; pots or vases used for plants.
fiori: fio-ri — Plural of 'fiore'; flowers, colorful blossoming plants.
subito: su-bi-to — Adverb meaning immediately, at once, or right away.
lì: lì — Adverb meaning 'there,' indicating a nearby location.
per: per — Preposition meaning 'for,' 'by,' or 'through'.
immaginavo: im-ma-gi-na-vo — Past imperfect of 'immaginare'; I was imagining or picturing.
quei: quei — Demonstrative adjective meaning 'those' (masculine plural).
venissero: ve-nis-se-ro — Past subjunctive of 'venire'; that they might come.
acquistati: ac-quis-ta-ti — Past participle of 'acquistare'; purchased or bought (masculine plural).
non: non — Negation adverb meaning 'not,' negating verbs or phrases.
semplicemente: sem-pli-ce-men-te — Adverb meaning simply or merely, without complication.
godere: go-de-re — Verb meaning to enjoy or to take pleasure in.
dei: dei — Contraction of 'di' and 'i'; of the (masculine plural).
della: del-la — Contraction of 'di' and 'la'; of the (feminine singular).
primavera: pri-ma-ve-ra — Noun meaning spring, the season after winter.
nei: nei — Contraction of 'in' and 'i'; in the (masculine plural).
soffocanti: sof-fo-can-ti — Adjective meaning suffocating, stifling, or oppressively hot.
alloggi: al-log-gi — Plural of 'alloggio'; lodgings, accommodations, or apartments.
cittadini: cit-ta-di-ni — Noun or adjective meaning citizens or urban residents (masculine plural).
ma: ma — Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrast.
perché: per-ché — Conjunction or adverb meaning 'because' or 'why'.
tutti: tut-ti — Pronoun or adjective meaning 'all' or 'everyone' (masculine plural).
sarebbero: sa-reb-be-ro — Conditional of 'essere'; they would be.
presto: pres-to — Adverb meaning soon, quickly, or early.
trasferiti: tras-fe-ri-ti — Past participle of 'trasferire'; transferred or moved (masculine plural).
in: in — Preposition meaning 'in,' 'into,' or 'to'.
campagna: cam-pa-gna — Noun meaning countryside or rural landscape.
avrebbero: a-vreb-be-ro — Conditional of 'avere'; they would have.
potuto: po-tu-to — Past participle of 'potere'; been able to.
portare: por-ta-re — Verb meaning to carry, bring, or take along.
i: i — Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine plural).
sé: sé — Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself,' used with prepositions.
più: più — Adverb meaning 'more' or 'most,' indicating greater degree.
feci: fe-ci — Past historic of 'fare'; I made or I did.
tali: ta-li — Adjective meaning 'such' or 'of that kind' (plural).
progressi: pro-gres-si — Plural of 'progresso'; advances, improvements, or progress made.
nel: nel — Contraction of 'in' and 'il'; in the (masculine singular).
mio: mi-o — Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (masculine singular).
nuovo: nuo-vo — Adjective meaning new, recent, or novel.
peculiare: pe-cu-lia-re — Adjective meaning peculiar, distinctive, or characteristic.
tipo: ti-po — Noun meaning type, kind, or sort of something.
indagine: in-da-gi-ne — Noun meaning investigation, inquiry, or research.
riuscivo: riu-sci-vo — Past imperfect of 'riuscire'; I was managing or succeeding.
a: a — Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'in'.
distinguere: dis-tin-gue-re — Verb meaning to distinguish or tell apart different things.
correttamente: cor-ret-ta-men-te — Adverb meaning correctly, accurately, or properly.
dal: dal — Contraction of 'da' and 'il'; from the (masculine singular).
solo: so-lo — Adjective or adverb meaning 'only,' 'alone,' or 'just'.
aspetto: as-pet-to — Noun meaning appearance, look, or aspect of someone.
ciascuno: cias-cu-no — Pronoun meaning each one or every single person.
quale: qua-le — Pronoun or adjective meaning 'which' or 'what'.
villa: vil-la — Noun meaning a large elegant country house or estate.
estiva: es-ti-va — Adjective meaning summer, relating to the summer season (feminine).
egli: e-gli — Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'.
abitasse: a-bi-tas-se — Past subjunctive of 'abitare'; that he might live or reside.
Gli: gli — Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine plural before vowels).
abitanti: a-bi-tan-ti — Plural noun meaning inhabitants or residents of a place.
delle: del-le — Contraction of 'di' and 'le'; of the (feminine plural).
isole: i-so-le — Plural of 'isola'; islands surrounded by water.
o: o — Conjunction meaning 'or,' presenting an alternative.
strada: stra-da — Noun meaning street, road, or path.
distinguevano: dis-tin-gue-va-no — Past imperfect of 'distinguere'; they used to distinguish themselves.
l': l' — Elided definite article 'la' or 'lo' before a vowel.
eleganza: e-le-gan-za — Noun meaning elegance, refinement, or stylish grace.
ricercata: ri-cer-ca-ta — Adjective meaning refined, sought-after, or studied (feminine singular).
loro: lo-ro — Pronoun or possessive adjective meaning 'their' or 'them'.
modi: mo-di — Plural of 'modo'; manners, ways, or behavioral styles.
raffinati: raf-fi-na-ti — Adjective meaning refined, sophisticated, or cultured (masculine plural).
abiti: a-bi-ti — Plural of 'abito'; clothing, garments, or suits worn.
estivi: es-ti-vi — Adjective meaning summer (masculine plural), relating to summer.
alla: al-la — Contraction of 'a' and 'la'; to the, in the (feminine).
moda: mo-da — Noun meaning fashion or trend in clothing and style.
le: le — Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine plural).
belle: bel-le — Adjective meaning beautiful or lovely (feminine plural form).
carrozze: car-roz-ze — Plural of 'carrozza'; carriages or horse-drawn coaches.
cui: cui — Relative pronoun meaning 'whom,' 'which,' or 'whose'.
recavano: re-ca-va-no — Past imperfect of 'recarsi'; they used to go or travel.
città: cit-tà — Noun meaning city or town, an urban settlement.
I: i — Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine plural).
visitatori: vi-si-ta-to-ri — Plural of 'visitatore'; visitors or people visiting a place.
luoghi: luo-ghi — Plural of 'luogo'; places, locations, or spots.
lontani: lon-ta-ni — Adjective meaning distant or far away (masculine plural).
colpivano: col-pi-va-no — Past imperfect of 'colpire'; they used to strike or impress.
prima: pri-ma — Adverb or adjective meaning 'first,' 'before,' or 'earlier'.
vista: vis-ta — Noun meaning sight, view, or the act of seeing.
il: il — Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular).
assennato: as-sen-na-to — Adjective meaning sensible, wise, or level-headed.
dignitoso: dig-ni-to-so — Adjective meaning dignified, respectable, or having proper bearing.
gitante: gi-tan-te — Noun meaning day-tripper or excursionist going on an outing.
diretto: di-ret-to — Adjective meaning directed toward or heading to a destination.
all': all' — Contraction of 'a' and 'l''; to the (before a vowel).
isola: i-so-la — Noun meaning island, land surrounded by water.
riconosceva: ri-co-nos-ce-va — Past imperfect of 'riconoscere'; was recognizing or could identify.
suo: su-o — Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its'.
sguardo: sguar-do — Noun meaning glance, gaze, or look in someone's eyes.
gaiezza: gaie-zza — Noun meaning gaiety, cheerfulness, or lively happiness.
irrefrenabile: ir-re-fre-na-bi-le — Adjective meaning uncontrollable, unstoppable, or irrepressible.

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