Wuthering Heights — Page 3

English → Fr CHAPTER I Level 8/10

Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wind, blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun.

Là-haut, ils doivent avoir en tout temps une ventilation pure et vivifiante : on peut deviner la puissance du vent du nord, soufflant par-dessus le rebord, à l'inclinaison excessive de quelques sapins rabougris à l'extrémité de la maison, et à une rangée d'épines décharnées qui étendent toutes leurs membres dans la même direction, comme si elles imploraient l'aumône du soleil.

Happily, the architect had foresight to build it strong: the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones.

Heureusement, l'architecte avait eu la prévoyance de le construire solidement : les fenêtres étroites sont profondément enchâssées dans le mur, et les angles défendus par de larges pierres en saillie.

Before passing the threshold, I paused to admire a quantity of grotesque carving lavished over the front, and especially about the principal door; above which, among a wilderness of crumbling griffins and shameless little boys, I detected the date "1500," and the name "Hareton Earnshaw."

Avant de franchir le seuil, je m'arrêtai pour admirer la profusion de sculptures grotesques répandues sur la façade, et surtout autour de la porte principale ; au-dessus de laquelle, parmi un fouillis de griffons en ruine et de petits garçons effrontés, je distinguai la date « 1500 » et le nom « Hareton Earnshaw ».

I would have made a few comments, and requested a short history of the place from the surly owner; but his attitude at the door appeared to demand my speedy entrance, or complete departure, and I had no desire to aggravate his impatience previous to inspecting the penetralium.

J'aurais bien formulé quelques remarques et demandé à l'bourru propriétaire un bref historique des lieux ; mais son attitude à la porte semblait exiger que j'entrasse promptement ou que je partisse tout à fait, et je n'avais aucune envie d'aggraver son impatience avant d'avoir inspecté le pénétral.

One step brought us into the family sitting-room, without any introductory lobby or passage: they call it here "the house" pre-eminently.

Un seul pas nous introduisit dans la salle commune de la famille, sans vestibule ni couloir préalable : ils l'appellent ici « la maison » par excellence.

Vocabulary

Là-haut: la-oh — Up there, in a high or elevated place.
ils: eel — They (masculine or mixed group pronoun).
doivent: dwahv — They must; third person plural of devoir.
avoir: ah-vwahr — To have; fundamental auxiliary and lexical verb.
en: ahn — In, on, or of; versatile preposition and pronoun.
tout: too — All, every, or entirely; very common adjective/adverb.
temps: tahn — Time or weather; common masculine noun.
une: ün — A, an; feminine indefinite article.
ventilation: vahn-tee-lah-syohn — Ventilation; circulation of fresh air through a space.
pure: pür — Pure, clean, unmixed; feminine adjective.
vivifiante: vee-vee-fyahnt — Invigorating, life-giving; feminine adjective describing air.
on: ohn — One, we, or people in general; indefinite pronoun.
peut: puh — Can, is able to; third person singular of pouvoir.
deviner: duh-vee-nay — To guess or divine; to infer something not obvious.
puissance: pwee-sahns — Power, might, or force; feminine noun.
vent: vahn — Wind; masculine noun describing moving air.
nord: nohr — North; masculine noun indicating cardinal direction.
soufflant: soo-flahn — Blowing; present participle of souffler.
par-dessus: par-duh-sü — Over, above; preposition indicating passage overhead.
rebord: ruh-bohr — Edge, rim, or ledge of a surface or structure.
l'inclinaison: lahn-klee-neh-zohn — The inclination or tilt; slant of an object.
excessive: ehk-seh-seev — Excessive, extreme; beyond normal limits, feminine adjective.
quelques: kehl-kuh — Some, a few; indefinite adjective indicating small quantity.
sapins: sah-pan — Fir trees; plural masculine noun.
rabougris: rah-boo-gree — Stunted, gnarled, poorly grown; adjective describing trees.
l'extrémité: lehk-stray-mee-tay — The extremity, tip, or end of something.
maison: meh-zohn — House; common feminine noun for a dwelling.
rangée: rahn-zhay — Row, line; a series of objects arranged in order.
d'épines: day-peen — Of thorns; spiny projections on plants.
décharnées: day-shar-nay — Gaunt, stripped of flesh; emaciated, bare feminine adjective.
étendent: ay-tahnd — They extend or stretch out; third plural of étendre.
toutes: toot — All, every one; feminine plural form of tout.
leurs: luhr — Their; plural possessive adjective.
membres: mahm-bruh — Limbs or members; branches likened to body parts.
même: mehm — Same, very, even; adjective and adverb.
direction: dee-rehk-syohn — Direction; the way toward which something points.
comme: kohm — Like, as; comparison conjunction.
si: see — If, as if; conditional and comparison conjunction.
elles: ehl — They (feminine); third person plural feminine pronoun.
imploraient: an-ploh-reh — They were imploring or begging; imperfect of implorer.
l'aumône: loh-mohn — Alms, charity; money or aid given to the needy.
soleil: soh-lehy — Sun; the star providing light and warmth.
Heureusement: uh-ruhz-mahn — Fortunately, luckily; adverb expressing a positive outcome.
l'architecte: lar-shee-tehkt — The architect; professional who designs buildings.
avait: ah-veh — Had; third person singular imperfect of avoir.
eu: ü — Had (past participle); past participle of avoir.
prévoyance: pray-vwah-yahns — Foresight, prudent planning for future circumstances.
construire: kohn-strweer — To build or construct; infinitive verb.
solidement: soh-leed-mahn — Solidly, sturdily; adverb indicating strong construction.
fenêtres: fuh-neh-truh — Windows; openings in a wall admitting light.
étroites: ay-trwaht — Narrow; feminine plural adjective describing small width.
sont: sohn — Are; third person plural of être.
profondément: proh-fohn-day-mahn — Deeply, profoundly; adverb indicating great depth.
enchâssées: ahn-shah-say — Set in, embedded; fitted firmly into a surrounding material.
mur: mür — Wall; a vertical structure enclosing a building.
angles: ahng-gluh — Corners, angles; points where two surfaces meet.
défendus: day-fahn-dü — Protected, defended; past participle of défendre.
larges: larzh — Wide, broad; adjective describing generous dimensions.
pierres: pyehr — Stones; rocks used as building materials.
saillie: sah-yee — Projection, protrusion; part jutting out from a surface.
Avant: ah-vahn — Before; preposition or adverb of prior time or position.
franchir: frahn-sheer — To cross or pass over; to go beyond a threshold.
seuil: suhy — Threshold, doorstep; the entrance of a building.
m'arrêtai: mah-reh-tay — I stopped; first person singular passé simple of s'arrêter.
admirer: ahd-mee-ray — To admire; to look at something with appreciation.
profusion: proh-fü-zyohn — Profusion, abundance; a very large quantity of something.
sculptures: skülp-tür — Sculptures; carved or molded three-dimensional artworks.
grotesques: groh-tehsk — Grotesque; bizarrely distorted or fantastically ugly in style.
répandues: ray-pahn-dü — Spread out, scattered; distributed across a surface.
façade: fah-sahd — Facade; the front exterior face of a building.
surtout: sür-too — Above all, especially; adverb emphasizing importance.
autour: oh-toor — Around; preposition indicating encirclement.
porte: pohrt — Door; an entrance or exit of a building.
principale: pran-see-pahl — Main, principal; most important, feminine adjective.
au-dessus: oh-duh-sü — Above, overhead; preposition indicating a higher position.
laquelle: lah-kehl — Which (feminine); relative pronoun replacing a feminine noun.
parmi: par-mee — Among, amid; preposition within a group.
fouillis: foo-yee — Jumble, tangle; a confused disordered mass of things.
griffons: gree-fohn — Griffins; mythological creatures with eagle head and lion body.
ruine: rwee-nuh — Ruin; a decayed or collapsed structure.
petits: puh-tee — Small, little; masculine plural adjective.
garçons: gar-sohn — Boys; young male children or youths.
effrontés: eh-frohn-tay — Impudent, cheeky; bold and disrespectful in manner.
distinguai: dees-tan-gay — I made out; first person singular passé simple of distinguer.
date: daht — Date; a specific point in time, often a year.
nom: nohn — Name; a word used to identify a person or thing.
J'aurais: zhoh-reh — I would have; conditional of avoir, first person singular.
bien: byehn — Well, very, indeed; common adverb of degree or manner.
formulé: fohr-mü-lay — Formulated, expressed; past participle of formuler.
remarques: ruh-mark — Remarks, observations; comments about something noticed.
demandé: duh-mahn-day — Asked, requested; past participle of demander.
l'bourru: luh-boo-rü — The gruff or surly person; brusque in manner (colloquial).
propriétaire: proh-pree-ay-tehr — Owner, proprietor; person who owns property.
bref: brehf — Brief, short; concise summary or adjective of brevity.
historique: ees-toh-reek — Historical account; narrative of past events.
lieux: lyuh — Places; plural of lieu, referring to a location.
mais: meh — But; coordinating conjunction indicating contrast.
son: sohn — His, her, its; masculine singular possessive adjective.
attitude: ah-tee-tüd — Attitude, manner; a person's way of carrying themselves.
semblait: sahm-bleh — Seemed; third person singular imperfect of sembler.
exiger: ehg-zee-zhay — To require, demand; to insist upon firmly.
j'entrasse: zhahn-trahs — That I enter; first person singular imperfect subjunctive of entrer.
promptement: prohnpt-mahn — Promptly, quickly; adverb indicating swift action.
ou: oo — Or; coordinating conjunction expressing alternative.
partisse: par-tees — That I leave; first person singular imperfect subjunctive of partir.
fait: feh — Fact, deed; also past participle of faire (done/made).
n'avais: nah-veh — Did not have; first person singular imperfect of avoir, negated.
aucune: oh-kün — No, none; negative feminine adjective or pronoun.
envie: ahn-vee — Desire, urge; a wish or inclination to do something.
d'aggraver: dah-grah-vay — To worsen, aggravate; to make a situation more severe.
impatience: an-pah-syahns — Impatience; inability to wait calmly or tolerantly.
avant: ah-vahn — Before; preceding in time or place.
d'avoir: dah-vwahr — Of having; infinitive avoir preceded by de.
inspecté: an-spehk-tay — Inspected; examined carefully, past participle of inspecter.
pénétral: pay-nay-trahl — Inner sanctum; the innermost private part of a building.
seul: suhl — Alone, single, only; adjective indicating solitude or uniqueness.
pas: pah — Step; a single stride, or negation particle.
nous: noo — We, us; first person plural pronoun.
introduisit: an-troh-dwee-zee — Introduced, led in; third singular passé simple of introduire.
salle: sahl — Hall, room; a large interior space in a building.
commune: koh-mün — Common, shared; belonging to everyone, feminine adjective.
famille: fah-meey — Family; a group of related people living together.
sans: sahn — Without; preposition indicating absence of something.
vestibule: vehs-tee-bül — Vestibule, entrance hall; a small foyer before main rooms.
ni: nee — Nor, neither; negative coordinating conjunction.
couloir: koo-lwahr — Corridor, hallway; a passage connecting rooms.
préalable: pray-ah-lahb — Prior, preliminary; existing or required beforehand.
l'appellent: lah-pehl — They call it; third plural present of appeler.
ici: ee-see — Here; adverb indicating the present location.
excellence: ehk-seh-lahns — Excellence; outstanding quality, often used in par excellence.

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