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One sentence of «Le arance d’oro»
Il Re volle provarsi lui stesso; e arrivata la stagione si mise a far la guardia.
The King wanted to try it himself; and when the season came he set himself to keep guard.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
Quando le furon mature, ecco il cardellino che si posa sopra un ramo, e comincia a cantare.
When they were ripe, there is the goldfinch perching on a branch, and beginning to sing.
Il Re avrebbe voluto tirargli, ma faceva buio come in una gola.
The King would have liked to shoot at it, but it was as dark as in a ravine.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Il | il | the (masculine singular) (art.) |
| Re | re | king (n., m.) |
| volle | volere | to want; (n.) will, goodwill; voler bene — to love (v.) |
| provarsi | provare | to try; provarsi — to try one’s hand (v.) |
| lui | lui | he, him (pron.) |
| stesso | stesso | same; io stesso — myself; sé stesso — himself (adj.) |
| e | e | and (ed before a vowel) (conj.) |
| arrivata | arrivare | to arrive, to come to (v.) |
| la | la | the (feminine); her, it (object); she (Tuscan subject) (art.) |
| stagione | stagione | season (n., f.) |
| si | si | oneself, himself, themselves (reflexive); one (impersonal: si vedeva — could be seen) (pron.) |
| mise | mettere | to put; mettersi a — to begin to; messe — old form of mise (v.) |
| a | a | to, at; in (a before a vowel: ad) (prep.) |
| far | fare | to do, to make; farsi — to become; far fare — to have something made; fo — old form of faccio (v.) |
| guardia | guardia | guard; watch; fare la guardia — to keep guard (n., f.) |
Read «Le arance d’oro» in the room Every word glossed where it stands, the English a tap away. This scene asks for no account.