The Italian reading room
One sentence of «Le arance d’oro»
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.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
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.
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.
Intanto aveva una gran voglia di dormire!
Meanwhile he had a great desire to sleep!
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Quando | quando | when; a quando a quando — now and then (conj.) |
| le | le | the (feminine plural); to her; them (f.) (art.) |
| furon | essere | to be; c’è, c’era — there is, there was (son, saran — clipped forms of sono, saranno) (v.) |
| mature | maturo | ripe (adj.) |
| ecco | ecco | here is, there; ecco, è finita — there, it is over (adv.) |
| il | il | the (masculine singular) (art.) |
| cardellino | cardellino | goldfinch (n., m.) |
| che | che | that, which, who; what (che cosa); than (conj.) |
| si | si | oneself, himself, themselves (reflexive); one (impersonal: si vedeva — could be seen) (pron.) |
| posa | posare | to set down; posarsi — to perch, to alight (v.) |
| sopra | sopra | over, above; sopra pensiero — lost in thought (prep.) |
| un | un | a, an (masculine; un’ before a feminine vowel) (art.) |
| ramo | ramo | branch (n., m.) |
| e | e | and (ed before a vowel) (conj.) |
| comincia | cominciare | to begin, to start (v.) |
| a | a | to, at; in (a before a vowel: ad) (prep.) |
| cantare | cantare | to sing; cantare in culla — to foretell at the cradle (v.) |
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.