The Italian reading room
One sentence of «Cappuccetto Rosso»
Appena dentro, si gettò sulla buona donna e la divorò in men che non si dice, perché erano tre giorni che non s’era sdigiunato.
As soon as he was inside, he threw himself on the good woman and devoured her in less time than it takes to tell, because it was three days since he had last broken his fast.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
Il Lupo tirò la stanghetta, e la porta si aprì.
The Wolf pulled the latch, and the door opened.
Then he shut the door again and went to get into the grandmother’s bed, waiting for Little Red Riding Hood to arrive, who, a little while later, came and knocked at the door.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Appena | appena | as soon as; barely, only just (adv.) |
| dentro | dentro | inside; là dentro — in there (adv.) |
| si | si | oneself, himself, themselves (reflexive); one (impersonal: si vedeva — could be seen) (pron.) |
| gettò | gettare | to throw; gettarsi su — to throw oneself upon (v.) |
| sulla | sulla | on the (su + la) (art./prep.) |
| buona | buono | good (saresti buono a — would you be able to) (adj.) |
| donna | donna | woman (n., f.) |
| e | e | and (ed before a vowel) (conj.) |
| la | la | the (feminine); her, it (object); she (Tuscan subject) (art.) |
| divorò | divorare | to devour (v.) |
| in | in | in, into; in sella — in the saddle (prep.) |
| men | meno | less; in men che non si dice — in no time (adv.) |
| che | che | that, which, who; what (che cosa); than (conj.) |
| non | non | not (adv.) |
| dice | dire | to say, to tell; aver da dire — to have dealings (v.) |
| perché | perché | why; because; so that (with the subjunctive); perchè — old spelling (conj.) |
| erano | essere | to be; c’è, c’era — there is, there was (son, saran — clipped forms of sono, saranno) (v.) |
| tre | tre | three (num.) |
| giorni | giorno | day (n., m.) |
| s’ | s’ | oneself, himself (si, elided before a vowel) (pron.) |
| sdigiunato | sdigiunare | sdigiunarsi — to break one’s fast, to eat at last (Tuscan) (v.) |
Read «Cappuccetto Rosso» in the room Every word glossed where it stands, the English a tap away. The whole tale is free and asks for no account.