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The Death of a Clerk


— Я вчера приходил беспокоить ваше —ство, — забормотал он, когда генерал поднял на него вопрошающие глаза, — не для того, чтобы смеяться, как вы изволили сказать.

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— I came yesterday to trouble Your Ex'cy, — he began to mumble, when the general raised his questioning eyes to him, — not in order to laugh, as you were pleased to say.

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Where it stands

Я извинялся за то, что, чихая, брызнул-с…, а смеяться я и не думал. I was apologizing for having spattered you while sneezing, sir…, and to laugh was the last thing in my mind.

Смею ли я смеяться? Would I dare to laugh?

The words in this sentence

я
I
вчера́
yesterday
приходи́л
he came, used to come (past m) — приходить
беспоко́ить
to disturb, trouble
ва́ше
your (n) — ваш
ство
-ство (noun-forming suffix fragment)
забормота́л
began muttering (past m of забормотать) — забормотать
он
he
когда́
when
генера́л
general (high rank)
по́днял
lifted (past m) — поднять
на
on, onto; at
него́
him, it (gen/acc of он after preposition) — он
вопроша́ющие
questioning, inquiring (part pl, arch.) — вопрошать
глаза́
eyes (nom/acc pl) — глаз
не
not
для
for, for the sake of (+ gen)
того́
that (gen sg) — тот
что́бы
so that, in order to
смея́ться
to laugh
как
how; as, like
вы
you (pl/formal)
изво́лили
deigned, were pleased to (past pl) (arch.) — изволить
сказа́ть
to say, tell (infinitive)

А. П. Чехов, «Смерть чиновника», 1883 · sentence 39 of 46

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