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The Death of a Clerk


Я извинялся за то, что, чихая, брызнул-с…, а смеяться я и не думал.

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I was apologizing for having spattered you while sneezing, sir…, and to laugh was the last thing in my mind.

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Where it stands

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

Смею ли я смеяться? Would I dare to laugh?

Ежели мы будем смеяться, так никакого тогда, значит, и уважения к персонам… не будет… If we are going to laugh, then, it means, there'll be no respect at all for persons of rank… there won't be…

The words in this sentence

я
I
извиня́лся
apologized (past m of извиняться) — извиняться
за
for (prep.)
то
that; then (если... то)
что
that (conj.)
чиха́я
sneezing (adv participle) — чихать
бры́знул-с
sprayed (past m of брызнуть; -с polite, arch.) — брызнуть
а
and, but (conjunction)
смея́ться
to laugh
и
even (particle)
не
not
ду́мал
he thought (past m of думать) — думать

А. П. Чехов, «Смерть чиновника», 1883 · sentence 40 of 46

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