March 15, 2025

Ballots and Laughter: How a Voting Mishap Forged Friendship

18 minutes

Fluent Fiction - Croatian: Ballots and Laughter: How a Voting Mishap Forged Friendship
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/hr/episode/2025-03-15-22-34-00-hr

Story Transcript:

Hr: Sunce je obasjavalo proljetne ulice Zagreba dok su Ana i Boris prilazili glasačkom mjestu.
En: The sun shone on the spring streets of Zagreba as Ana and Boris approached the polling station.

Hr: U zraku se osjećao miris svježine, a ljudi su se okupljali, spremni ispuniti svoju građansku dužnost.
En: The air smelled fresh, and people gathered, ready to fulfill their civic duty.

Hr: Ana je bila učiteljica.
En: Ana was a teacher.

Hr: Voljela je red i poredak.
En: She loved order and tidiness.

Hr: Vozila je bicikl, koji je vezivala ispred glasačkog mjesta.
En: She rode a bicycle, which she tied up in front of the polling station.

Hr: Bila je koncentrirana na svoj zadatak, ali ponekad se znala izgubiti u svojim mislima.
En: She was focused on her task, but sometimes she would get lost in her thoughts.

Hr: Boris, umjetnik s ležernim stavom, nosio je skice u ruksaku, jer je nakon glasanja trebao na sastanak u svojoj galeriji.
En: Boris, an artist with a laid-back attitude, carried sketches in his backpack because he had a meeting at his gallery after voting.

Hr: Iako mu politika nije bila prioritet, odlazak na biralište smatrao je važnom društvenom obvezom.
En: Although politics was not his priority, he considered going to the polls an important social obligation.

Hr: Unutra, prostorija je bila ispunjena toplom svjetlošću.
En: Inside, the room was filled with warm light.

Hr: Glasine, smijeh i ozbiljni razgovori ispunjavali su zrak.
En: Murmurs, laughter, and serious conversations filled the air.

Hr: Glasačke kabine bile su postavljene uredno, a volonteri su navodili ljude.
En: The voting booths were set up neatly, and volunteers directed people.

Hr: Ana i Boris su se našli jedan pored drugog u redu, razmijenili kratak osmijeh i nastavili ispunjavati svoje listiće.
En: Ana and Boris found themselves next to each other in line, exchanged a brief smile, and continued filling out their ballots.

Hr: Ana je pažljivo promatrala isprave i kandidacijske opcije, pazeći da ne pogriješi.
En: Ana carefully examined the papers and candidate options, being cautious not to make a mistake.

Hr: Boris je, s druge strane, brzo ispunio listić, spreman nastaviti s danom.
En: Boris, on the other hand, quickly filled out his ballot, ready to move on with his day.

Hr: Nakon što su glasali, nesvjesno su zamijenili listiće prilikom umetanja u glasačku kutiju.
En: After voting, they accidentally switched their ballots when inserting them into the ballot box.

Hr: Nakon što su uložili svoje glasačke listiće, Ana je iznenada zastala.
En: After they submitted their ballots, Ana suddenly paused.

Hr: Osjetila je da nešto nije u redu.
En: She felt something wasn't right.

Hr: "Boris, čekaj!
En: "Boris, wait!

Hr: ", povikala je dok je hvatala njegov rukav.
En: ", she called out as she grabbed his sleeve.

Hr: Boris se okrenuo, malo iznenađen njezinim ozbiljnim izrazom lica.
En: Boris turned around, slightly surprised by her serious expression.

Hr: "Mislim da smo zamijenili listiće", rekla je Ana panično.
En: "I think we switched the ballots," Ana said panicking.

Hr: Boris je na trenutak slegnuo ramenima, ali ubrzo shvatio ozbiljnost situacije.
En: Boris shrugged for a moment but soon realized the seriousness of the situation.

Hr: Njegovi prijatelji iz galerije često su vatreno diskutirali o politici, i shvatio je kako bi ovo moglo izgledati.
En: His friends at the gallery often had heated discussions about politics, and he understood how this might look.

Hr: Ana je odlučila zatražiti pomoć.
En: Ana decided to seek help.

Hr: Primijetila je volontera s naočalama i plavom jaknom kod ulaza.
En: She noticed a volunteer with glasses and a blue jacket near the entrance.

Hr: Prišla mu je, objašnjavajući njezin i Borisov nesporazum.
En: She approached him, explaining her and Boris's misunderstanding.

Hr: Boris je stajao iza, znatiželjan oko toga kako će situacija biti riješena.
En: Boris stood behind, curious about how the situation would be resolved.

Hr: Kad su volonteri čuli što se dogodilo, umjesto da se uznemire, počeli su zabavljati čekajuću publiku.
En: When the volunteers heard what happened, instead of getting upset, they started entertaining the waiting audience.

Hr: Glasači, sada zainteresirani, promatrali su s osmijehom trenutnu dramu.
En: Voters, now intrigued, watched the unfolding drama with smiles.

Hr: Volonteri su odlučili stvoriti igrokaz, gdje bi svaki zamijenjeni glas pronašao svoj put natrag.
En: The volunteers decided to create a skit, where each exchanged vote would find its way back.

Hr: Ana je s smijehom pratila kako se ozbiljnost situacije pretvorila u zabavni show.
En: Ana laughed as she watched the seriousness of the situation turn into a fun show.

Hr: Postala je sve opuštenija, shvaćajući kako se greške mogu lako riješiti uz dozu humora.
En: She became more relaxed, realizing how mistakes could easily be resolved with a dose of humor.

Hr: Boris se postupno uključio, pomažući volonterima, učeći kako bi ozbiljnost trebala ponekad biti dio njegovog ležernog pristupa.
En: Boris gradually joined in, helping the volunteers, learning that seriousness should sometimes be part of his easygoing approach.

Hr: Na kraju, glasački listići su ispravni vraćeni, a Ana i Boris, sada u boljem raspoloženju, izašli su iz škole smijući se zajedno.
En: In the end, the ballots were correctly returned, and Ana and Boris, now in better moods, left the school laughing together.

Hr: Tako su uz jednu grešku postali prijatelji, a glasovi su otišli kako treba.
En: Through a single mistake, they became friends, and the votes went as they should.

Hr: Ana i Boris nastavili su svojim putevima, promijenjeni iskustvom, shvaćajući vrijednost spontanosti i ozbiljnosti u svakodnevici.
En: Ana and Boris continued on their paths, changed by the experience, understanding the value of spontaneity and seriousness in everyday life.

Hr: Proljetni dan nastavio je svijetliti, a oni su otkrili novo prijateljstvo, začeto u redovima glasanja.
En: The spring day continued to shine, and they discovered a new friendship, sparked in the voting lines.

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