Fluent Fiction - Slovenian: Finding Tradition: Matej's Journey to Heritage and Belonging
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/sl/episode/2025-10-15-22-34-02-sl

Story Transcript:

Sl: Matej je hodil po ozki ulici Pirana, kjer so se pisanih stojnicah ponujale jesenske dobrote.
En: Matej walked along the narrow streets of Pirana, where the colorful stalls offered autumn delights.

Sl: Sonce se je igralo na valovih Jadranskega morja, in zrak je dišal po soli in poletnih spominih.
En: The sun played on the waves of the Jadranskega morja, and the air smelled of salt and summer memories.

Sl: Kmalu bo Martinje, praznik, ki ga Matej vedno nestrpno pričakuje.
En: Soon it would be Martinje, a holiday that Matej always eagerly anticipated.

Sl: Letos si je želel nekaj posebnega – pulover, ki bi ga spominjal na dediščino, ki jo je čutil le bežno skozi vse dneve v modernem, tehnološko prežetem svetu.
En: This year, he wanted something special—a sweater that would remind him of the heritage he only faintly felt amidst the modern, technology-saturated world.

Sl: Matej je bil učitelj.
En: Matej was a teacher.

Sl: Všeč mu je bila slovenska tradicija, vendar se je občasno počutil odmaknjenega od svojih korenin.
En: He loved Slovenian tradition, but he occasionally felt disconnected from his roots.

Sl: Sprehajal se je med stojnicami, toda vsak pulover, ki ga je videl, je bil preveč sodoben.
En: He strolled among the stalls, but every sweater he saw was too modern.

Sl: Manjkala mu je tkanina iz preteklosti, nekaj, kar bi združilo staro z novim.
En: He longed for a fabric from the past, something that would blend the old with the new.

Sl: „Matej!
En: "Matej!"

Sl: “ zakliče Ana, njegova prijateljica, ki je skupaj s Petro raziskovala stojnice.
En: called out Ana, his friend, who was exploring the stalls with Petra.

Sl: „Si našel kaj?
En: "Have you found anything?"

Sl: “„Še ne,“ je odgovoril Matej in si obrisal potne dlani ob hlače.
En: "Not yet," replied Matej, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants.

Sl: „Iščem nekaj posebnega.
En: "I'm looking for something special."

Sl: “„Poskusi pri mali trgovinici tam,“ je rekla Petra in pokazala skozi množico turistov.
En: "Try at that little shop over there," said Petra, pointing through the crowd of tourists.

Sl: Matej se je podal skozi labirint ljudi.
En: Matej made his way through the labyrinth of people.

Sl: V ozki ulici, malo odmaknjeni od glavnega vrveža, je našel vhod v manjšo trgovinico.
En: In a narrow street, slightly away from the main hustle, he found the entrance to a smaller shop.

Sl: Notri je bilo tiho, le mehka glasba v daljavi je polnila zrak.
En: Inside, it was quiet, with only soft music in the distance filling the air.

Sl: Ob steni je visel pulover, kot da ga čaka.
En: A sweater hung on the wall, as if waiting for him.

Sl: Pulover je bil preprost, pleten z vzorci, ki so spominjali na stare slovenske motive.
En: The sweater was simple, knitted with patterns reminiscent of old Slovenian motifs.

Sl: Barve so bile tople in bogate, kakor jesenski gozd.
En: The colors were warm and rich, like an autumn forest.

Sl: Matej se mu je približal in s konicami prstov začutil mehko volno.
En: Matej approached it and felt the soft wool with his fingertips.

Sl: „Je kot nalašč zate,“ je zašepetala starejša gospa za pultom.
En: "It's perfect for you," whispered an older lady behind the counter.

Sl: Njen nasmeh je bil prijazen, njen glas pa pomirjujoč.
En: Her smile was kind, and her voice soothing.

Sl: Matej je pulover oblekel.
En: Matej put on the sweater.

Sl: Bil je popoln.
En: It was perfect.

Sl: V tistem trenutku je začutil, kako se stišči preteklost in sedanjost v miričen občutek pripadnosti.
En: At that moment, he felt the past and the present merge into a serene sense of belonging.

Sl: Pogledal je okoli in čutil, da je našel, kar je iskal.
En: He looked around and felt he had found what he was searching for.

Sl: Plačal je in ko je stopil nazaj na sonce, je bil spet doma v svoji koži.
En: He paid, and as he stepped back into the sunlight, he felt at home in his own skin again.

Sl: Nostalgija in sodobnost sta šli z roko v roki, in Matej se je vrnil k Ani in Petri z novim samozaupanjem.
En: Nostalgia and modernity went hand in hand, and Matej returned to Ana and Petra with new confidence.

Sl: Pripovedoval bo svojim učencem o čarobnosti tradicije, o tem, kako je vredno iskati vezi, ki povezujejo ljudi z njihovo zgodovino.
En: He would tell his students about the magic of tradition, about how it's worth seeking connections that link people to their history.

Sl: Z impulzom Martinja je stopal po Piranovih ulicah, pripravljen na prihajajoči praznik.
En: With the spirit of Martinje, he walked through the streets of Piran, ready for the upcoming celebration.

Sl: Matej je razumel, da ni treba izbirati med starim in novim.
En: Matej understood that it wasn't necessary to choose between the old and the new.

Sl: Vse, kar je potreboval, je bilo majhen pulover, ki je združil ta dva svetova.
En: All he needed was a small sweater that combined these two worlds.


Vocabulary Words:

• narrow: ozki
• stalls: stojnicah
• delights: dobrote
• waves: valovih
• holiday: praznik
• heritage: dediščino
• eagerly: nestrpno
• anticipated: pričakuje
• modern: sodoben
• saturated: prežetem
• roots: korenin
• fabric: tkanina
• blend: združilo
• labyrinth: labirint
• hustle: vrveža
• motifs: motive
• soothing: pomirjujoč
• merge: stišči
• belonging: pripadnosti
• nostalgia: nostalgija
• confidence: samozaupanjem
• connections: vezi
• memories: spominih
• faintly: bežno
• anticipate: pričakuje
• remind: spominjal
• occasionally: občasno
• disconnected: odmaknjenega
• tourists: turistov
• knitted: pleten