Fluent Fiction - Slovenian: Finding Warmth: A Tale of Friendship and Art at Ljubljanski Grad
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/sl/episode/2025-12-21-08-38-20-sl

Story Transcript:

Sl: Luci na Ljubljanskem gradu so svetile svetlo in praznično.
En: The lights at Ljubljanski grad shone brightly and festively.

Sl: Zrak je bil hladno svež in nos je dražilo prijetno žgečkanje vonja kuhanega vina in praženih kostanjev.
En: The air was crisp and cool, with the pleasant tickle of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts teasing the nose.

Sl: Mateja je hodila med stojnicami, s prsti stisnjenimi okoli toplega papirnatega lončka, polnega vročega čaja.
En: Mateja walked among the stalls, her fingers wrapped around a warm paper cup filled with hot tea.

Sl: Plameni iz bakel so se zavijali v zrak in ustvarjali plesajoče sence vzdolž grajskega obzidja.
En: Flames from torches curled into the air, creating dancing shadows along the castle walls.

Sl: Mateja se je počutila osamljeno.
En: Mateja felt lonely.

Sl: Bila je umetnica, ki je pogosto iskala navdih v naravi in mestnem vrvežu, a letošnje božične počitnice so se zdele še posebej samotne.
En: She was an artist who often sought inspiration in nature and the bustle of the city, but this year's Christmas holidays felt particularly solitary.

Sl: Njena prijateljica Brina jo je vedno spodbujala, naj hoja med ljudmi ne bo samo opazovanje, vendar Mateja nikoli ni vedela, kako se približati drugim in začeti pogovor.
En: Her friend Brina always encouraged her that walking among people should not just be observation, but Mateja never knew how to approach others and start a conversation.

Sl: Medtem je bil Nik nov v Ljubljani.
En: Meanwhile, Nik was new to Ljubljana.

Sl: Bil je fotograf in želel je ujeti čar zimskega mesta.
En: He was a photographer who wanted to capture the charm of the winter city.

Sl: Vendar se je počutil osamljenega, saj je bil daleč od svojega doma in družine.
En: However, he felt lonely, being far from home and family.

Sl: Hodil je po grajskem dvorišču z zamrznjenimi prsti, ki so se trudili pravilno nastaviti njegov fotoaparat.
En: He walked through the castle courtyard with frozen fingers, struggling to adjust his camera properly.

Sl: Mateja je opazila, kako se Nik bori s fotoaparatom.
En: Mateja noticed how Nik was battling with his camera.

Sl: V srcu je čutila nekaj, kar jo je vzpodbudilo, da mu pristopi.
En: She felt something in her heart pushing her to approach him.

Sl: "Se ti zamrznejo roke?
En: "Are your hands freezing?"

Sl: " se je nasmehnila in mu ponudila lonček s čajem, da si ogreje prste.
En: she smiled and offered him her cup of tea to warm his fingers.

Sl: Nik se ji je prijazno nasmehnil.
En: Nik smiled kindly at her.

Sl: "Da, mraz mi dela težave," je priznal, "a mesto je tako lepo, da si ne morem pomagati.
En: "Yes, the cold is challenging," he admitted, "but the city is so beautiful, I can't help myself."

Sl: "Prestopila je z noge na nogo in počasi rekla: "Tudi sama poskušam ujeti lepote gradu, a s svinčnikom.
En: She shifted from one foot to the other and slowly said, "I am also trying to capture the beauty of the castle, but with a pencil."

Sl: " Potegnila je iz torbe svoj skicirni blok in mu pokazala nekaj svojih risb.
En: She pulled out her sketchbook from her bag and showed him some of her drawings.

Sl: "To je čudovito," je odvrnil Nik, iskreno presenečen.
En: "That's wonderful," Nik responded, genuinely surprised.

Sl: "Dobrih stvari je težko ujeti s fotoaparatom…" Glas mu je zašel v tišino, "…tako kot včasih ni enostavno najti nekoga, s komer bi te lepote delil.
En: "It's hard to capture good things with a camera..." His voice trailed off into silence, "...just like it's sometimes not easy to find someone to share these beauties with."

Sl: "Pogovarjala sta se, ko se je nad njima zableščala kometova zvezda iz prazničnih lučk.
En: They chatted as a comet star from the festive lights twinkled above them.

Sl: Mateja je začutila toplino v prsih, kot da je prejela darilo.
En: Mateja felt warmth in her chest, as if she had received a gift.

Sl: Nik pa je našel nekaj lepega in domačega v Matejinih očeh.
En: Nik found something beautiful and homely in Mateja's eyes.

Sl: Dogovorila sta se, da se ponovno srečata in skupaj raziskujeta mesto.
En: They agreed to meet again and explore the city together.

Sl: Skozi novo prijateljstvo in možnost ljubezni sta oba našla tisto, kar sta potrebovala.
En: Through a new friendship and the possibility of love, both found what they needed.

Sl: Mateja je postala bolj odprta in pripravljena na nove dogodivščine, medtem ko je Nik začutil občutek pripadnosti v tujem mestu.
En: Mateja became more open and ready for new adventures, while Nik felt a sense of belonging in a foreign city.

Sl: In tako sta skupaj poiskala tista prava trenutka svetlobe in ustvarila lep prizor, ki je združil umetnost in fotografijo v srcih dveh ljudi, ki sta enkrat na Ljubljanskem gradu našla svoj svetel kotiček.
En: And so, together they sought out those perfect moments of light and created a beautiful scene that united art and photography in the hearts of two people who once found their bright corner at Ljubljanski grad.


Vocabulary Words:

• shone: svetile
• festively: praznično
• crisp: hladno svež
• tickle: žgečkanje
• mulled wine: kuhano vino
• roasted chestnuts: praženi kostanji
• torch: bakla
• shadows: sence
• lonely: osamljen
• inspiration: navdih
• bustle: vrvež
• solitary: samotne
• encouraged: spodbujala
• observation: opazovanje
• approach: približati
• capture: ujeti
• charm: čar
• courtyard: dvorišče
• adjust: pravilno nastaviti
• frozen: zamrznjen
• sketchbook: skicirni blok
• genuinely: iskreno
• homely: domač
• twinkled: zableščala
• warmth: toplina
• belonging: pripadnost
• foreign: tuj
• adventures: dogodivščine
• moment: trenutek
• scene: prizor