Fluent Fiction - Slovenian: Redefining Tradition: A Christmas Market Tale in Ljubljana
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/sl/episode/2025-12-20-08-38-20-sl

Story Transcript:

Sl: Ljubljanski Centralni tržnici je vladalo veselo in živahno vzdušje.
En: The Ljubljanski Centralni tržnici was filled with a joyful and lively atmosphere.

Sl: Vse se je kopalo v toplih svetlih lučkah in prazničnih okraskih, ki so viseli nad vsako stojnic.
En: Everything was bathed in warm, bright lights and festive decorations hanging above each stall.

Sl: Snežinke so padale počasi, in zrak je bil hladen, a napolnjen z vonjem po cimetu in medenjakih.
En: Snowflakes fell slowly, and the air was cold but filled with the scent of cinnamon and gingerbread.

Sl: Ljudje so se smehljali in pozdravljali drug drugega, navdušeni zaradi bližajočih se božičnih praznikov.
En: People smiled and greeted each other, excited for the approaching Christmas holidays.

Sl: Mateja, prijazna in skrbna ženska v zgodnjih tridesetih, je stala sredi množice.
En: Mateja, a kind and caring woman in her early thirties, stood in the midst of the crowd.

Sl: Nosila je debel plašč in volnen šal, ki ji je ovijal vrat.
En: She wore a thick coat and a woolen scarf wrapped around her neck.

Sl: Obraz ji je rdečel od mraza, a njene modre oči so sijale z odločenostjo.
En: Her face was flushed from the cold, but her blue eyes shone with determination.

Sl: Ta božič je moral biti poseben.
En: This Christmas had to be special.

Sl: Leto je bilo težko, in Mateja je želela, da bi družinska večerja vrnila radost in toplino.
En: The year had been difficult, and Mateja wanted the family dinner to bring back joy and warmth.

Sl: Mateja si je vedno prizadevala ohraniti družinske tradicije.
En: Mateja always strived to maintain family traditions.

Sl: Na božični večer je njena družina vedno sedla za mizo, bogato obloženo s hrano, ki so jo pripravljali njeni stari starši.
En: On Christmas Eve, her family would always sit at a table rich with food that her grandparents had prepared.

Sl: Tokrat pa so v ljubljanskih trgovinah manjkale pomembne sestavine - zelje, orehi, suhe slive.
En: But this time, the ljubljanskih stores were missing important ingredients—cabbage, walnuts, dried plums.

Sl: Bila je zaskrbljena.
En: She was worried.

Sl: "Kako naj pripravim večno pomfranske tradicionalne jedi brez pravih sestavin?
En: "How can I prepare our timeless family traditional dishes without the right ingredients?"

Sl: " si je mislila.
En: she thought.

Sl: Ko se je Mateja sprehajala med stojnicami, se ji je približala Nina, njena prijateljica iz soseske.
En: As Mateja wandered among the stalls, Nina, her friend from the neighborhood, approached her.

Sl: "Mateja!
En: "Mateja!

Sl: Si tudi ti tukaj po sestavine?
En: Are you here for ingredients as well?"

Sl: " je vprašala z nasmehom.
En: she asked with a smile.

Sl: "Ja," je Mateja rekla, "ampak sem zaskrbljena.
En: "Yes," Mateja said, "but I'm worried.

Sl: Nimajo vsega, kar potrebujem.
En: They don't have everything I need."

Sl: "Marko, prodajalec sveže zelenjave in znan lokalni kuhar, je slišal njun pogovor.
En: Marko, a seller of fresh vegetables and a well-known local chef, overheard their conversation.

Sl: Prijazno se je nasmehnil in pristopil.
En: He smiled kindly and approached.

Sl: "Lep pozdrav, gospe," je rekel.
En: "Hello, ladies," he said.

Sl: "Če potrebujeta kakšen nasvet ali pomoč pri receptih, sem tukaj.
En: "If you need any advice or help with recipes, I'm here."

Sl: "Mateja je vzdihnila in zaupala Marku svoje težave.
En: Mateja sighed and confided her troubles to Marko.

Sl: "Zelo si želim pripraviti nekaj posebnega, a primanjkuje mi glavnih sestavin," je pojasnila.
En: "I really want to make something special, but I'm missing key ingredients," she explained.

Sl: Marko je premišljeno pomežiknil.
En: Marko thoughtfully winked.

Sl: "Včasih manj je več.
En: "Sometimes less is more.

Sl: Skratka, spremembe lahko prinesejo čar," je dejal.
En: In short, changes can add magic," he said.

Sl: Nato ji je predstavil nekaj novih receptov, ki so vključevali nadomestne sestavine - hokaido bučo namesto zelja, sveže kraško meso ter doma pečen kruh.
En: He then introduced her to some new recipes that included substitute ingredients—Hokkaido squash instead of cabbage, fresh kraško meat, and homemade bread.

Sl: Mateja je v trenutku dobila navdih.
En: Mateja was instantly inspired.

Sl: Prijela je košaro in napolnila z lokalnimi specialitetami, medtem ko ji je Nina pomagala z idejami.
En: She grabbed a basket and filled it with local specialties, while Nina helped with ideas.

Sl: Na koncu dneva je imela dovolj sestavin za nekaj povsem novega.
En: By the end of the day, she had enough ingredients for something entirely new.

Sl: Na božični večer je Mateja skuhala drugačno praznično večerjo.
En: On Christmas Eve, Mateja cooked a different festive dinner.

Sl: Njena družina je bila presenečena, ko so sedli za mizo, obloženo s svežimi jedmi, ki jih še nikoli niso poskusili.
En: Her family was surprised as they sat at the table, laden with fresh dishes they had never tried before.

Sl: Soba je bila polna smeha, zgodb in veselja.
En: The room was filled with laughter, stories, and joy.

Sl: In Mateja je opazovala svoje bližnje, kako uživajo v njenem novem kreiranju, občutila je pravo bit božiča.
En: And as Mateja watched her loved ones enjoy her new creation, she felt the true spirit of Christmas.

Sl: Na koncu je Mateja razumela, da popolnost ni v jedilniku, ampak v skupnosti in adaptaciji.
En: In the end, Mateja understood that perfection wasn't in the menu, but in community and adaptation.

Sl: In tako je božič postal čas za nove tradicije, polne priložnosti za ustvarjalnost in ljubezen.
En: And so Christmas became a time for new traditions, full of opportunities for creativity and love.


Vocabulary Words:

• joyful: veselo
• lively: živahno
• atmosphere: vzdušje
• bathed: kopalo
• festive: prazničnih
• snowflakes: snežinke
• cinnamon: cimetu
• gingerbread: medenjakih
• approaching: bližajočih
• kind: prijazna
• caring: skrbna
• woolen: volnen
• wrapped: ovijal
• flushed: rdečel
• determination: odločenostjo
• strived: prizadevala
• traditions: tradicije
• laden: obloženo
• cabbage: zelje
• walnuts: orehi
• dried plums: suhe slive
• confided: zaupala
• winked: pomežiknil
• substitute: nadomestne
• inspired: navdih
• specialties: specialitetami
• creation: kreiranju
• perfection: popolnost
• adaptation: adaptaciji
• opportunities: priložnosti