Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Dance, Laughter & Rakija: A Belgrade Tale
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
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Story Transcript:

Sr: Sunce je polako zalazilo nad rekom Savom, bacajući toplu narandžastu svetlost na šarene krovove Beograda.
En: The sun was setting slowly over the Sava River, casting a warm orange light on the colorful rooftops of Belgrade.

Sr: U jednom starom, ali dobro očuvanom zdanju u srcu grada, muzika je počela da se čuje.
En: In an old but well-preserved building in the heart of the city, music began to be heard.

Sr: U kući Dragana, veselje je već bilo na vrhuncu.
En: In Dragan's house, the celebration was already at its peak.

Sr: Jovan, mladić širokog osmeha i još šireg srca, bio je omiljen među Drugovim prijateljima.
En: Jovan, a young man with a wide smile and an even wider heart, was a favorite among Dragan's friends.

Sr: On je bio taj koji je uvek plesao prvi, i čija se smeh razlegao najdalje.
En: He was always the first to dance, and his laughter echoed the farthest.

Sr: Nosio je crne pantalone i belu košulju, Koju je zavukao za popularni crveni pojas, praveći se da je plesač narodnih kola.
En: He wore black pants and a white shirt, tucked into the popular red belt, pretending to be a folk dancer.

Sr: Milica, devojka sa plavim očima poput jutarnje rose, bila je tu zbog svoje ljubavi prema tradiciji.
En: Milica, a girl with blue eyes like morning dew, was there because of her love for tradition.

Sr: Obukla je svoju omiljenu narodnu nošnju, koju je pažljivo vezla njena baka.
En: She wore her favorite traditional costume, carefully embroidered by her grandmother.

Sr: Cvetni motivi na njoj bili su umetničko delo.
En: The floral motifs on it were a work of art.

Sr: Milica nije samo volela nošnju, već i običaje, i zato je sa radošću pristala da pleše uz zvuke tamburaša.
En: Milica did not just love the costume, but also the customs, and so she gladly agreed to dance to the sounds of the tamburitza players.

Sr: Dragan, slavljenik, bio je čovek čija je kuća bila kao oaza gostoprimstva.
En: Dragan, the celebrant, was a man whose house was like a haven of hospitality.

Sr: Njegova sijeda kosa nije odavala godine u duhu, jer se on smejao najglasnije, grleći prijatelje i nudeći svako novo lice rakijom iz svoje kolekcije.
En: His gray hair did not give away his age because he laughed the loudest, embracing friends and offering each new face a shot of rakija from his collection.

Sr: Usred slavlja, dok je muzika svirala i ljudi igrali, Jovan je uzeo čašu rakije u znak poštovanja prema Dragu.
En: Amidst the celebration, while the music played and people danced, Jovan took a shot of rakija as a sign of respect to Dragan.

Sr: Zapevao je, počeo je da đipa i vrteo se u narodnom ritmu, neretko promašujući korake, ali uvek se smejao.
En: He sang, started to dance and twirl in the folk rhythm, often missing the steps, but always laughing.

Sr: Međutim, jedan krivi korak unazad je bio koban.
En: However, one wrong step backward was fatal.

Sr: Nije video Milicu kako se približava, sa tanjirom punim ćevapa, njen osmeh se stegao u sekundi kad je Jovan zaljuljao rukom i prosuo rakiju preko njenog vezanog platna.
En: He didn't see Milica approaching, with a plate full of ćevapi, her smile turning into a frown in a second as Jovan accidentally spilled rakija over her embroidered fabric.

Sr: Tišina se spustila.
En: Silence fell.

Sr: Muzika je stala.
En: The music stopped.

Sr: Jovan je zanemeo gledajući kako tamna mrlja od rakije širi se po Milicinoj nošnji.
En: Jovan was speechless, watching as the dark stain of rakija spread across Milica's costume.

Sr: Dragan je prestao da se smeje, svi su gledali u Milicu čekajući njenu reakciju.
En: Dragan stopped laughing, everyone looked at Milica, waiting for her reaction.

Sr: Ali umesto suza ili besa, Milica je polako podigla glavu i pogledala Jovana.
En: But instead of tears or anger, Milica slowly raised her head and looked at Jovan.

Sr: U njegovim očima videla je iskreno kajanje i strah da ju je uvredio.
En: In his eyes, she saw genuine remorse and fear that he had offended her.

Sr: "Nema veze, Jovane," rekla je Milica mirno.
En: "It's okay, Jovan," Milica said calmly.

Sr: "Ovo je samo odeća.
En: "This is just clothes.

Sr: Može se oprati ili popraviti.
En: It can be washed or fixed.

Sr: Važnije je da smo zajedno i da slavimo Dragov dan.
En: What's more important is that we are together to celebrate Dragan's day."

Sr: "Jovan je odahnuo s olakšanjem, a Dragan ih je oboje zagrlio, smejući se: "To je duh pravog slavlja, prijatelji moji!
En: Jovan breathed a sigh of relief, and Dragan hugged them both, laughing: "That's the spirit of a true celebration, my friends!"

Sr: " Vratio je muziku nazad i uz čašu čiste rakije nazdravio za praštanje i prijateljstvo.
En: He brought the music back and toasted to forgiveness and friendship with a shot of clear rakija.

Sr: I tako su ples i smeh ponovno ispunili prostoriju.
En: And so, dance and laughter filled the room again.

Sr: Priča o Milicinoj nošnji i Jovanovoj rakiji postala je još jedna anegdota koju će pamtiti i prenositi, simbol oprosta i radosti što su deo jedne tople zajednice u srcu Beograda.
En: The story of Milica's costume and Jovan's rakija became another anecdote that they will remember and pass on, a symbol of forgiveness and the joy of being part of a warm community in the heart of Belgrade.


Vocabulary Words:

• celebration: veselje
• embroidered: vezla
• folk dancer: plesač narodnih kola
• offended: povredio
• remorse: kajanje
• customs: običaji
• hospitality: gostoprimstvo
• farthest: najdalje
• forgiveness: proštenje
• tradition: tradicija
• laughter: smeh
• plate: tanjir
• rooftops: krovovi
• toasted: nazdravio
• fatal: koban
• accidentally: slučajno
• fabric: platno
• stain: mrlja
• breathed: odahnuo
• spilled: prosuo
• silence: tišina
• laughter: smeh
• widest: najširi
• sigh: vrisak
• embrace: zagrlio
• community: zajednica
• drank: pio
• echoed: razlegao
• motifs: motivi
• steps: koraci