Fluent Fiction - Croatian: Market Fiasco: Kicked Cabbages & Lessons Learned
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Story Transcript:

Hr: Na sunčanoj tržnici Dolac u srcu Zagreba, život je uvijek bio pun vreve.
En: At the sunny Dolac market in the heart of Zagreb, life has always been bustling.

Hr: Povrće raznih boja krasilo je štandove, a smijeh i priče trgovaca ispunjavali su zrak.
En: Colorful vegetables adorned the stalls, and the laughter and stories of the traders filled the air.

Hr: Tog dana, Matej, mladić zdravih crta lica i raščupane kose, prošetao je tržnicom u potrazi za svežim sastojcima za ručak.
En: On that day, Matej, a young man with strong features and tousled hair, strolled through the market in search of fresh ingredients for lunch.

Hr: Matej je hodao između štandova, divio se raznobojnom cvijeću i slasnom voću, no ono što ga je naviše zanimalo bilo je povrće za savršenu juhu koju je planirao skuhati.
En: Matej walked among the stalls, admired the colorful flowers and delicious fruit, but what interested him most was the vegetables for the perfect soup he planned to cook.

Hr: Dok je prolazio kraj štanda gospođe Mare, ugledao je nešto zaista neobično - veliku glavicu kupusa koja je nekako izgledala kao nogometna lopta.
En: As he passed by Mrs. Mare's stall, he saw something truly unusual - a large head of cabbage that somehow looked like a soccer ball.

Hr: Matej je bio poznat po svojoj ljubavi prema nogometu.
En: Matej was known for his love of soccer.

Hr: Nemajući sreću da se igra u parku zbog obaveza, srce mu je zaigralo čim je ugledao kupus.
En: Unable to play in the park due to other commitments, his heart skipped a beat when he saw the cabbage.

Hr: Činilo mu se to kao dobra prilika za brzi udarac.
En: It seemed like a good opportunity for a quick kick.

Hr: Predomišljao se samo trenutak prije nego što je zadenuo glavicu kupusa nogom, misleći da je to lopta.
En: He hesitated for just a moment before kicking the head of cabbage, thinking it was a ball.

Hr: Kupus je poleteo kroz zrak, preskočio korpe s jabukama i kruškama, te pao ravno u kutiju sa svježim rajčicama.
En: The cabbage flew through the air, skipped over baskets of apples and pears, and landed straight in a box of fresh tomatoes.

Hr: Trgovci su zastali u šoku, a posjetitelji su se okrenuli kako bi vidjeli što se događa.
En: The traders paused in shock, and the visitors turned to see what was happening.

Hr: Matej je odjednom postao središte pažnje - ali ne na način na koji je htio.
En: Suddenly, Matej became the center of attention - but not in the way he had wanted.

Hr: Sveti Marak, stari prodavač ribe, promatrao je kaos s izrazom zabave i brige na licu.
En: Sveti Marak, the old fishmonger, watched the chaos with an amused yet concerned expression on his face.

Hr: Dok su neki trgovci vikali na Mateja, Sveti Marak je prišao mladiću.
En: While some traders shouted at Matej, Sveti Marak approached the young man.

Hr: “Hajde, momče, nije vrijeme za igru,” reče mu mirno.
En: "Come on, lad, it's not the time for games," he said calmly.

Hr: Grgur, vlasnik štanda s voćem, pridružio se njima, brundajući zbog nereda koji je Matej napravio.
En: Grgur, the owner of the fruit stall, joined them, grumbling about the mess Matej had made.

Hr: Grane se nakostriješile i okupilo se mnoštvo ljudi, spremno svjedočiti raspravi.
En: Tempers flared, and a crowd gathered, ready to witness the argument.

Hr: Matej je osjećao kako mu se lice crveni od srama.
En: Matej felt his face flush with embarrassment.

Hr: Pokušao je objasniti, ali riječi su ostale zakačene u njegovu grlu.
En: He tried to explain, but the words remained stuck in his throat.

Hr: Shvatio je da jedino što može učiniti jest pomoći u sređivanju nereda koji je napravio.
En: He realized that the only thing he could do was to help clean up the mess he had made.

Hr: Stidljivo je prilazio svakom trgovcu, nudeći se da nadoknadi štetu i pospremi rasuto voće.
En: He shyly approached each trader, offering to compensate for the damage and tidy up the scattered fruit.

Hr: Što je više pomagao, to su se ljudi oko njega smirivali i njihov bijes se pretvorio u blagonaklone osmijehe.
En: The more he helped, the more the people around him calmed down, and their anger turned into forgiving smiles.

Hr: Čak i Grgur je na kraju prihvatio Matejovu ispriku, pružajući mu ruku u znak pomirenja.
En: Even Grgur eventually accepted Matej's apology, reaching out to him in a gesture of reconciliation.

Hr: Matej je naučio važnu lekciju tog dana na Dolcu - da svako djelo, bilo ono dobro ili loše, ima svoje posljedice.
En: Matej learned an important lesson that day at Dolac - that every action, whether good or bad, has its consequences.

Hr: A Sveti Marak, mudar stari prodavač, dao mu je savjet koji će pamtiti:“Nek' nogomet ostane na zelenim travnjacima, a kupus na štandovima.
En: And Sveti Marak, the wise old trader, gave him advice he would remember: "Let football remain on the green fields, and cabbage on the stalls."

Hr: ”Tržnica je brzo ponovno postala mirna, a smijeh i razgovor su se vratili dok je sunce polako zalazilo za zgrade stare jezgre Zagreba.
En: The market quickly became calm again, and laughter and conversation returned as the sun slowly set behind the old buildings of Zagreb's historic center.

Hr: Matej je otišao kući s lekcijom u srcu i s nadom da će sutra na tržnici Dolac biti novi dan, bez nogometa sa kupusom.
En: Matej went home with a lesson in his heart and the hope that tomorrow at the Dolac market would be a new day, without soccer involving cabbage.


Vocabulary Words:

• vegetables: povrće
• adorned: krasilo
• laughter: smijeh
• traders: trgovci
• tousled: raščupane
• cabbage: kupus
• hesitated: oklijevao
• scattered: rasuto
• forgiving: blagonaklone
• reconciliation: pomirenje
• tempters: grane
• flush: crveni
• shyly: stidljivo
• consequences: posljedice
• wisdom: mudar
• gesture: gesta
• witness: svjedočiti
• chaos: kaos
• excitement: vreva