Fluent Fiction - Croatian: Rediscovering Friendship Amid Golden Leaves and Memories
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Story Transcript:

Hr: Ante je stajao ispred stare školske dvorane.
En: Ante stood in front of the old school gym.

Hr: Ista škola gdje je proveo sretne dane kao dijete.
En: The same school where he spent happy days as a child.

Hr: Sada je bila biračko mjesto.
En: Now it was a polling station.

Hr: Izvan dvorane šuštalo je zlatno lišće dok su ljudi ulazili i izlazili, razgovarajući uzbuđeno o lokalnim izborima.
En: Outside the hall, golden leaves rustled as people entered and exited, talking excitedly about the local elections.

Hr: Iako je volio jesen, Ante se osjećao usamljeno.
En: Although he loved autumn, Ante felt lonely.

Hr: Nekoć je ovo mjesto bilo preplavljeno smijehom i prijateljima.
En: Once, this place was flooded with laughter and friends.

Hr: Sada se držao nostalgije, sjetno promatrajući svaki poznati kut.
En: Now he clung to nostalgia, thoughtfully observing every familiar corner.

Hr: Svakodnevni poslovi odvlačili su ga od prijatelja, ali danas je odlučio suočiti se s prošlošću.
En: Everyday tasks drew him away from friends, but today he decided to face the past.

Hr: Želio je ponovno osjetiti pripadnost.
En: He wanted to feel a sense of belonging once again.

Hr: Kad je ušao u dvoranu, osjetio je navalu poznatog mirisa; onaj miris glasova ispunjenih iščekivanjem i refleksijom.
En: When he entered the hall, he felt a rush of familiar scents; the smell of voices filled with anticipation and reflection.

Hr: Dopirao je do njega iz svakog smjera.
En: It came to him from every direction.

Hr: Oni su bili glasovi koji su mu nekada bili jako poznati, a sada su postali strane.
En: These were voices that were once very familiar to him and had now become foreign.

Hr: Pogled mu je pao na Ivana i Jelenu.
En: His gaze fell on Ivan and Jelena.

Hr: Smijali su se.
En: They were laughing.

Hr: Izgledali su sretno.
En: They looked happy.

Hr: Ante je stao, srce mu je ubrzano kucalo.
En: Ante paused, his heart beating fast.

Hr: Je li ih prepoznaju?
En: Would they recognize him?

Hr: Jesu li uopće željni ponovno se družiti?
En: Were they even eager to reconnect?

Hr: Bio je trenutak kad je razmišljao otići, ali nešto u njemu ga je zaustavilo.
En: There was a moment when he thought about leaving, but something inside him stopped him.

Hr: Duboki uzdah.
En: A deep breath.

Hr: Odlučio je.
En: He decided.

Hr: Približio im se, stidljivo ali čvrsto.
En: He approached them, shy but determined.

Hr: "Bok, Ivane, Jelena!" rekao je s osmijehom koji se proširio preko lica.
En: "Hi, Ivane, Jelena!" he said with a smile spreading across his face.

Hr: Okrenuli su se prema njemu.
En: They turned towards him.

Hr: Pogledi su im sjali prepoznavanjem, a osmijesi su im postali još veći.
En: Their eyes shone with recognition, and their smiles grew even larger.

Hr: "Ante!" povikala je Jelena.
En: "Ante!" exclaimed Jelena.

Hr: Ivan ga je prijateljski potapšao po ramenu.
En: Ivan gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

Hr: "Jesmo te dugo vidjeli!"
En: "We haven't seen you in a long time!"

Hr: Njihova reakcija ispunila je Antu toplinom.
En: Their reaction filled Ante with warmth.

Hr: Razgovarali su dugo, prisjećajući se školskih dana, sitnih nestašluka i lijepih uspomena iz mladosti.
En: They talked for a long time, reminiscing about school days, small pranks, and beautiful memories from their youth.

Hr: Prisjetili su se izleta, utakmica i gluposti zbog kojih su se znali smijati do suza.
En: They recalled trips, matches, and the silly things that used to make them laugh until they cried.

Hr: Dok su glasovi drugih birača postajali tek pozadina njihove vlastite orkestracije smijeha i razgovora, Ante je osjetio promjenu.
En: As the voices of other voters became just the background to their own orchestration of laughter and conversation, Ante felt a change.

Hr: Strah od promjene nestao je u prisutnosti prijateljstva.
En: The fear of change disappeared in the presence of friendship.

Hr: Na kraju su se dogovorili da se nađu idući tjedan, samo oni, daleko od političke gužve, da ožive prijateljstvo koje nikada nije uistinu iščezlo.
En: In the end, they agreed to meet next week, just the three of them, away from the political bustle, to revive a friendship that had never truly faded.

Hr: Dok je odlazio iz dvorane, Ante je osjećao kako mu se srce šire od radosti.
En: As he left the hall, Ante felt his heart swell with joy.

Hr: Zlatno lišće još uvijek je šuštalo pod njegovim nogama, ali sada mu je jesen donosila novi početak.
En: The golden leaves still rustled under his feet, but now autumn brought him a new beginning.

Hr: I s tim je ponovno pronašao svoju pripadnost i optimizam za budućnost.
En: With that, he had found his sense of belonging once again and optimism for the future.


Vocabulary Words:

• nostalgia: nostalgija
• anticipation: iščekivanje
• reflection: refleksija
• belonging: pripadnost
• eager: željni
• reminiscing: prisjećajući se
• pranks: nestašluka
• faded: iščezlo
• rustled: šuštalo
• lonely: usamljeno
• flooded: preplavljeno
• thoughtfully: sjetno
• scents: mirisa
• familiar: poznati
• reflection: refleksija
• pat: potapšao
• recognition: prepoznavanjem
• orchestration: orkestracije
• optimism: optimizam
• bustle: gužve
• swell: šire
• recall: prisjetili
• anticipation: iščekivanje
• foreign: strane
• deep breath: duboki uzdah
• approached: približio
• shy: stidljivo
• determined: čvrsto
• banter: razgovor
• joy: radosti