Fluent Fiction - Croatian: Reviving Dubovica: A Festival of Tradition and Change
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/hr/episode/2025-09-28-07-38-20-hr

Story Transcript:

Hr: Dubovica.
En: Dubovica.

Hr: Malo mjesto uz obalu Jadranskog mora.
En: A small place along the coast of the Adriatic Sea.

Hr: U jesen, selo postaje mirnije.
En: In the autumn, the village becomes quieter.

Hr: Mnogo turista odlazi.
En: Many tourists leave.

Hr: Ali Ivan se ne predaje.
En: But Ivan does not give up.

Hr: Vlasnik je restorana uz more.
En: He is the owner of a seaside restaurant.

Hr: Restoran je obiteljska tradicija.
En: The restaurant is a family tradition.

Hr: Njegovi roditelji su ga otvorili prije mnogo godina.
En: His parents opened it many years ago.

Hr: Sada, Ivan želi nastaviti to nasljeđe.
En: Now, Ivan wants to continue that legacy.

Hr: Jednog jutra, dok je nebo bilo sivo, Ivan je sjedio za svojim drvenim stolom i gledao more.
En: One morning, while the sky was gray, Ivan sat at his wooden table and looked at the sea.

Hr: "Manje je turista," rekao je Ivan.
En: "There are fewer tourists," said Ivan.

Hr: Oči su mu bile ozbiljne.
En: His eyes were serious.

Hr: U povjetarcu je osjetio brigu.
En: He felt concern in the breeze.

Hr: Volio bi da restoran uspije i izvan sezone.
En: He wished for the restaurant to succeed even outside the season.

Hr: Njegova sestra, Maja, veselog duha, imala je drugačiji pogled.
En: His sister, Maja, with a cheerful spirit, had a different outlook.

Hr: "Mogli bismo pokušati nešto novo," rekla je, sjedeći preko puta Ivana.
En: "We could try something new," she said, sitting across from Ivan.

Hr: "Što kažeš na lokalni glazbeni festival?
En: "What do you think about a local music festival?

Hr: Mogli bismo privući mještane i preostale turiste.
En: We could attract the townspeople and the remaining tourists."

Hr: "Petar, kuhar s mnogo iskustva, stajao je iza šanka i kimnuo.
En: Petar, a chef with a lot of experience, stood behind the counter and nodded.

Hr: Bio je skeptičan, ali i odan.
En: He was skeptical but also loyal.

Hr: "Promjene su teške," rekao je Petar, "ali možda vrijedi pokušati.
En: "Changes are hard," said Petar, "but maybe it's worth a try."

Hr: "Ivan se zamislio.
En: Ivan reflected.

Hr: Nije želio udaljiti se od tradicije.
En: He did not want to stray from tradition.

Hr: Ali nije mogao ignorirati Maju.
En: But he could not ignore Maja.

Hr: Ideja festivala činila se primamljivom.
En: The idea of a festival seemed enticing.

Hr: "Dobro," rekao je Ivan konačno.
En: "Alright," said Ivan finally.

Hr: "Pokušat ćemo.
En: "We'll try."

Hr: "Dan festivala brzo je stigao.
En: The day of the festival arrived quickly.

Hr: Vjetar je donosio oblake i kišu.
En: The wind brought clouds and rain.

Hr: "Vrijeme nam nije naklonjeno," rekao je nervozni Ivan, gledajući tamno nebo.
En: "The weather isn't in our favor," said a nervous Ivan, looking at the dark sky.

Hr: Maja ga je potapšala po ramenu.
En: Maja patted him on the shoulder.

Hr: "Preselit ćemo unutra," predložila je.
En: "We'll move it inside," she suggested.

Hr: Unatoč kiši, ljudi su počeli pristizati.
En: Despite the rain, people began to arrive.

Hr: Restoran se brzo napunio.
En: The restaurant quickly filled up.

Hr: Glazbenici su postavili svoje instrumente.
En: Musicians set up their instruments.

Hr: Zvuk gitara i mandolina ispunio je prostoriju.
En: The sound of guitars and mandolins filled the room.

Hr: Atmosfera je bila topla i vesela, iako je kiša padala vani.
En: The atmosphere was warm and cheerful, even though it was raining outside.

Hr: Ivan je gledao kako ljudi jedu, smiju se i plešu.
En: Ivan watched as people ate, laughed, and danced.

Hr: Osjetio je olakšanje i radost.
En: He felt relief and joy.

Hr: Restoran je živio, iako na drugačiji način.
En: The restaurant was alive, albeit in a different way.

Hr: Shvatio je da može postojati ravnoteža između tradicije i inovacije.
En: He realized that balance could exist between tradition and innovation.

Hr: Na kraju večeri, Maja je sjela pored njega.
En: At the end of the evening, Maja sat next to him.

Hr: "Uspjeli smo," rekla je s osmijehom.
En: "We did it," she said with a smile.

Hr: "Da," odgovorio je Ivan.
En: "Yes," replied Ivan.

Hr: "Sad razumijem da moramo čuvati tradiciju, ali i prihvatiti promjene.
En: "Now I understand that we must preserve tradition but also embrace change."

Hr: "Restoran je postao zbor sretnih glasova.
En: The restaurant became a choir of happy voices.

Hr: Dubovica je možda bila malena, ali te noći bila je puna života.
En: Dubovica might have been small, but that night it was full of life.

Hr: Ivan je pronašao novu viziju budućnosti, gdje se prošlost i budućnost susreću i stvaraju nešto posebno.
En: Ivan found a new vision for the future, where the past and future meet and create something special.


Vocabulary Words:

• legacy: nasljeđe
• seaside: uz more
• enticing: primamljiv
• breeze: povjetarac
• outlook: pogled
• cheerful: veselog duha
• skeptical: skeptičan
• loyal: odan
• stray: udaljiti se
• atmosphere: atmosfera
• balance: ravnoteža
• embrace: prihvatiti
• choir: zbor
• vision: vizija
• overcast: sivo nebo
• pat: potapšati
• relief: olakšanje
• festival: festival
• musicians: glazbenici
• instruments: instrumenti
• fills: ispunjava
• embrace: prihvatiti
• create: stvoriti
• exist: postojati
• remain: preostali
• counter: šank
• suggested: predložila
• concern: briga
• persevere: ne predaje
• preserve: čuvati