Fluent Fiction - Croatian: Spices of Harmony: A Family Feast in Zagreb
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/hr/episode/2025-09-27-22-34-01-hr

Story Transcript:

Hr: Kiša je padala lagano dok je Marin hodao ulicama Zagreba, povremeno gledajući u svoj popis za kupovinu.
En: The rain was falling gently as Marin walked through the streets of Zagreb, occasionally glancing at his shopping list.

Hr: Jesenji zrak bio je hladan, a miris pečenih kestena širio se zrakom.
En: The autumn air was cold, and the scent of roasted chestnuts wafted through the air.

Hr: Marin je znao da će obiteljsko okupljanje biti izazovno.
En: Marin knew that the family gathering would be challenging.

Hr: Svake godine dolazilo je do svađa, ali nadao se da bi ove godine mogao unijeti malo mira.
En: Every year there were arguments, but he hoped that this year he might bring some peace.

Hr: Ana i Dario već su bili u kuhinji, svatko sa svojim mišljenjem o onome što treba pripremiti.
En: Ana and Dario were already in the kitchen, each with their own opinion on what should be prepared.

Hr: Ana je željela klasičnu juhu od bundeve, dok je Dario inzistirao na tradiciji i zahtijevao sarmu.
En: Ana wanted a classic pumpkin soup, while Dario insisted on tradition and demanded sarma.

Hr: Marin je samo htio da sve prođe u miru, pa je odlučio pokušati kombinirati oboje.
En: Marin just wanted everything to go peacefully, so he decided to try to combine both.

Hr: "Trebamo nešto posebno", rekao je Marin tiho, promatrajući boje i zvukove tržnice.
En: "We need something special," Marin said quietly, observing the colors and sounds of the market.

Hr: Ljudi su se gurali oko štandova punih svježeg povrća, ali Marinove misli bile su na jednom štandu.
En: People were jostling around stalls full of fresh vegetables, but Marin's thoughts were on one particular stall.

Hr: Nedaleko, među užurbanim štandovima gradske tržnice, Marin ugleda poznato lice starog prodavača.
En: Not far away, among the bustling stalls of the city market, Marin spotted the familiar face of an old vendor.

Hr: Bio je to Gospodin Pavo, poznat po svojim specijalnim začinima.
En: It was Mr. Pavo, known for his special spices.

Hr: "Hej, Maro!
En: "Hey, Maro!"

Hr: " povikao je Gospodin Pavo, mašući rukom.
En: shouted Mr. Pavo, waving.

Hr: "Pogledaj, imam savršen kesten, kao i onaj poseban cimet koji vaša baka voli.
En: "Look, I have the perfect chestnut, as well as that special cinnamon your grandmother loves."

Hr: "Marin se nasmijao, gledajući začine.
En: Marin laughed, looking at the spices.

Hr: "Da, to je to!
En: "Yes, that's it!"

Hr: ", pomislio je.
En: he thought.

Hr: Kesten i cimet bi mogli savršeno spojiti okuse juhe i sarme.
En: Chestnuts and cinnamon might perfectly blend the flavors of the soup and sarma.

Hr: Bio je optimističan.
En: He was optimistic.

Hr: Vratio se kući s torbama punim sastojaka.
En: He returned home with bags full of ingredients.

Hr: Kuća obitelji bila je stara, ali topla i ispunjena mirisom kuhanja.
En: The family house was old, but warm and filled with the smell of cooking.

Hr: Marin se odmah bacio na posao, kombinirajući Aninu juhu od bundeve s Dario-vim sarmama, ali uz dodatak kestena i cimeta.
En: Marin immediately got to work, combining Ana's pumpkin soup with Dario's sarme, but with the addition of chestnuts and cinnamon.

Hr: Sestra i brat su promatrali u tišini, sumnjičavo, ali i znatiželjno.
En: His sister and brother watched in silence, skeptical but also curious.

Hr: Dok je miris svježe pripremljenog jela ispunjavao kuhinju, atmosfera je postajala opuštenija.
En: As the smell of freshly prepared food filled the kitchen, the atmosphere became more relaxed.

Hr: Marin je osjećao kako napetost polako nestaje.
En: Marin felt the tension slowly dissipating.

Hr: Konačno je došao trenutak da obitelj kuša jelo.
En: Finally, the moment came for the family to taste the dish.

Hr: "Marin, ovo je stvarno ukusno!
En: "Marin, this is really delicious!"

Hr: ", uzviknula je Ana kroz smijeh.
En: exclaimed Ana with a laugh.

Hr: Dario je kimnuo s osmijehom, a čak je i stariji članovi obitelji, koji su obično zahtjevni, bili impresionirani.
En: Dario nodded with a smile, and even the older family members, who were usually demanding, were impressed.

Hr: Kako je veselje raslo, krenuli su razgovori, pa čak i smijeh, barem na trenutak.
En: As the joy grew, conversations began, and even laughter, at least for a moment.

Hr: Marin je znao da taj miran trenutak ne bi mogao trajati zauvijek, ali bio je zahvalan na njemu.
En: Marin knew that the peaceful moment couldn't last forever, but he was grateful for it.

Hr: Shvatio je da bez obzira na obiteljsku dinamiku, mali činovi poput ovog mogu donijeti radost.
En: He realized that no matter the family dynamics, small acts like this could bring joy.

Hr: Marin je uzdahnuo, osjećajući olakšanje.
En: Marin sighed, feeling relieved.

Hr: Dok je večer završavala, bio je sve svjesniji da ne može sve kontrolirati.
En: As the evening came to a close, he became increasingly aware that he couldn't control everything.

Hr: No, u tom trenutku, u toj maloj kuhinji u Zagrebu, osjetio je mir i smisao.
En: Yet, in that moment, in that small kitchen in Zagreb, he felt peace and purpose.

Hr: I to je bilo dovoljno.
En: And that was enough.


Vocabulary Words:

• gently: lagano
• occasionally: povremeno
• glancing: gledajući
• roasted: pečenih
• scent: miris
• wafted: širio se
• gathering: okupljanje
• challenging: izazovno
• arguments: svađa
• combine: kombinirati
• jostling: gurali
• bustling: užurbanim
• familiar: poznato
• vendor: prodavača
• blend: spojiti
• optimistic: optimističan
• skeptical: sumnjičavo
• tension: napetost
• dissipating: nestaje
• exclaimed: uzviknula
• demanding: zahtjevni
• impressed: impresionirani
• dynamics: dinamiku
• relieved: olakšanje
• purpose: smisao
• occasionally: povremeno
• ingredients: sastojaka
• quietly: tiho
• stall: štanda
• prepared: pripremljenog