Brut incident dilunc di une strade provinciâl

Yet another accident (ancjemò un incident) along the roads of Friûl (dilunc des stradis dal Friûl):

Shortly after seven this morning (pôc dopo des siet di buinore di vuê), three cars collided (trê machinis si son dadis cuintri) along provincial road thirty-one (dilunc de strade provinciâl trenteun). In all (in dut) five people were involved in the accident (a son stadis cjapadis tal incident cinc personis), of whom were four adults and one minor (che di chei a jerin cuatri adults e un minôr). The road was closed to traffic (la strade e je stade sierade al trafic) due to the accident (par vie dal incident). / Riferiment: La Vôs dai Furlans.

In the photo below (te foto chi sot), we see that the cars (o viodìn che lis machinis) have gone off the road (a son ladis fûr strade). All three cars (dutis trê lis machinis) are white (a son blancjis), or at least so it would seem (o almancul cussì al somearès).

Let’s try now (cirìn cumò) to understand better (di capî miôr) how to say in Friulian (cemût che si dîs par furlan) the equivalent of (l’ecuivalent di): whom. Examples (esemplis):

Cinc in dut, che di chei a jerin cuatri adults e un minôr: five in all, of whom were four adults and one minor. We can also say (o podìn ancje dì): cinc in dut, che tra chei a jerin cuatri adults e un minôr, which in English is (che par inglês al sarès): five in all, amongst whom were five adults and one minor.

O ài contât plui di cent oms, che di chei almancul cincuante a jerin furlans: I counted more than one hundred men, of whom at least fifty were Friulian. We can also say (o podìn ancje dî): o ài contât plui di cent oms, che tra chei almancul cincuante a jerin furlans, or also (o ancje): o ài contât plui di cent oms, che di lôr almancul cincuante a jerin furlans; or also (o ancje): o ài contât plui di cent oms, che tra lôr almancul cincuante a jerin furlans.

Cinc personis, che di chês dôs a jerin stadis denunziadis: five people, of whom two had been reported. We can also say: cinc personis, che tra chês dôs a jerin stadis denunziadis, or also (o ancje): cinc personis, che di lôr dôs a jerin stadis denunziadis; or also (o ancje): cinc personis, che tra lôr dôs a jerin stadis denunziadis.

More examples (altris esemplis): the men in the midst of whom {amongst whom} I was born and raised (i oms che framieç di lôr o soi nassût e cressût); the neighbours with regard to whom all our arguments arise (i vicins di cjase che a rivuart di lôr a nassin dutis lis nestris barufis); un amì che cun lui o voi in citât (a friend with whom I go into the city); la femine che daûr di jê o stavi cjaminant (the woman behind whom I was walking); the pole about which they tied up the prisoner (il pâl che ator di chel a àn leât il presonîr).

That last example above (chel ultin esempli chi sore) shows us that (nus mostre che), when we are not dealing with people (cuant che no si trate di personis), these grammatical constructions (chestis costruzions gramaticâls) are translated to English as (a vignaressin tradotis in inglês come): which. A few more examples (ancjemò cualchi esempli): the trees in front of which I slipped (i arbui che denant di chei o soi sbrissât); the stream near which he died instantly (il torint che dongje di chel al è restât sul bot).

But you must know (ma tu âs di savê) that often (che dispès) Friulians omit these constructions (i furlans a lassin fûr chestis costruzions). For example (par esempli), instead of saying: une persone che su di jê tu puedis fâ cont, which is to say (ven a stâi): a person on whom you can count, many Friulians will say (cetancj furlans a disaran): une persone che tu puedis fâ cont.

Or instead of (o ben invezit di): la machine che cun chê o soi vignût, which is to say (ven a stâi): the car by which I came, many Friulians will say (cetancj furlans a disaran): la machine che o soi vignût.

Or instead of (o ben invezit di): i bêçs che cun chei lu ài paiât, which is to say (ven a stâi): the money with which I paid for it, many Friulians will say (cetancj furlans a disaran): i bêçs che lu ài paiât.

Or instead of (o ben invezit di): l’om che di lui tu mi âs za fevelât, which is to say (ven a stâi): the man about whom you have already spoken to me, many Friulians will say (cetancj furlans a disaran): l’om che tu mi âs za fevelât.

A few lessons ago (cualchi lezion indaûr), we learnt something new in Friulian (o vin imparât alc di gnûf par furlan): dazi. This word means (cheste peraule e vûl dî): tariff. Let’s write one last example now in Friulian (scrivìn cumò un ultin esempli par furlan): il risi di dazis che denant di chei il guvier al à cirût di fâ un acuardi, which is to say (ven a stâi): the risk of tariffs in the face of which the government sought to make a deal.

Arestade une bande di trê bulgars, ducj i trê si cjatin cumò in preson

If you are going through a bad time (se tu vivis un brut moment), or if bad luck is haunting you (o se la sfortune no ti lasse), you may feel like saying (ti vignarès forsit voie di dî): “Nothing is going right for me! (No mi va drete nancje une!)” More than a few people (plui di cualchidun) would see things that way (le pensarès cussì) se a fossin vitimis (if they were victims) like the unfortunate elders (come i anzians sfortunâts) about whom I will now tell you (che di lôr ti contarai cumò).

A gang of Bulgarians (une bande di bulgars), two women and one man (dôs feminis e un om), who would travel to Italy and also to Austria (che a rivavin in Italie e ancje in Austrie) just to steal (juste par robâ), has been caught by police (e je stade cjapade de polizie).

The investigations began (lis investigazions a son tacadis) following a report from a seventy-nine-year-old woman (dopo de denunzie di une siore di setantenûf agns) who had been robbed in a supermarket (che e veve patide une robarie intun supermarcjât). On the same day (inte stesse zornade), the police recorded four different incidents (la polizie e veve regjistrât cuatri episodis diferents), all using the same technique (simpri cu la stesse tecniche), in as many supermarkets (in ancjetancj supermarcjâts).

The criminals would approach their victims (i delincuents si svicinavin aes vitimis), always elderly women or men (simpri feminis e oms indenant cui agns), and while one of the two women distracted them (e intant che une des dôs feminis lis distraevin), the other would steal (chê altre e robave). The man would always wait outside (l’om al spietave simpri fûr), ready to drive the thieves away quickly (pront a puartâ vie di corse lis laris) in a car (cuntune machine).

The three would arrive in Italy (i trê a rivavin in Italie) using a hired car (doprant une machine cjapade a nauli) and would rob in one shop after the another (e a robavin intune buteghe daûr di chê altre). The good news (la buine gnove) is that all three are now in jail (e je che ducj i trê si cjatin cumò in preson). / Riferiment: La Vôs dai Furlans.

It is clear (al è clâr) that many criminals (che une vore di delincuents) travel to Italy (a rivin in Italie) and do whatever they want (e a fasin ce che a vuelin). As for us (par ce che nus tocje nô), let’s just try to make progress in the Friulian language (cirìn dome di lâ indenant cu la lenghe furlane).

No mi va drete nancje une: nothing is going right for me. Word for word (peraule par peraule): not even one [thing] is going straight for me. The word nancje means (la peraule nancje e vûl dî): not even, either. A few examples (cualchi esempli): no lu fasarès nancje un mat (not even a mad man would do it); are you coming with us? not in your dreams! (vegnistu cun nô? nancje par idee!); if you’re not going there, I’m not going there either (se no tu i vâs tu, no i voi nancje jo).

A fasin ce che a vuelin: they do whatever they want. This sentence uses (cheste frase e dopre) the present indicative (il presint indicatîf). But if we were to use the present subjunctive (ma se o doprassin il coniuntîf presint), the meaning of the sentence would change (il significât de frase al cambiarès): che a fasin ce che a vuelin!, or also (o ancje): che a fasedin ce che a vuelin!, which in English is (che par inglês al sarès): they can do whatever they want! let them do whatever they want! We can also say (o podìn ancje dî) these same sentences (chestis stessis frasis) using a local variant of Friulian (doprant une variante locâl dal furlan): a fan sé ch’a volin; ch’a fedin sé ch’a volin!

Indenant cui agns: advanced in years. If a man is old (se un om al è vieli), he is advanced in years (al è indenant cui agns).

To conclude (par concludi), I leave you with a few idiomatic expressions (ti lassi cun cualchi espression idiomatiche) related to robbers (leade ai laris), including figurative expressions (ancje espressions figuradis). You can come back to study these expressions (tu puedis tornâ a studiâ chestis espressions) from time to time (di volte in volte) as needed (che al covente):

1. fâsi cjatâ cu lis mans tal sac = to be caught red-handed; 2. scjampâ cul botin = to escape with the loot; 3. jessi svelt di man = to be quick of hand ; 4. robâ il cûr = to steal one’s heart; 5. robâ un minût = to steal a minute.

Examples (esemplis): 1. il lari si è fat cjapâ cu lis mans tal sac = the thief was caught red-handed; 2. i malvivents a son scjampâts cul botin = the crooks made off with the loot; 3. chel sborsarûl bulgar al è svelt di man = that Bulgarian pickpocket is quick of hand; 4. chê fantate mi à robât il cûr = that girl has stolen my heart; 5. puedio robâti doi minûts? = may I steal two minutes of your time?

Fasìn un confront tra il romanç de Svuizare e la lenghe furlane

Last week (la setemane passade) we watched a videoclip (o vin cjalât un filmât) where a woman told us (dulà che une femine nus à contât) of the characteristics of the Friulian language (des carateristichis de lenghe furlane). To learn more (par savênt di plui): Al è in Friûl che a vegnin a cjatâsi lis trê principâls animis linguistichis de Europe.

At a certain point (a un ciert pont), the woman says (la femine e dîs): The Friulian language does not derive from Italian (la lenghe furlane no derive dal talian), but is the result of an evolution of the Latin (ma e je il risultât di une evoluzion dal latin) that was spoken in the Aquileia region (che si fevelave te regjon di Aquilee), and which (e che) around the year one thousand (tor dal an mil) we can already define (o podìn za definî) as a language in its own right (come une lenghe par so cont). Linguistic manuals classify it (i manuâi di linguistiche le metin dentri) amongst the Rhaeto-Romance languages (fra lis lenghis retoromanichis) alongside Ladin from the Dolomites (cul ladin dolomitan) and Rumantsch of Switzerland (e il romanç de Svuizare).

I found an interesting videoclip on YouTube (o ài cjatât su YouTube un filmât interessant) where a man teaches us (dulà che un om nus fâs imparâ) a few words in Rumantsch (cualchi peraule par romanç). The man says in Rumantsch (l’om al dîs par romanç): bun di, buna saira, buna not, which is to say (ven a stâi): good day, good evening, good night.

Interesting, isn’t it? (interessant, no?).

Right (ben), everybody quiet now (duçus sitos adès) as I tell you something (tant ch’i vi conti alc) using the Friulian language in the variant of Dograva (doprant la lenga furlana ta la variant di Dograva). In this variant (ta chista variant) we have (i vin): bundì, buna sera, buna not.

Now I will switch back to the standardised language (cumò o torni ae lenghe normalizade), where we have (dulà che o vin): bundì, buine sere, buine gnot.

I did not intend to confuse you (no vevi chê di confondius) with this lesson (cun cheste lezion), but I thought it would be interesting (ma o ài pensât che al sarès stât interessant) to make a comparison between languages (fâ un confront tra lis lenghis).

Let’s try now to learn a few facts (cirìn cumò di imparâ cualchi fat) about Rumantsch (sul romanç): it is spoken in Switzerland (si lu fevele te Svuizare); sixty thousand Swiss speak it (lu fevelin sessante mil svuizars); al à variantis locâls (it has local variants).

Above (chi sore), I wrote something in a local variant of Friulian (o ài scrit alc intune variante locâl dal furlan): everybody quiet now (duçus sitos adès). In chê variante locâl (in that local variant), we can also say (o podìn ancje dî): duçus sidins adès. Sito and sidin have the same meaning (sito e sidin a àn il stes significât), which is to say (ven a stâi): quiet. In the standardised language (te lenghe normalizade), we will say (o disarìn): cidin, and our example becomes (e il nestri esempli al devente): ducj cidins cumò.

We have spoken (o vin fevelât) of a bit of everything (di un pôc di dut) in this lesson (in cheste lezion). We can say (o podìn dì) that it has been a lesson (che e je stade une lezion) full of curiosities (plene di curiositâts).