Facing Fears: Matej's Courageous Encounter at the Zoo

Fluent Fiction - Slovenian: Facing Fears: Matej's Courageous Encounter at the Zoo
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/sl/episode/2026-07-31-22-34-02-sl

Story Transcript:

Sl: Ljubljanski živalski vrt je poleti živahen kraj.
En: The Ljubljanski živalski vrt is a lively place in the summer.

Sl: Sonce prijetno greje, ptički veselo čivkajo med drevesi.
En: The sun pleasantly warms, and the birds chirp happily among the trees.

Sl: Na poti do vhoda v živalski vrt so Matej, Tina in Anja.
En: On the way to the entrance of the zoo are Matej, Tina, and Anja.

Sl: Učenci šestega razreda so na šolskem izletu.
En: The sixth-grade students are on a school trip.

Sl: Matej hodi nekoliko zadaj, zatopljen v svoje misli.
En: Matej walks a bit behind, lost in his thoughts.

Sl: Rad ima živali, vendar ga en kotiček vrtca straši - Reptilna hiša.
En: He likes animals, but one corner of the zoo frightens him - the Reptile House.

Sl: "Matej, a greva skupaj notri?
En: "Matej, shall we go inside together?"

Sl: " vpraša Tina z nasmehom, ko stoji pred Reptilno hišo.
En: Tina asks with a smile as she stands in front of the Reptile House.

Sl: Matejevo srce poskoči.
En: Matej's heart leaps.

Sl: "Najraje ne bi," pomisli, a si želi biti pogumen.
En: "I would rather not," he thinks, but he wants to be brave.

Sl: Pred njim se zbirajo sošolci.
En: His classmates are gathering in front of him.

Sl: Vsi so navdušeni nad novim doživetjem.
En: They are all excited about the new experience.

Sl: Matej zna na pamet eno stvar o sebi - strah ga je plazilcev.
En: Matej knows one thing by heart about himself - he is afraid of reptiles.

Sl: Reptilna hiša je hladna in zatemnjena.
En: The Reptile House is cold and dimly lit.

Sl: Velike steklene vitrine skrivajo raznobarvne plazilce.
En: Large glass cases conceal colorful reptiles.

Sl: Stene so posute z informacijami o njihovih življenjskih navadah.
En: The walls are dotted with information about their habits.

Sl: Matejev pogled beži proti drugim živalim, čeprav se trudi ostati miren.
En: Matej's gaze escapes to other animals, even though he tries to remain calm.

Sl: A vidi jih – kače z blestečimi kožami drsijo po pesku, kameleoni spreminjajo barve.
En: But he sees them - snakes with shiny skins sliding over the sand, chameleons changing colors.

Sl: V trenutku odločnosti si Matej reče: "Danes bom premagal ta strah.
En: In a moment of determination, Matej tells himself, "Today I will overcome this fear."

Sl: " Globoko vdihne.
En: He takes a deep breath.

Sl: S kremplji strahu še vedno v sebi stopi skozi vrata z ostalimi.
En: With the claws of fear still within him, he steps through the door with the others.

Sl: Njegovo srce divje bije.
En: His heart races wildly.

Sl: "Lahko ti pomaga, če jih opazuješ čim dlje," reče Tina z mehkim glasom in se nasmehne.
En: "It might help if you watch them as long as possible," Tina says softly and smiles.

Sl: Stoji ob njem in roka se mu rahlo trese.
En: She stands beside him, and his hand trembles slightly.

Sl: Toda Matej pogleda naprej.
En: But Matej looks ahead.

Sl: Ko vodič razlaga o kletki z barvitimi kuščarji, Matej naredi še korak bliže.
En: As the guide explains about the cage with colorful lizards, Matej takes a step closer.

Sl: Tina opazi, kako se trudi.
En: Tina notices his effort.

Sl: Ponudi mu, da drži majhnega kuščarja.
En: She offers him to hold a small lizard.

Sl: "Ne bom te uščipnila," šaljivo reče.
En: "It won't pinch you," she says jokingly.

Sl: Matej globoko vdihne in, ob podpori v njenem pogledu, previdno prime žival.
En: Matej takes a deep breath and, with the support in her gaze, carefully holds the animal.

Sl: Fotografija njihove skupine nastane trenutek zatem.
En: A photograph of their group is taken a moment later.

Sl: Matej, zmagovalec svojega strahu, drži kuščarja v roki.
En: Matej, the conqueror of his fear, holds the lizard in his hand.

Sl: Doživi občutek zmage.
En: He experiences a feeling of victory.

Sl: Občutek, da lahko premaga strahove z močjo in prijateljstvom.
En: The feeling that with strength and friendship, he can overcome fears.

Sl: Tina ga pohladdi po hrbtu.
En: Tina pats him on the back.

Sl: "Bravo, Matej," reče.
En: "Well done, Matej," she says.

Sl: Tisti dan postane nepozaben.
En: That day becomes unforgettable.

Sl: Matej ugotovi, da je strah priložnost za rast.
En: Matej discovers that fear is an opportunity for growth.

Sl: Ugotovi, da prav prijateljstvo prinaša nove moči.
En: He realizes that it is friendship that brings new strengths.

Sl: Ljubljanski živalski vrt ostane zapisan v njegovem srcu, kot kraj zmag in novih prijateljstev.
En: The Ljubljanski živalski vrt remains etched in his heart as a place of victories and new friendships.


Vocabulary Words:

• lively: živahen
• pleasantly: prijetno
• chirp: čivkajo
• frightens: straši
• gaze: pogled
• conceal: skrivajo
• shiny: blestečimi
• determination: odločnosti
• trembles: trese
• conqueror: zmagovalec
• etched: zapisano
• growth: rast
• opportunity: priložnost
• realizes: ugotovi
• unforgettable: nepozaben
• afraid: strah
• dimly: zatemnjena
• cases: vitrine
• habits: navadah
• chameleons: kameleoni
• overcome: premagal
• races: bije
• pinch: ušćipnila
• carefully: previdno
• support: podporo
• moment: trenutek
• victory: zmaga
• strength: moč
• friendship: prijateljstvo
• dotted: posute