A twenty-two-year-old man stands in line with papers in his hand. The clerk asks his name. He says Ivan. The clerk writes John.
This episode of Ćakula Café is about the names that were left at the border, about the letters č, ć, š, ž and đ that didn't exist on old typewriters, and about why so many people changed their own names simply because they were tired of explaining.
And then about the grandchildren who, thirty years later, are bringing the little hooks back.
Slower, clearer Croatian for A2 learners — a look at Croatian name anglicization and Croatian pronunciation diacritics for heritage speakers and diaspora Croatians relearning how their own surname was meant to sound. The episode includes a short pronunciation exercise, so you can say your surname out loud the way it was spoken in your grandfather's house.
Key vocabulary:
ime (EE-meh) first name
prezime (PREH-zee-meh) surname; the one people keep spelling wrong
slovo (SLOH-voh) letter of the alphabet. Slova in the plural
kvačica (KVA-chee-tsa) the little hook over č, ž and š; the thing that got dropped
izgovoriti (eez-goh-VOH-ree-tee) to pronounce
promijeniti (proh-MYEH-nee-tee) to change
službenik (sloozh-BEH-neek) official, clerk; the man with the pen at the border
razlikovati se (raz-lee-KOH-va-tee seh) to be different from others; what a child does not want
objašnjavati (ob-yash-NYA-va-tee) to keep explaining; the tiredness that changed names
vratiti (VRA-tee-tee) to give back, to return; what the grandchildren are doing
How to use this episode: Listen on Spotify with subtitles on. Find your key words. Look those up. Not every word. Just the key ones. Then listen again. Each time you will understand a little more.
Free masterclass: talktimecro.com/free-masterclass
Instagram: @talktimecro
Substack: talktimecroatian.substack.com
Learn Croatian With a Cultural Twist.
