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1996 | Maja Blagdan - Sveta ljubav: The language thread1. Ja ti priznajem sve
I'm admitting everything to you
Maja here uses "ja" (1st p. sg.), but like in some other languages (like Italian), we usually use it only when we need to emphasise "it's me, not someone else"...
...in everyday conversation, the sentence would sound like "priznajem ti sve", as unlike in Italian - clitic/unstressed forms can't be the first word in a sentence (and "ti" here is an unstressed form of "tebi" (to you).
"priznati" is from "pri-" + znati (to know)
"priznati" is from "pri-" + znati (to know)
2. Sve je glupo sad bez tebe
= Everything is stupid without you now
so we had
"tebi" (ti) = to you
and now (sad
) we have
"bez tebe" = without you
"you" can have multiple forms in Croatian:
you are = ti si
I see you = vidim tebe/te
about you = o tebi
with you = s tobom,
etc.
= Everything is stupid without you now
so we had
"tebi" (ti) = to you
and now (sad
) we have"bez tebe" = without you
"you" can have multiple forms in Croatian:
you are = ti si
I see you = vidim tebe/te
about you = o tebi
with you = s tobom,
etc.
3. I dok hladna kiša pada na grad
= And while the cold rain is falling upon the city
"grad" (town, city), from Proto-Slavic *gordъ (fortification, castle; town, city),
ult. from PIE *gʰerdʰ- (to enclose, to encircle)
Derivations:
grad
sagraditi (to build) zgrada (building)
= And while the cold rain is falling upon the city
"grad" (town, city), from Proto-Slavic *gordъ (fortification, castle; town, city),
ult. from PIE *gʰerdʰ- (to enclose, to encircle)
Derivations:
grad
sagraditi (to build) zgrada (building)
4. Tko zna gdje si ti sad?
= Who knows where are you now?
This is actually a rhetorical question, more along the lines of "God knows where you are now". This is very often the case with sentence beginning with "tko zna".
"Tko" is the Croatian standard, in
& 
it's "ko".
= Who knows where are you now?
This is actually a rhetorical question, more along the lines of "God knows where you are now". This is very often the case with sentence beginning with "tko zna".
"Tko" is the Croatian standard, in
& it's "ko".
5. Moja ljubav si ti
= My love, that is you
I didn't want to translate this as "you are my love" as I don't feel it'd reflect the original. It would sound like a definition, stating a cold fact. The clauses in the orig. are inverted on purpose, to put more feelings into them.
= My love, that is you
I didn't want to translate this as "you are my love" as I don't feel it'd reflect the original. It would sound like a definition, stating a cold fact. The clauses in the orig. are inverted on purpose, to put more feelings into them.
6. Ovo je vrijeme bez milosti
= This is a time without mercy
"milost" (mercy) is derived from "mio" (dear, kind), which is cognate with Latin "mitis" (mild, soft).
= This is a time without mercy
"milost" (mercy) is derived from "mio" (dear, kind), which is cognate with Latin "mitis" (mild, soft).
7. Ti si divlja rijeka na putu mom, a ja te volim i s njom
= You're a wild river on my path, and I love you even with her
I have to admit that "i s njom" (with her) has been confusing me since the song came out. Rijeka (river) is a feminine noun so maybe the river is "her"...
= You're a wild river on my path, and I love you even with her
I have to admit that "i s njom" (with her) has been confusing me since the song came out. Rijeka (river) is a feminine noun so maybe the river is "her"...
...it's probably it.
In any case, "rijeka" (river) is cognate with Latin "rivus", just like "roj" (swarm), all ultimately from PIE h₃reyH- (to move, set in motion; to flow, stream; ...)
Also: Croatia's 3rd biggest city is called "Rijeka"
In any case, "rijeka" (river) is cognate with Latin "rivus", just like "roj" (swarm), all ultimately from PIE h₃reyH- (to move, set in motion; to flow, stream; ...)
Also: Croatia's 3rd biggest city is called "Rijeka"
8. Sunce moru putuje, moje srce luduje
= The Sun is travelling to the sea, my heart is going crazy
"more" (sea), from Proto-Slavic *moře, from PIE *móri, just like:
marios (sea, lagoon)
"sea" in:
mer
mare
mar
Meer
all meaning "sea"
and
meer (lake)
= The Sun is travelling to the sea, my heart is going crazy
"more" (sea), from Proto-Slavic *moře, from PIE *móri, just like:
marios (sea, lagoon)"sea" in:
mer mare mar Meerall meaning "sea"
and
meer (lake)
9. Daj mi snage, sveta ljubavi
Give me strength, holy love
"ljubav" (love) is derived from "ljubiti" (to kiss). In fact", "ljubiti" had been used as a synonym for "voljeti" (to love), but now this usage is mostly seen just in literature...
Give me strength, holy love
"ljubav" (love) is derived from "ljubiti" (to kiss). In fact", "ljubiti" had been used as a synonym for "voljeti" (to love), but now this usage is mostly seen just in literature...
Other derivations from "ljubiti" (to kiss):
ljubičica (violet flower)
ljubičasta boja (the colour purple)
P.S. "lj" is a digraph and treated as a single letter in the Croatian alphabet
...
ljubičica (violet flower)ljubičasta boja (the colour purple)P.S. "lj" is a digraph and treated as a single letter in the Croatian alphabet
...
10. Ja živim za nas, zemlja nosi moj glas
= I live for us, the earth is carrying my voice
As in English, "zemlja" (earth) is both "soil" and the planet Earth, but it's also a synonym for "country".
from "zemlja" (Earth) + "pisati" (to write), we have "zemljopis" (geography)
= I live for us, the earth is carrying my voice
As in English, "zemlja" (earth) is both "soil" and the planet Earth, but it's also a synonym for "country".
from "zemlja" (Earth) + "pisati" (to write), we have "zemljopis" (geography)
11. U dubinu duše jer tu je moj dom,
a ja te volim i s njom
= Into the depth of the soul, because that's where my home is
And I love you even with her
"dom" (home) is from Proto-Slavic *domъ, from PIE *dṓm, just like Ancient Greek δόμος (dómos; house, dwelling, household)
...
a ja te volim i s njom
= Into the depth of the soul, because that's where my home is
And I love you even with her
"dom" (home) is from Proto-Slavic *domъ, from PIE *dṓm, just like Ancient Greek δόμος (dómos; house, dwelling, household)
...
"duša" (soul) is also a feminine noun so we can once again assume that "with her" is referring to the noun previously mentioned in the lyrics. Although it's a bit weird to say "I love you even together with that soul of yours", but oh well. It's a great song, nonetheless. 
Thank you @vladko_is for suggesting this song! 
This song was stuck in my head ever since I read this suggestion so I did that one first.There were several suggestions and I'll soon cover those, too. ^_^ As always, I hope you all enjoyed reading this thread! :)
This song was stuck in my head ever since I read this suggestion so I did that one first.
There were several suggestions and I'll soon cover those, too. ^_^ As always, I hope you all enjoyed reading this thread! :)
