09 July 2025

Ancjemò scufiots dal maltimp sul Friûl, cun inagaments, slacs e arbui crevâts

Friûl has taken another blow due to bad weather: Il Friûl al à cjapât un altri scufiot par cause dal maltimp. A storm has struck Friûl (un temporâl al à batût il Friûl) with strong wind (cun aiaron) and heavy rainfall (ploiis fuartis). It caused floods (inagaments), landslides (slacs) and broken trees (arbui crevâts). Streams overflowed (i torints a son lâts fûr), causing floods in numerous houses (provocant inagaments in cetantis cjasis). In the image below, firemen are picking up the branches (i pompîrs a stan cjapant sù i ramaçs) from the broken trees (dai arbui crevâts) that are blocking the road (che a blochin la strade).

Ancjemò scufiots dal maltimp sul Friûl, cun inagaments, slacs e arbui crevâts

The masculine noun scufiot refers literally to a slap, a blow given with an open hand. Example: Mi soi sveât masse tart e mê mari mi à dât un pâr di scufiots. (I woke up too late and my mother gave me a pair of slaps.) In reference to the news from above, we understand that, according to the Friulian wording, what Friûl took from the storm was a slap, which is a lively way of saying that it took a hit. If un scufiot is a blow given with an open hand (un colp dât cu la man vierte), then a blow given with a closed hand (un colp dât cu la man sierade) is un pugn. Example: I à tirât un pugn tal voli. (He gave him a punch in the eye.) As for the streams mentioned above, we read that they overflowed: a son lâts fûr (literally, ‘they went out’, which is to say that they breached their banks).

Friulian conversation: To warm someone of an impending danger, you can say: Ocjo! Example: Ocjo, il ramaç al sta par colâ! (Look out, the branch is about to fall!) You can also use: Atent! Example: Sta atent là che tu metis i pîts! (Watch your step!) This last example is said to a male; it must change for number and gender, accordingly: stait atents là che metês i pîts (said to more than one person, where at least one male is present); sta atente là che tu metis i pîts (said to a female); stait atentis là che metês i pîts (said to more than one female, no males present). To tell someone to call for help, you can use the following: Clame i socors! (Call for help!); Clame i pompîrs! (Call the firemen!); Clame i carabinîrs! (Call the carabinîrs!). Clame (second-person singular) is said to just one person; if said to more than one person, then clamait (second-person plural) is used. Remember this emergency number (numar di emergjence): 112.

Fûc intune buteghe di autos e une ondade di cjalt e bat il Friûl

We read recently about a robbery in a bike shop (une robarie intune buteghe di bicis), in Manià. Now we learn that there has been a fire in a car dealership (un fûc intune buteghe di autos), in Purcie. More than five hours were needed to put out the fire: A son coventadis plui di cinc oris par studâ il fûc. The firemen arrived: A son rivâts i pompîrs. They managed to extinguish the fire: A àn rivât a studâ il fûc. In the last two examples with rivâ, the first uses jessi as auxiliary, but the second uses vê. Studâ is also said as distudâ. More than five hours were needed to extinguish the fire that had broken out in a car dealership: A son coventadis plui di cinc oris par distudâ il fûc che si jere impiât intune buteghe di autos. In the Dograva variant of Friulian, we can say: A son coventadis pi di sinc oris par distudâ il fôc ch’al si era impiât ta una butega di autos.

Fûc intune buteghe di autos, a son coventadis plui di cinc oris par rivâ a studâlu

Too hot, no work: Masse cjalt, nuie lavôr. A heat wave has struck Friûl: Une ondade di cjalt e à batût il Friûl. Work has been suspended during the hours when the sun is at its strongest: Il lavôr al è stât sospindût intes oris dulà che il soreli al bat di plui. The ordinance is in effect (la ordenance e je in vigôr) on construction sites (intai cantîrs edilizis), on roadwork sites (intai cantîrs stradâi) and in workplaces without air conditioning (intai ambients di lavôr cence aiar condizionât). I work under the sun: O lavori sot dal soreli. I am thirsty: O ài sêt. Behind the house, the sun was casting a long and cool shadow, where I went to rest for a bit: Daûr de cjase, il soreli al faseve une ombrene lungje e frescje, dulà che o soi lât a polsâ un pôc. In the Dograva variant of Friulian, this last example can be said: Davôr da la çasa, il soreli al fadeva un’ombrena lungia e fresça, dulà ch’i soi zût a polsâ un pôc.

Above, the adjectives lunc and fresc appear. Their four forms are: lunc, fresc (masculine singular); luncs, frescs (masculine plural); lungje, frescje (feminine singular); lungjis, frescjis (feminine plural). His nose is too long: Al à il nâs masse lunc. Long hair hides her face: I cjavei luncs i platin la muse. He has a long beard: Al à la barbe lungje. She had long nails: E veve lis ongulis lungjis. The bread is fresh: Il pan al è fresc. The mushrooms are fresh: I foncs a son frescs. The shadow was cool: La ombrene e jere frescje. The houses are cool even when the sun is at its strongest: Lis cjasis a son frescjis ancje cuant che il soreli al bat di plui. In the Dograva variant of Friulian, these same are: Al à il nâs massa lunc. I çavei luncs a j platin la musa. Al à la barba lungia. A veva li ongulis lungis. Il pan al è fresc. I foncs a son frescs. L’ombrena a era fresça. Li çasis a son frescis ença cuant che il soreli al bat di pi.

07 July 2025

Robarie intune buteghe di bicis, i malvivents a vevin la muse cuvierte

A robbery in a bike shop has occurred in Manià. In the news report below, the original version of which you can read on the Vôs website by following the link below, we discover some new Friulian vocabulary related to bicycles and clothing. Included is a selection of Friulian conversational items related to bicycles.

Robarie intune buteghe di bicicletis a Manià: A jerin di pôc sunadis lis cuatri di vuê cuant che al è partît l’alarme di une buteghe di bicicletis tal centri di Manià, che al à sveât une vore di residents. Fiscade la puarte di ingrès, i trê delincuents, cu la muse cuvierte e vistûts cun tutis neris e manecis, a son lâts dentri de buteghe. La robarie e je durade pôc. I laris a àn rivât a puartâ vie trê bicicletis eletrichis dal valôr di sedis mil euros. Cuant che a son rivâts i carabinîrs, i malvivents a jerin za scjampâts. / Riferiment: La Vôs dai Furlans.

Robbery in a bicycle shop in Manià: It was just past four this morning when the alarm of a bicycle shop in the centre of Manià went off, waking many residents. After breaking the entrance door, the three criminals, with covered faces and dressed in black tracksuits and gloves, entered the shop. The robbery lasted only a short time. The thieves managed to steal three electric bicycles worth sixteen thousand euros. By the time the carabinîrs arrived, the crooks had already fled.

Friulian vocabulary

  • une robarie, a robbery
  • une buteghe, a shop
  • une biciclete, a bicycle
  • sunâ, to ring out, to sound
  • al è partît, it went off
  • un alarme, an alarm
  • sveâ, to wake
  • fiscâ, to break
  • une puarte, a door
  • un ingrès, an entrance
  • un delincuent, a criminal
  • une muse, a face
  • cuviert, covered
  • vistût, dressed
  • une tute, a tracksuit
  • neri, black
  • une manece, a glove
  • lâ dentri, to go inside
  • durâ, to last
  • un lari, a thief
  • puartâ vie, to steal
  • un malvivent, a crook
  • scjampâ, to flee

Une biciclete: a bicycle. Also used: une bici (a bike). Because this is a feminine noun, we use une when speaking of one bicycle: une bici, une biciclete; and dôs when speaking of two: dôs bicis, dôs bicicletis.

A jerin di pôc sunadis lis cuatri: literally, the four {hours of the clock} had just rung out, which is to say, it was just past four o’clock.

Neri: black. The four forms of this adjective are: neri (masculine singular); neris (masculine plural); nere (feminine singular); neris (feminine plural). A black tracksuit in Friulian is: une tute nere. A black glove in Friulian is: une manece nere. In the plural: tutis neris, manecis neris.

Rivâ: When rivâ means to arrive, to come, the auxiliary in compound tenses is jessi; when rivâ means to manage, to be able, the auxiliary in compound tenses is vê. This is why we say: i carabinîrs a son rivâts (the carabinîrs arrived), but: a àn rivât a puartâ vie trê bicicletis (they managed to steal three bicycles).

Below is a photograph taken at the bike shop where the robbery occurred. What can you say about it in Friulian?

Robarie intune buteghe di bicicletis, i delincuents a vevin la muse cuvierte

Friulian pronunciation

Tonic stress falls on the syllable marked by an accent in the following words: robarìe, butèghe, biciclète, alàrme, manèce, elètric, malvivènt.

Friulian conversation: bicycles

fâ un zîr in biciclete {in bici} (to go for a bicycle {bike} ride); o vin fat un zîr in bici pal centri (we went for a bike ride through city centre); o vin fat il zîr dal Friûl in bici (we biked across Friûl); lâ in bici (to go by bike); no soi bon di menâ une bici (I do not know how to ride a bike); une biciclete di corse (a racing bicycle); une bici di mont (a mountain bike); une bici di citât (a city bike); par rivâ prime o cognòs une scurte (to get there sooner, I know a shortcut); une ruede, dôs ruedis (one wheel, two wheels); un pedâl, doi pedâi (one pedal, two pedals); une siele di bici (a bike seat); un campanel di biciclete (a bicycle bell); sunâ il campanel (to ring the bell); un manuvri di biciclete (a bicycle handlebar); un ciclist, doi cicliscj (one cyclist, two cyclists); fâ une colade in bici (to fall off one's bike); sbusâ une gome (to get a flat tyre); la gome denant e je flape (the front tyre is flat); la gome daûr no je flape (the rear tyre is not flat); sglonfâ lis gomis (to inflate the tyres); robâ une bici (to steal a bike); mi àn robade la bici (my bike was stolen); un lochet di bici (a bike lock); il lari al à sfuarçât il lochet (the thief forced the lock); no si pues parcâ bicicletis sul prât (bicycles cannot be parked on the lawn).