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?