This series for learning Friulian uses the book Lis predicjis dal muini by Josef Marchet. The full text and audio are made available online by the Societât Filologjiche Furlane (see the links below). In this book, a fictional muini (sacristan), named Vigji Scuete, delivers salty rants in his predicjis (sermons), which introduce you to many colloquial Friulian usages. The variant of Friulian used in this book is a central one, from which the standard language derives, but the commentary for each lesson also provides information about western variants. This book begins with a foreward, called the Preambul, in the words of the author himself; this introductory text sets the scene for what to expect in the lively predicjis that follow. The full text of the book is not reproduced here. Follow the links below to download the book and listen to its associated audio recordings.
READ AND LISTEN
(1) Download a PDF of the book and listen to the Friulian audio on the website of the Societât Filologjiche Furlane.
(2) You can also read the text in the form a flipbook and listen to the Friulian audio on the website of Teche friulane.
The commentary below relates to the first sentence of the Preambul, which begins with al è dibant and ends with fin lis farcadicis.
COMMENTARY ON THE FRIULIAN
Preambul: paragraph 1, sentence 1.
Al è dibant: there is no need, it is pointless. Dibant (in vain) is pronounced with tonic stress on the final syllable. Al è: it is. Whereas lâ means to go, cirî means to look for. Lâ a cirî Gargagnà: to go looking for Gargagnà. Many Friulian infinitives end in â, ê, î and take their tonic stress on that syllable. In some variants of Friulian, such as western ones, to go is rather 'sî, and to look for is rather serçâ. The apostrophed 's of 'sî is voiced, which means that it sounds like the first letter of the English words zoo, zinc, zeal, and not like its voiceless counterpart in sue, sink, seal. Gargagnà, as explained in the book, is an imaginary village of Friûl, where the story is set.
Su lis mapis dal Friûl: on maps of Friûl. The Friulian for map is the feminine noun la mape (the map). In the plural, it becomes lis mapis (the maps). In the audio, you will hear the speaker say li mapis. The feminine plural definite articles lis and li are both heard in Friulian. Su means on. The Friulian territory is called il Friûl in Friulian itself, using the masculine singular definite article il. Dal Friûl: literally, of the Friûl, where di (of) contracts with il to form dal.
No si cjatilu: you cannot find it; literally, one finds it not. The Friulian for to find is cjatâ. Si cjate: one finds. Si cjatilu: one finds it. No si cjatilu: one finds it not. The masculine singular direct object lu (it) is attached to the verb cjate (finds), whose final e becomes i before the addition. Si is an impersonal subject pronoun, used here to mean one, people in general.
Nancje in chês plui minudis e precisis: not even on the smallest and most precise ones. Nancje: not even. Minût: small. Precîs: precise. Plui: most. Mapis is feminine plural, and the adjectives minût and precîs must agree in number and gender with it: minudis, precisis. Chês is also feminine plural, meaning those. Literal translation: not even in those most small and precise. In western variants of Friulian, be prepared to hear nença rather than nancje. Other common pronunciations of plui include pui and pi.
Che a doprin i militârs: that soldiers use. Doprâ: to use. A doprin: they use. I militârs a doprin: soldiers use. Che takes the sense here of that or which, so that che a doprin i militârs means that soldiers use. The third person plural doprin is pronounced with tonic stress on the first syllable. Note that the third-person plural a must be included. Singular equivalent: il militâr al dopre (the soldier uses). In spoken Friulian, it is normal to pronounce che a in one syllable: ch'a, which sounds like ca. That said, in the audio, the speaker may not always make such contractions.
Indulà che a son segnadis fin lis farcadicis: where even molehills are indicated. Indulà che: where, wherein; also commonly said as dulà che and là che. Segnâ: to indicate. Segnât: indicated. Une farcadice: a molehill; plural: lis farcadicis. Segnât must agree in number and gender with the feminine plural farcadicis, to produce: a son segnadis (they are indicated). Consider: al è segnât (masculine singular); e je segnade (feminine singular); a son segnâts (masculine plural); a son segnadis (feminine plural). Masculine plural segnâts is pronounced segnâs; this dropping of the t is typical of the pronunciation of the masculine plural ts ending, and you will have many opportunities to hear this phenomenon in the audio. Fin lis farcadicis: even molehills. Whereas une farcadice means molehill, the animal itself is called un farc (mole).
The Friulian for to be is jessi. In the present tense, it conjugates so: o soi (I am); tu sês (you [singular] are); al è (he is); e je (she is); o sin (we are); o sês (you [plural] are); a son (they are). The Friulian for to have is vê. In the present tense, it conjugates so: o ài (I have); tu âs (you [singular] have); al à (he has); e à (she has); o vin (we have); o vês (you [plural] have); a àn (they have). For information: In numerous variants of Friulian, be prepared to hear i rather than o in the first-person singular, first-person plural and second-person plural; and to hear a rather than e in the feminine, third-person singular.
The feminine noun predicje means sermon; it is pronounced with tonic stress on the first syllable: prè-di-cje. Lis predicjis dal muini: the sermons of the sacristan, the sacristan's sermons. If you are reading an older copy of this book, the title may show as Lis predicjs dal muini. In older spelling, the j of predicjs assumed the function of modern ji. Both the modern predicjis and the older predicjs are pronounced the same: prè-di-cjis.
Go to the next Friulian lesson, where you will learn what the reverse side of a canvas is called in Friulian and how it relates to Gargagnà, with all its human flaws.