Front Matter - Part 01

English – Macedonian Dialectal Dictionary Based on the Lerin-Kostur Dialects As Spoken by Oshchimians By Risto Stefov English – Macedonian Dialectal Dictionary Based on the Lerin-Kostur Dialects As Spoken by Oshchimians Published by:

Risto Stefov Publications rstefov@hotmail.com Toronto, Canada All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written consent from the author, except for the inclusion of brief and documented quotations in a review.

Generations later, as the newly created societies began to culturally mature and search for their roots, attitudes towards dialectal languages began to change. Dialects began to be seen no longer as vulgar and limited but rather as the mothers of modern languages and the sources of modern cultures.

Dialectal languages, at least in the Balkans, are the most natural and longest lasting cultural elements that not only defined the uniqueness of certain societies but also, in a positive way, highlight the diversities within them. The Balkans has always been a multicultural, multiethnic region with various ethnicities living together. Languages have been the predominant factors of cultural divide in a positive way. And within each culture, at least with the Macedonians, a number of micro-cultures existed predominantly defined by unique characteristics such as dress, colour, pattern, song, dance and obviously dialectal language. Before the introduction of nationalism these cultural elements were seen as positive characteristics that uniquely identified each micro-culture in those societies.

Macedonians, no matter from which corner of Macedonia, recognized a dress with certain colours and patterns as belonging to a certain region of Macedonia. They all knew how to dance to the “Bufskoto”, “Tikveshkoto” or “Bitolskoto” Oro but also knew it belonged to the people of Buf, Tikvesh or Bitola. Their culture was based on long standing practical traditions but was by no means culturally limited, vulgar or unnatural. In fact, as people are discovering today, it was the most natural course of cultural evolution that a society could experience. What was truly unnatural was the attempt of our 19 th century authorities to destroy it and replace it with something artificial for the sake of standardization and modernization.

It is most unfortunate that Macedonians, who recognize that the strength of a culture is in its diversity, were not allowed to form their own state and thus were subjected to cultural destruction. Macedonian culture was seen as a threat to Macedonia’s occupiers who, in their attempts to create a monolithic and to a large extent fictional replacement, were bent on its destruction. Some states,like Greece went as far as banning the Macedonian culture by making the Macedonian language in all its dialectal forms illegal and forcibly muted Macedonian songs. As for the dress with its beautiful colours and unique patterns, it was deemed to be the “peasants’ dress” with no place for it in an otherwise “modern world” based on an otherwise “artificial culture”.

In view of the resurgence of Macedonians needing to rediscover their roots, the study of dialects has become interesting and of importance. Here we find ourselves in a unique situation where I am personally familiar with one particular dialect and am in a good position to document it. There is urgent need to do this because I believe, with time and by the application of literary languages through the educational system, dialects will disappear forever. I am one of the last generations to be born in Oshchima, Lerin-Kostur Region, in a society that until as recently as half a century ago spoke a dialect of the Macedonian language. I still remember the language as it was spoken by the elders of Oshchima.

Today, Oshchima is virtually extinct and it is a matter of time before this language too will cease to exist. Oshchima is a small village located half way between Lerin and Kostur in Western Macedonia, now Greek occupied Macedonia, which in 1939, at its height, had about six-hundred residents. By 1969 its population had dropped to less than a dozen people.

Now only a couple of families live there and all the younger generations speak Greek. Oshchima was hard hit and nearly destroyed by the Greek Civil War and most of its residents fled for Canada, Australia, the USA and the Republic of Macedonia.

Since the vast majority of new generations and future generations of Oshchimians live and will continue to live in English speaking countries, this book is my gift to them, to remind them of how their ancestors once spoke.

The publishing of this book was timed to coincide with the 100 th anniversary of the organization “Benefit Society Oshchima” founded in 1907 by Oshchimian emigrants in Canada. This organization was founded to help newly landed Oshchimian emigrants adjust in the world.

Over the years Benefit Society Oshchima evolved into an organization of unity and Macedonian culture bringing Oshchimians together and giving them a sense of belonging.

I would like to thank my parents Nikola and Sofia for their contribution to this book and for their help in clarifying the meaning of the more difficult words.

In putting this dictionary together, my attempt is to bring you a unique version of the Macedonian language as spoken by Oshchimians. The sixteen hundred or so words documented here are uniquely Oshchimian as they were spoken by the last generations living in Oshchima. I would like to remind the reader that this particular language, like all Macedonian dialects in Greece, was banned in the 1930’s by the Greek authorities and was made illegal to speak. It is a miracle it has survived for this long.

Introduction The dialectal Macedonian language presented here is a naturally evolving oral language that has been in use uncodified for many centuries.

I have made every effort to present it in its exact form as it was spoken by generations before me and without grammatical adjustments or corrections. Like most natural languages, it follows logical patterns but not without some exceptions.

My intent here was to document words and phrases as I remember them spoken and to not necessarily explain them grammatically. For grammatical clarifications, the reader is advised to consult the Macedonian literary language.

Because my target audience is the English speaking reader, I found it necessary to use the English or Latin alphabet to define the sounds of the Macedonian words. However, to successfully duplicate and accurately pronounce words I must lay down some fundamental rules;

1. Each word is phonetically pronounced.

2. Each letter has a unique sound unless otherwise specified.

Here is a list of letters with unique sounds, their equivalents in the Macedonian alphabet, and their pronunciation;

Aa – “а” as in nap Bb – “б” as in “boy” Cc – Dd – “д” as in “dog” Ee – “е” as in “net” Ff – “ф” as in “fox” Gg – “г’ as in “God” Hh – “х” as in “have” Ii – “и” as in “beef” Jj – “ј” as in “yard” but very short “ya” Kk – “к” as in “cat” Ll – “л” as in “lamb” Mn – “м” as in “mother” Nn – “н” as in “no” Oo – “о” as in “oh” but flat more like “four” Pp – “п” as in “people” Qq – Rr – “р” as in “rock” Ss – “с” as in “sun” Tt – “т” as in “toy” Uu – “у” as in “food” Vv – “в” as in “victory” Ww - Xx - Yy - Zz – “з” as in “zoo” Here is a list of combined letters used to produce a unique sound, their equivalents in the Macedonian alphabet and their sounds;

Gj or gj – “ґ” as in “gia”, “G” as in “God” followed by the very short “ya” as in “yard” Zh or zh – “ж” as in “Jack” in French Dz or dz – “ѕ” as in “birds” Lj or lj – “љ” as in “Australia” Nj or nj – “њ” as in “Britania” Kj or kj – “ќ” as in “Czechoslovakia” Ts or ts – “ц” as in “Clements” Ch or ch – “ч” as in “cheese” Dzh or dzh “џ” as in “Jack” Sh or sh “ш” an is “show” Ľ or ľ – as in “Leon” (This is a unique sound that makes a distinction between the two sounds; “L” as in “Lion” and “Ľ ” as in “Leon”.)

Here is an example when “l” and “ľ” are applied against the same word to give two meanings; “lut” meaning “mad” and “ľut” meaning “spicy hot”. As in “lut choek” meaning “madman” and “ľuta piperka” meaning

“hot pepper”.

The Macedonian language is structured differently than the English language. For example in English we say; Dog, the dog. In Macedonian we say; Kuche, Kucheto. Here are some more examples;

Cat, the cat => matska, matskata Boy, the boy => dete, deteto Potato, the potato => krtuľ, krtuľo Girl, the girl => chupe, chupeto Woman, the woman => zhena, zhenata Please also note:

(D) indicates “Macedonian Dialectal equivalent to” and (L) indicates “Macedonian Literary equivalent to” Also note that all Macedonian “word application” examples are given in the dialectal language.

A a, an – one, some

(D) “eden” and “nekoj” as in “eden choek kazhva oti nekojsi ľuge mu kazaľe neshcho” meaning “a person says that some people told him something”.

(L) “eden”, “nekoj”.

abandon – to give up

(D) “ostaj” as in “toj go ostaj toa” meaning “he abandoned it”.

(L) “ostavi”, “napushti”.

abdomen – belly

(D) “mej” as in “mejo me boľi” meaning “my belly is hurting”.

(L) “mev”.

abduct – kidnap, carry off (D) “grabna” as in “toj go grabna deteto” meaning “he abducted the boy”.

(L) “obeduva”, “grabuva”.

able – having the power to do things

(D) “sposoven” as in “jas sum sposoven” meaning “I am able”.

(L) “mokj”, “sposoben”.

abnormal – exceptional, deviating from a type (D) “ne tokmu” as in “toj e ne tokmu” meaning “he is abnormal”

(L) “ne normalen”.

about - pertaining to, in connection with

(D) “okolu” as in “me opitfash okolu sho?” meaning “you are asking me about what?”

(L) “okolu”.

above – higher than, over, on the top of

(D) “nat” as in “glaata e nat ramenata” meaning “the head is above the shoulders”.

(L) “gore”, “nad”.

abroad – in or to a foreign country

(D) “chuzhina” as in “ke ojme vo chuzhina” meaning “we are going abroad”.

(L) “stranstvo”, “nadvor”.

abundance – quantity more than enough

(D) “bogastvo” as in “Gospo ni dade bogastvo” meaning “God gave us abundance”.

(L) “bogastvo”, “obilie”.

abuse – make bad use of, misuse, unjust or corrupt practice (D) “navred” as in “mi a navredi dushata i farmak mi a napraj” meaning “you have abused my soul and turned it into poison”.

(L) “zloupotrba”, “navreda”.

academic – scholarly to do with learning

(D) “izuchen” as in “toj e izuchen” meaning “he is learned as in he is an academic”.

(L) “akademik”.

accurate – precise, conforming exactly to a standard

(D) “tokmu” as in “se soglasvam, toa e tokmu” meaning “I agree, it is accurate”.

(L) “tochno”, “pravno”.

acknowledge – agree to the truth, admit it as true, express appreciation or understanding (D) “priznaa” as in “toj si ga priznaa greshkata” meaning “he acknowledges his error”.

(L) “priznava”, “potvrduva”,

“zablagodaruva”.

acorn – fruit of oak

(D) “zhir” as in “zhirjeto ne padve po daľeku ot dmbo” meaning “the acorns don’t fall too far from the oak tree”.

(L) “zhelad”.

across – from side to side of, on the other side of

(D) “preku” as in “preku planina” meaning “across the mountain”.

(L) “preku”, “sproti”, “niz”.

advice – opinion given in regards to future action (D) “sovet” as in “ti se moľam daimi sovet, neznam sho da pram” meaning “please give me advice, I don’t know what to do”.

(L) “sovet”, “soopshtenie”.

aflame – in flames

(D) “vo plamen” as in “drvoto e vo plamen” meaning “the wood is in flames”

(L) “vo plamen”, “zapalen”.

afraid – alarmed, frightened (D) “stra” and “upla” as in “mi e stra ot mechkata” meaning “I am afraid of the bear” and “upla me fati ot mechkata” meaning “I was frightened by the bear”.

(L) “uplashen”, “plashi”.

after – later, following in time (D) “posľe” as in “ke te vida posľe vechera” meaning “see you after supper”.

(L) “potoa”, “zad”, “posle”.

afternoon – time from noon to evening

(D) “po pladne” and “po ruchok” as in “oroto ke bidi po pladne i musikata ke fati po ruchok” meaning “the dance will take place in the afternoon and the music will begin after lunch”.

(L) “popladne” again – another time, once more (D) “pa ope” as is “pa ope kazhimi” meaning “tell me again”

(L) “povtorno”, “pak”.

against – in opposition to (D) “protif” as in “ti si protif mene” meaning “you are against me”.

(L) “protiv”.

age – length of time a person or thing has existed

(D) “staros” as in “kucheto ti psojsa ot staros” meaning “your dog died of old age”.

(L) “vozrast”, “starost”.

agree – of same opinion

(D) “soglas” as in “sme vo soglas” meaning “we are in agreement”.

(L) “se slozhuva”, “soglas”.

aim – give direction to weapon (D) “nameri” as in “nameria pushkata” meaning “aim the rifle”.

(L) “tsel”, “nasoka”.

air – mixture of gas we breathe (D) “veter” as in “disha veter” meaning “I breathe air”.

(L) “vozduh”.

akin – related by blood, alike (D) “soj” as in “nie sme soj” meaning “we are akin”.

(L) “sroden”, “blizok”.

alive – living, active, aware (D) “zhif” as in “ti si bil ushche zhif” meaning “you are still alive”.

(L) “zhiv”, “pretpazliv”,

“osetliv”.

all – the whole of, everyone of (D) “tsel” and “svite” as in “go izedu tsel peshnik ľep” meaning “I ate all of the loaf of bread” and “svite ľuge si ojdoa doma” meaning “all the people have gone home”.

(L) “tsel”, “se”, “sekoj”.

alone – single, solitary (D) “sam” as in “sam si doma” meaning “I am home alone”.

(L) “sam”, “osamen”.

always – at all times, on all occasions

(D) “sekogash” as in “sekogash imam pari” meaning “I always have money”.

(L) “sekogash”.

am – be

(D) “jas si” (I am), “ti si” (you are), “toj e” (he is), “taa e” (she is), “nie sme” (we are), “vie ste” (you are), “tie se” (they are).

amend – correct error in, make minor alterations in

(D) “isprai” as in “isprai go pisanjeto” meaning “make amends to the writing”.

(L) “isprava”, “podobruva”, “se poprava”.

among – surrounded by, in the category of

(D) “megu” as in “se naodvam megu priateľi” meaning “I am among friends”.

(L) “pomegju”, “megju”, “sred”,

“od”.

ancestry – one’s family descent (D) “potek” as in “jas potekvam ot Makedontsi” meaning “my ancestors are Macedonian”.

(L) “pretsi”, “poteklo”.

ancient – of times long past (D) “aro” as in “a bre aro Gospo da te prosti” meaning “hey you ancient may God forgive you” (L) “dreven”, “drevni” and – connecting words, implying progression

(D) “i” as in “ti i jas” meaning

“you and me”.

(L) “i”.

angel – attendant or messenger of God

(D) “angel” as in “ti si moi angel” meaning “you are my angel”

(L) “angel” anger – extreme or dispassionate displeasure

(D) “ľut” as in “zashcho si ľuten?” meaning “why are you angry?”

(L) “lut”, animal – living being other than human

(D) “pravdo” as in “toa pravdo e kon” meaning “that animal is a horse”.

(L) “zhivotno”.

ankle – joint connecting foot with leg

(D) “gľuzh” as in “mi se shina gľuzho” meaning “my ankle was sprained”.

(L) “gluzhd”.

another – additional, one more (D) “drug” as in “ke se vidime vo drug den” meaning “we will see each other another day”.

(L) “drug”, “ushte eden”.

answer – something said or done in reaction to a question (D) “odgovor” as in “odgovori mi” meaning “answer me”.

(L) “odgovor”, “reshenje” ant – wingless insect (D) “mraa” as in “mraata me ksna” meaning “the ant bit me”

(L) “mrava”.

any – one, no matter which of several

(D) “nekoj” as in “nekoj ot nimu” meaning “any of them”.

(L) “koj”, “nekoj”, “nekakov”.

apology – regretful acknowledgement of offence or failure

(D) “prosti” as in “da me prostish za toa” meaning “my apology for that”.

(L) “izvinuvanje”.

appeal – make earnest formal request

(D) “moľba” as in “naprai mu edna moľba” meaning “make an appeal”.

(L) “apelatsija”, “molba”, “apelira”, “baranje”.

appear – become or be visible, give certain indication (D) “se javi” as in “kucheto se javi” meaning “the dog has appeared”.

(L) “se pojavi”, “se pojavuva”, appendix – small tube attached to intestine

(D) “suvo tsereo” as in “suvoto tsereo me boľi” meaning “my appendix is hurting”.

(L) “slepo tsrevo”.

apple – a round, firm fruit (D) “jabolko” as in “jabolkoto ima mnogu jabolka ovaa godina” meaning “the apple tree has many apples this year”.

(L) “jabolko”.

approximate – near to the actual (D) “pribľizhi” as in “pribľizhi kilo” meaning “approximately a kilogram”.

(L) “priblizhuva” apricot – orange-yellow stone fruit allied to plum and peach (D) “kajsija” as in “kajsijata e zhlta” meaning “the apricot is yellow”.

(L) “kajsija” April – the fourth month of the year

(D) “Apriľ” (modern) or “Treven” (old). (See months)

(L) “April”.

apron – garment worn in front of body to protect clothes (D) “pregatch” as in “tsrven pregatch” meaning “red apron”.

(L) “skutnik”, “utare” arable – land suitable for producing crops

(D) “plodna” as in “zemjata e plodna” meaning “the soil is arable”.

(L) “orachka”, “plodna”,

“obrabotliva” are – to be

(D) “si” as in “ti si umen choek” meaning “you are a smart person”.

(L) “si”.

arm – upper limb of human body

(D) “raka” as in “imash dlga raka” meaning “you have a long arm”.

(L) “raka”.

around – on every side, all round

(D) “okolu” as in “okolu kukjata” meaning “around the house”.

(L) “okolu”.

arrange – put into required order (D) “naredi” as in “naredigi na ret” meaning “arrange them in order”.

(L) “ureduva”, “doveduva vo red”.

arrive – reach destination (D) “dojde” as in “gostino dojde” meaning “the guest has arrived”.

(L) “stasuva”, “doagja”.

ash – residue left after a substance has been burned (D) “pepel” as in “drvata izgorea i se storia pepel” meaning “the wood burned and has turned to ash”.

(L) “pepel”, “prav”.

ask – call for an answer (D) “opitaj” as in “opitaj dea odi ovoj pat” meaning “ask where this road is going”.

(L) “prashai”, “zamoli”,

“navikni”.

ashamed – feeling shame (D) “ustramen” as in “toj e ustramen ot sho nosi vefti pľachki” meaning “he is ashamed because he is wearing old clothes”.

(L) “zasramen”.

ass – four legged animal with long ears related to a horse (D) “magare” as in “magareto pasi vo ľivadata” meaning “the ass (donkey) is grazing in the meadow”.

(L) “magare”.

assembly – group of persons gathering together

(D) “sobranje” as in “ova e golemo sobranje” meaning “this is a large assembly”.

(L) “sobir”, “drushtvo”.

asset – possession having value (D) “imot” as in “stokata ti e imot” meaning “your property is your asset”.

(L) “imot”.

assign – allot as share or responsibility

(D) “odredi” as in “odredi mu rabota” meaning “assign them work”.

(L) “naznachuva”, “odreduva”.

assist – help, give help (D) “pomozhi” as in “pomozhi mu da a dostore rabotata” meaning “assist them to finish the job”.

(L) “pomoga”, “pomozhi”.

assure – convince, tell confidently

(D) “osigori” (“sigoren”) as in “osigori go choeko oti toj e praf” meaning “assure the person that he is right”.

(L) “uveruva”, “garantira”,

“osiguruva”.

at – expressing position (D) “vo” and “na” as in “vo eden saato”, meaning “at one o’clock” and “na vechera” meaning “at supper”.

(L) “vo”, “na”.

ate – past of eat

(D) “jadu” as in “jadu pret poloina saat” meaning “I ate half an hour ago”.

(L) “jade”.

attack – act against with force (D) “udri” and “napadni” as in “udri go so kamen” meaning “attack him with a stone” and “napadni go so lafoj” meaning “attack him with words”.

(L) “udar”, “napad”.

attend – be present at (D) “poseta” as in “ke o poseta brako na komshiata” meaning “I will attend my neighbour’s wedding”.

(L) “se zanimava”,

“posluzhuva”, “sledi”, “neguva”, “posetuva”, “prisustuva”.

attention – act or faculty of applying one’s mind

(D) “vnimanje” as in “daj mu vnimanje” meaning “give it attention”.

(L) “vnimanie”, “obzir”.

attic – space below roof of house

(D) “tavan” as in “tavano e pot chatiata” meaning “the attic is under the roof”.

(L) “mansarda”, “soba na tavan”, “tavan”.

August – the eighth month of the year

(D) “Avgust” (modern) or “Zhitar” (old) (See months)

(L) “Avgust”.

aunt – sister or sister in law of one’s mother or father (D) “strina” (father’s brother’s wife), “teta” (father’s sister), “vujna” (mother’s brother’s wife) and “sveska” (mother’s sister).

(L) “tetka”, “vujna”.

average – usual amount, extent or rate

(D) “streden” as in “e streden na visochina” meaning “he is of average height”.

(L) “sredina”, “prosek”,

“sreden”.

avoid – keep away or refrain from

(D) “odbega” as in “odbegaj ot ľuti piperki” meaning “avoid hot peppers”.

(L) “izbegnuva”, “se otstranuva”, “ponishtuva”,

“unishtuva”.

awake – rouse from sleep, cease to sleep

(D) “razbuden” as in “sega si razbuden” meaning “I am now awake”.

(L) “budi”, “se budi”, “se osvetuva”.

away – to or at a distance from a person or place

(D) “zamina” as in “zamina vo edna daľechna drzhaa” meaning “went away to a distant country”.

(L) “ponatamu”, “otstrana”, “nastrana”, “daleku”.

awful – terrifying, very bad or poor

(D) “strashno” as in “vremeto e strashno” meaning “the weather is awful”.

(L) uzhasen”, “uzhasno”.

axe – tool for chopping wood (D) “baltia” as in “toj sechi drva so baltia” meaning “he is cutting wood with an axe”.

(L) “sekira”.

B baby – very young child (D) “bebe” as in “bebeto plachi” meaning “the baby is crying”.

(L) “bebe”, “dete”.

bachelor - unmarried man (D) “nezhenat” as in “najdisi nezhenat mash” meaning “find yourself a bachelor”.

(L) “nezhenat”, “ergen”.

back – rear side

(D) “pľeshchi”, “dzadi” and “nazat” as in “pľeshchite me boľe” meaning “my back is aching”, “dzadi zat kukjata” meaning “back behind the house” and “se vrna nazat” meaning “has came back”.

(L) “grb”, “plekji”, “zadna strana”, “til”, “nazad”.

backbone - spine

(D) “shiper” as in “shipero mu se skrshi” meaning “his backbone broke”.

(L) “rbet”, “grbnak”.

bad – worse, inferior, defective, inadequate

(D) “losh” as in “losho kuche” meaning “bad dog” or “losh choek” meaning “bad man”.

(L) “losh”, “nezdrav”,

“neprijaten”.

badger – grey burrowing mammal of weasel family (D) “jazoets” as in “ima jazoets vo dupkata” meaning “there is a badger in the hole”.

(L) “jazoets”.

bag – receptacle of flexible material

(D) “torba” (small bag with handle, carried over the shoulder) and “vreshche” (large bag for storing grain) as in “imam jadenie vo torbata” meaning “I have food in the bag” and “vreshcheto e plno so zhito” meaning “the bag is full with grain”.

(L) “vrekja”, “chanta”, “torba”.

bake – cook by dry heat (D) “pechi” as in “pechi ľep” meaning “bake bread”.

(L) “peche”.

baker– a person who bakes and sells bread

(D) “pechar” as in “pecharo pechi ľep vo furnata” meaning “the baker is baking bread in the oven”.

(L) “pekar”.

balcony – upper floor platform on outside of building (D) “balkon” as in “balkono e nad dvoro” meaning “the balcony is above the yard”.

(L) “balkon”.

bale – bundle of straw (D) “sfalnitsa” as in “seno sfalnitsa” meaning “bale of hay”

(L) “denk”, “bala”.

ball – solid or hollow sphere used for playing games (D) “shutka” and “topka” as in “frľimia shutkata” meaning “throw me the ball” and “udria topkata” meaning “kick the ball”.

(L) “topka”, “klupche”, “gjule”.

bandit – one of the gang that attacks travelers, robber, outlaw (D) “aramia” as in “toj e aramia” meaning “he is a bandit”.

(L) “pazboinik”, “aramia”.

banquet – elaborate and formal dinner

(D) “gozba” as in “mnogu bogata gozba” meaning “very rich banquet”.

(L) “banket”, “se chesti”,

“piruva”, “limnuva”.

baptism – rite of admission to Christian Church

(D) “krstenje” as in “krstenje na deteto” meaning “the boy’s baptism”.

(L) “krstavanje”.

barefoot – without shoes or stockings

(D) “bos” as in “ne baraj bos” meaning “don’t walk barefoot”

(L) “bosonog”.

bargain – agreement on terms of sale

(D) “pazar” as in “aide da se pazarime” meaning “let’s bargain”.

(L) “spogodba”, “pazar”, “se tsenka” bark – as in bark of a dog, fox, etc.

(D) “lae” as in “kucheto lae” meaning “the dog is barking”.

(L) “lae”, “kashla”.

bark – as in tree bark (D) “korupka” as in “drvoto ima jaka korupka” meaning “the tree has hard bark”.

(L) “kora na drvo”.

barley – a grain

(D) “jachmen” as in “zrno ot jachmen” meaning “a grain of barley”.

(L) “jachmen”.

barn – large farm building for storage

(D) “pľemna” and “aur” as in “senoto e vo pľemnata” meaning “the hay is in the barn” and “volo e vo auro” meaning “the ox is in the barn”.

(L) “ambar”, “smestuvalishte za tramvaj”.

barrel – round wooden vessel (D) “bochka” as in “bochka so vino” meaning “barrel of wine”.

(L) “bure”, “valets”.

basement – lowest floor of building usually underground (D) “izba” as in “studi vo izbata” meaning “it is cold in the basement”.

(L) “suteren”, “prizemje”,

“izba”.

basil – aromatic herb (D) “bosiľok” as in “bosiľok rasti vo gradina” meaning “basil grows in the garden”.

(L) “bosilek”.

basket – container made of interwoven cane

(D) “sepetka” (round basket for serving) and “koshnitsa” (deep basket with handle for carrying)

as in “sho imash vo sepetkata?” meaning “what do you have in the basket?” and “sho nosish vo koshnitsata” meaning “what are you carrying in the basket?”

(L) “koshnitsa”.

bastard – person born of unmarried parents

(D) “kopiľe” as in “toj e kopiľe” meaning “he is a bastard”.

(L) “melez”, “vonbrachno dete”.

bat – furry flying mouse-like mammal active at night (D) “ľiľjak” as in “ľiľjako ľita noshjata” meaning “the bat flies at night”.

(L) “liljak”.

batter – mixture of flour, egg, milk or water

(D) “testo” as in “testo ot brashno, jajtsa, mľeko eľi voda” meaning “batter from flour, eggs, milk or water”.

(L) “testo”.

battle – prolonged fight between armed forces

(D) “borba” as in “borbata zafati” meaning “the battle has begun”.

(L) “borba”, “sudir”, “boi”.

bayonet – stabbing blade attachable to muzzle of rifle (D) shtik” as in “me dupna so shtiko” meaning “he stabbed me with the bayonet”.

(L) “baionet”.

bead – small rounded piece of glass

(D) “monisto” and “brojnitsi” as in “belo monisto e biser” meaning “a white bead is a pearl” and “dedo ima brojnitsi” meaning “grandpa has a string of beads”.

(L) “zrno”, “biser”, “kapka”,

“brojnitsi”.

beak – bird’s horny projecting jaw

(D) “pupunets” as in “garvano ima dlk pupunets” meaning “the crow has a long beak”.

(L) “klun”.

bean – leguminous plant (D) “gra” as in “ovaa godina posadime mnogu gra” meaning “this year we planted plenty of beans”.

(L) “grav”.

bear – large heavy mammal with thick fur

(D) “mechka” as in “mi e stra ot mechkata” meaning “I am afraid of the bear”.

(L) “mechka”.

beast – animal, four footed and wild

(D) “dzver” as in “dzvero zhivi vo planina” meaning “the beast lives in the mountain”.

(L) “dzver”.

beautiful – having beauty, pleasing to eye, ear or mind (D) “prepno” and “ubavo” as in “chupito ot Oshchima e mnogu prepno” meaning “the girl from Oshchima is very beautiful” and “maloto dete ot Oshchima e ubavo” meaning “the little boy from Oshchima is beautiful”.

(L) “ubav”, “krasen”,

“velichestven”.

because – for the reason that, since

(D) “zashcho” as in “ti si umen zashcho peesh mnogu” meaning “you are smart because you read a lot”.

(L) “zatoa shto”.

bed – base or support to sleep on (D) “kreve” as in “choeko spie vo kreveto” meaning “the person is sleeping in the bed”.

(L) “krevet”, “postela”.

bee – winged hairy insect with sting

(D) “pchela” as in “pchelata praj met” meaning “the bee makes honey”.

(L) “pchela”.

before – ahead of, in front of (D) “pret” as in “jadi pret da se napiesh rakia” meaning “eat before you drink rakia (alcoholic drink)”.

(L) “pred”, “porano”.

beg – ask for, seek earnest or humble

(D) “moľi” as in “toj te moľi da ne mu napraish losho” meaning “he begs you not to do him harm”.

(L) “moli”.

begin – perform first part of (D) “zafati” as in “zafati da igrash oro” meaning “begin dancing”.

(L) “pochnuva”, “nastanuva”.

behave – act or react, show good manners

(D) “se odnosi” as in “se odnosi so arno” meaning “you behaved kindly”.

(L) “se odnesuva”, “postapuva”.

behind – in or to the rear (D) “zad” as in “odi zad kukjata” meaning “go behind the house”.

(L) “odzadi”, “po”, “zad”.

believe – accept as true or as conveying truth

(D) “verva” as in “taa verva na Gospo” meaning “she believes in God”.

(L) “veruva”, “smeta”, “misli”.

bell – hollow metal object made to sound a note when struck (D) “dzvonche”, “kľukashka” and “kambana” as in “dzvoncheto udri vo skoľjeto” meaning “the bell rang in school”, “ofchata nosi kľukashka ” meaning “the sheep is wearing a bell” and “kambanata bie” meaning “the church-bell is ringing”.

(L) “dzvonets”, “dzvonche”.

belly – part of the body below chest

(D) “mej” as in “mejo me boľi” meaning “my belly is aching”.

(L) “mev”.

belong – be the property of (D) “pripadva” as in “toa mi pripadva mene” meaning “that belongs to me”.

(L) “pripagja”, “se odnesuva”.

belt – strip of leather, etc, worn around waist

(D) “remen” as in “nosa remen okolu polojnata” meaning “I wear a belt around my waist”.

(L) “pojas”, “kaish”.

bench – long seat of wood or stone

(D) “stoľitsa” as in “sedni so mene na stoľitsata” meaning “sit with me on the bench”.

(L) “klupa”, “tezge”.

bend – force into curve or angle (D) “sfi” as in “sfi go zheľeznjo stap” meaning “bend the iron rod”.

(L) “vitka”, “svitkuva”,

“iskrivuva”.

beside – at the side of, near (D) “pokraj” as in “pokraj neo jas se puľa visok” meaning “beside him I look tall”.

(L) “pored”, “blizu”.

best – of most excellent or desirable kind

(D) “najaren” as in “ti si najaren vo pľivanje” meaning “you are the best in swimming”.

(L) “naidobar”.

bet – risk sum of money against another’s risk

(D) “bas” as in “sakash da klaime bas?” meaning “do you want to make a bet?”

(L) “se oblazhuva”.

betray – be disloyal to, assist the enemy

(D) “predava” as in “predatelo me predade na Turtskio asker” meaning “the traitor betrayed me to the Turkish soldiers”.

(L) “izmamuva”, “izneveruva”,

“predava”.

better – of more excellent or desirable kind

(D) “poaren” as in “ti si poaren ot mene na lov” meaning “you are a better hunter than me”.

(L) “oblozhuvach”, “podobar”,

“pogolem”.

between – in, into, along or across the extent or interval bounded by two or more points or lines

(D) “megu” as in “megu tebe i mene” meaning “between you and me”.

(L) “pomegju”.

beverage – liquid prepared for drinking

(D) “piachka” as in “ti se moľam daimi edna studena piachka” meaning “please give me a cold beverage”.

(L) “napitok”.

bible – Christian scriptures (D) “vangeľje” as in “popo pee ot vangeľjeto” meaning “the priest is reading from the bible”.

(L) “biblija”.

big – considerable size, amount, intensity, etc.

(D) “goľem” as in “toj e goľem mash” meaning “he is a big man”.

(L) “golem”, “shirok”, “krupen”,

“vazhen”.

Billy-goat – male goat (D) “prch” as in “prcho ima brada” meaning “the Billy-goat has a beard”.

(L) “jarets”.

bin – large box-shaped container

(D) “kopanka” as in “bisheto jadi ot kopankata” meaning “the pig eats from the bin”.

(L) “sandak”, “bunker”, “kanta za gjubre”.

bind – tie or fasten together (D) “vrzi” as in “venchanjeto ne vrza zaedno” meaning “our marriage has bound us together”.

(L) “vrzuva”, “povrzuva”, “podrzuva”, “obvrzuva”.

bird – feathered vertebrates with two wings

(D) “vrapche” as in “vrapcheto ľitna” meaning “the bird flew”.

(L) “ptitsa”.

birth – emergence of young from mother’s body

(D) “rodi” as in “taa rodi dete” meaning “she gave birth to a boy”.

(L) “ragja”.

birthplace – place where one was born

(D) “rodno mesto” as in “Oshchima mi e moe rodno mesto” meaning “Oshchima is my birthplace”.

(L) “rodno mesto”.

bishop – senior clergyman in charge of diocese

(D) “piskup” as in “piskupo e goľem vo tsrkvata” meaning “the bishop is high-ranking in the church”.

(L) “episkop”.

bitch – female dog

(D) “kuchka” as in “kuchkata e trudna” meaning “the bitch is pregnant”.

(L) “kuchka”.

bite – cut into or nip with the teeth

(D) “ksa” as in “kuchkata me ksa” meaning “the bitch is biting me”.

(L) “kasa”, “grize”.

bitter – having a sharp pungent taste

(D) “gorchi” as in “neftasanoto jabolko gorchi” meaning “the unripe apple is bitter”.

(L) “gorchliv”.

black – reflecting no light, colourless

(D) “tsrn” as in “nosam tsrn kustum i tsrni cheľi” meaning “I am wearing a black suit and black shoes”.

(L) “tsrn”, “temen”, “mrachen”.

blacksmith – smith who works in iron

(D) “koach” as in “koacho koe plochi” meaning “the blacksmith is making horseshoes”.

(L) “kovach”.

bladder – sac in body for holding liquid

(D) “meur” as in “meuro mi e naduen” meaning “my bladder is bloated”.

(L) “meur”.

blade – cutting part of knife (D) “sechilo” as in “rachkata e za da se drzhi i sechiloto e za da sechi” meaning “the handle is for holding and the blade is for cutting”.

(L) “klas”, “sechilo”, “rez”.

blame – assign fault or responsibility to

(D) “kabaet”, as in “kabaeto e moj” meaning “I am to blame”.

(L) “ukor”, “prekor”, “vina”.

blanket – large woolen or fiber sheet

(D) “veľentse” as in “pokrime so veľentseto oti mi studi” meaning “cover me with the blanket because I am cold”.

(L) “kjebe”, “pokrivka”’

“sokriva”.

blaze – large bright flame or fire

(D) “plamen” as in

“Oshchimtskite pľemni se vo plamen” meaning “the Oshchimian barns are in blazes”.

(L) “plamen”, “vozbuduvanje”.

bleat – sound sheep make (D) “bľee” as in “oftsata bľee” meaning “the sheep is bleating”.

(L) “blee”.

bleed – emit blood

(D) “techi krf” as in “ako se posechish ke ti techi krf” meaning “if you cut yourself you will bleed”.

(L) “krvari”, “pushta krv”.

blend – mix into required sort, merge or mingle

(D) “mesha” as in “buľudzite se zameshaja” meaning “the herds have blended together”.

(L) “mesha”, “smeshuva”,

“spojuva”.

bless – invoke divine favour on (D) “blosoj” as in “Gospo da te blosoj” meaning “God bless you”.

(L) “blagoslovuva” blind – lacking power of sight (D) “sľep” as in “toj sho ne puľi e sľep” meaning “he who could not see is blind”.

(L) “slep”.

blink – move eyelids quickly down and up

(D) “kľepa” as in “ne i kľepaj ochite ke osľepish” meaning “don’t blink your eyes you will go blind”.

(L) “trepka”, “svetka”, “zatforva ochi”.

block – large solid piece of wood or stone

(D) “kalap” as in “kalap praen ot chimento” meaning “block made of cement”.

(L) “trup”, “blok”, “kalap”.

blonde – having golden or pale coloured hair

(D) “rus” as in “mladata chupa ima rusa kosa” meaning “the young girl has blond hair”.

(L) “rus”, “rusokosa”.

blood – red liquid circulating in arteries

(D) “krf” as in “Oshchimska krf se ľee za Makedonija” meaning “Oshchimiam blood is spilled for Macedonia”.

(L) “krv”.

bloodsucker – leech, extortionist (D) “krvopiets” as in “piajtsata e krvopiets” meaning “the leech is a bloodsucker”.

(L) “pijavitsa”, “krvopiets”.

bloom – going into flowering state

(D) “razvia” as in “tsvekiata se razvia” meaning “the flowers have bloomed”.

(L) “tsutenie”, “tsut”, “pupka”.

blossom – flower or mass of flowers

(D) “tsut” as in “krushata ima mnogu tsut ovoj proľet” meaning “the pear tree has plenty of blossoms this spring”.

(L) “tsutenje”, “tsut”, “tsvet”.

blow – current of air moving (D) “dua” as in “dua veter” meaning “the wind is blowing”.

(L) “duva”.

blowpipe – tube for blowing air on fire

(D) “dualo” as in “duaj so dualoto da se zapaľi ogno” meaning “blow with the blowpipe to start the fire”.

(L) “duvalka”.

blue – having the colour of clear sky

(D) “sino” as in “neboto e chisto i sino” meaning “the ski is clear and blue”.

(L) “sin”, “sino”.

boar – male wild pig

(D) “divo bishe” as in “denes ke lovime divo bishe” meaning “today we will hunt boar”.

(L) “diva svinia”.

boast – declare one’s achievements or abilities with indulgent pride

(D) “se faľi” as in “toj se faľi za nemnata nauka” meaning “be is boasting about his education”.

(L) falenje”, “se fali”.

boat – small vessel propelled on water by oars

(D) chunka” as in “ke odime so chunka preku ezero” meaning “we will go by boat over the lake”.

(L) “chun”.

body – physical structure of man or animal

(D) “mrsha” as in “tie ime silni mrshi” meaning “they have strong bodies”.

(L) “telo”.

bog – wet spongy ground (D) “mocharka” as in “trevata e sekogash po zeľena okolu mocharkata” meaning “the grass is always greener around the bog”.

(L) “kal”, “mochurishte”.

boil – bubble up, hot liquid giving off vapour

(D)“vari” as in “vodata se vari” meaning “the water is boiling”.

(L) “vari”.

bone – any hard pieces making up skeleton in vertebrates

(D) “koska” as in “kucheto ga grizi koskata” meaning “the dog is biting on a bone”.

(L) “koska”.

book – set of printed or written sheets bound at one edge with cover

(D) “kniga” as in “toj pee pesni ot knigata” meaning “he is reading poems from the book”.

(L) “kniga”.

boot – outer footwear reaching ankle

(D) “chisma” as in “taa kupi novi chismi” meaning “she bought new boots”.

(L) “korist”, “kjar”, “chizma”.

border – edge or boundary (D) “gradnitsa” as in “Kanada ima dlga grednitsa” meaning “Canada has a long border”.

(L) “granitsa”, “kraj”, “megja”.

born – existing as a result of birth

(D) “roden” as in “jas si roden vo Oshchima” meaning “I was born in Oshchima”.

(L) “roden”.

both – the two, not only one (D) “jobete” as in “jobete detsa se moi sinoi” meaning “both boys are my sons”.

(L) “obata”, “dvajtsa”.

bother – give trouble to, worry, disturb

(D) “boraj” as in “ne me boraj, si postanat” meaning “don’t bother me I am tired”.

(L) “voznemiruva”,

“izmachuva”.

bottle – container of glass or plastic for storing liquid (D) “shishe” as in “dajmi edno shishe vino” meaning “give me a bottle of wine”.

(L) “shishe”.

bottom – lower part or point, part on which thing rests (D) “dolno” as in “sednigo na dolnata strna” meaning “sit him on the bottom side”.

(L) “dno”.

boundary – line marking limit of land

(D) “sinor” as in “tuka e sinoro na nivata” meaning “here is the boundary of the field”.

(L) “granitsa”.

bovine – of or like ox or cow (D) “goendo” as in “vidi, edna suria goenda” meaning “look, a herd of bovine”.

bowel – intestine, everything below stomach

(D) “tsereo” as in “sve pot stomako se vika tserea” meaning “everything below the stomach is called bowels”.

bowl – hollow dish

(D) “misur” as in “dajmi salata vo misur” meaning “give me salad in a bowl”.

(L) “chasha”, “vazna”.

box – firm container with flat sides

(D) “kutia” as in “vo kutiata ima alva” meaning “there is halva in the box”.

(L) “kutia”, “sandak”,

“kovcheg”.

boy – male child; young man (D) “dete” as in “deteto igra bala” meaning “the boy is playing ball”.

(L) “dete”, “momche”.

brag – talk boastfully (D) “se faľi” as in “toj se faľi oti ima mnogu pari” meaning “he is bragging that he has a lot of money”.

(L) “se fali”, “se due”.