# Serbo-Croatian (BCS): Svestran



## Anna_A

Ja sam svestrana osoba. or
Ja sam vrlo svestrana.(meaning I have lot interest)
Is ''versatil'' the corect word for that?

My try:

I'm versatile person.


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## musicalchef

I'm not familiar with the word "svestran," but in English we often call a person with a lot of interests "well-rounded."  

I wouldn't use "versatile" to necessarily describe someone who has a lot of interests.  I would use that word to describe someone who is good at a lot of things, or is adaptable (flexible) to different situations.  (and maybe that's also one of the meanings of "svestran")

Maybe someone has a better suggestion?  I keep thinking there is another good word for that, but can't remember it right now.


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## Duya

Yes, as usual, there are different shades of meaning between words within single language, and then in different languages.

Chef, I'd say that "svestran" is closest to "well-rounded". On the other hand, I'd rather use "versatile" for a tool than for a person (though it's certainly possible, but English is not my mother tongue). There are also "all-around", "multi-faceted" (but now I'm looking at a thesaurus).

But I don't think that there's a single precise word in either language for someone who has a lot of interests...


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## TriglavNationalPark

If "svestran" in BCS means exactly the same thing as "vsestranski" in Slovenian, then either "versatile" or "well-rounded" could work, depending on the context.

The term is often used to mean "versatile" (competent in different skills or fields), but if the emphasis in this case is on having many *interests*, then, yes, I would certainly go with musicalchef's suggestion: "well-rounded".


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## musicalchef

Duya said:


> On the other hand, I'd rather use "versatile" for a tool than for a person (though it's certainly possible, but English is not my mother tongue).



That's true.  It's used for a person sometimes, but more commonly for inanimate objects.

Not sure if this is relevant (to "svestran"), but we have an expression "Jack of all trades; King (Queen) of none" to mean someone who is "good" at a lot of things, but not "great" at any of them since his/her interests are too far-spread, and he/she has not perfected any one skill.


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## Anna_A

Thank you all..and thank you for new expression musicalchef  , but no that's not related to that..people using  "Ja sam vrlo svestrana osoba"  with positive meaning...and not really to express are you competent or not in diferent skills(even it can be that you are maybe compentent for more of them),but to say that you have width range of interset(if I can say like that, I'm sorry my english isn't very good)..and it can means also at the same time that you like to hear(learn) new things-for example - if you are a lawyer and your friend start exciting to talk something really interesting from medicine fild,but then he remembers that that is maybe not interesting for you, and he says:''Oh I'm sorry that's probably not interesting for you" ,and then you can say: "Ne ne baš naprotiv,uvek volim da čujem nešto novo..ja sam zapravo vrlo svestrana osoba.."


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## TriglavNationalPark

Anna_A said:


> Thank you all..and thank you for new expression musicalchef  , but no that's not related to that..people using  "Ja sam vrlo svestrana osoba"  with positive meaning...and not really to express are you competent or not in diferent skills(even it can be that you are maybe compentent for more of them),but to say that you have width range of interset(if I can say like that, I'm sorry my english isn't very good)..and it can means also at the same time that you like to hear(learn) new things-for example - if you are a lawyer and your friend start exciting to talk something really interesting from medicine fild,but then he remembers that that is maybe not interesting for you, and he says:''Oh I'm sorry that's probably not interesting for you" ,and then you can say: "Ne ne baš naprotiv,uvek volim da čujem nešto novo..ja sam zapravo vrlo svestrana osoba.."



A "polymath" is a person who is interested in and familiar with various different areas of knowledge. Is that what you're thinking of?

You can also avoid a literal translation altogether and just call the person "intellectually curious"; it's implied that such a person is interested in many different things.


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## TriglavNationalPark

I just asked our friends in the English Only forum for some help. Instead of paraphrasing their replies, here's a link to that thread (I hope we get several different responses):

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1316598


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## Anna_A

Thank you TriglavNationalPark  , and you wrote good that thread


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