# Croatian (BCS): Soulmate



## Alvitr

Hi,

How would you call someone a soulmate in Croatian?
Or someone who is as close as a brother to you, but you are actually not related to each other (very close friends).

Thanks


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## Duya

Tough question. The closest I can come up with is "srodna duša".


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## Alvitr

With a tripple-check in the English Dictionary, I got kindred lifeblood and kindred souls for "srodna duša". So if simply using another english expression that seems to mean the same thing, It sounds very acurat. Thank You again!


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## trance0

Just a side-note, in Slovene this would be "sorodna duša".


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## Transatlantic

I was struggling to remember the SC word, but couldn't. Then I saw Duya's suggestion and, yes, it sounds like the closest thing there is. 

Btw., in English, we also say "a kindred spirit" for "a soulmate", and "srodna duša" is sort of a word-for-word translation of that.


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## Alvitr

Yes, I was not sure about the english word so had to translate it to swedish, and there were a few different meanings to it.

Since srodna duša ends with -a, does this mean its a feminin word?
Then to say "my soulmate" refering to a male soulmate, what is the right tence of "my" (moj, moje etc.) Does it follow the word used to describe someone, or the gender of the person described?

Thank You all for Your help


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## phosphore

"Duša" _is_ a feminine noun, but it does not refer only to a woman, it can be used for males as well. So, if you wanted to say "he's my soulmate" you would say "on je moja srodna duša" ("moja" since "duša" is a noun of feminine gender). That is perfectly fine and very common, though to me the sentence "on je _meni_ srodna duša" would sound a bit more (grammatically) natural or correct, but its meaning is maybe slightly different (like "he is a soulmate to me").


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## Transatlantic

In natural speech, I think I might express this idea as 

"Mi smo srodne duše" = "We are kindred spirits"

or

"On mi je srodna duša", "mi" being the clitic form of "meni", which makes this sentence the equivalent of the one phosphore suggested. 

...

It is fairly common in Serbian and Croatian to express possession with the dative case. E.G. "Sestra *mu* se zove Milica" = "*His* sister's name is Milica" (literally "The sister *to him* is called Milica").


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## Alvitr

Ok, then it makes sense. Thank You both, you explained that far better then the phrase-book


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## texpert

I think _srodna duša_ (we have _spřízněná duše_) is the right match as long as _kindred spirit_ is really equal to _soulmate_. To me, _soulmate _is good few inches closer personality than a _kindred spirit_, that, in turn, perfectly matches _srodna duša_.


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## Alvitr

It is the same in my own language. I must admit it was the first time I came across the word Kindred Spirit in english. And the first Croatian to English words I got for srodna duša was "kindred souls/kindred lifeblood"  (assuming there may be a slight difference in different dictionaries).
Then the english words translated into my own language, together gave 8 different meanings and from my point of view some were quite far apart. However one matched with our native word for "soulmate".  
Perhaps its more of a regional/cultural thing wich of the words one use and in another language there may be a synonyme more prefered (depending on situation etc).


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## mateo19

What an interesting discussion.  I sadly do not speak Bosnian, although I've been toying with the idea of learning it someday in the near future. 
In any event, as a native English speaker, I just wanted to point out that usage wise, "soulmate" usually (I mean, in the majority of cases) refers to someone that you are extremely close to, but romantically.  A soulmate is usally your beloved husband or wife.  It's very hard to use soulmate without it having a romantic connotation.  Is this what "srodna duša" indicates?  Otherwise, "kindred spirit" is good for a non-romantic  relationship, although it could apply to both.  Another romantic near synonym would be my "better half", but that is already conveying a different idea that isn't relevant to this thread.


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## phosphore

"Better half" is what we (Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian speakers) call "bolja polovina" (where "polovina" means "half" and "bolja" means "better"; in fact "better" means "bolji, bolja, bolje, boljī, boljē, boljā; bolje" but this is the feminine singular form). Sometimes we say "lepša polovina" which would be "prettier half" for the wife, or "jača polovina" or "stronger half" for the man.

For the "kindred spirits" it _is_ literally equal to "srodne duše" but in Serbian, as long as I know and remember, there is no such term as "soulmates" which would express some closer relationship between people than "kindred spirits", so, I think, "srodne duše" would be the translation for both "soulmates" and "kindred spirits" and it could be convenient for both romantic and friendly relationships.


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## texpert

Really? I could not seriously advise anyone to address his loved-one _spřízněná duše _(kindred spirit) unless he wanted to ruin his romance completely. Perhaps once or twice at the very beginning of the relationship. In Czech it might have a connotation of the _polite refusal_. Perhaps it's different in Serbian. 

Yet it seems to me that Alvitr in his first input actually refered to a _real _kindred spirit, perhaps even in the third person. If this is the case, I made the observation that best friends often called themselves _brat _among the South Slavs. But sometimes they used it even on "lesser friends" or acquaintances - and then it aquired a slightly different (ironic?) meaning, similar to _bro _perhaps. Still I had not observed this in Croatia itself but more way down south.


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## Alvitr

I also got the impression "brat" was used more widely, as texpert say, like "bro"? 
Also, I am female (my apology, I see I did not put that out) so in that case, would not *brat* more sound like an actual relative brother, comming from me? But true, you do sometimes hear the expression "my non-biological brother" as an expression of friendship..
I have never heard him call me "sestra". I dont think he is familiar with the term soulmate or kindred spirit in English, so he use the term "special friend". 
It is a very very close friendship between 2 people who think alike, talk alike, like alike and so on, so there is no romance involved at all.


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## phosphore

I am a bit confused at the moment. You are right, it is not very common that one calls one's beloved person "srodna duša", but I do not think it would be perceived as a _polite refusal,_ either.

On the other side, "brat" and "brate" are fairly common expressions but these are words from the lower registers. In addition, in the meaning of very close friends they are aplicable to males only. You could tell a woman "brate" as well, but then the meaning would be completely different.


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## phosphore

"Sestra" or "sestro" (in vocative case) is common, too, to a lesser extent, but it has some ironic connotation.

Alvitr, I think that "srodna duša" works really fine for what you need.


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## Alvitr

phosphore said:


> Alvitr, I think that "srodna duša" works really fine for what you need.



I agree! I will stick with that. Again, many thanks to all of you for your time and help


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## media1der

I am searching my Croatian heritage and I stumbled across this thread, which seems exactly what I am looking for. 

Today I spoke to a relative that told me that my grandfather and her father were best friends, and that they had a Croatian term that meant "like a brother" - only closer than brothers. She could not remember the term. Would "srodna duša" describe that relationship? 

Thanks so much for your help!
~cfw


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## phosphore

"Pobratim" maybe? That is "blood brother". I can't remember anything else, but I'm quite sure your relative who you spoke to did not think of "srodna duša", since it is somehow romantic.


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## media1der

phosphore said:


> "Pobratim" maybe? That is "blood brother". I can't remember anything else, but I'm quite sure your relative who you spoke to did not think of "srodna duša", since it is somehow romantic.


 

Oops! No, definitely not romantic! I think what I'm looking for would be the equivalent of what we today would call, "my brother by another mother." <grin> "Blood brother" might be it. Is that something two men who are best friends would say about each other? These would have been people born in the early 1900's, if that makes a difference. ~cfw


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## phosphore

I really don't know. A brother by another mother is "polubrat" but it is not how one would call one's friend. Also, one could have (I think) only one "pobratim", so "pobratim" sounds fine to me, if they were that close.


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## renchi

I can tell you how it is in Croatia. 

srodna duša is not only ment in a romantic way. Two women can say: Mi smo srodne duše. or Ona je moja srodna duša. 
But also a women can say for a man: On je moja srodna duša. In this case it could be ment in a romantic way. It IS ment in most cases in a romantic way.

Two men would never say to each other: Ti si moja srodna duša; because men do not tell such things to each other. It sounds kind a funny.. Men say to each other: On mi je poput brata. (He is to me like a brother.)


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## phosphore

I meant exactly the same. But maybe there is some non-standard expression used in Dalmatia or Zagorje? You should know that since you are from Varaždin.


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## renchi

Sure, in Zagorje and Varaždin two male friends (who do everything together, think the same about most things) say for each other: On mi je pajdo. (He's my pal/my best friend.) Pajdo comes from pajdaš meaning (najbolji) prijatelj ((best)friend). 

Women do not use this expression.


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## phosphore

There is a very similar word in Serbian _pajtaš,_ though it is now somehow reserved for criminal matters.


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## Duya

phosphore said:


> There is a very similar word in Serbian _pajtaš,_ though it is now somehow reserved for criminal matters.



I wouldn't say it's "reserved for criminal", but it does have a derogatory undertone: "Opet si se zapio sa tim svojim pajtašima...". Anyway, a _pajtaš_ is not one with whom you go to a concert of Mozart .


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## phosphore

Let's say so


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## texpert

Sounds like _zase jsi se opil s tím svým kumpánem.. _in Czech_._ This thread has come a long way sice I've seen it last. Then again, your regular booze buddy _should _better be your soulmate, shouldn't he?


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## Duya

Yes, _kompanjon_ is another term for a _pajtaš_ in Serbo-Croatian. Near-synonymous (but it has more criminal than booze-buddy undertones).


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## jbird74

No, I wouldn't agree, "srodna duša" is person which have common interests and point of views, share thoughts, romantics, with other person, usually that is not phrase for very good friends because very good friends can have totaly opposite opinons on many things and still have that special relationship.

"Kao braća" or "Poput braće" which means like a brothers, would be term in Croatian which is closest to that kind of relationship. I can't think anything better.

We can say also "poput dva prsta na ruci", which menas "like two fingers on one hand", to describe their relation.


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