selo
selo is the Croatian word for a small human settlement in a rural area.
Which one should you use?
selo is the direct antonym of grad, which means city or town, when you are describing the scale of a settlement.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of selo is sela, which means villages.
Did you know?
- In Croatian, the word seljak derived from selo is often used as a sharp insult to describe someone as unsophisticated or uncouth, regardless of where they actually live.
- The word selo is an ancient relative of the English word 'sit'. It originates from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to sit', implying a place where people have 'settled' or sat down to stay.
- A settlement can be legally classified as a selo in Croatia even if it has thousands of residents and modern infrastructure.
Examples in context
- Ja sam rođen u selu i odrastao sam tamo.I was born in a village and grew up there.
- Živim u malom selu.I live in a small village.
- Moje selo je veoma malo.My village is very small.
- Ovo selo je veoma mirno.This village is very peaceful.
Example conversation
Ivan and Mia are talking about their hometowns.
- IvanGdje živiš, Mia?Where do you live, Mia?
- MiaŽivim u jednom lijepom selu.I live in a beautiful village.
- IvanJe li to selo daleko odavde?Is that village far from here?
- MiaNije, blizu je.No, it is close.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries selo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
