When to Use the Second Sklon – Genitive

The rodilnik sklon is one of the most commonly used sklon along with the First Sklon – Nominative and the Fourth Sklon – Accusative. As mentioned in Second Sklon – Genitive, it is used for:

noun that is directly affected by a negation verb,
following specific preposition and
double nouns (samostalnik^X + samostalnik²).

The Second sklon is also used in other situations.

Here’s other uses of the second sklon

following specific verb
- bati se (to fear, to be afraid of) | i.e. I’m afraid of spiders → Bojim se pajkov^2(M).
  
  If the fear is in general, like spiders, the noun is in its plural form.
- dotakniti se (to touch) | i.e. I wish to touch a rainbow → Želim se dotakniti mavrice^2(E).
- veseliti se (to be glad, to look forward) | i.e. I look forward to the holidays → Veselim se počitnic^2(M).
- najesti se (to appease one’s hunger) and napiti se (to appease one’s thirst)
for dates
For example, today we are April 9^th→ Danes smo devetega aprila².

In Slovene, there are different ways to express dates and times.
—
How to Say Dates and Times in Slovene – Part 1
How to Say Dates and Time in Slovene – Part 2
the noun is quantified – količina
- Koliko [samostanik]²…? (How many, how much…?)
  i.e. How much time do you have ? → Koliko časa^2(E) imaš?
- following quantifying adverbs and nouns
  Such as veliko (a lot), malo (a little), liter, škatla (box)…
  i.e. Imam veliko časa^2(E) / Pijem liter^4(E) vode^2(E).
- 5 and more
  As you already know, 1 is ednina, 2 is dvojina, 3 and 4 is množina and when the number is 5+, the noun is second sklon, plural form.
  i.e. To sta dve litra^1(D)vina^2(E) / To je pet litrov^2(M)vina^2(E)
  
  With the second sklon, some categories of nouns are only used in ednina or in množina and more rules apply.
  —
  How to Express Quantities in Slovene – Second Sklon

The second sklon can seem very complex at first, and it is a completely normal impression, but DON’T PANIC – take one small bit at the time! 🙂 Learning a new language is a long process, and it takes time and practice!

If you have any questions, feedback or need for help, don’t be shy and contact me!

Discover more Slovene “lessons” that might interest you: Slovene Numbers & Numerals, Slovene Nouns & Pronouns, Slovene Verbs, Slovene Adjectives, Slovene Syntax, Slovenian Idioms, Slovene Adverbs.

Let’s learn,
Anna.