Different Uses of 1, 2, 3 in Slovene

As we know, numbers can be used in an infinity of distinct situations. The simple numbers 1, 2, 3 in Slovene can also take many different and interesting forms as well.

Sometimes, it doesn’t follow the “logical” order, therefore, you need to remember by <3. It will be marked in red.

One, Two, Three

General Form
The general form of numbers – številke, is the most basic and simple form: ena, dva, tri, štiri, pet. It is usually used for counting such as for age (koliko si star)or price (koliko stane).

Keep in mind that due to different genders, amounts and skloni, the nouns and adjectives might take a different forms.
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There’s different way to count. To say “this is/these are…”, we say “to je/sta/so…¹” en stol^(m), dva stola, trije/štirje stoli, pet stolov. To say “I have…“, we say “imam…⁴” en stol, dva stola, tri/štiri stole, pet stolov.

One o’clock, Two o’clock, Three o’clock

Time
Depending on the question what time is it – kolika je ura or when – kdaj, the answer will be different. Keep in mind that prepositions in Slovene are very important.

For “kolika je ura“, the answer is “ura je…¹” ena, dve, tri.
For “kdaj“, the answer is “ob…^5*“enih, dveh, treh, štirih, petih.

For half hours, the adverb “pol” is used, and it’s with the second sklon – genitive. And that, no matter of the question. For example, 12:30 is pol enih, 1:30 is pol dveh, 2:30 is pol treh, 3:30 is pol štirih and 4:30 is pol petih.
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To indicate half past, quarter past and so on, the preposition “čez” is used and it’s with the fourth sklon – accusative. For example, 10:05 is pet (minut) čez deset.
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On the other hand, to say “till” one, the preposition “do” is used and it’s with the second sklon – genitive. For example, 9:55 is pet (minut) do desetih.

Once, Twice, Three time

Frequency
In Slovene, frequency are easy to express. Simply by adding -krat at the end of the number will do the trick. For example, once, twice, three time is enkrat, dvakrat, trikrat. This “rules” also apply with adverb, such as večkrat (multiple time) or velikokrat (many times). And if you want to say “one more time“, it is še enkrat.

First, Second, Third

Order and Rank
Just like in English, ordinal numbers in Slovene takes a different form: prvi, drugi, tretji, četrti, peti.

Date
It is also used for dates. For example, January 1^stis prvi januar, January 2^ndis drugi januar, January 3^rdis tretji januar.

With dates, to say “today is…”, we say “danes je prvi januar¹“. To say “today, we are…”, we say “danes, smo prvega januarja².
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How to say dates and times in Slovene

Ranked Frequency
Ordinal numbers can also be used for ranked frequency by adding a -č at the end. First time, second time, third time and last time is prvič, drugič, tretjič and zadnjič.

There are so many different and interesting ways to use 1, 2, 3 in Slovene. If you have any questions, comments or more ideas of use, don’t hesitate to share it with 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.