Punctuation in Slovene

How to use punctuation – ločilo, is pretty obvious, as it is the same in most language. But the main problem is how to say them… Personally, I think that it is very important to know how to say punctuation – and soon you will know why.

Here’s a little anecdote from my English class when I was a child.

So, it was a nice sunny day and it was also dictation day… My understanding of English was not as great back then, and I could remember was hearing the teacher saying mid-sentence “comma” and “comma“… Naive as I was… I wrote down “comma” every single time.

Of course, afterward, I realized that “comma” was not an exact word in the sentence, but a punctuation.

Therefore, to avoid embarrassment during dictation… Here they are:

Pika → period ( . )
Vprašaj → question mark ( ? )
Klicaj → exclamation point ( ! )
Vejica → comma ( , )
Podpičje → semicolon ( ; )
Dvopičje → colon ( : )
Narekovaj → quotation marks ( » «, „ “ )
Tri pike → ellipses ( … )
Pomišljaj → dash( – )
Vezaj → hyphen ( – )
Oklepaji → parentheses, brakets ( ( ), [ ] )

Punctuation names might not seem very important, but they are actually crucial, especially during dictation! So, if you do have the spare time, do try to learn them! If you have any questions or comments, let me know!

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.