A fun way to enrich your vocabulary is to know how to convert Slovene verbs into nouns! It might seems a little random at first, but there are actually guidelines that can help you remember!
In general, it will be related to the verb or the noun endings.
One of the most commonly seen ending for Slovene verbs to nouns is -enje and it applies to different verb endings:
Verbs ending with -iti
- učiti se (to learn) – učenje (study, learning)
- kolesariti (to bike) – kolesarjenje* (cycling)
- dovoliti (to allow, to permit) – dovoljenje* (permission)
Verbs ending with -eti
- živeti (to live) – življenje (life)*
- hiteti (to hurry) – hitenje (haste)
- sedeti (to sit) – sedenje (seat)
- leteti (to fly) – letenje (flight)*
Verbs ending with -sti
- vesti (to embroider) – vezenje (embroidery)*
- plesti (to knit) – pletenje (knitting)*
- gristi (to bite) – grizenje (bite)*
Verbs ending with -či
- striči (to cut hair) – striženje (haircut)*
On the other hand, one of the most common ending for Slovene verbs is -iti and the nouns have different endings:
Nouns ending with -ba
- telovaditi (to work out) – telovadba (gymnastics)
- ponuditi (to offer) – ponudba (offer)
- spremeniti (to change, to modify) – sprememba (change)*
- odrediti (to decree ) – odredba (order, decree)
Nouns ending with –ja
- vaditi (to practise) – vaja (exercise)
- hoditi (to walk) – hoja (walk)
Nouns ending with -nja
- voziti (to drive) – vožnja (ride)*
- prositi (to ask) – prošnja (request)*
Nouns ending with -tev
- rešiti (to solve) – rešitev (solution)
- vrniti (to return) – vrnitev (return)
- ločiti (to separate) – ločitev (separation)
There are other endings that follow a certain “pattern”.
Verbs ending with -ati becomes -anje
- plavati (to swim) – plavanje (swim, swimming)
- smučati (to ski) – smučanje (skiing)
- potovati (to travel) – potovanje (travel, travelling)
- oblikovati (to design) – oblikovanje (design)
- tekmovati (to compete) – tekmovanje (competition)
Verbs ending with -ti becomes -tje
- peti (to sing) – petje (singing)
- piti (to drink) – pitje (drink)
And other endings.
Nouns endings with -ek
- začeti (to start) – začetek (beginning)
- dogoditi se (to happen) – dogodek (event)
No ending
- teči (to run) – tek (race)
- sprehoditi (to take a walk) – sprehod (promenade, walk)
- oditi (to go, to leave) – odhod (departure)
- lagati (to lie) – laž (lie)
Of course, there are many more examples and it will be difficult to remember all of them at once. But by knowing that it is possible to group them up, it should be easier to learn them – plus it is very fun and useful way to expand your Slovene vocabulary!
Hope you enjoyed! If you have any questions or comments, please let me know via comment!
Discover more Slovene “lessons” that might interest you: Slovene Numbers & Numerals, Slovene Nouns & Pronouns, Slovene Verbs, Slovene Adjectives, Slovene Syntax, Slovenian Idioms, Slovene Adverbs.
Anna in Slovenia 