Slovene “Pre-Made” Phrases – Part 2

Learning Slovene can be difficult, but using some “pre-made” phrases to express yourself can make it easier. First, know how to use the affirmation form (Part 1), then you will be able to use, according to what you want to express, in negation form, as well as in Past and Future tense.

In the affirmation form, there are two important things:

• the sklon used for the following noun and
• the personal pronoun, in third (Z₃) and fourth (Z₄) sklon.

In negation form, you need to remember that the personal pronoun changes from fourth (Z₄) to second (Z₂) sklon – which is the sklon specific for negation. But there are also some exceptions, such as a sklon specific preposition or the verb biti (to be) being used. If the personal pronoun used is in third (Z₃) sklon, then it remains unchanged.

To conjugate in the past and future tense, the verb biti (to be) is used as follow:

• Past tense – biti (to be, in present) + participle
• Future tense – biti (to be, in future) + participle

As you have already noticed, “pre-made” phrases in negation form, past and future tense have a lot of elements: personal pronouns, verb biti, participle and so on. The syntax can become quite confusing. This is where the Order of Word plays an important role.

1st priority	2nd priority	3rd priority
naj, sem, bi	se/si > Z3 > Z4/2	je, bom

Remember that

• sem represents the verb biti in the present and past tense, for all pronouns except the singular third person (je) and
• bom represents the verb biti in the future tense, for all pronouns.

The negation of biti (nisem, ne bom…) is not part of the priority.

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Všeč mi³ je + […]¹ becomes Ni mi všeč + […]¹ – I don’t like […]

• Všeč mi³ je skuta¹ becomes Skuta¹ mi³ ni všeč (I don’t like cottage cheese).
• Všeč so mi³ kače¹ becomes Kače¹ mi³ niso všeč (I don’t like snakes).
• Všeč mi³ je koncert¹ becomes Všeč mi³ je bil koncert (I liked the concert).
• Všeč jim³ je kitajska hrana¹ becomes Všeč jim³ bo kitajska hrana¹ (They will like Chinese food).

Prijetno mi³ je + […] – It pleases me […]

• Prijetno mi³ je, ker ste prinesli darilo becomes Ni mi³ prijetno, ker niste prinesli darila (It doesn’t please me, because you didn’t bring a gift).
• Prjetno mi³ je, ko pridete na obisk becomes Prijetno mi³ je bilo, ko ste prišli na obisk (It pleased me, that you came visit).

Ni mi³ treba + [infinitive verb] – I don’t need to [infinitive verb]

• Moram iti v trgovino becomes Ni mi³ treba iti v trgovino (I don’t need to go to the store).
• Morala sem skuhati kosilo becomes Ni mi³ bilo treba kuhati kosila (I didn’t need to cook lunch).
• Morala bi najti stanovanje becomes Ne bi mi³ bilo treba najti stanovanja (I wouldn’t have to find an apartment).

Zdi se mi³ + […] – It seems to me […]

• Zdi se mi³, da imaš danes čas becomes Ne zdi se mi³, da imaš danes čas (It doesn’t seem to me that you have time today).
• Zdi se mi³ prav becomes Ni se mi³ zdelo prav (It didn’t seem right to me).

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Peče me⁴ + […]¹ – It burns me […]

• Pečejo me⁴ usta¹, ko jem feferone becomes Usta me ne pečejo, ko jem feferone (My mouth doesn’t burn when I eat tabasco pepper).
• Peče jo⁴ rana – Rana je² ne peče več (Her wound doesn’t burn her anymore).

Moti me⁴ + […]¹ – It bothers me […]

• Moti me⁴ vremenska napoved¹ becomes Vremenska napoved¹ me² ne moti (The weather forecast doesn’t bother me).
• Vse¹ me⁴ moti becomes Nič¹ me⁴ ne moti (Nothing bothers me).
• Moti ga⁴, ker si pozen becomes Ne moti ga², ker si pozen (It doesn’t bother him because you are late).
• Moti nas⁴, ko nič ne poveš becomes Motilo nas² je, ko nisi nič povedel (It bothered us when you didn’t tell anything).

Privlači me⁴ + […]1 – It attracts me […]

• Privlači me⁴ smešna osebnost¹ becomes Smešna osebnost me² ne privlači (Funny personality doesn’t attract me).
• Privlači te⁴ drugi¹ becomes Privlačil te je drugi¹ (You were attracted to others).
• Privlači jo² moški¹, ki ni njen mož becomes Moški¹, ki ni njen mož, je² ne privlači (Man that is not her husband doesn’t attract her).

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Other Phrases

• Vseeno mi³ je + […] – I don’t care […]
  Vseeno mi³ je za spol, samo da bo zdrav (I don’t care about the gender, just that it will be healthy).
• Nerodno mi³ je + […] – I feel awkward […]
  Nerodno mi³ je, ko govorimo o denarju – I feel awkward, when talking about money.
• Ni mi³ lahko + […] – It is not easy for me
  Ni mi³ lahko, ker nisem doma (It is not easy for me, because I am not home).
• Ne da se mi³ + [infinitive verb] – I don’t feel like […]
  Ne da se mi³ iti na sprehod (I don’t feel like going for a walk).
• Hudo mi³ je + […] – I feel bad […]
  Hudo mi³ je, ko nimam časa skuhati kosila (I feel bad when I don’t have time to cook lunch).

Pre-made phrases are so versatile to use, and they can be applied to different situations: affirmation, negation, present tense, past tense, future tense, to myself, to him, to us and so on. They are simple, but can become quite complex as you add more “elements” and details to it – but Vaja dela mojstra (Practice makes perfect)! If you have any comments or questions, don’t hesitate and let me know!

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

Getting my New Slovenian Residence Card

As of February 2022, a new and “upgraded” format of residence card is being issued to foreigners living in Slovenia. Depending on the citizenship, a different residence card will be issued (third-country nationals, Swiss nationals and EU citizens).

For those who doesn’t know, the “old” card is a laminated card, while the “new” one is a plasticized card. It follows the same standard as a Slovenian (and European) ID card. It has added security features, such as biometrics and nice holograms.

Personally, I rarely go to the Upravna Enota, but since I needed some documents for the kids, I decided to apply for the newer version. The procedure is actually really simple.

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Here is what you will need:

• your current residence card,
• a document photo (the digital version is not necessary) and
• passport.

The cost is 15,47€‎, to be paid at pick-up (I got mine less than a week after applying).

Compared to the “old” one, I obviously like the “new” one better. Although, the validity is only 10 years (compared to the previous one, that would have lasts… well, forever), I still think that it is a good change – because of the security features and it looks a lot more official!

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Please note that the old version remains valid until its expiration, BUT the new version becomes mandatory on August 3^rd 2023. Therefore, don’t forget to change it before!

If you want more information, you can read the official post from the Government here: Nove izkaznice dovoljenj za prebivanje za tujce.

Enrolled to Slovene Course

Hey guys,

my two kids are officially in daycare, so I decided to take the time to “officially” focus on studying Slovene again.

I just enrolled to my 3rd Slovene course with Center za slovenščino kot drugi in tuji jezik, using my first prize in their Creative Contest (you can check more about it here)! Although, this time will be my first online course.

As you know, for any courses, there are some kind of “placement test”, so I do need to revise too! (Even if I write about Slovene, it doesn’t mean that my Slovene is perfect, far from it – but hoping to improve everyday!)

And instead of browsing over my old notes, I just read my eBook – 7 Days of Basic Slovene (given as a thank you gift for supporting me via Ko-fi)! Now, I’m waiting for the oral interview!

I’m so excited to revise Slovene and learn some new topics!

Holidays in Terme Čatež

With the Slovenian turistični bon (tourism voucher), we went 5 days 4 night in a private apartment in Terme Čatež and now we are back! I’m a bit tired but the kids had a blast, so it was all worth it.

Terme, also known as pools resort but with thermal water, are hotspot destination for holidays in Slovenia. There are different size and type. Terme Čatež is quite big, and ideal for family fun with kiddy pools, slides and waves. Enough to fill up a whole day.

Summer Thermal Riviera are the outside pools, with really warm water (26-36°C):

• children’s pool with little slides, surrounded by a lazy river
• a pirate island for older kids
• a Olympic pool with lines

• two square pools for fun swimming
• a big big slides with swimming rings

• a bigger irregular shape pool with different slides
• a path with flow
• a fountains and waterfalls
• massaging bubbles
• pool with waves

Winter Thermal Riviera are the inside pools, with even warmer water (31-33°C):

• a big irregular shape pools with different massaging bubbles spots
• children’s pool
• rectangle pool with a nice the bubble seating area
• waterfalls

• pool with alternating waterfalls and waves
• two slides suitable for kids

• bigger slides section (were closed)
• children’s pool with pirate ship

• a big spiral slides that connects with the outside pool
• a small pool with a fountain (waterfalls)

Personally I liked the inside pools better, because the kids could go by themselves on the slides and we just had to wait to catch them below. A lot easier for supervision, and the water was deep enough for adults to have fun as well.

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Beside swimming, eating and resting – we also took a short drive to Brežice. It’s a nice town for a little evening walk.

• 

  Water Tower

• 

  Bench of Love

• 

  Castle of Brežice

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Holidays are always nice, but it’s also good to be home! And our cows are soon coming back from their mountain pocitniče (holidays) as well!

Changes in Learning Materials!

Hey guys!

As I’ve mentioned before my yearly subscription is coming to an end, I’ve decided to stop using Powtoon EDU for creating video. I will be using Canva and I hope to be able to create fun and interesting videos about Slovene!

Upon this decision, I’m also compiling my eBook 7 Days of Basic Slovene (Week 1-2-3-4) into one single pdf – which will be available as a Supporter Post only, via my Ko-fi page. And my Anna’s cheat sheets will be made into spreadsheets, available on my blog in Learning Materials.

(Special Thanks to Monika V. for checking mistakes and typos. I really appreciated it!)

Cheat sheets and individual eBooks will be removed. If you have supported me in the past and would like to get the entire pdf, you can contact me.

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Since I start writing my blog, I’ve been trying different new things: photography, videos, eBooks, printables… It’s all great and fun, but also a lot to keep track.. I’ve enjoying the journey and learning a lot as I go, but I want to keep things simple. For you, and for me.

(No, this is not a goodbye post!) Just making changes to the learning materials available on my blog.

I’m also very grateful for your support and positive comments 🙂 It means a lot to me!

Naljlepša hvala!

Slovene Mistakes by my Kids

I might sound weird, but I communicate mainly in Slovene with my kids which is totally not my mother tongue. Obviously, my Slovene is not perfect and my kids also make some funny mistakes as well. Most of the time, I have no problem with them because it is part of the learning process. Although, some mistakes are so “bad” that I just have the urgency to correct them immediately!

But remember:

“It is better to speak with mistakes, than to not speak at all”.

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“Radam“

When my son is eating with gusto (YAY), he would often say “radam” or “to radam“. Well, I’m very happy that he likes his food, but unfortunately, “radam” is not a verb… He actually should be using “všeč mi je” (I like) to express that he likes it.

I have a feeling that he confuses it with “rad imam” (I like), which is also used to express that you like something.

“Všeč mi je” is used with the first sklon. “Rad imam” is used with fourth sklon.

“Močem”

Sometimes, when I ask my son to do something, like putting his shoes on or going to the potty, he would start making a little crisis and screams “močem” or “ne močem“. Well, I’m actually not sure if he means to say “nočem” (I don’t want to) or “ne morem” (I am not able to).

It’s actually sounds like a combination of both. Either way, it’s not happening.

Both “nočem” and “ne morem” are model verbs.

“Pomagiš”

A while back, my daughter would keep saying “a lahko mi pomagiš” instead of “a lahko mi pomagaš” (can you help me) when asking for help. Like 500 times per day. I’m not even sure where she picked it from. After a while of refusing to help her until she says it correctly – she finally got it!

Verbs in present tense have different “endings”, beside the conjugation.

“Smo jedali”

My son likes to report what we did (or ate) during the day, so he often says “smo jedali” instead of “smo jedli“(we ate). He would just add an extra syllable “je-da-li“…

And another similar one when he tells off his sister… “Mami je rekala” instead of “Mami je rekla” (mommy said) – because what mommy says is the rule (especially, when it works in his favor… haha).

The participles for past and future tense are Root of Verb + L_ (Learn more here.)

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Most of the time I speak Slovene with my kids, but I do explain a few things in English, scold them in French (so, they won’t understand too much) and teach them some Cantonese words and phrase. That’s the joy of speaking many languages!

What about you? Any funny mistakes that you or your kids make? Or that you’ve heard? Please share with me!

Check out my Interview on Let’s Go Slovenia!

Hey guys,

last week, I’ve been interviewed by Let’s Go Slovenia (in sync with the Olympics!). A very nice website, where Marijana and Samo share their local expertise about visiting Slovenia – lots of interesting info and photos!

Within my interview, you will learn more about me and how I started writing my blog and some of my personal thoughts about Slovene! It also features a new video about Slovene, so don’t miss it out!

Hope that you will like it: Learn Slovene with Anna in Slovenia (but first read this interview).

And yes, let’s learn Slovene together 😉

First Prize in Contest!

Hey guys,
a few weeks ago I participated in a creativity contest by Center for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language to celebrate the 40th years of their Summer school.

The only directive was to create something associated with the word “Slovene”.
At first, I did it for fun only, and I ended up quite happy with the result!

Here is my winning entry:

(You will notice that I didn’t used Powtoon EDU to make this video but another tool, more news about it to come!)

Check out Slovenian idioms to learn for fun!

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I’m super happy that I won the first prize! Hopefully I will be able to attend another course soon and start improving my Slovene! A few years back, I’ve already went to two of their courses and it was awesome! So, I can only highly recommend them!

It’s Hay Season (again)!

Hey guys,
if you’ve been following my blog for a while (thank you!), you should remember that every summer is busy time for me! If not, now you do! 🙂

As I live on a family farm, summer means hay! It is quite a lot of works, and the schedule depends on the good weather. Therefore my posting will be a bit slower… but! I will still be available. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me and I will get back at you as soon as I can!

Have a nice summer, wear sunscreen (and a hat!).
Overall, be safe!

Read about my “Move to Slovenia” Experience

Hey guys,

last week I wrote a guest post for Move to Slovenia, a website mainly focused on properties but also news about moving to Slovenia.

After living in Slovenia for quite some years now, I’m happy to be given the opportunity to share my personal experience about moving and settling down in Slovenia – a topic that I rarely talk about in my blog. I have to say that my move to Slovenia has been quite smooth and I’m glad about it.

Want to learn about my expat experience, what procedure I went through and my thoughts? Read my article Anna in Slovenia in Expat Experience to find out.

Hope that you will like it, and don’t forget to share your own experience! It can guide other people that are thinking or planning to move to Slovenia as well! If you have any extra questions, don’t hesitate and ask me!