Slovene “Pre-Made” Phrases – Part 1

May 8, 2023May 18, 2023 / AnnaInSlovenia / 2 Comments

An easy way to learn how to express yourself in Slovene is to use some “pre-made” phrases. They are a short set of words, usually connected with a specific sklon or personal pronoun, in either third or fourth sklon. They are quite versatile and simple to use. Two things to pay attention to are:

the sklon used for the following noun and
the personal pronoun, whether it’s in third (Z₃) and fourth (Z₄) sklon.

Of course, the phrases cannot be literally translated in English, but you should be able to understand the meaning.

If there is a sklon specific preposition, then it has priority and it will determine which sklon to use.
—
Most of the phrases can be used with conjunctions, such as če (if), ko (when),
da (that), ker (because) and so on.
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The form of the object (Z₃ and Z₄) will depend on the personal pronoun (Z₁) used.
For example, jaz¹ is mi³/me⁴, on¹ is mu³/ga⁴, ona¹ is ji³/jo⁴ and so on.
—
The verb is conjugated according to the subject: singular, dual or plural.
For example, for the verb biti (to be) in singular is je, dual is sta and plural is so.

Všeč mi³ je + […]¹ – I like […]

Všeč mi³ je čokoladna torta¹ (I like chocolate cake).
Všeč mu³ je, ko se smejiš (He likes when you smile).
Všeč so mi³ živali¹ (I like animals).
Všeč jim³ je, ko/če prideš na obisk (They like when/if you come visit).

Ime mi³ je + […]¹ – I am named […]

Ime mi³ je Anna¹ (I am named Anna).
Ime ji³ je Leja¹ (She is named Leja).

Rad(a) imam + […]⁴ – I like […]

Rad(a) imam kavo⁴ (I like coffee).
Rad te⁴ ima (He likes you).
Radi imajo počitnice (They like holidays).

Boli me⁴ + […]¹ – It hurts me […]

Boli me⁴ glava¹ (My head is hurting me).
Bolijo me⁴ noge¹ (My legs are hurting me).
Boli ga⁴ hrbet, ko/če dolgo hodi (His back hurts him when/if he walks for long).

Zebe me⁴ + v […]⁴ – I am cold […]

Zebe me⁴ v roke⁴ (My hands are cold).
Zebe me⁴, ko sneži (I’m cold when it snows).

Zanima me⁴ + […]¹ – It interests me […]

Zanima me⁴ vezenje¹ (I am interested in embroidery / Embroidery interests me).
Zanima jo⁴ risanje¹ (She is interested in drawing / Drawing interests her).
Zanimajo me⁴ čevlji¹ (Shoes interest me).
Zanima me⁴, če je majica še na voljo (I am wondering if the t-shirt is still available).

Skrbi me⁴ + […]¹ – It worries me […]

Skrbi me⁴ prihodnost¹ (I worry about the future).
Skrbi me⁴ zate⁴ (I worry about you).
Skrbi jo⁴, ker si sam doma (It worries her because you are home alone).

Veseli me⁴ + […]¹ – It makes me happy […]

Veseli me⁴ glasba¹ (Music makes me happy).
Veseli me⁴, da smo se srečali (It makes me happy that we met).
Veseli me⁴, da je zime konec (It makes me happy that the winter is over).

Vroče mi³ je + […] – I am hot […]

Vroče mi³ je na soncu⁵ (I am hot in the sun).
Vroče ji³ je v trebuhu⁵ (Her stomach is hot).
Vroče mi³ je, ko tečem (I am hot when I run).

Težko mi³ je + […] – It is hard for me

Težko mi³ je, ko ne razumem, kaj rečes (It is difficult for me when I don’t understand what you are saying).
Težko mi³ je, kadar te ni doma (It is hard for me when you are not home).

Strah me⁴ je + […]² – I am scared […]

Strah me⁴ je mraka² (I am afraid of the dark).
Strah me⁴ je, ko hodi sama ponoči (It scares me when she walks alone at night).

More Phrases

Moti me⁴ + […]¹ – It bothers me […]
Slabo mi³ je + […] – It makes me sick […]
Peče me⁴ + […]¹ – It burns me
Privlači me⁴ + […]¹ – It attracts me […]
Jasno mi³ je + […] – It is clear to me […]
Sram me⁴ je + […]² – I’m ashamed […]
Groza me⁴ je + […]² – I am terrified […]
Lepo mi³ je + […] – It is nice to me […]
Dolgčas mi³ je + […] – It bores me […]
Prijetno mi³ je + […] – It is pleasant to me […]

No need to mention that there are many more useful “pre-made” phrases. Most can also be used in negation, as well as in past and future tense. In those cases, the Order of Word is applied and it can become quite complicated (to be continued in Part 2).

I’m sure that you have heard or know more phrases, if there are any that you would like me to add to the list or if you have any questions, do 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.

Demonstrative Pronouns in Slovene – This and That

March 20, 2023March 20, 2023 / AnnaInSlovenia / Leave a comment

Demonstrative pronouns, also known as kazalni zaimki, are pronouns that show or point at something. In general, there are “three levels” of demonstrative pronouns in Slovene – which are sorted depending on the distance, both in time and space, between the object that is pointed at and the speaker.

“This” (ta^m) and “that” (tisti^m and oni^m) are the same as in English, but instead of having just a singular and plural form, the Slovene form is “fully” declined. This means:

six skloni (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, locative and instrumental),
three genders (masculine, feminine and neuter) and
three grammatical numbers (singular, dual and plural).

It might seems like a lot, but please do not panic. Keep reading.

This – Ta

The demonstrative pronouns “ta” is used to points at objects that is directly in the vicinity of the speaker or something that is close to the speaker. It can also be used to refer to something that has just been mentioned.

For example,

Ta teden ima dopust (This week I have holidays).
Vidite, ta punca, ki se sedi pred vami, je Petrova hčerka (You see, this girl sitting in front of you, is Peter’s daughter).
Fiona rada ima to mavrično torto (Fiona likes this rainbow cake).

Tisti – That

The demonstrative pronoun “tisti” is used to indicate something that is relatively distant from the speaker. It can also be used with something that had been previously mentioned.

For example,

Tisti tam je naš nov sosed (That one there is our new neighbor).
Lani sem rodila hčerko, tistega dne ne bom nikoli pozabila (Last year I gave birth to my daughter, that day I will never forget).
Hodil je v tisto šolo na drugi strani parka (He went to that school on the other side of park).

Oni – That

The demonstrative pronoun “oni” is used to indicate something that is very distant from the speaker. It is also use to point at something that is unknown, unnamed or unspecific.

For example,

Ta skupina otrok se igra v igralnici, oni pa bere pod drevesom (This group of kids plays in the playground, that one reads under the tree).
Ona stran gozda je porasla z grmovjem (That side of the forest has grown with bushes).
V parku vedno srečaš tega ali onega znanca (You always meet this or that acquaintance in the store).

Table for “Ta“

	E m – ž – s	D m – ž – s	M *m – ž – s*
1	ta – ta – to	ta – ti – ti	ti – te – ta
2	tega – te – tega	teh	teh
3	temu – tej – temu	tema	tem
4	ta/tega – to – to	ta – ti – ti	te – te -ta
5	pri tem – pri tej – pri tem	pri teh	pri teh
6	s tem – s to – s tem	s tema	s temi

**Table for “Tisti“**

	E m – ž – s	D m – ž – s	M *m – ž – s*
1	tisti – tista – tisto	tista – tisti – tisti	tisti – tiste – tista
2	tistega – tiste – tistega	tistih	tistih
3	tistemu – tisti – tistemu	tistima	tistim
4	tisti/tistega – tisto – tisto	tista – tisti – tisti	tiste – tiste –tista
5	pri tistem – pri tisti – pri tistem	pri tistih	pri tistih
6	s tistim – s tisto – s tistim	*s tistima*	*s tistimi*

**Table for “Oni“**

	E m – ž – s	D m – ž – s	M *m – ž – s*
1	oni – ona – ono	ona – oni – oni	oni – one – ona
2	onega –one – onega	onih	onih
3	onemu – oni – onemu	onima	onim
4	oni/onega – ono – ono	ona – oni – oni	one – one –ona
5	pri onem – pri oni – pri onem	pri onih	pri onih
6	s onim – s ono – s onim	s onima	s onimi

Reminder: (E) ednina/singular, (D) dvojina/dual, (M) množina/plural and (m) moški/masculine, (ž) ženski/feminine, (s) srednji/neutral.

As you can see, there are a lot of similarities through all three demonstratives pronouns:

marked in blue are -e instead of the usual -i,
marked in bold are the same for all three genders,
marked in red are the same in dual and plural forms and
tisti and oni, they are basically the same thing: just replace “tist-” with “on-“.

So, the demonstrative pronouns in Slovene go from nearest to farthest: ta – tisti – oni. For example,

To knjigo, ki jo imam v roki, berem zdaj (This book, that I have in my hand, I am reading now).
Tiste, ki so na polici, bom brala otrokom zvečer. (Those, that are on the shelf, I will read to my kids in the evening).
Ne vem, kdaj bom dobila one, ki sem jih naročila v knjižnici (I don’t know when I will get those, that I ordered from the library).

Demonstrative pronouns in Slovene have a lot more “forms” that in English, but don’t worry – it’s all about endings that you probably already know, and if not, just take it slow. Practice makes perfect! If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate and ask me!

Understanding Slovenian Idioms #011

February 8, 2023 / AnnaInSlovenia / Leave a comment

Using Slovenian idioms is an interesting way to learn Slovene and to have a better understanding of its cultural heritage. It is a different, but fun method to learn grammar!

Sedem debelih krav – Seven fat cows
Having seven fat cows means to be in a time of prosperity, richness and abundance. On the opposite, “sedem suhih krav” (seven skinny cows) means to be in a time of crisis. Each “cows” also refers to a year – so seven years of prosperity.
Pet krav za en groš – Five cows for one penny
Doesn’t it seem like an amazing deal? Well… it actually means that something is too good to be true, and most likely incredible, absurd. Such a nonsense that it is unlikely to be real. (Who would exchange five cows for one penny…? I know I wouldn’t.)
Delati za tri – To work for three
It means to work a lot, as much as three people together! This expression mainly emphases on the “za tri” (for three). Therefore, it can also be used as following: “jesti za tri” (to eat for three), močen za tri (strong as three), veljati za tri (to count for three)…

Slovene Nouns to Adjectives – Vrstni Pridevnik

January 4, 2023February 8, 2023 / AnnaInSlovenia / 2 Comments

As we know, adjectives are used to describe or modify how a noun is. There are also different types of adjectives in Slovene, but they can’t be directly translated into English:

lastnostni (kakovostni) pridevnik (characteristic or qualitative adjective),
svojilni pridevnik (possessive adjective) and
vrstni pridevnik (“kind” adjective).

Lastnostni pridevniki or kakovostni pridevniki are descriptive adjectives. They are used to describe specific characteristic that are proper to the noun (color, size, age, shape) and answer the question kakšen (how is). For example,

Vozim hiter avto⁴. (I drive a fast car).
To je velika hiša¹ (This is a big house).
Kopali smo se v toplem morju⁵ (We swam in the warm sea).

As you can see, the adjective always follows the declension of the noun.

To learn more about declension of adjective, read Slovene Adjectives in General.

Svojilni pridevniki are possessive adjectives used to describe the ownership of the noun. They answer the question čigav (whose). For example,

Tim vozi Markov traktor⁴ (Tim is driving Mark’s tractor).
Mira je Janina sestra¹ (Mira is Jana’s sister).
Ne maram sosedovega psa²(I don’t like the neighbor’s dog).

As you can see, -ov + the corresponding ending is added to masculine nouns, while -in + the corresponding ending is added to feminine nouns.

Please note that possessive adjectives are different from possessive pronouns. Learn more here.

Vrstni pridevniki are adjectives “made from nouns”. They are also used to describe a noun, but specifically the “type”, “kind” or ”category”, which answer the question “kateri” (which). The adjective’s endings can be put into groups, but unfortunately without any patterns.

Adjectives ending with -ni

turist (tourist) – turistično mesto (touristic town)
jagoda (strawberry) – jagodna marmelada (strawberry jam)
mesto (town) – mestni avtobus (city bus)
čokolada (chocolate) – čokoladna torta (chocolate cake)

Adjectives ending with –ski or –ški

morje (sea) – morski sadeži (seafood)
Slovenija (Slovenia) – slovenska zastava (Slovenian flag)
nedelja (Sunday) – nedeljsko kosilo (Sunday lunch)
otrok (child) – otroško igrišče (children playground)

Adjectives ending with -ov

oreh (walnut) – orehova potica (walnut potica)
borovnica (blueberry) – borovničev sok (blueberry juice)
sir (cheese) – sirov zavitek (cheese strudel)
kokos (coconut) – kokosovo mleko (coconut milk)

Adjectives ending with -nji

jutro (morning) – jutranje vaje (morning exercises)
noter (interior) – notranji bazen (inside pool)
jutri (tomorrow) – jutrišnji dan (tomorrow day)
blizu (near) – bližnji vzhod (nearby exit)

Adjectives ending with -ji

pes (dog) – pasji frizer (dog groomer)
maček (cat) – mačja trava (catnip)
medved (bear) – medvedja šapa (bear paw)

The difference between lastnostni pridevnik and vrstni pridevnik is the question that they answer. Lastnostni pridevnik is used for description of shape, color, size and age, while vrstni pridevnik is used to describe the type or kind.
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Tim potuje po Sloveniji z novim modrim električnim avtom⁶ (Tim travels around Slovenia with a new blue electric car).
Dalia ne mara svežega kozjega mleka² (Dalia doesn’t like fresh goat milk).
Martin rad je slastno mehiško hrano⁴ (Martin likes to eat delicious Mexican food).

Knowing that some adjectives can be made from noun is a fun and useful way to learn Slovene. It’s like killing two birds with one stone! With adjectives, no matter which type, do remember that the declension is the same as the noun. If you have any questions, comments or adjectives that you would like to add, please let me know!

Understanding Slovenian Idioms #010

August 22, 2022December 2, 2022 / AnnaInSlovenia / Leave a comment

An interesting way to learn Slovene (and speak like Slovenians) is to know and understand how to use their idioms. And the day that you will actually be able to use an idiom correctly, you will be so proud!

Nositi hlače – To wear pants
It means “to be in charge”, the one that makes the decision and has the last word. There is a similar expression in English “to wear the trousers” and in French “porter la culotte”.
Kapo dol – Hat down
It means “bravo”, when you recognize someone’s achievements. The expression comes from the habit of taking the hat off as a sign or greeting or respect.
Gledati skozi rožnata očala – To see through rose-colored glasses
It doesn’t refer to a fashion item, but it means to beautify something, like to see something more beautiful that it really is. Just like the French expression “voir la vie en rose”.

Understanding Slovenian Idioms #009

December 14, 2021December 2, 2022 / AnnaInSlovenia / Leave a comment

An interesting way to learn and understand Slovene is through its local idioms. While using them, you get to speak like Slovenians and get an insight of the heritage and culture.

Beliti si glavo – To whiten your head
It doesn’t mean to paint your head in white, but to think about something very hard in order to remember it (so much that you might grow some white hairs…).
Iz te moke ne bo kruha – From this flour there will be no bread
As we know, flour is needed to make bread, but also other ingredients and actions (such as kneading and baking) as well. It means that not every effort will yield the expected result.
Nositi vodo v Savo – To bring water in Sava
Sava is a river that goes through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. Bringing water to Sava, means that all efforts made no difference.

Video – Opposites in Slovene

July 26, 2021December 2, 2022 / AnnaInSlovenia / 2 Comments

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I didn’t make a “vocabulary list” for “Slovene opposites – Nasprostja” because I highly encourage that you create your own! By writing them down and using them, it will be a lot easier to remember!

Do let me know how you like (or not like) my new video. For more videos, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel: Anna in Slovenia!

Understanding Slovenian Idioms #008

May 17, 2021December 2, 2022 / AnnaInSlovenia / Leave a comment

An interesting and playful way to discover Slovene as a language is by learning the idioms. Some doesn’t seem to make much sense at first, but what’s more significant is to understand the meaning behind the words!

Imeti maslo na glavi – To have butter on the head
It doesn’t actually mean to have butter on the head, but instead, it means to be guilty of something – like to have a guilty conscience.
Skakati čez plot – To jump over the fence
It doesn’t refer to an innocent athletics action as to jump over the fence, but it actually means to be cheating in marriage. s not to jump “over” the fence, just across the fence, which means to
Ugrizniti v kislo jabolko – To bite into a sour apple
It is obviously not very pleasant to bite into a sour apple instead of a sweet one – it means having to deal with something unpleasant or to go ahead and “bite the bullet”.

Ask Anna about Slovene #005

May 10, 2021December 2, 2022 / AnnaInSlovenia / Leave a comment

The best way to learn and improve your understanding of Slovene is by asking questions and finding the answers! I’m a strong believer that there are no question too silly to ask, but on the contrary, that all questions are good ones.

Question by Jasmine

How do you say “What’s your/his/her name” and “What is your mom’s/dad’s name?” and how is it related to the third sklon?

Anna’s Answer

One of the first conversation questions that we learn is ” Kako ti³/vam³ je ime? ” (What is your name?). The personal pronoun used is indeed in third sklon, but why?

The best explanation that I can find is by looking at the reflexive pronouns se⁴ and si³, because the indication for third sklon is the same: indirect object, which answers the question komu (whom).

For example,

umiti se⁴ (to wash myself) – the direct object of the verb is directly the subject (myself) ∴ the reflexive pronoun is in fourth sklon.
umiti si³ lase⁴ (to wash my hair) – the direct object of the verb is not directly the subject but part of the subject (my hair) ∴ the reflexive pronoun is in third sklon.

If we transpose it,

Kako ti³ je ime¹? (What is your name?) – the direct object of the verb is not directly the subject but part of the subject (your name) ∴ the reflexive pronoun is in third sklon.

The personal pronouns in third sklon are as follow:

	E	D	M
1	mi / *mene* (my)	*nama* (our two)	*nam* (our)
2	ti /*tebi* (your)	*vama* (your two)	*vam* (your)
3	mu /*njemu (his) ji/njej* (her)	*jima* / *njima* (their two)	*jim* / *njim* (their)

Reminder: 1, 2, 3 is for first, second and third person and (E) ednina/singular, (D) dvojina/dual, (M) množina/plural.
——–
And the short version is used.

Therefore, to say ” What’s your/his/her name” is Slovene is Kako ti/mu/ji je ime“.

As for how to say ” What is your mom’s/dad’s name”, it is really simple: “Kako je ime¹ tvoji mami³/ tvojemu očetu³“. You just declined the corresponding possessive determiner (moj, tvoj) and the noun in third sklon.

That was a very stimulating question and I just love it! If you have any questions about Slovene, don’t hesitate and let me know! I would to look for the answer and improving our understanding of Slovene, all together!

Possessive Pronouns in Slovene

May 2, 2021December 2, 2022 / AnnaInSlovenia / 3 Comments

Possessive pronouns in Slovene are also known as svojilni zaimek. Same as in English, they are a group of words that are used to indicate possession or ownership of something. It also answers the question word čigav, which means whose.

In Slovene, there are:

three persons: first person, second person and third person,
three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter and
three grammatical numbers: singular, dual and plural.

In this end, there is a lot of subjects, which are the personal pronouns in first sklon. But possessive pronouns are simpler, as the gender distinction is only in singular third person.

Personal Possessive Pronouns / Adjective

Here are the basic (first sklon) form of the personal possessive pronouns in Slovene for all three genders: masculine (m), feminine (ž) and neuter (s).

Singular Form – Ednina

	m	ž	s
Mine	moj*	moja	moje*
Your	tvoj*	tvoja	tvoje*
His Her Its	njegov njen njegov	njegova njena njegova	njegovo njeno njegovo

Dual Form – Dvojina

	m	ž	s
Our two	najin	najina	najin
Your two	vajin	vajina	najina
Their two	njun	njuna	njuno

Plural Form – Množina

	m	ž	s
Our	naš*	naša	naše*
Your	vaš*	vaša	vaše*
Their	njihov	njihova	njihovo

Reminder: * is the famous bracket (c, č, š, ž, j) where the o changes into e.

These possessive pronouns in Slovene are actually possessive determiners AND possessive pronouns in English. But in Slovene, they acts similar to Slovene adjectives, which means that they are declined following the corresponding noun. Remember that the gender of the subject matters for the singular third person (he, she, it – his, her, its).

Here’s a few examples as possessive determiners, which needs to be used with a noun.

Moj pes¹ je bel (My dog is white).
Jan nima njegovega telefona² (Jan doesn’t have his phone).
Mina je njuno kosilo⁴ (Mina eats her lunch).
Peter je šel z našim učiteljem⁶ (Peter went with our teacher).

Bonus: Slovene is a precise language, therefore:

Filip je najin sin¹ (Filip is our son – both parents).

Here’s a few examples as possessive pronouns, which are used “alone”. But remember that the function of a pronouns is to replace a noun. Therefore, subject, gender and grammatical numbers all have to correspond.

Čigava je hiša? Moja. (Whose house it is? Mine.)
Čigav je pes? Njegov. (Whose dog it is? His.)
Čigavo je kolo? Njeno. (Whose bicycle it is? Hers)

Bonus: “Ta” is masculine and also feminine. “To” is neuter.

Ta je moj¹ (This is mine).
Ta je moja¹ (This is mine).
To je moje/naše/vaše¹ (This is mine/ours/yours).

Reflexive Possessive Pronouns

In Slovene, there is reflexive possessive pronouns, known as povratni svojilni zaimek. It is used to express the property of the subject.

There is just “one word” used to express it for all the different subjects: svoj (one’s own) BUT it is declined by gender, grammatical numbers and skloni following the general table of endings, according

Singular Form – Ednina

	m	ž	s
*SKLON 1*	svoj	svoja	svoje
*SKLON 2*	svojega	svoje	svojega
*SKLON 3*	svojemu	svoji	svojemu
*SKLON 4*	svojega ❤ svoj	svojo	svoje
*SKLON 5*	svojem	svoji	svojem
*SKLON 6*	svojim	svojo	svojim

Here’s a few examples of reflexive possessive pronouns.

Nina je svoje kosilo⁴ (Nina eats her own lunch).
Mark nima svojega avta² (Mark doesn’t have his own car).
Jan sedi pri svoji hiši⁵ (Jan sits by his own house).

Bonus: Look at the “slight” difference in meaning.

Teja mu³je prinesla njegov telefon⁴ (Teja brought him his phone).
Teja mu³ je prinesla svoj telefon⁴ (Teja brought him her phone).

Possessive Adjectives from Names

When a noun is the owner, the possessive adjective from names are used – svojilni pridevniki iz lastnih imen. In this case, you need to pay attention to the gender of the owner and the gender of the thing that is owned.

For masculine name, you add -ov + the corresponding ending in red.
For feminine name, you add -in and the corresponding ending in red.

*JAN* (Jan’s)		*JANA* (Jana’s)
Janov_*	brat (brother)	Janin_
Janova*	*sestra* (sister)	Janina
Janovo*	*kolo* (bicycle)	Janino

Reminder: * is the famous bracket (c, č, š, ž, j) where the o changes into e.

For example,

Peter je Nikov dedek (Peter is Nik’s grandfather).
Mirina hiša je najlepša (Mira’s house is the prettiest).
Domnovo kolo je modro (Domen’s bicycle is blue).

Bonus: here are some exceptions:

Peter – Petrov (Peter’s)
Babica – Babičin (Grandmother’s)
Oče – Očetov (Father’s)
Stric – Stričev (Uncle’s)

Expressing possession or ownership might seem confusing at first, mainly because there are “many of them”. My suggestion is to keep it simple. First, remember the “basic forms” then the rest will come naturally because they are declined as nouns and follows the general table of endings. Do keep in mind that all elements have to match (subject, gender, grammatical numbers)! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate and let me know!