Cursing in Slovene – Just for Fun

February 19, 2024February 18, 2024 / AnnaInSlovenia / Leave a comment

You can discover about the Slovenian culture everywhere, even through cursing words! The art of cursing in Slovene is quite sophisticated and it shows an interesting side of the language. Although, cursing (and swearing) is not a nice thing to do, it is still a part of us…

There is also a difference between cursing words (kletvice) and swearing words (psovke).

Slovenian kletvice are usually (funny and a little childish) expressions or words used to show anger or dislike, but not directly toward someone.
On the other hand, Slovenian psovke are “mean” words, meant to insult or to humiliate someone directly, usually by using the characteristics of the word. Such as drek (poop, shit), svinja (swine – means liar), štor (tree stump – means awkward, clumsy) and the most offensive one is probably hudič (devil).

And most of the more offense curse and swear words are from the Balkans.

Tristo kosmatih (medvedov) – Three hundred furries (bears)!

“Tristo” (three hundred) seems to be a magical number in Slovene – it is used to express an extremely strong feeling or an exaggeration of something. “Kosmastih” can refer to hudičev, which are furry horned devils or to bears. It can also be used separately, “tristo kosmatih“, “tristo kosmatih medvedov” or “tristo medvedov“.

Another similar expression is tristo hudičev (three hundred devils).

Pojdi se solit – Go salt yourself!

The expression to salt means to get smarter. So, pojdi se solit is telling someone to go get smarter. Another variant is that salt is not a nice place to be, so by saying pojdi se solit, you’re cursing them to a place where they will not feel well and might suffer great pain.

Bog te nima rad – God doesn’t love you!

A lot of curse words, not just in Slovene, refers to God or church items. Bog te nima rad is used to express a dislike about something or… that God doesn’t love you, so he made you stupid.

Naj te koklja brcne – May the hen kicks you!

“Koklja” (mother hens) are believed to be more aggressive than normal chicken. And the “brcne” is a super strong kick that can send people flying. So, “naj te koklja brcne” is similar to “kick your ass”.

Naj te vrag pocitra – May the devil takes you!

This one is quite straight forward. “Vrag” is another word for devil (hudič – one of the most offensive swear word in Slovene) or Satan. So, what happens when the devil takes you? Well… you pretty much die, so it’s an equivalent to “go to hell”.

Of course, there are a lot more cursing expressions, here’s a few more:

Naj te strela udari – May lightning strikes you!
Hudič te vzemi – Let the devil takes you!
Drekec pekec – poop bake!
Jebela cesta – The road is white!
Krščen matiček – Godmother or Baptized Mother!

If you think about it, using Slovene to swear might be a good option, because it is not too offensive and Slovene is only spoken by 2.5 millions people, so if you are not in Slovenia – chance is that no one will understand it 😛 .

Have you ever heard of other Slovenian curse or swear words, if so, please do share it – so that we will all know about it if we do hear them one day!

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

Understanding Slovenian Idioms #013

November 20, 2023November 19, 2023 / AnnaInSlovenia / Leave a comment

A good way to improve and refine your Slovene is by understanding and using Slovenian idioms! Personally, I find it very interesting to search and discover their origins, because after all, a linguistic expression must be coming from somewhere, and it usually has to make some kind of sense as well!

Piti kot goba – To drink like a sponge
I almost got tricked in this expression, because goba has two meanings in Slovene: 1. mushroom, fungus 2. sponge (goba, gobica). So, “to drink like a sponge” means to drink a lot of water, like a sponge that can absorb and hold a big quantity of liquid!
Rdeči petelin – Red rooster
The rooster, especially used with the adjective red or fire rooster, means ogenj (fire). It can also be a symbol of fire and sun. Therefore, if you ever hear (hopefully not) “red rooster”, look for a fire and not an animal!
Biti lanski sneg – To be last year’s snow
I find this one quite funny, because it is true. It refers to something that is no longer interesting or actual. Just like the snow from last year – which has melted a long long long time ago… 😀

Understanding Slovenian Idioms #012

October 23, 2023October 22, 2023 / AnnaInSlovenia / Leave a comment

A fun and interesting way to learn “how to speak like Slovenians” is by understanding and using their idioms. You might notice that some of them also exist in a different language – which is quite amazing and always entertaining to make the connection (at least, for me)!

Biti čez les – To be over the wood
It means to be stupid or weird. I can think of a similar expression in Chinese, “木頭” (wooden head). to refer to someone that is stiff and clumsy like a piece of wood 😛 Interestingly, there is an adjective in Slovene: drven, which is synonym to neroden (clumsy, awkward).
Dobiti krila – To get wings
It means to succeed, to flourish to a higher level. It also reminds me of an expression in Chinese, “一步登天” (to reach the sky in one step), which is used to describe someone or something that suddenly reaches a very high state in one go – so, by getting wings, you can fly and reaches the sky (success) quickly!
Biti molzna krava – To be a milking cow
At first, I was thinking that it meant to be easily irritable, like “avoir une montée de lait” (to have a lactation of milk) in French-Canadian… but it actually means to be exploitable, like a cow that gives milk. The English equivalent would be “to be a cash cow” and the actual French one would be “être une vache à lait” (literally, to be a milking cow).

Every Day with Slovenian Idioms #004

April 17, 2023April 8, 2023 / AnnaInSlovenia / 2 Comments

The best way to learn Slovene or any language is to use it as often as possible. Watching TV, reading newspapers and listening to the radio are all great methods of practise!

My in-laws love to watch sports. Just the other day, while watching Ski Jumping, the commentator was referring to a Canadian athlete by saying:

čez (veliko) lužo – across the (big) pond
When I heard it, I found it quite funny, because the first thought that came into my mind was the ocean – which turn out to be correct!

The Atlantic ocean is indeed a very very very big pond 😛 The expression is usually used to refer to the United States, but it can also be used for anywhere in America.

I am from Canada, therefore, prihajam čez lužo!

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)…

Understanding Slovenian Idioms #010

August 22, 2022July 9, 2023 / AnnaInSlovenia / 2 Comments

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, 2021October 22, 2023 / 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 – This flour will not make 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.

First Prize in Contest!

July 8, 2021 / AnnaInSlovenia / 6 Comments

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!

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!

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”.

Understanding Slovenian Idioms #007

January 8, 2021December 2, 2022 / AnnaInSlovenia / Leave a comment

A casual and engaging method to learn Slovene is to master the Slovenian idioms. Knowing the theory is one thing, but actually applying it is another. But the day that you will, you can be very proud!

Zaradi dreves ne videti gozda – Because of the trees, can’t see the forest
Personally, I think that this idiom is beautifully so written. It means that if you look at each tree individually, then you can’t see the larger forest (which is formed by trees). The deeper meaning is that because of individuality, you lose the perception of a whole.
Rasti kot gobe (po dežju) – To grow like mushrooms (after the rain)
With some imagination, I find this idiom very amusing. The meaning points at a very very fast growth (or multiplication), like mushrooms after the rain. It can be use to describe a massive crowd of tourists during holidays, or money after an excellent investment.
Govoriti kot dež – To talk like the rain
How does the rain talk, like a quiet mist or a crazy deluge? In this case, it means to talk at a very fast rate or to talk a lot – so, the latter one. You can try to imagine a sudden downpour of heavy rain… but made of words.