Where at: the shape with -u and -i
To say 'I am at the pharmacy' you need the 'where at' shape of the word — mestnik. It never stands alone: only after v, na, pri, po, o. For example: “Zdravilo dobite v lekarni” — You get the medicine at the pharmacy. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To say 'I am at the pharmacy' you need the 'where at' shape of the word — mestnik. It never stands alone: only after v, na, pri, po, o.
The endings are short. Masculine and neuter take -u (v mestu, pri zdravniku), feminine takes -i (v lekarni, na postaji). For three or more: -ih (v hribih) and -ah (v sobah). For two the endings are the same: v dveh sobah.
The real trap is kje against kam. The same v works two ways: 'where to' reshapes the word one way, 'where at' another. Grem v lekarno — I'm going to the pharmacy. Sem v lekarni — I'm at the pharmacy.
Pri means 'at somebody's place': Sem pri zdravniku — I'm at the doctor's. Going to the doctor is already k zdravniku.
Table
| word | where to? | where at? |
|---|---|---|
| lekarna — pharmacy | v lekarno | v lekarni |
| bolnišnica — hospital | v bolnišnico | v bolnišnici |
| trgovina — shop | v trgovino | v trgovini |
| mesto — town | v mesto | v mestu |
| postaja — stop | na postajo | na postaji |
| zdravnik — doctor | k zdravniku | pri zdravniku |
By example
- Zdravilo dobite v lekarniYou get the medicine at the pharmacy
- Sem pri zdravnikuI'm at the doctor's
- Grem v lekarno po tableteI'm going to the pharmacy for pills
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Slovenian mestnik: when -u and when -i?
To say 'I am at the pharmacy' you need the 'where at' shape of the word — mestnik. It never stands alone: only after v, na, pri, po, o.
V lekarno or v lekarni?
The endings are short. Masculine and neuter take -u (v mestu, pri zdravniku), feminine takes -i (v lekarni, na postaji). For three or more: -ih (v hribih) and -ah (v sobah). For two the endings are the same: v dveh sobah.
Pri zdravniku vs k zdravniku?
The real trap is kje against kam. The same v works two ways: 'where to' reshapes the word one way, 'where at' another. Grem v lekarno — I'm going to the pharmacy. Sem v lekarni — I'm at the pharmacy.
Why v reshapes the word twice?
Pri means 'at somebody's place': Sem pri zdravniku — I'm at the doctor's. Going to the doctor is already k zdravniku.
Which prepositions ask for the where-at shape?
Pri means 'at somebody's place': Sem pri zdravniku — I'm at the doctor's. Going to the doctor is already k zdravniku.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Zdravilo dobite v lekarni” — You get the medicine at the pharmacy. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.