LingoflyProsim and oprostite: one word for three jobs
Prosim literally means 'I ask' and does three jobs. It is 'please' in a request: Tišje, prosim. It is 'not at all' in answer to hvala. And it is the way to ask again: a short Prosim? means 'what did you say?' For example: “Hvala. — Prosim.” — Thank you. — Not at all. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Prosim literally means 'I ask' and does three jobs. It is 'please' in a request: Tišje, prosim. It is 'not at all' in answer to hvala. And it is the way to ask again: a short Prosim? means 'what did you say?'
Oprostite comes from prost, 'free', and literally asks to be freed from blame. It is both an apology and the way to stop a stranger in the street. To someone you are close to, say oprosti.
For a particular fault, add the reason: oprostite za zamudo — sorry for being late.
The trap cuts both ways. To hvala you answer prosim or ni za kaj, never oprostite. And to stop a passer-by you need oprostite: prosim there sounds like a request with the request missing.
Table
| The word | The job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| prosim | "please" in a request | Tišje, prosim |
| prosim | "not at all" after hvala | Hvala. — Prosim. |
| prosim? | asking again | Prosim? — what did you say? |
| oprostite | an apology | Oprostite za zamudo |
| oprostite | stopping a stranger | Oprostite, kje je postaja? |
| oprosti | the same, on first-name terms | Oprosti, nisem slišal |
| ni za kaj | another answer to hvala | Hvala. — Ni za kaj. |
By example
- What did you say? (asking again)
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
Prosim vs oprostite?
The trap cuts both ways. To hvala you answer prosim or ni za kaj, never oprostite. And to stop a passer-by you need oprostite: prosim there sounds like a request with the request missing.
What prosim means in Slovenian?
Prosim literally means 'I ask' and does three jobs. It is 'please' in a request: Tišje, prosim. It is 'not at all' in answer to hvala. And it is the way to ask again: a short Prosim? means 'what did you say?'
How to ask someone to repeat in Slovenian?
Prosim literally means 'I ask' and does three jobs. It is 'please' in a request: Tišje, prosim. It is 'not at all' in answer to hvala. And it is the way to ask again: a short Prosim? means 'what did you say?'
How to answer hvala in Slovenian?
Prosim literally means 'I ask' and does three jobs. It is 'please' in a request: Tišje, prosim. It is 'not at all' in answer to hvala. And it is the way to ask again: a short Prosim? means 'what did you say?'
What does it look like in a Slovenian example sentence?
“Hvala. — Prosim.” — Thank you. — Not at all. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.