Polovica, tretjina, dvojno: fractions, multiples — and the dual when two are compared
A fraction, a multiple and a difference are three different tools, and mixing them up is expensive. For example: “Tretjina razreda je bila bolna, polovica pa na izletu” — A third of the class was sick, and half was on a trip. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A fraction, a multiple and a difference are three different tools, and mixing them up is expensive.
A fraction is built with -ina: tretjina, četrtina, petina. Half is a word of its own, polovica. The word after them takes its 'of what' shape: tretjina ljudi, petina plače. The verb stays singular: Tretjina razreda je bila bolna.
A multiple is an adverb in -krat: dvakrat več, trikrat manj. There is also the bookish dvojno: dvojno plačilo.
A difference goes through za: za tretjino več, za polovico manj. It is easy to confuse with a multiple: dvakrat manj is two times less, while za dva manj is two fewer.
Table
| what we express | how | example | the English |
|---|---|---|---|
| a fraction | -ina + 'of what' | tretjina ljudi | a third of the people |
| a fraction | a word of its own | polovica zneska | half the amount |
| a multiple | -krat | trikrat manj | three times less |
| a multiple | a bookish adverb | dvojno plačilo | double pay |
| a difference | za + the object form | za tretjino več | a third more |
| one and a half | compound | uro in pol | an hour and a half |
| two do it | the dual, -ta | zaslužita enako | they earn on equal terms |
| two did it | sta + -la | razdelila sta si | the two of them split it |
By example
- Tretjina razreda je bila bolna, polovica pa na izletuA third of the class was sick, and half was on a trip
- Brata zaslužita prav toliko in si delita stroške na enake deleThe two brothers earn exactly the same and share the costs evenly
- Nova naprava porabi dvakrat manj, stara pa je stala za tretjino večThe new device uses twice as little, and the old one cost a third more
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
Polovica, tretjina, dvojno: how does it work in Slovenian?
A fraction, a multiple and a difference are three different tools, and mixing them up is expensive.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Tretjina razreda je bila bolna, polovica pa na izletu” — A third of the class was sick, and half was on a trip. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.