Se me je dotaknilo: when the short words pile up
A phrase you learned whole falls apart inside a live sentence. The short unstressed words move to second place, while the verb stays where it was. For example: “Ta zgodba se me je zelo dotaknila” — This story touched me deeply. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A phrase you learned whole falls apart inside a live sentence. The short unstressed words move to second place, while the verb stays where it was.
Such words (sem, si, je, se, mi, te, ga, bi) are never the first word. They stick right behind the first stressed piece: Razložil je, da …, but Učitelj je razložil and Včeraj je razložil.
The order inside the queue never changes: first bi, then sem and je, then se, then 'to whom', then 'whom'. In the third person je gives way: se je, se mi je, se me je.
Hence Ta zgodba se me je dotaknila and Lani sem imel priložnost. After da, ko, ki, če the first place is taken. The queue follows at once: Vem, da se mi je zdelo čudno.
Table
| the sentence starts with | where the short word goes | example |
|---|---|---|
| the verb | the learned order | Razložil je, da … |
| the subject | the short word goes second | Oče je razložil, da … |
| an adverb | the short word goes second | Včeraj je razložil, da … |
| a joining word | the short word right after it | …, da se mi je zdelo … |
| the chain: bi | first in the queue | Bi se mi oglasil? |
| the chain: se + je | se before je | se je zgodilo |
| the chain: se + mi + je | three in a row | se mi je zdelo |
| the chain: se + me + je | three in a row | se me je dotaknilo |
By example
- Ta zgodba se me je zelo dotaknilaThis story touched me deeply
- V najtežjem trenutku me je pustil na cediluAt the hardest moment he left me in the lurch
- Vem, da se mi je takrat zdelo čudnoI know that it seemed strange to me at the time
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
Se me je dotaknilo: how does it work in Slovenian?
A phrase you learned whole falls apart inside a live sentence. The short unstressed words move to second place, while the verb stays where it was.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Ta zgodba se me je zelo dotaknila” — This story touched me deeply. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.