Vprašala je, kje: someone else’s speech with no tense shift
Slovenian puts other people's words into a frame, and there are several frames. The tense does not shift a step. For example: “Vprašala je, kje sem pustil ključe” — She asked where I had left the keys. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Slovenian puts other people's words into a frame, and there are several frames. The tense does not shift a step.
A statement comes in with da: Rekel je, da pride jutri. The present stays present and the future stays future: Rekel je, da bo prišel. The comma before da is obligatory.
A question keeps its own question word: Vprašala je, kje sem bil, Vprašal je, kdaj prideva. If there was no such word, take ali: Vprašal je, ali imam čas.
A request or an order goes through naj with the present: Prosil je, naj počakam. And the pronouns rearrange around the narrator: Jutri pridem k tebi becomes Rekel je, da naslednji dan pride k meni.
Table
| what is reported | introduced by | example | the English |
|---|---|---|---|
| a statement | da | Rekel je, da pride | he said he’s coming |
| a question with a word | kje, kdaj, kdo | Vprašal je, kdaj prideš | he asked when you’re coming |
| a question without a word | ali / če | Vprašal je, ali imam čas | he asked whether I have time |
| a request | naj | Prosil je, naj počakam | he asked me to wait |
| an order | naj | Rekel je, naj gremo | he told us to go |
| someone else’s words | naj bi | Naj bi prodal hišo | he allegedly sold the house |
| rumor | baje, domnevno | Baje se selijo | supposedly they are moving |
| the source | po besedah | Po besedah očividca | according to a witness |
By example
- Vprašala je, kje sem pustil ključeShe asked where I had left the keys
- Prosil je, naj počakam pred vhodomHe asked me to wait in front of the entrance
- Slišal sem, da naj bi se preselili v MariborI heard that they have supposedly moved to Maribor
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
Vprašala je, kje: how does it work in Slovenian?
Slovenian puts other people's words into a frame, and there are several frames. The tense does not shift a step.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Vprašala je, kje sem pustil ključe” — She asked where I had left the keys. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.