Ta, tisti, oni: this, that, and 'the one we talked about'
Slovenian points with three words. Ta — this one, right here. Tisti — that one, further off or already known. Oni — that one over there. The third has nearly died in speech, and Ljubljana says un instead: un dan — the other day. Nobody writes un. For example: “Ta telefon je moj, tisti pa je od brata” — This phone is mine, and that one is my brother’s. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not…
How it works
Slovenian points with three words. Ta — this one, right here. Tisti — that one, further off or already known. Oni — that one over there. The third has nearly died in speech, and Ljubljana says un instead: un dan — the other day. Nobody writes un.
All three change with the word beside them: ta kovček, ta torba, tega gumba. Two has its own: ta dva fanta, ti dve punci. For three or more, one letter differs: ti fantje.
Their busiest job is pointing back at what was said. For that Slovenian takes the neuter to: To je res — that's true, Tega nisem vedel — I didn't know that. And tisto points at what you both remember: Se spomniš tistega filma?
In speech the particle -le sticks on: tale telefon — this very phone. Everyone in Ljubljana says it; on a form, plain ta is better.
Table
| this (ta) | that (tisti) | |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | ta gumb | tisti gumb |
| feminine | ta torba | tista torba |
| neuter | to darilo | tisto darilo |
| two (m.) | ta dva | tista dva |
| two (f.) | ti dve | tisti dve |
| many | ti gumbi | tisti gumbi |
| of what | tega | tistega |
By example
- Ta telefon je moj, tisti pa je od brataThis phone is mine, and that one is my brother’s
- To sem ti povedal že prejšnji tedenI told you that already last week
- Ta dva bratranca sta prišla na porokoThese two cousins came to the wedding
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
Ta, tisti, oni: how does it work in Slovenian?
Slovenian points with three words. Ta — this one, right here. Tisti — that one, further off or already known. Oni — that one over there. The third has nearly died in speech, and Ljubljana says un instead: un dan — the other day. Nobody writes un.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Ta telefon je moj, tisti pa je od brata” — This phone is mine, and that one is my brother’s. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.