Ki and kateri: how to say 'the one who'
A thing can be described with an adjective: zahteven izpit. But 'the teacher who taught history' needs a second half of the sentence, and ki brings it in. For example: “To je sošolec, ki mi je posodil zvezek” — This is the classmate who lent me a notebook. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A thing can be described with an adjective: zahteven izpit. But 'the teacher who taught history' needs a second half of the sentence, and ki brings it in.
Ki never changes, and that is its trap. English hides the role in word order: 'the classmate I know'. Slovenian pulls it out into a short word right after ki.
In the plain shape there is no such word: učitelj, ki je učil zgodovino. Everywhere else it is obligatory. Sošolec, ki ga poznam — the classmate I know. Sošolec, ki mu verjamem — the one I trust. Stanovanje, ki v njem živim — the flat I live in.
The second word is kateri. It changes by itself and suits contracts and textbooks: sošolec, katerega poznam. The comma before ki and kateri is always there.
Table
| the case of 'which' | spoken with ki | bookish with kateri |
|---|---|---|
| plain form | ki je prišel | kateri je prišel |
| of what | ki ga ni | katerega ni |
| to whom | ki mu pišem | kateremu pišem |
| object | ki ga poznam | katerega poznam |
| where at | ki v njem živim | v katerem živim |
| with what | ki z njim delam | s katerim delam |
| feminine | ki jo poznam | katero poznam |
| dual | ki ju poznam | katera poznam |
By example
- To je sošolec, ki mi je posodil zvezekThis is the classmate who lent me a notebook
- Stanovanje, ki sva si ga ogledala, je predragoThe apartment the two of us viewed is too expensive
- Podpišite pogodbo, v kateri so navedene vse zadolžitveSign the contract in which all obligations are listed
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
Ki vs kateri in Slovenian?
A thing can be described with an adjective: zahteven izpit. But 'the teacher who taught history' needs a second half of the sentence, and ki brings it in.
How to say which in Slovenian?
Ki never changes, and that is its trap. English hides the role in word order: 'the classmate I know'. Slovenian pulls it out into a short word right after ki.
Why ga, mu and jo follow ki?
In the plain shape there is no such word: učitelj, ki je učil zgodovino. Everywhere else it is obligatory. Sošolec, ki ga poznam — the classmate I know. Sošolec, ki mu verjamem — the one I trust. Stanovanje, ki v njem živim — the flat I live in.
Is a comma needed before ki in Slovenian?
The second word is kateri. It changes by itself and suits contracts and textbooks: sošolec, katerega poznam. The comma before ki and kateri is always there.
How to say the flat I live in in Slovenian?
The second word is kateri. It changes by itself and suits contracts and textbooks: sošolec, katerega poznam. The comma before ki and kateri is always there.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“To je sošolec, ki mi je posodil zvezek” — This is the classmate who lent me a notebook. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.