Complex sentences in full: cause, purpose, time, concession
Cause. Ker answers 'why': Nisem prišel, ker sem bil bolan. Zaradi is a preposition, and the word after it changes shape: zaradi bolezni. Saj only comes after the main half: Ne skrbi, saj imamo čas. For example: “Poklical sem odvetnika, da bi mi razložil sodbo” — I called a lawyer so that he could explain the verdict to me. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Cause. Ker answers 'why': Nisem prišel, ker sem bil bolan. Zaradi is a preposition, and the word after it changes shape: zaradi bolezni. Saj only comes after the main half: Ne skrbi, saj imamo čas.
Purpose. Da is for one and the same person acting: Prišel sem, da ti pomagam. Da bi is for different people: Poklical sem, da bi mi razložili. English 'to' and 'so that' cover both, and bi is what gets lost.
Time. Preden — before, potem ko — after, dokler — while, takoj ko — as soon as. After preden no future is used: Preden greš, zapri okno. And dokler wants ne: Počakaj, dokler ne pride.
Concession. Čeprav — although: Čeprav je deževalo, smo šli. Kljub without da is a preposition: kljub dežju. The comma before the joining word is always there.
Table
| meaning | word | what follows |
|---|---|---|
| cause | ker | a clause: ker sem bil bolan |
| cause | zaradi | of what: zaradi bolezni |
| cause as justification | saj | only after the main clause |
| purpose, one subject | da | da ti pomagam |
| purpose, different subjects | da bi | da bi mi razložili |
| purpose with motion | infinitive in -t | šel sem iskat |
| time “until” | dokler ne | dokler ne pride |
| time “before” | preden | present, no future |
| concession | čeprav | čeprav je deževalo |
| concession as a preposition | kljub | to whom: kljub dežju |
By example
- Poklical sem odvetnika, da bi mi razložil sodboI called a lawyer so that he could explain the verdict to me
- Počakaj, dokler ne pride uradnicaWait until the clerk arrives
- Čeprav sem oddal vlogo pravočasno, so jo zavrniliAlthough I filed the application in time, it was rejected
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
Complex sentences in full: how does it work in Slovenian?
Cause. Ker answers 'why': Nisem prišel, ker sem bil bolan. Zaradi is a preposition, and the word after it changes shape: zaradi bolezni. Saj only comes after the main half: Ne skrbi, saj imamo čas.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Poklical sem odvetnika, da bi mi razložil sodbo” — I called a lawyer so that he could explain the verdict to me. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.