Ljudje, otroci, ljudstvo: the plurals that break the rule
Words about crowds of people are exactly where the Slovenian plural stops being predictable. What you learn here is not a rule but a dozen words — the commonest ones in the language. For example: “V naši ulici živijo prijazni ljudje” — Friendly people live in our street. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Words about crowds of people are exactly where the Slovenian plural stops being predictable. What you learn here is not a rule but a dozen words — the commonest ones in the language.
Človek in the plural is ljudje, a complete swap of the root. Then ljudi, ljudem, z ljudmi. There is no such word as človeki, and two people are dva človeka.
Otrok gives otroci, with k turning into c. And 'of children' is otrok again, just like the singular: pet otrok — five children.
The trap is number. Prebivalstvo, ljudstvo, revščina exist only in the singular: Prebivalstvo raste. And starši, pogajanja, vrata, usta only in the plural: vrata so odprta.
Table
| singular | plural | 'of what' plural | note |
|---|---|---|---|
| človek | ljudje | ljudi | a full stem swap |
| otrok | otroci | otrok | k → c, 'of what' like the singular |
| prebivalec | prebivalci | prebivalcev | by the rule |
| prebivalstvo | — | — | a collective, singular only |
| ljudstvo | — | — | a collective, singular only |
| — | starši | staršev | plural only |
| — | pogajanja | pogajanj | plural only |
| — | vrata | vrat | plural only, neuter |
By example
- V naši ulici živijo prijazni ljudjeFriendly people live in our street
- Pet otrok se je igralo na otroškem igriščuFive children were playing in the playground
- Starši so prišli, otroka pa sta ostala domaThe parents came, and the two children stayed home
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
Ljudje, otroci, ljudstvo: how does it work in Slovenian?
Words about crowds of people are exactly where the Slovenian plural stops being predictable. What you learn here is not a rule but a dozen words — the commonest ones in the language.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“V naši ulici živijo prijazni ljudje” — Friendly people live in our street. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.