The locative: 'where at' is -u and -i
The locative (mestnik) has a property the other cases lack: it never appears without a preposition. Only after v, na, pri, po, o — and nowhere else. English does the same job with one all-purpose word ('in the town', 'at the doctor's'); Slovenian keeps the preposition and also reshapes the noun. For example: “Zdravilo dobite v lekarni” — You get the medicine at the pharmacy. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked…
How it works
The locative (mestnik) has a property the other cases lack: it never appears without a preposition. Only after v, na, pri, po, o — and nowhere else. English does the same job with one all-purpose word ('in the town', 'at the doctor's'); Slovenian keeps the preposition and also reshapes the noun.
The endings are short: masculine and neuter -u (v mestu, pri zdravniku), feminine -i (v lekarni, na postaji). In the plural everyone takes -ih (v hribih), and the dual also -ih (v dveh sobah — here already -ah, feminine).
The main trap is not the endings but the pair kje / kam — 'where at' and 'where to'. One and the same preposition v behaves differently: 'where to' demands the accusative, 'where at' the locative. Grem v lekarno — I'm going to the pharmacy. Sem v lekarni — I'm at the pharmacy. English marks the difference with 'to' or nothing; Slovenian marks it inside the word, and mixing the endings up is easy — and loud.
Memorize pri separately: 'at somebody's place', always with the locative. Sem pri zdravniku — I'm at the doctor's. But going to the doctor is already k zdravniku — the dative.
Table
| word | where to? (accusative) | where at? (locative) |
|---|---|---|
| lekarna — pharmacy | v lekarno | v lekarni |
| bolnišnica — hospital | v bolnišnico | v bolnišnici |
| trgovina — shop | v trgovino | v trgovini |
| mesto — town | v mesto | v mestu |
| postaja — stop | na postajo | na postaji |
| zdravnik — doctor | k zdravniku | pri zdravniku |
By example
- Zdravilo dobite v lekarniYou get the medicine at the pharmacy
- Sem pri zdravnikuI'm at the doctor's
- Grem v lekarno po tableteI'm going to the pharmacy for pills
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
Slovenian locative: when -u and when -i?
The locative (mestnik) has a property the other cases lack: it never appears without a preposition. Only after v, na, pri, po, o — and nowhere else. English does the same job with one all-purpose word ('in the town', 'at the doctor's'); Slovenian keeps the preposition and also reshapes the noun.
V lekarno or v lekarni?
The endings are short: masculine and neuter -u (v mestu, pri zdravniku), feminine -i (v lekarni, na postaji). In the plural everyone takes -ih (v hribih), and the dual also -ih (v dveh sobah — here already -ah, feminine).
Pri zdravniku vs k zdravniku?
The main trap is not the endings but the pair kje / kam — 'where at' and 'where to'. One and the same preposition v behaves differently: 'where to' demands the accusative, 'where at' the locative. Grem v lekarno — I'm going to the pharmacy. Sem v lekarni — I'm at the pharmacy. English marks the…
Why v takes the accusative and then the locative?
Memorize pri separately: 'at somebody's place', always with the locative. Sem pri zdravniku — I'm at the doctor's. But going to the doctor is already k zdravniku — the dative.
Which prepositions take the Slovenian locative?
Memorize pri separately: 'at somebody's place', always with the locative. Sem pri zdravniku — I'm at the doctor's. But going to the doctor is already k zdravniku — the dative.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Zdravilo dobite v lekarni” — You get the medicine at the pharmacy. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.