Present tense: -m, -š, and three numbers
The present endings are short and recognizable: -m for 'I', -š for 'you', and no ending at all for 'he'. For example: “Govorim slovensko” — I speak Slovenian. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The present endings are short and recognizable: -m for 'I', -š for 'you', and no ending at all for 'he'.
Then the Slovenian twist begins: there are not two numbers but three. For two people — -va and -ta; for three or more the familiar -mo, -te, -jo.
The pronoun is almost always left out, the way English drops it in 'Hope you're well': the ending has already said who acts. Govorim slovensko — 'I speak Slovenian', with no 'I' in sight.
Table
| delati (to work) | govoriti (to speak) | |
|---|---|---|
| jaz (I) | delam | govorim |
| ti (you) | delaš | govoriš |
| on / ona (he / she) | dela | govori |
| midva (we two) | delava | govoriva |
| mi (we) | delamo | govorimo |
| vi (you) | delate | govorite |
| oni (they) | delajo | govorijo |
By example
- Govorim slovenskoI speak Slovenian
- Kaj delaš?What are you doing?
- Zvečer pijem čajIn the evening I drink tea
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
Present tense: how does it work in Slovenian?
The present endings are short and recognizable: -m for 'I', -š for 'you', and no ending at all for 'he'.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Govorim slovensko” — I speak Slovenian. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.