Without a subject: mrzlo je, treba je, se reče, zdi se mi
A huge share of everyday sentences manage without a subject altogether. The predicate stands in the neuter singular and nobody else shows up: Mrzlo je — it's cold, Zunaj dežuje — it's raining, Treba je počakati — one has to wait. English 'it' in 'it's cold' is an empty placeholder; Slovenian simply leaves it out. For example: “Zunaj je mrzlo, meni pa je vroče” — It's cold outside, but I'm hot. A rule from the…
How it works
A huge share of everyday sentences manage without a subject altogether. The predicate stands in the neuter singular and nobody else shows up: Mrzlo je — it's cold, Zunaj dežuje — it's raining, Treba je počakati — one has to wait. English 'it' in 'it's cold' is an empty placeholder; Slovenian simply leaves it out.
The difference appears when the state has a target person. He goes into the dative, and 'it's cold in general' becomes 'I'm cold': Mrzlo je — the room is cold, Mrzlo mi je — I'm freezing. The same pattern runs through everything you already say: slabo mi je, dolgčas mi je, žal mi je. Two people have their own forms: Mrzlo nama je — the two of us are freezing, Ni se nama mudilo — we two were in no hurry.
The reflexive se turns a verb impersonal wherever English says 'they say', 'people do': Kako se reče temu po slovensko? — how do you say this in Slovenian, Tukaj se ne kadi — no smoking here. From the same shelf comes the most Ljubljana phrase on earth: se ne da — it can't be done, there's no way: Vrata se ne dajo odpreti.
And separately zdi se mi — it seems to me. The phrase introduces a careful opinion and demands da after it: Zdi se mi, da je zaprto. In speech it likes to trail at the end, as an afterthought: Zaprto je, se mi zdi. Past and future for all these go through the neuter: bilo je mrzlo, treba bo počakati.
Table
| phrase | no target | with a target (dative) |
|---|---|---|
| cold | mrzlo je | mrzlo mi je |
| bored | dolgčas je | dolgčas mu je |
| a pity | škoda je | žal mi je |
| necessary | treba je iti | treba mi je počivati |
| seems | — | zdi se mi, da… |
| one says | se reče | — |
| it can’t be done | se ne da | se mi ne da (I can’t be bothered) |
| it was cold | bilo je mrzlo | bilo mi je mrzlo |
By example
- Zunaj je mrzlo, meni pa je vročeIt's cold outside, but I'm hot
- Treba je bilo poklicati policijoThe police had to be called
- Zdi se mi, da je pralnica že zaprtaIt seems to me the laundry room is already closed
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
Without a subject: how does it work in Slovenian?
A huge share of everyday sentences manage without a subject altogether. The predicate stands in the neuter singular and nobody else shows up: Mrzlo je — it's cold, Zunaj dežuje — it's raining, Treba je počakati — one has to wait. English 'it' in 'it's cold' is an empty placeholder; Slovenian simply…
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Zunaj je mrzlo, meni pa je vroče” — It's cold outside, but I'm hot. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.