Moving the furniture in Slovenian
Two people rearranging the furniture in a room and arguing about what goes where in Slovenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Omaro prestaviva k drugi steni, tja ob okno.» — The two of us will move the cupboard to the other wall, over there by the window. Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people rearranging the furniture in a room and arguing about what goes where. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Omaro prestaviva k drugi steni, tja ob okno.The two of us will move the cupboard to the other wall, over there by the window.
- Najprej odloži škatle na tla in se malo odmakni.First put the boxes on the floor and move over a little.
- Zdaj jo premakni malo v levo, čisto tik ob steno.Now shift it a little to the left, flush against the wall.
- Pazi, da je ne izpustiš, ker so police krhke.Careful, don’t drop it, the shelves are fragile.
- Sliko obesiva zgoraj, nad kavčem?Shall the two of us hang the picture up top, above the sofa?
- Raje ob strani, da bo prostor videti bolj prostoren.Better on the side, so the room feels more spacious.
- Preostale stvari razporediva po predalih, vsako posebej.The two of us will sort the rest of the things into drawers, each one separately.
- Potem pa naredimo premor, ker sva porabila zadnje moči.Then let’s take a break; the two of us have spent the last of our strength.
Lines one by one
| Slovenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Omaro prestaviva k drugi steni, tja ob okno. | — | The two of us will move the cupboard to the other wall, over there by the window. |
| Najprej odloži škatle na tla in se malo odmakni. | — | First put the boxes on the floor and move over a little. |
| Zdaj jo premakni malo v levo, čisto tik ob steno. | — | Now shift it a little to the left, flush against the wall. |
| Pazi, da je ne izpustiš, ker so police krhke. | — | Careful, don’t drop it, the shelves are fragile. |
| Sliko obesiva zgoraj, nad kavčem? | — | Shall the two of us hang the picture up top, above the sofa? |
| Raje ob strani, da bo prostor videti bolj prostoren. | — | Better on the side, so the room feels more spacious. |
| Preostale stvari razporediva po predalih, vsako posebej. | — | The two of us will sort the rest of the things into drawers, each one separately. |
| Potem pa naredimo premor, ker sva porabila zadnje moči. | — | Then let’s take a break; the two of us have spent the last of our strength. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Slovenian in this situation?
“Omaro prestaviva k drugi steni, tja ob okno.” — The two of us will move the cupboard to the other wall, over there by the window.. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.