Basic words in Slovenian
309 words Slovenian words on the topic “basic words”: ja — yes, ne — no, dobro — fine, slabo — badly. 309 words can be played from recordings.
309 words on the topic
- jayeslike "yah"
- nenoThe same word negates verbs: ne razumem, "I do not understand". It fuses with "be" and "have" into nisem and nimam.
- dobrofineThe standard full reply is Dobro sem, hvala — "I am fine, thank you".
- slabobadlyFrom slab, "weak". Say it about yourself when you feel under the weather.
- odličnoexcellentč is "ch" as in "church": od-LEECH-noh
- inandNot the short "i" of the neighboring languages — in is a small giveaway of Slovenian.
- ampakbutThe conversational but. The bookish, sharper one is toda, and pa always lands as the second word: jaz pa ne.
- lahkomay (permission)Literally "easily". It does the job of "be able to": lahko grem, "I can go".
- kilogramkilogram (unit)At the market people say the short kila: dve kili jabolk. Two kilograms take the dual: dva kilograma.
- polovicahalfc is "ts": poh-LOH-vee-tsah
- ne potrebujemI do not needj is "y"
- še edenone moreš is "sh": sheh EH-den
- dovoljenoughfinal lj is a soft "ly": DOH-voly
- skupajin totalj is "y": SKOO-pigh
- vrstaqueuev before a consonant sounds like "u"
- velikostsizeFrom velik, "big". About clothes and shoes people more often say številka, "number".
- večmoreč is "ch": vech
- manjlessnj is a soft "ny": mahny
- težekheavyž is the "zh" of "measure": TEH-zhek
- laheklight (not heavy)the h sounds: LAH-hek
- novnewfinal v sounds like "u"
- staroldAbout things and about age: koliko si star? asks how old you are.
- pokvarjenbrokenAbout devices that stopped working. Snapped in two is zlomljen, and spoiled food is pokvarjena hrana.
- vse je v redueverything is finev before a consonant sounds like "u"
- vse je dobroeverything is goodThe answer to kako si?. The neighbor vse je v redu is about the state of affairs; this one is about how you feel.
- človekpersonč is "ch"; the second e is nearly swallowed
- enajstelevenGrew out of ena na deset, "one onto ten". The noun after it takes the genitive plural: enajst evrov.
- dvanajsttwelveBuilt on dva, but the dual is long over by here: two eggs are dve jajci, twelve eggs are dvanajst jajc.
- trinajstthirteenFrom tri. The whole run up to nineteen is built the same way, and the numerals themselves never change their form.
- štirinajstfourteenš is "sh", j is "y": shtee-REE-nighst
- petnajstfifteenA quarter of an hour is četrt ure, but with clock time people just say the number: petnajst minut.
- šestnajstsixteenFrom šest, and the t stays right where it is.
- sedemnajstseventeenFrom sedem. The ljudi ("people") after it is genitive plural — the same case you get after pet.
- osemnajsteighteenAt eighteen Slovenians get the right to vote and a driving licence.
- devetnajstnineteenThe last of the -najst numbers; after this come the tens in -deset, and those are built differently.
- dvajsettwentyNot dvadeset: the -de- contracted into -j-. Compounds are written back to front as one word — enaindvajset, literally "one-and-twenty".
- tridesetthirtyHere -deset no longer contracts, unlike dvajset. Compounds run back to front again: petintrideset, "five-and-thirty".
- štiridesetfortyš is "sh": shtee-REE-deh-set
- petdesetfiftyWritten petdeset but said pedeset — the t drops between consonants. The same fate awaits šestdeset.
- šestdesetsixtyWritten with a t, spoken without it — a rare case of spelling and speech drifting apart, and numbers are exactly that case.
- sedemdesetseventyFrom sedem, and it reads exactly as written, unlike petdeset. The seventies are sedemdeseta leta.
- osemdeseteightyFrom osem. The word does not begin the way you might expect, so do not be surprised if it takes a second to recognize.
- devetdesetninetyRegular, straight from devet. In speech the t goes quiet: devedeset.
- stohundredNo ena in front: a hundred is simply sto. Two and three hundred fold into one word — dvesto, tristo — then štiristo, petsto.
- tisočthousandč is "ch": TEE-sohch
- milijonmillionWritten with -ij-: milijon. It is a full masculine noun by now: dva milijona, pet milijonov.
- ničzeroThe same word means "nothing": nič ne vidim, "I see nothing". The digit itself is ničla, and a score reads dve proti nič.
- prvifirstOrdinals agree in gender: prvi dan, prva ura, prvo mesto. They even have a dual: prva dneva.
- drugisecondThe same word means "other": drugi dan is both "the second day" and "the next day". Feminine druga, neuter drugo.
- tretjithirdA soft -j stem: tretji, tretja, tretje. After it the row turns regular — četrti, peti, šesti.
- zadnjilastBoth "last" and "back": zadnja vrata is the back door. Its partner is prvi; "previous" is prejšnji.
- kolikohow muchUnchanging itself, but it demands genitive plural after it: koliko ljudi, koliko denarja. kolikšen is the adjective asking "of what size". For price: koliko stane.
- para couple ofA pair of shoes is par čevljev, a married couple is par. But par dni in speech just means "a few days" — nobody counts two.
- kospieceThe same kos you will meet as "a piece" of something, and it also names the blackbird. On a bill: pet kosov, genitive plural; dva kosa is the dual.
- odstotekpercentLiterally "from the hundred". Watch the fleeting e: odstotek, but dva odstotka, pet odstotkov. You may hear procent in speech; documents write only odstotek.
- vsakeachAgrees like an adjective: vsak dan, vsaka ura, vsako jutro. The noun after it is always singular — even for two, the dual does not switch on.
- kdowhoboth opening consonants sound; the k is not swallowed: kdoh with a long o
- zakajwhyj is "y", stress the second syllable: zah-KIGH
- čemuwhat for?č is "ch", stress the u: cheh-MOO
- kakšenwhat kind ofš is "sh", stress the first syllable: KAHK-shen
- čigavwhoseč is "ch", final v sounds like "u": chee-GOW
- nihčenobodythe h sounds, č is "ch", stress at the end: neeh-CHEH
- nekajsomethingj is "y", stress the first syllable: NEH-kigh
- obabothstress the a: oh-BAH
- ne vemI do not knowone stress, on the second word: neh VEM
- videtito seestress the first syllable: VEE-deh-tee
- slišatito hearš is "sh", stress the first syllable: SLEE-shah-tee
- spatito sleepstress the a: SPAH-tee; in the present it slides onto the ending: SPEEM
- nestito carrystress the e: NES-tee
- postavitito put upstress the a in the middle: poh-STAH-vee-tee
- lomitito breakstress the first syllable: LOH-mee-tee
- graditito buildstress the first syllable: GRAH-dee-tee
- velikoa lotstress the first syllable: veh-LEE-koh
- malolittle (amount)stress the first syllable: MAH-loh
- meheksoftthe h sounds, stress the first syllable: MEH-hek
- trdhardno written vowel; r is syllabic with a faint "uh" before it: tuhrd
- mokerwetstress the first syllable: MOH-ker
- suhdryfinal h is pronounced
- tanekthinstress the first syllable: TAH-nek
- globokdeepstress the last syllable: gloh-BOHK
- okrogelroundfinal l sounds like "u"
- kamwhere to?long vowel, the a stretches: kaam
- povsodeverywherev before s sounds like "u", stress the last syllable
- nikjernowhere (at)j is "y", stress the last syllable
- stvarithingsPlural of stvar, "a thing, an item". Feminine: moje stvari. Two things: dve stvari.
- tveganjerisknj = ny: tveh-GAH-nyeh
- rezervni načrtbackup planč = ch: reh-ZEHR-vni NAH-chrt
- nevšečnostinconvenienceš = sh, č = ch: nev-SHECH-nost
- vzrokcauselives in three turns and hardly anywhere else: vzrok za nekaj, iskati vzrok, brez vzroka; it does not take the bare genitive — vzrok za nesrečo; the neighbour razlog, a reason, is commoner in paperwork: iz osebnih razlogov
- rezultatresultthree uses: rezultat testa, brez rezultata, kot rezultat; in sport it is the score: rezultat je 2 : 1; the native izid means the same and sounds in the news: izid volitvev
- zatothereforeintroduces the consequence and stands at the head of the second half after a comma; the clitic comes right after it: zato sem ostal; ker introduces the cause instead, and the halves swap; the ready answer pair: Zakaj? — Zato ker ...
- kerbecause (conj)a conjunction and the comma before it is compulsory: Ostal sem doma, ker sem bil bolan; the clitic stands right after ker: ker se mi mudi; it may open the sentence too — then the comma splits it midway; ker answers why, zato answers what came of it
- zaradi tegabecause of thiszaradi takes the genitive: zaradi dežja, zaradi tega; it opens the phrase and pushes the clitic to second place: Zaradi tega sem zamudil; stylistically colder than zato — this one points at the culprit
- biti odvisen oddepend onSlovenian uses the verb biti with an agreeing adjective rather than a verb: odvisen sem, odvisna sva; after od comes the genitive: od vremena, od tebe; the commonest everyday answer is just Odvisno., it depends
- pojasniti vzrokexplain the reasontwo verbs split the English explain: razložiti unpacks something unclear, pojasniti clarifies circumstances and excuses; you pojasniš a reason and razložiš a task; the noun is pojasnilo
- ciljobjectiveLj is a soft "ly", as in "million": tseely
- smiselpoint (sense)the main turn is nima smisla, there is no point: Nima smisla čakati; also v tem smislu, in this sense; the meaning of a word is pomen, not smisel: pomen besede — English sense covers both, Slovenian splits them
- sklepconclusionone common turn: priti do sklepa, to reach a conclusion; from skleniti, to conclude — the same verb closes a contract, skleniti pogodbo; hence a resolution by a body, and even a joint, anatomically
- priložnostopportunityž = zh: preel-OOZH-nost
- mogočeperhapsč = ch: moh-GOH-cheh
- nemogočecannot be donethe usual frame is to je nemogoče and nemogoče je ... with an infinitive; in speech people prefer se ne da, it cannot be done: Vrat se ne da odpreti; said of people it means unbearable: nemogoč človek
- potrebaneedstands on two turns: ni potrebe, there is no need, and po potrebi, when needed; the verb potrebovati you know; do not confuse with the impersonal treba je, one must — treba has no subject, potreba is a noun
- obveznoobligatorymeans obligatory, not surely: Prijava je obvezna; the English surely I will come is zagotovo pridem or čisto gotovo; inside sits vezati, to bind — the obligatory is what you are bound by
- moral bomI will have tothere is no verb have to in Slovenian: take the future of morati — moral bom, morala bom, morala bova; the participle agrees in gender and number, bom never changes; soften it with the conditional: moral bi
- dovoljenopermitteda neuter participle working without a subject: Tukaj je dovoljeno kaditi; about a person use the verb: lahko kadiš, smeš kaditi; the noun dovoljenje you already received
- prepovedanoprohibitedthe word of signs: Prepovedan vstop, Parkiranje prepovedano; it agrees with what is banned: prepovedan vstop, prepovedana vožnja; about a person say ne smeš — prepovedano sounds like a notice
- izbirachoicethree turns cover everything: imeti izbiro, nimam izbire, po lastni izbiri; the second sense is assortment: velika izbira vin; the verb izbirati you know
- možnostoptionž = zh: MOHZH-nost
- dvomdoubtinside is dva, two — to doubt is to be of two minds; turns: brez dvoma, v dvomih sem, vzbuditi dvom; careful: brez dvoma means certainty — a ready formula of agreement
- dvomitidoubt (verb)two governments, different ones: dvomiti o nečem with the locative, and dvomim, da ... — the second is the everyday one: Dvomim, da bo prišel, hardly likely; short and weighty: just Dvomim.
- prepričansureČ is "ch" as in "church": prehp-REE-chahn
- težko dahardlyž = zh: TEZH-koh dah
- verjetnoprobablyfrom verjeti, to believe — literally believably; stands as a parenthetical first or mid-sentence, no comma, and shifts the clitic: Verjetno se je zmotil; a scale: mogoče weaker, verjetno stronger, najverjetneje most likely
- zagotovodefinitelythe certainty kind of surely: Zagotovo pridem; the exactness kind is točno: točno ob petih, at five sharp; swap them and you promise to arrive to the minute; the shorter gotovo is the same, slightly softer
- zdi se miit seems to mean impersonal turn with the dative, which you met in grammar; it must be followed by da: Zdi se mi, da je zaprto; the favourite spoken spot is a tail at the end: Zaprto je, se mi zdi; for two: zdi se nama
- v resniciin factliterally in the truth; it introduces a correction to what was said and stands first or after the subject: V resnici je bilo drugače; the softer neighbour is pravzaprav, actually, good for correcting yourself; neither takes a comma
- domnevatipresumea bookish word of papers and courts: domnevamo, da ...; the noun domneva is a presumption, the adjective domnevni presumed — domnevni storilec; in speech say predvidevam or recimo, da ..., let us say
- nisem prepričanI am not surethe ready polite formula of disagreement — Slovenians rarely say a bare ne, they say nisem prepričan; a woman says nisem prepričana, two people nisva prepričana; continue with da or ali
- izkušnjaexperienceš = sh: ees-KOOSH-nya
- primercaseone Slovenian word for case and example, sorted out by the turn: v tem primeru, v vsakem primeru, v najboljšem primeru; na primer, for instance; a sudden incident is not a primer but a dogodek
- zgledexample (to follow)the model kind of example, the one you imitate: dober zgled, dajati zgled, po zgledu Nemčije; when you want an illustration, ask for a primer: navedi primer; English has one word, Slovenian two, and the choice depends on imitation or explanation
- na primerfor examplewritten as two words, abbreviated npr. — the mark you will see in every dictionary; stands mid-phrase, fenced with commas on both sides: Vzemi kaj toplega, na primer jopico; it does not shift the clitic, because it is never first
- razlikadifferenceturns: razlika med enim in drugim with the instrumental after med; za razliko od with the genitive; ni razlike; in a shop razlika is also the change when you swap goods
- primerjavacomparisonthe main turn is v primerjavi z plus instrumental: v primerjavi z lani — the ready formula for prices, weather and statistics; also za primerjavo; the verb primerjati you have already applied to prices
- razlikovati sedifferreflexive, and with od plus the genitive: razlikuje se od drugih; without se it means to tell apart: razlikovati barve; the plainer spoken option is biti drugačen od, to be different from
- podobensimilartakes the dative, not to: podoben očetu, to je podobno našemu; the English pattern similar to is a trap here, podoben na sounds wrong; also biti si podoben, to be alike: brata sta si zelo podobna
- podobnostresemblanceturns: podobnost med njima, opaziti podobnost; a word you will need: Slovenian is full of false resemblances, and navidezna podobnost, an apparent resemblance, is exactly the story of leto, hiša and stol
- spremembachange (noun)turns: sprememba naslova, brez sprememb, priti do sprememb; the verb spremeniti changes once, spreminjati keeps changing; do not confuse with zamenjati, to swap one thing for another
- prvičfirstlyč = ch, light vowel in the first cluster: prvič
- drugičsecondlyč = ch: DROO-gich
- predvsemabove allone word, written solid, literally before all; stands either first or right before the word it highlights: Predvsem je treba počakati, Rabim predvsem čas; no comma in either spot; najprej is about time order, predvsem about importance
- poleg tegabesidespoleg takes the genitive, hence tega; stands first, no comma after, the clitic takes second place right behind it: Poleg tega sem pozabil ključe; neighbours: razen tega, še več
- mimogredeby the wayliterally on the way past: mimo plus grede; stands first and takes a comma — one of the few parentheticals where the comma is normal: Mimogrede, si videl novico?; mid-sentence it means incidentally, on the side; the spoken swap-in is sicer pa
- na splošnoin generalŠ is "sh" as in "ship": nah-SPLOHSH-noh
- skratkain shortone word, from kratek, short; it draws the line under what was said and stands first, usually with a comma; and the fine detail: the comma breaks the count, so the clitic still cannot come first — Skratka, ni se izšlo; kin: na kratko, z eno besedo
- z drugimi besedamiin other wordsBefore a voiced sound the preposition z is said as "z" in "zoo": z-droo-GEE-mee-beh-SEH-dah-mee
- glavnothe main thingnot a noun but a neuter adjective standing in for one, so it lives only in the frame glavno je, da ...: Glavno je, da smo zdravi; the comma before da is compulsory; for a real noun take glavna stvar or bistvo, the gist
- navsezadnjeafter allone long word, literally onto the very last; stands first and introduces the last argument, not the last event: Navsezadnje ni bilo tako hudo; for the order of events say nazadnje or na koncu; no comma
- čepravalthoughč = ch: cheh-PRAHV
- zato pabut thenthe whole difference from the familiar zato is the particle pa, and it flips the sense: zato therefore, zato pa but then, as a compensation; opens the second half after the comma, the clitic comes third: Ni poceni, zato pa je blizu; pa is inseparable and always second
- nasprotnoon the contraryfrom nasproti, opposite; stands first, almost always with a comma: Nasprotno, bilo je celo bolje; speech prefers ravno obratno, quite the reverse; obratno alone means the other way round, about movement and order, not opinion
- kljubdespiteLj is a soft "ly", as in "million": klyoob
- vendarhowevera conjunction, and the comma goes before it, not after: Poskusil sem, vendar ni šlo; it takes position zero — the clitic count starts with the next word: vendar se ni izšlo; the strength row: ampak spoken, vendar bookier, toda bookiest; all three behave alike
- po eni stranion one handlocative after po, hence strani; opens the phrase, no comma after it, the clitic shifts: Po eni strani mi je žal; it almost always demands the pair po drugi strani in the second half — started without it, it sounds cut off
- po drugi stranion the other handthe pair to po eni strani, the first word of the second half, often with pa inside: po drugi strani pa ...; the comma goes before it, because it splits the halves; the clitic follows right behind: Po drugi strani je to poceni
- kljub temuneverthelessthe same preposition kljub with the dative temu; stands first in the second half, after the comma, and shifts the clitic: Kljub temu sem poskusil; add da and it becomes a conjunction of a full clause: kljub temu da je bilo pozno; the spoken swap-in is pa vseeno
- namesto tegainsteadnamesto takes the genitive: namesto kave, namesto mene, namesto tega; stands at the head of the second half, no comma after it, the clitic follows: Namesto tega sva ostala doma; before an infinitive add da: namesto da bi čakal
- vseenoall the sametwo senses told apart by position; at the front it means still, no matter what: Vseeno sem šel; with the dative it means indifferent: vseeno mi je, I do not care; written solid, literally all one; do not confuse with enako, the same
- slučajnoby chanceč = ch: sloo-CHAHY-noh
- namenomaon purposefrom namen, intention: deliberately, often with a reproach; specially for you is not namenoma but posebej zate — namenoma zate would sound like an accusation; next to it nalašč, out of spite, even harsher
- neuspehfailuresimply ne- in front of the familiar uspeh; to fail an exam is pasti na izpitu, literally to fall
- korak za korakomstep by stepthe second word stands in the instrumental after za; built the same way: dan za dnem, leto za letom
- zaporedje korakovsequence of stepsliterally an ordering of steps; red also means order, but another kind — tidiness and the timetable, vozni red
- podrobnoin detailfrom droben, fine — in detail is by fine points; a detail is podrobnost, while natančno beside it means precisely
- s svojimi besedamiin your own wordsthe preposition s merges with s-, š-, z-, ž- in speech but is written apart; the similar turn z drugimi besedami, in other words, is already in the course
- preprosto povedanosimply putliterally simply said; the English participle comes out as a Slovenian one in -no; built the same way: na kratko povedano, in short
- daj primergive an examplean example is not cited but given: dati primer; primer also means a case, which is how it first appeared in the course
- pokaži, kako se to naredishow how it is doneŽ is "zh" as in "vision": poh-KAH-zhee-KAH-koh-seh-toh-nah-REH-dee
- je jasno?Is that clear?a teacher asks Je jasno?, a conversation partner softens it to Razumeš?; people also say Je kaj nejasnega?, is anything unclear
- zdaj mi je jasnonow it is clear to methe dative again instead of a subject: not clear me but clear to me; without mi you get the general zdaj je jasno, now it is all clear
- zmeden semI am confusedfrom zmešati, to mix up: a confused person is literally mixed; a woman says zmedena sem; the tangle itself is zmeda
- spomniti seremembertakes the genitive: spomnim se tega dne, not the accusative; without se the verb means to remind someone: spomni me, from this very unit
- pozabitiforgetto leave a thing somewhere is pozabiti torbo na vlaku; forgetful is pozabljiv, built like potrpežljiv from the last unit
- namenintentionone word for an intention, a purpose and an assignment; the course had it already as namen potovanja; on purpose is namenoma, to intend nameravati
- premisliti sichange your mindthe particle here is si, not se: the action is done to yourself; without the particle premisliti means to think over — the direct opposite of the outcome
- vse poteka po načrtueverything is going to planČ is "ch" as in "church": vseh-poh-TEH-kah-poh-NAH-chuhr-too
- če bo šloif it works outČ is "ch" as in "church", š is "sh" as in "ship": cheh-boh-shloh
- še nisem odločenI have not decided yetČ is "ch" as in "church": sheh-NEE-sehm-ohd-LOH-chehn
- vse se je spremeniloeverything changedthe particle se makes the verb intransitive: spremeniti changes something, spremeniti se changes oneself; a change is sprememba
- na boljefor the betterthe English to Slovenian renders with na: obrniti se na bolje; the literal k boljšemu sounds foreign
- na slabšefor the worseŠ is "sh" as in "ship": nah-SLAHB-sheh
- pripadatibelongabout things and about people in a group: Ta zemlja pripada sosedu, Pripadam tej ekipi; belonging as a noun is pripadnost
- tujsomeone else'sJ is "y" as in "yes": tooy
- skupensharedfrom skupaj, together: skupni račun, skupna kuhinja; the English in general is na splošno, another root
- potiskatipushthe imperfective, the perfective being potisniti; on Slovenian doors you read potisni, push, and povleci, pull
- vlečipullČ is "ch" as in "church": VLEH-chee
- udaritihita blow is udarec, to hurt yourself udariti se; to beat repeatedly is tolči, to kick a ball brcniti, from brca, a kick
- metermetreThe second e is almost swallowed: MEH-tehr
- centimetercentimetreC is "ts" as in "cats": tsehn-tee-MEH-tehr
- kilometerkilometreStress on the "me": kee-loh-MEH-tehr
- literlitreThe second e is almost inaudible: LEE-tehr
- gramgramin recipes you will more often see dag, a decagram, ten grams: dvajset dag sira is two hundred grams of cheese; the kilogram you know
- težaweightŽ is "zh" as in "vision": TEH-zhah
- dolžinalengthŽ is "zh" as in "vision"; Stress on the "i": dohl-ZHEE-nah
- širinawidthŠ is "sh" as in "ship"; Stress on the "i": shee-REE-nah
- višinaheightŠ is "sh" as in "ship"; Stress on the "i": vee-SHEE-nah
- globinadepthStress on the "i": gloh-BEE-nah
- približnoapproximatelyŽ is "zh" as in "vision": preeb-LEEZH-noh
- skorajalmostFinal j is "y": SKOH-righ
- natankoexactlyStress on the "tan": nah-TAHN-koh
- v povprečjuon averageČ is "ch" as in "church": v-pohv-PREHCH-yoo
- dvakrat tolikotwice as muchdvakrat alone means twice; twice as many is dvakrat več, twice as little dvakrat manj, twice as dear dvakrat dražje
- števkadigitŠ is "sh" as in "ship", v before a consonant sounds like "oo" in "rule": SHTEHOW-kah
- četrtinaquarter (fraction)Č is "ch" as in "church", the r between consonants carries the syllable itself: cheh-tuhr-TEEN-ah
- stehtatiweighThe h is pronounced: STEHH-tah-tee
- odvečenextra (superfluous)Č is "ch" as in "church": ohd-VEH-chehn
- prazenemptyThe middle e is barely audible, it drops out in the plural: PRAH-zehn
- izogibati seavoidafter it comes the dative, not the genitive: izogibati se sladkorju, izogibati se prepirom; a one-off dodge is izogniti se
- dejstvofactJ is "y" as in "yes": DEHY-stvoh
- vprašanjequestionŠ is "sh" as in "ship": vprah-SHAH-nyeh
- pomembenimportantThe b stays audible in front of the n; Stress on the "mem": poh-MEHM-behn
- pozitivenpositiveStress on the "ti": poh-zee-TEE-vehn
- negativennegativeStress on the "ti": neh-gah-TEE-vehn
- v primerjavi zcompared withJ is "y" as in "yes": v-pree-mehr-yah-VEE-z
- prav takjust the sameliterally right such; enak identical, isti the very same — three different same; feminine prav taka
- prednostadvantageStress on the first syllable: PREHD-nohst
- pomanjkljivostdrawbackLj is a soft "ly", as in "million": poh-mahny-KLYEE-vohst
- poslediceconsequencesC is "ts" as in "cats"; Stress on the "le": pohs-LEH-dee-tseh
- upoštevatitake into accountŠ is "sh" as in "ship": oo-pohsh-TEH-vah-tee
- najverjetnejemost likelyJ is "y" as in "yes": nigh-vehr-YEHT-neh-yeh
- nedvomnoundoubtedlyfrom dvom, doubt — a doubt-less word; you know zagotovo as definitely; nedvomno sounds surer and more bookish
- verjetnostprobabilityJ is "y" as in "yes": vehr-YEHT-nohst
- domnevaassumptionStress on the "ne": dohm-NEH-vah
- videti je, dait looks likeliterally see is that; nearby live zdi se mi, da, it seems to me, and kot kaže, as it appears
- najbržpresumablyŽ is "zh" as in "vision", the r between consonants carries the syllable itself: NIGH-buhrzh
- ni mogočeit cannot beČ is "ch" as in "church": nee-moh-GOH-cheh
- vsajat leastV before a consonant sounds like "oo" in "rule", j is "y" as in "yes": owsigh
- v vsakem primeruin any caseliterally in every case; the shorter vsekakor; tako ali tako means either way
- za vsak primerjust in caseone preposition apart from v vsakem primeru, and the meaning shifts: this one is about a reserve, that one about the outcome
- če biif (unreal)Č is "ch" as in "church": cheh-bee
- pod pogojemon condition thatfrom pogoj, a condition, the word from the contract unit; the full form is pod pogojem, da ...
- tudi čeeven ifČ is "ch" as in "church": TOO-dee-cheh
- v tem primeruin that casethe third primer in a row: v tem primeru, since it is so; in speech people shorten to potem pa
- sicerotherwiseC is "ts" as in "cats": SEE-tsehr
- takratat that timethen, at that moment: Takrat sem bil otrok; then as a conclusion is potem pa or v tem primeru — Slovenian keeps them apart
- zato dain order tozato without da means therefore, together they mean purpose; a single da also works: Prišel sem, da ti pomagam
- kot daas ifoften with bi: Kot da bi ga videl včeraj; plain kot means just like: bel kot sneg
- namesto dainstead of (doing)namesto with the genitive replaces a thing: namesto kave; with da it replaces an action, and bi usually follows
- večinomamostlyČ is "ch" as in "church": veh-CHEE-noh-mah
- pravilomaas a rulefrom pravilo, a rule — a frozen instrumental; in speech people say običajno, usually
- skoraj vsialmost everyonevsi is everyone of people, vse everything of things; skoraj nihče, almost no one, takes double negation: skoraj nihče ni prišel
- izjemaexceptionJ is "y" as in "yes": eez-YEH-mah
- in tako naprejand so onabbreviated itn., more rarely ipd. — in podobno, and the like; naprej is onward, forward
- za razliko odunlikefrom razlika, a difference; od takes the genitive: za razliko od brata; the simpler version is drugače kot
- razenexceptit excludes: vsi razen mene; poleg tega from the connectors unit means besides, an addition — the English except does both jobs, Slovenian only the first
- ne povsemnot quitepovsem means completely, entirely; in speech ne čisto is commoner; ne ravno means not exactly
- bolj ali manjmore or lessbolj more, manj less; približno is said of numbers, bolj ali manj of degree
- s težavowith an effortŽ is "zh" as in "vision": s-TEH-zhah-voh
- splača se poskusitiit is worth tryingČ is "ch" as in "church": SPLAH-chah-seh-pohs-KOO-see-tee
- moral bishould havea reproach in hindsight: Moral bi mi povedati; a woman says morala bi, and two men also morala bi — the dual and the feminine coincide
- najboljebest (of all)J is "y" as in "yes", lj is a soft "ly", as in "million": nigh-BOH-lyeh
- najslabšeworst (of all)Š is "sh" as in "ship": NIGH-slahb-sheh
- čim prejas fast as possibleČ is "ch" as in "church": cheem-prehy
- zamanin vainStress on the last syllable: zah-MAHN
- zmočicope (manage)Č is "ch" as in "church": ZMOH-chee
- poskusattemptStress on the "kus": pohs-KOOS
- se pravithat is (i.e.)Stress on the "pra": seh-PRAH-vee
- izkazalo se jeit turned outJ is "y" as in "yes"; Stress on the "ka": eez-KAH-zah-loh-seh-yeh
- posledičnoconsequentlyČ is "ch" as in "church": pohs-leh-DEECH-noh
- pripelje doleads toliterally drives up to, from peljati, to drive; after do comes the genitive: pripelje do težav
- zahvaljujočthanks toČ is "ch" as in "church", lj is a soft "ly", as in "million": zahh-vah-lyoo-YOHCH
- v prvoon the first tryno written vowel — the r itself carries the stressed syllable: V-puhrv-oh
- dvestotwo hundredOne word, and the vowel shifts: not dva sto but dvesto, with the e of dve. After it the series runs regular: tristo, štiristo.
- tristothree hundredWritten as one word: tri plus sto. Bigger numbers stack back to front, like the tens: tristo dvaintrideset, "three hundred two-and-thirty".
- štiristofour hundredš is "sh": SHTEE-ree-stoh
- petstofive hundredFrom five hundreds on, just as after five, the noun slips into genitive plural: petsto evrov, not evri.
- šeststosix hundredš is "sh"; across the seam the s stretches long: SHES-STOH
- sedemstoseven hundredUnlike sedemdeset, nothing drops out here: the whole sedem plus sto.
- osemstoeight hundredNo losses either: osem plus sto. Compare the ordinal osmi, where the e does drop.
- devetstonine hundredThe last hundred before tisoč, "thousand". Years before 2000 are read exactly like this: tisoč devetsto devetdeset.
- četrtifourthč is "ch": CHETR-tee
- petififthSpelled exactly like the verb peti, "to sing" — agreement tells them apart: peti dan is day five, rad poje is "he loves to sing".
- šestisixthš is "sh": SHEH-stee
- sedmiseventhHere the e drops: sedem, but sedmi. The same in osem becoming osmi — both ordinals are shorter than their numbers.
- osmieighthIn dates the ordinal takes the genitive: osmega marca, "of the eighth of March". The day of the month is always given as an ordinal.
- devetininthFrom devet with no losses. At the station the platform is named by ordinal: z devetega tira.
- desetitenthFrom deset. Beyond it the row assembles from the numeral the same way: enajsti, dvajseti, stoti.
- stotihundredthFrom sto. Keep it apart from fractions: a hundredth part is stotina, and the hundredth of a second on a stopwatch is stotinka.
- aliorThe same word opens a yes/no question: ali greš, "are you going?". One word, two very different jobs.
- tudialsoIt stays tudi under negation: tudi jaz ne, "me neither". There is no separate word doing the job of "either".
- samoonlyA shorter, more bookish twin is le; the two mean the same thing.
- žealreadyOne letter, but ž is the "zh" of "measure". Under negation the sense flips: že ne, "not any more".
- šestillA trap for the eye: še is "still", while se without the little hat is a reflexive particle. The caron is the whole difference.
- prevečtooLiterally "over-much": pre- plus več. With a noun it demands the genitive: preveč soli, "too much salt".
- skupajtogetherFrom skup, "in a heap". Even when exactly two people do it, it stays skupaj — adverbs have no dual.
- ni dovoljenoit is not allowedLiterally "it is not permitted". In speech people usually reach for the verb instead: ne smeš, "you must not".
- treba jeit is necessaryImpersonal. When one particular person has to do it, switch to moram, moraš — from the verb morati.
- življenjelifež is the "zh" of "measure": ZHEEV-lye-nye
- hotetito wantPresent hočem, hočeš. The polite way to want something is rad bi — literally "would be glad".
- močicanč is "ch": MOH-chee
- besedawordIt only looks like it might be "conversation" — that is pogovor. Beseda is the single word itself.
- zadevamatterA matter, an affair, a thing being dealt with. Za kaj gre? is the everyday way to ask "what is this about?".
- načinmethodč is "ch": nah-CHIN
- lahkoeasilyThe same word does "may": lahko grem?, "may I go?". One word, two distant jobs.
- težkowith difficultyž is the "zh" of "measure": VESH-koh
- daso thatSlovenian "yes" is ja; da is the conjunction "that" and "so that" in one, and the verb after it stays in the present — no "would" form.
- čeifNever drop the caron — če without it is a different word. Conditions stand in present or future: če bo dež; there is no subjunctive here.
- dokleras long asdokler is the time word; "until" demands its own mandatory ne, the little word learners tend to swallow.
- ko žesinceLiterally "when already". It opens the subordinate clause and demands the main clause after it: kupi kruh.
- samo daif onlysamo ("only") plus da gives "if only"; the verb after it stays in the present — no "would" gets translated.
- tako dasozato, elsewhere in the course, is "therefore" and leads the main clause; tako da introduces the clause of consequence.
- medbetweenTakes the instrumental: med banko in pošto, "between the bank and the post office".
- polegnext toTakes the genitive: poleg mene. okoli is "around"; for "near, beside" only poleg will do.
- namestoinstead ofGenitive after it, and in front of a verb it becomes namesto da — "instead of doing".
- protiagainstThe only preposition here that takes the dative: proti predlogu. It also means "toward": proti mestu.
- brezwithoutGenitive after it, plain and simple: brez sladkorja, brez mene.
- zaforThere is no separate word for "for": it is za with the accusative — za tebe, za otroke. The same za with the instrumental means "behind".
- oaboutNo split between "about" and "on the topic of": one little o with the locative — o filmu, o tebi.
- poafterTakes the locative: po kosilu, po službi. The same po also does the work of "along": po mestu.
- v časuduringmed with the instrumental would say the same, but that slot is taken by "between"; v času takes the genitive: v času vojne.
- zaradibecause ofGenitive, and only for causes. "From around the corner" needs a completely different preposition: izza vogala.
- okoliaroundGenitive: okoli hiše. The same word means "approximately": okoli petih, "around five".
- čezacrossč is "ch": chehz
- od znotrajfrom the insideznotraj is "inside"; od in front of it adds movement or a view from within: zaklenjeno od znotraj.
- v bližiniin the vicinityLocative of bližina, "vicinity"; add a genitive and it becomes "near something": v bližini postaje.
- težavaproblemž is the "zh" of "measure"
- zeloveryIt boosts adjectives and adverbs — zelo dobro, zelo lep. With a verb it will not work alone: "I very much love to read" is zelo rad berem, through rad.
- pomočhelpThe noun from pomagati; in the root the g turns into č. Na pomoč! is already a cry for help.
- jethere isNo separate word for existence: plain je, "is", from biti, does the job. The plural is so, and for exactly two things it is sta.
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
ja — yes. Live speech always says ja; the bookish da sounds on the street like a soldier saying "sir, yes sir".
ne — no. The same word negates verbs: ne razumem, "I do not understand". It fuses with "be" and "have" into nisem and nimam.
dobro — fine. The standard full reply is Dobro sem, hvala — "I am fine, thank you".
slabo — badly. From slab, "weak". Say it about yourself when you feel under the weather.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is ja — yes.
- What is this word?
It is lahko — may (permission).
- What is this word?
It is vrsta — queue.
- What is this word?
It is star — old.
- What is this word?
It is trinajst — thirteen.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “yes” in Slovenian?
Live speech always says ja; the bookish da sounds on the street like a soldier saying "sir, yes sir".
- How do you say “may (permission)” in Slovenian?
Literally "easily". It does the job of "be able to": lahko grem, "I can go".
- How do you say “queue” in Slovenian?
The same word means "row" and "kind, sort". To stand in line is stati v vrsti.
- How do you say “old” in Slovenian?
About things and about age: koliko si star? asks how old you are.
- How do you say “thirteen” in Slovenian?
From tri. The whole run up to nineteen is built the same way, and the numerals themselves never change their form.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “yes” in Slovenian?
«ja». like "yah". It is one of 309 words in the set “basic words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many basic words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 309 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 309 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.