Everyday life and routine in Slovenian
13 words Slovenian words on the topic “everyday life and routine”: služba — job, delati — to work, moram — I must, zbuditi se — to wake up. 13 words can be played from recordings.
13 words on the topic
- službajobž is the "zh" of "measure"
- delatito workThe same word does "to do": kaj delaš? is both "what is your job?" and "what are you doing?" — context decides.
- moramI mustAn infinitive follows: moram delati, "I have to work". ne morem is "I cannot", and ni mi treba is "I do not have to".
- zbuditi seto wake upWithout se it is "to wake someone". The particle slips into second place: zjutraj se zbudim.
- vstatito get upPresent vstanem. Three consonants in a row at the start are ordinary here.
- umiti seto wash upAbout the face. Washing all over is se stuširati; doing the dishes is pomivati.
- počesati seto comb one’s hairč is "ch" twice: poh-cheh-SAH-tee seh
- briti seto shavePresent brijem se. Without se it is "to shave someone".
- obleči seto get dressedč is "ch": ob-LEH-chee seh
- sleči seto get undressedč is "ch"
- usesti seto sit downPresent usedem se. sedeti without the prefix is "to sit", the state.
- lečito lie downž is the "zh" of "measure": LEH-chee
- počivatito restRest as a breather. A vacation is dopust, from another root.
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
služba — job. A job as a workplace and employment. delo is work as labor — and Delo with a capital is the main newspaper of the country.
delati — to work. The same word does "to do": kaj delaš? is both "what is your job?" and "what are you doing?" — context decides.
moram — I must. An infinitive follows: moram delati, "I have to work". ne morem is "I cannot", and ni mi treba is "I do not have to".
zbuditi se — to wake up. Without se it is "to wake someone". The particle slips into second place: zjutraj se zbudim.
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 služba — job.
- What is this word?
It is briti se — to shave.
- What is this word?
It is delati — to work.
- What is this word?
It is obleči se — to get dressed.
- What is this word?
It is moram — I must.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “job” in Slovenian?
A job as a workplace and employment. delo is work as labor — and Delo with a capital is the main newspaper of the country.
- How do you say “to shave” in Slovenian?
Present brijem se. Without se it is "to shave someone".
- How do you say “to work” in Slovenian?
The same word does "to do": kaj delaš? is both "what is your job?" and "what are you doing?" — context decides.
- How do you say “to get dressed” in Slovenian?
Present oblečem se. The particle sits in second place: zjutraj se hitro oblečem.
- How do you say “I must” in Slovenian?
An infinitive follows: moram delati, "I have to work". ne morem is "I cannot", and ni mi treba is "I do not have to".
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Work, home, rest, errands. The words the answer to “how are things?” is made of.
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 “job” in Slovenian?
«služba». ž is the "zh" of "measure". It is one of 13 words in the set “everyday life and routine” — the rest are in the table above.
How many everyday words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 13 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, 13 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.