Verbs in Slovenian
111 words Slovenian words on the topic “verbs”: želim — I would like, rad imam — I love, iti — to go, jesti — to eat. 111 words can be played from recordings.
111 words on the topic
- želimI would likež is the "zh" of "measure": ZHEH-leem
- rad imamI loveLiterally "gladly have". A woman says rada imam — the form follows the speaker.
- itito goš is "sh"
- jestito eatj is "y": YEH-stee
- pitito drinkThe present changes its stem: pijem, piješ, pije. A drink is pijača, from the same root.
- bratito readPresent berem, bereš, bere. On neighboring courses the word looks like "to take"; here taking is vzeti.
- govoritito speakAbout a language you use the adverb, not the name: govorim slovensko, not govorim slovenščino.
- delatito workThe same word does "to do": kaj delaš? is both "what is your job?" and "what are you doing?" — context decides.
- živetito livež is the "zh" of "measure": ZHEH-vee-tee
- imetito have"I have" is imam — no "at me there is" construction anywhere in sight.
- imamI haveNegation fuses into one word: nimam, "I do not have".
- učiti seto learnč is "ch": OO-chee-tee seh
- 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".
- izbiratito choosePresent izbiram, izbiraš, izbira. The perfective is another verb: izbrati, izberem.
- študiratito study (at university)š is "sh"
- zapomniti sito memorizeThe particle si is obligatory: Zapomni si! Without it the verb loses its sense.
- 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
- gretito heatstress the e, hard g: GREH-tee
- spakiratito packFrom the German packen. The imperfective is pakirati: pakiram — I am packing; spakiral sem — I have packed.
- kopati seto swim (for fun)Without se the verb digs. The little reflexive is the entire difference.
- plavatito swim (move in water)Present: plavam, plavaš, plava. kopati se is being in the water for pleasure; plavati is moving through it.
- sončiti seto sunbatheč is "ch"
- loviti ribeto fishloviti catches anything: fish, a taxi, a ball. Accusative plural: ribe, not rib.
- zalivatito water (regularly)Literally "pour over", and that is exactly it: zalivam rože. The perfective is zaliti.
- oblečito put onč is "ch"
- pomeritito try onFrom mera, "measure". The question goes: Ali lahko pomerim?
- smejati seto laughj is "y"
- jokatito cryj is "y"
- bati seto be afraidThe present is irregular: bojim se, bojiš se, boji se. Fear takes the genitive: bojim se psa.
- čuditi seto be surprisedč is "ch"
- upatito hopeCareful: upam is "I hope", and upam si is "I dare" — one little si flips the sense.
- prepirati seto arguej is "y"
- obljubitito promiselj is a soft "ly"
- skregati seto fall out (with)Stronger than prepirati se: this is a falling-out. sva se skregala — "the two of us fell out".
- objetito hugj is "y"
- kuhatito cookFrom the German kochen. Covers cooking and boiling alike — no separate verb.
- umivatito wash (hands, face)Dishes take pomivati, hands umivati si roke, laundry prati — three verbs where one might do.
- skuhatito boil (cook done)The perfective of kuhati: cooked through. The everyday boiling uses the same root — only the aspect differs.
- cvretito fryc is "ts", v before r sounds like "u"
- pečito bakeč is "ch"
- rezatito cutThe present alternates: režem, režeš. The slice is rezina — hence rezanci, noodles.
- poskusitito tryBoth tasting and attempting: poskusi še enkrat — "try again".
- naročitito orderč is "ch"
- klicatito call (phone)c is "ts"
- prenestito downloadLiterally "to carry over". Downloading is prenesti, uploading is naložiti. In speech you will also hear downloadati.
- poslatito send (a message)š is "sh"
- prejetito receiveBookish and polite: written in letters and at the post. In conversation dobiti: sem dobil sporočilo.
- odgovoritito replyReplying to someone takes the dative: odgovoriti prijatelju. Replying to something: odgovoriti na vprašanje.
- prižgatito switch on (light, fire)ž is the "zh" of "measure"
- ugasnitito switch off (light)g is hard
- popravitito fix (repair)From prav, "right": literally "to make right". You know the noun popravilo — the repair.
- zamenjatito replacenj is a soft "ny"
- zmagatito winč is "ch"
- izgubitito lose (a match)The same verb as losing a key: izgubil sem ključ — lost the key; izgubili smo tekmo — lost the match. The match nearby tells the sense.
- tečito runč is "ch"
- skakatito jumpThe present shifts its stem: skačem, skačeš, skače. The single leap is skočiti.
- sedetito sitA stress trap: sedéti is to sit, sésti is to sit down. Present: sedim, sediš, sedi.
- statito standThe same verb means "to cost": Koliko stane?. Standing is stojim, costing stane — the forms tell them apart.
- ležatito lie (be lying)ž is the "zh" of "measure"
- dvignitito liftThe root of dvigalo, the lift you know. Picking up the phone is dvigniti too.
- vrečito throwč is "ch"
- ujetito catchFrom jeti, "to take", as in vzeti. The same verb catches the bus and makes the train: ujeti vlak.
- pastito fallPresent: padem, padeš, pade. Careful: the same spelling is pasti, "to herd" — there the stress is on the first syllable.
- petito singIdentical to the numeral peti, "fifth" — only the conversation tells them apart. Present: pojem, poješ, poje.
- plesatito danceš is "sh"
- igratito playPlaying something takes no preposition: igrati nogomet. Frolicking adds se: otroci se igrajo.
- risatito drawš is "sh"
- fotografiratito take photosIn speech people more often say slikati — literally "to depict": slikaj me — "take a photo of me".
- sprehajati seto strollh light, as in "loch"
- počivatito rest (relax)č is "ch"
- poročiti seget marriedč = ch in church: po-ro-CHEE-tee seh
- povabitiinviteyou invite someone somewhere: povabiti prijatelja na večerjo, to invite a friend to dinner
- molitiprayno reflexive se: molim, not molim se; but moliti roko means to stretch out a hand — something else entirely
- postiti sefast (religious)post is the fast — and also a job position; Lent is postni čas
- voščiticongratulatešč = sh plus ch: VOSH-chee-tee
- pometatisweepfrom metati, to throw; the broom is metla, and the link is audible
- pratido the laundryonly about laundry; the present tense is perem, pereš, pere; the washing machine is pralni stroj
- likatiiron (clothes)a reversed false friend: petting a cat is božati; likati is for clothes only
- pomagatilend a handhelp takes the dative: pomagam mami; the present tense is pomagam, pomagaš, pomaga
- prositiask (for something)the source of prosim, please, which you have said since day one; you ask someone for something: prositi soseda za pomoč
- dovolitiallowfrom volja, will; you allow someone something: dovoliti otroku sladoled; the participle dovoljeno sits on half the signs around
- prepovedatiforbidfrom povedati, to say, with pre-; on signs you meet prepovedano, forbidden, more often than the verb itself
- prepisovaticopy off someoneliterally to copy over, innocent without context — rewriting a text cleanly is prepisovati too; in class it means cheating: prepisoval je od sošolca
- popraviticorrect (a mistake)the same word that fixes a tap: popraviti covers both repair and correct — the object tells them apart; popraviti napako vs popraviti pipo
- varčevatieconomiseČ is "ch" as in "church": vahr-CHEH-vah-tee
- zapravljatisquanderLj is a soft "ly", as in "million": zahp-RAHV-lyah-tee
- prihranitisave upfrom hraniti, to keep and to feed; prihraniti is to put aside, the ongoing prihranjevati is rarer than dajati na stran, to set aside
- zavarovatiinsurefrom varen, safe — the same root as varčevati; the reflexive zavarovati se insures yourself: zavaroval sem se za potovanje; the insurer is zavarovalnica
- kihatisneezean onomatopoeic word; to a sneezer you say na zdravje! and they answer hvala; coughing is kašljati — where kašelj comes from
- zboletifall illyou fall ill with something via za plus the accusative: zbolel je za gripo; do not mix with boleti, to hurt, which works completely differently
- okrevatirecoverThe e is a tight "eh": ohk-REH-vah-tee
- dogovoriti seagreealways reflexive: you agree se; agree on something with dogovoriti se za: dogovorimo se za termin; the noun dogovor is an understanding, unlike the written pogodba
- dati odpovedresignliterally give notice: the worker leaves by choice; the mirror action, odpustiti, is done by the boss; the pair works exactly like resign and dismiss
- odpustitidismissthe same verb discharges you from hospital and forgives your guilt: odpusti mi, forgive me; from work: odpustiti z dela; context fully sorts the senses
- seliti semove housethe ongoing form, the perfective being preseliti se; selim se v Maribor, I am moving to Maribor; birds se selijo too — hence ptice selivke, migratory birds
- zapakiratipack upthe familiar spakirati is packing for a trip; zapakirati closes the box around a thing; the prefixes tell: s- gathers, za- seals
- razpakiratiunpackraz- takes apart what za- put together — the same pair as English un-; also odpakirati; unpack a suitcase: razpakirati kovček; bubble wrap is zračna folija, tape lepilni trak
- urediti sesettle infrom red, order — literally put oneself in order; in speech it covers both settling into a new place and sprucing yourself up; for the flat say urediti stanovanje
- bitito beThe linking verb is obligatory where English drops it: Sem študent, To je drago. The conjugation is irregular and hosts the dual: sem, si, je — sva, sta, sta — smo, ste, so.
- gledatito watchvideti is to see by itself; gledati is to watch on purpose, first person gledam. One glance is pogledati.
- letetito flyletim is flying right now; letati is flying back and forth in general. The course also has vzleteti, to take off, and pristati, to land.
- uporabljatito usej is "y"
- znatito know howWhere other languages make do with "know" and "can", this one keeps four: vedeti a fact, poznati a person, moči be able, znati know how. An infinitive follows: znam plavati.
- srečatito meetč is "ch"
- dotikati seto touchse is obligatory and the object stands in the genitive: ne dotikaj se stekla. One touch is dotakniti se.
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
želim — I would like. Literally "I wish" — politer than hočem, "I want". This is the word to use in a cafe.
rad imam — I love. Literally "gladly have". A woman says rada imam — the form follows the speaker.
iti — to go. The present tense comes from another root: grem, greš, gre. For two people: greva.
jesti — to eat. The present comes from another root: jem, ješ, je. je is both "he eats" and "he is" — context decides.
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 želim — I would like.
- What is this word?
It is delati — to work.
- What is this word?
It is študirati — to study (at university).
- What is this word?
It is lomiti — to break.
- What is this word?
It is loviti ribe — to fish.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I would like” in Slovenian?
Literally "I wish" — politer than hočem, "I want". This is the word to use in a cafe.
- 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 study (at university)” in Slovenian?
University study. Learning a specific thing is the familiar učiti se.
- How do you say “to break” in Slovenian?
About arms and legs you add the prefix: zlomil sem si roko. Devices do not break with this verb — there you know pokvariti se.
- How do you say “to fish” in Slovenian?
loviti catches anything: fish, a taxi, a ball. Accusative plural: ribe, not rib.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I want, I can, I am going, I know. Twenty verbs cover more everyday sentences than two hundred nouns.
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 “I would like” in Slovenian?
«želim». ž is the "zh" of "measure": ZHEH-leem. It is one of 111 words in the set “verbs” — the rest are in the table above.
How many verbs do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 111 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, 111 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.