Pronouns in Slovenian
27 words Slovenian words on the topic “pronouns”: jaz — I, ti — you (informal), vi — you (formal), on — he. 27 words can be played from recordings.
27 words on the topic
- jazIsounds like "yahz"
- tiyou (informal)Slovenes switch to first names and ti fast, but the older person offers it first. For exactly two people there is a special pronoun, vidva.
- viyou (formal)The polite form is written with a capital V — Vi — a visible mark of respect.
- onheTwo males are onadva, and oni needs three or more — even the third-person pronouns come in pairs.
- onasheTwo women are onidve, three or more are one; oni is left for men and mixed groups.
- miweUse it only for three or more; for exactly two there is midva — that is grammar, not style.
- midvathe two of usThe famous dual: midva is exactly two of us, women say midve, and mi would simply be the wrong number.
- onitheyThree or more, and only if at least one is a man. Three women are one, and two are onadva or onidve.
- mojmyDeclines like an adjective and even has a dual form: moji for exactly two of a thing.
- tvojyour (informal)The polite partner is vaš, and in letters it is written with a capital: Vaš.
- našourIf we are exactly two, the word is najin — saying naš about a pair quietly loses the dual.
- vašyour (formal or plural)For two owners it becomes vajin, built the same way as najin.
- njegovhis, her, theirSlovenian splits it finer and adds a fourth: njun, "their" for exactly two people.
- svojone’s ownObligatory when the thing belongs to the subject: vzel je svoj kovček — his own suitcase, while njegov kovček would mean someone else’s.
- sammyselfBy ear it sits right next to sem ("I am"); on paper only the vowel tells them apart.
- vesallves for masculine, vsa for feminine, vse for neuter. A trap: in casual speech ves also means "I know", from vedeti.
- vsak odeach ofod pulls the genitive after it: vsak od nas. For a pair it is vsak od naju.
- katerikolianyWritten as one word, and only the first part declines: kateregakoli. The twin kakršenkoli is about qualities — "whatever kind of".
- tathisThree steps: ta close by, tisti farther, oni way over there. The middle step is the one you hear most.
- tistithattisti is the one we spoke about; oni is that one far away. The difference is subtle but alive.
- taksuchIt agrees in gender: tak, taka, tako. The definite form is takšen.
- drugotherThe same word means "second" and "friend" — only the place in the phrase tells the three senses apart.
- nikakršennone whatsoeverš is "sh"
- nekdosomeoneOnly about a person. It declines: nekoga, nekomu.
- nekajsomething (a thing)About a thing. The same word also means "a few": nekaj dni, "a few days".
- nihče odnone ofAlso with the double negation: nihče od njih ne govori. Without the second ne the sentence is wrong.
- ničnothingThe verb next to it takes ne: nič ne razumem. The same word is "zero" in the score.
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
jaz — I. Often dropped in speech: the verb ending has already announced who is acting.
ti — you (informal). Slovenes switch to first names and ti fast, but the older person offers it first. For exactly two people there is a special pronoun, vidva.
vi — you (formal). The polite form is written with a capital V — Vi — a visible mark of respect.
on — he. Two males are onadva, and oni needs three or more — even the third-person pronouns come in pairs.
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 jaz — I.
- What is this word?
It is oni — they.
- What is this word?
It is sam — myself.
- What is this word?
It is drug — other.
- What is this word?
It is ti — you (informal).
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I” in Slovenian?
Often dropped in speech: the verb ending has already announced who is acting.
- How do you say “they” in Slovenian?
Three or more, and only if at least one is a man. Three women are one, and two are onadva or onidve.
- How do you say “myself” in Slovenian?
By ear it sits right next to sem ("I am"); on paper only the vowel tells them apart.
- How do you say “other” in Slovenian?
The same word means "second" and "friend" — only the place in the phrase tells the three senses apart.
- How do you say “you (informal)” in Slovenian?
Slovenes switch to first names and ti fast, but the older person offers it first. For exactly two people there is a special pronoun, vidva.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I, you, we, they. There is a handful of them, they turn up in every sentence, and politeness rides on them: most of these languages keep a formal “you” apart from a familiar one, and choosing the wrong one is noticed faster than a mispronounced word.
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” in Slovenian?
«jaz». sounds like "yahz". It is one of 27 words in the set “pronouns” — the rest are in the table above.
How many pronouns do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 27 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, 27 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.