Phrases that save you in Slovenian
17 words Slovenian words on the topic “phrases that save you”: ne razumem — I do not understand, počasi — slowly, ponovite, prosim — repeat, please, ali govorite angleško? — do you speak English? 17 words can be played from recordings.
17 words on the topic
- ne razumemI do not understandrazum means "mind, reason" — ne razumem is literally "I do not grasp it".
- počasislowlyč is "ch": poh-CHAH-see
- ponovite, prosimrepeat, pleaseTo one friend: ponovi. To two people: ponovita. The prosim at the end is what makes it polite.
- ali govorite angleško?do you speak English?The little ali at the front is what turns the sentence into a question; in fast speech it shrinks to a.
- na pomoč!help!č is "ch": nah POH-mohch
- izgubil sem seI am lostl at the end of a syllable sounds like "u"
- ne delait does not workAbout devices: Pralni stroj ne dela. About a person the same two words mean "he is not working" — context sorts them out.
- počakajte trenutekwait a momentč is "ch"
- ne morem odpretiI cannot openne morem is cannot physically; ne smem is not allowed. Mixing them up is insulting.
- nujna pomočambulancej is "y", č is "ch"
- potrebujem zdravnikaI need a doctorLiterally "I have need of a doctor": the accusative, with no "to me" anywhere. In speech: rabim zdravnika.
- pozorcautionz here is voiced
- nevarnodangerouslyFrom varen, "safe", with a negation — one root with varščina and zavarovanje.
- pokličite policijocall the policeč is "ch", c is "ts"
- izgubil sem potni listI lost my passportl at the end of a syllable sounds like "u"
- slabo mi jeI feel unwellLiterally "bad to me is": the linking je is never dropped.
- ne dotikajte sedo not touchj is "y"
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
ne razumem — I do not understand. razum means "mind, reason" — ne razumem is literally "I do not grasp it".
počasi — slowly. From čas, "time" — literally "at an easy pace". It also means "take it easy". The most useful word of your first week.
ponovite, prosim — repeat, please. To one friend: ponovi. To two people: ponovita. The prosim at the end is what makes it polite.
ali govorite angleško? — do you speak English?. The little ali at the front is what turns the sentence into a question; in fast speech it shrinks to a.
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 ne razumem — I do not understand.
- What is this word?
It is počakajte trenutek — wait a moment.
- What is this word?
It is izgubil sem potni list — I lost my passport.
- What is this word?
It is na pomoč! — help!.
- What is this word?
It is pozor — caution.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I do not understand” in Slovenian?
razum means "mind, reason" — ne razumem is literally "I do not grasp it".
- How do you say “wait a moment” in Slovenian?
Literally "wait an instant" — time is counted in trenutek, not minutes. To one friend: počakaj trenutek.
- How do you say “I lost my passport” in Slovenian?
A woman says izgubila sem. You file the report at the policijska postaja.
- How do you say “help!” in Slovenian?
Literally "to the help". The plain noun pomoč you know: potrebujem pomoč, "I need help".
- How do you say “caution” in Slovenian?
The most useful false friend: pozor means ATTENTION — watch out. It is what the yellow signs say.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
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 do not understand” in Slovenian?
«ne razumem». razum means "mind, reason" — ne razumem is literally "I do not grasp it". It is one of 17 words in the set “phrases that save you” — the rest are in the table above.
How many emergency phrases do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 17 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, 17 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.