ali govorite angleško?
“ali govorite angleško?” — do you speak English? in Slovenian. Phrase, level A0, topic — phrases that save you. The little ali at the front is what turns the sentence into a question; in fast speech it shrinks to a. In a live sentence: “Ali govorite angleško?” — Do you speak English? You can hear how it sounds right here. One of 17 words in the set “phrases that save you” in the Slovenian course.
In short
| Written in Slovenian | ali govorite angleško? |
| Translation | do you speak English? |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A0 |
- ali govorite angleško?do you speak English?
Why it looks that way
The little ali at the front is what turns the sentence into a question; in fast speech it shrinks to a.
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- Ali govorite angleško?Do you speak English?
Nearby words: phrases that save you
“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.
- 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.
- 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.
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “phrases that save you”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “do you speak English?” in Slovenian?
The little ali at the front is what turns the sentence into a question; in fast speech it shrinks to a.
- 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 “repeat, please” in Slovenian?
To one friend: ponovi. To two people: ponovita. The prosim at the end is what makes it polite.
- How do you say “I need a doctor” in Slovenian?
Literally "I have need of a doctor": the accusative, with no "to me" anywhere. In speech: rabim zdravnika.
- How do you say “it does not work” in Slovenian?
About devices: Pralni stroj ne dela. About a person the same two words mean "he is not working" — context sorts them out.
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “do you speak English?” in Slovenian?
«ali govorite angleško?» In a live sentence: “Ali govorite angleško?” — Do you speak English? You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level A0, from the set “phrases that save you”.
Why does this word look the way it does?
The little ali at the front is what turns the sentence into a question; in fast speech it shrinks to a. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.