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Basic words in Slovenian

309 words in Slovenian on the topic “basic words”: ja — yes, ne — no, dobro — fine, slabo — badly. 309 words can be played from recordings.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

309 words on the topic

  • ja
    yes
    like "yah"
  • ne
    no
    The same word negates verbs: ne razumem, "I do not understand". It fuses with "be" and "have" into nisem and nimam.
  • dobro
    fine
    The standard full reply is Dobro sem, hvala — "I am fine, thank you".
  • slabo
    badly
    From slab, "weak". Say it about yourself when you feel under the weather.
  • odlično
    excellent
    č is "ch" as in "church": od-LEECH-noh
  • in
    and
    Not the short "i" of the neighboring languages — in is a small giveaway of Slovenian.
  • ampak
    but
    The conversational but. The bookish, sharper one is toda, and pa always lands as the second word: jaz pa ne.
  • lahko
    may (permission)
    Literally "easily". It does the job of "be able to": lahko grem, "I can go".
  • kilogram
    kilogram
    At the market people say the short kila: dve kili jabolk. Two kilograms take the dual: dva kilograma.
  • polovica
    half
    c is "ts": poh-loh-VEE-tsah
  • ne potrebujem
    I do not need
    j is "y"
  • še eden
    one more
    š is "sh": sheh EH-den
  • dovolj
    enough
    final lj is a soft "ly": doh-VOLY
  • skupaj
    in total
    j is "y": SKOO-pigh
  • vrsta
    queue
    v before a consonant sounds like "u"
  • velikost
    size
    From velik, "big". About clothes and shoes people more often say številka, "number".
  • več
    more
    č is "ch": vech
  • manj
    less
    nj is a soft "ny": mahny
  • težek
    heavy
    ž is the "zh" of "measure": TEH-zhek
  • lahek
    light (not heavy)
    the h sounds: LAH-hek
  • nov
    new
    final v sounds like "u"
  • star
    old
    About things and about age: koliko si star? asks how old you are.
  • pokvarjen
    broken
    About devices that stopped working. Snapped in two is zlomljen, and spoiled food is pokvarjena hrana.
  • vse je v redu
    everything is fine
    v before a consonant sounds like "u"
  • vse je dobro
    everything is good
    The answer to kako si?. The neighbor vse je v redu is about the state of affairs; this one is about how you feel.
  • človek
    person
    č is "ch"; the second e is nearly swallowed
  • enajst
    eleven
    Grew out of ena na deset, "one onto ten". The noun after it takes the "of what" plural: enajst evrov.
  • dvanajst
    twelve
    Built on dva, but the dual is long over by here: two eggs are dve jajci, twelve eggs are dvanajst jajc.
  • trinajst
    thirteen
    From tri. The whole run up to nineteen is built the same way, and the numerals themselves never change their form.
  • štirinajst
    fourteen
    š is "sh", j is "y": shtee-ree-NIGHST
  • petnajst
    fifteen
    A quarter of an hour is četrt ure, but with clock time people just say the number: petnajst minut.
  • šestnajst
    sixteen
    From šest, and the t stays right where it is.
  • sedemnajst
    seventeen
    From sedem. The ljudi ("people") after it is "of what" plural — the same case you get after pet.
  • osemnajst
    eighteen
    At eighteen Slovenians get the right to vote and a driving licence.
  • devetnajst
    nineteen
    The last of the -najst numbers; after this come the tens in -deset, and those are built differently.
  • dvajset
    twenty
    Not dvadeset: the -de- contracted into -j-. Compounds are written back to front as one word — enaindvajset, literally "one-and-twenty".
  • trideset
    thirty
    Here -deset no longer contracts, unlike dvajset. Compounds run back to front again: petintrideset, "five-and-thirty".
  • štirideset
    forty
    š is "sh": SHTEE-ree-deh-set
  • petdeset
    fifty
    Written petdeset but said pedeset — the t drops between consonants. The same fate awaits šestdeset.
  • šestdeset
    sixty
    Written with a t, spoken without it — a rare case of spelling and speech drifting apart, and numbers are exactly that case.
  • sedemdeset
    seventy
    From sedem, and it reads exactly as written, unlike petdeset. The seventies are sedemdeseta leta.
  • osemdeset
    eighty
    From osem. The word does not begin the way you might expect, so do not be surprised if it takes a second to recognize.
  • devetdeset
    ninety
    Regular, straight from devet. In speech the t goes quiet: devedeset.
  • sto
    hundred
    No ena in front: a hundred is simply sto. Two and three hundred fold into one word — dvesto, tristo — then štiristo, petsto.
  • tisoč
    thousand
    č is "ch": TEE-sohch
  • milijon
    million
    Written with -ij-: milijon. It is a full masculine noun by now: dva milijona, pet milijonov.
  • nič
    zero
    The same word means "nothing": nič ne vidim, "I see nothing". The digit itself is ničla, and a score reads dve proti nič.
  • prvi
    first
    Ordinals agree in gender: prvi dan, prva ura, prvo mesto. They even have a dual: prva dneva.
  • drugi
    second
    The same word means "other": drugi dan is both "the second day" and "the next day". Feminine druga, neuter drugo.
  • tretji
    third
    A soft -j stem: tretji, tretja, tretje. After it the row turns regular — četrti, peti, šesti.
  • zadnji
    last
    Both "last" and "back": zadnja vrata is the back door. Its partner is prvi; "previous" is prejšnji.
  • koliko
    how much
    Unchanging itself, but it demands "of what" plural after it: koliko ljudi, koliko denarja. kolikšen is the adjective asking "of what size". For price: koliko stane.
  • par
    a couple of
    A pair of shoes is par čevljev, a married couple is par. But par dni in speech just means "a few days" — nobody counts two.
  • kos
    piece
    Kos is also "a piece" of something, and it also names the blackbird. On a bill: pet kosov, "of what" plural; dva kosa is the dual.
  • odstotek
    percent
    Literally "from the hundred". Watch the fleeting e: odstotek, but dva odstotka, pet odstotkov. You may hear procent in speech; documents write only odstotek.
  • vsak
    each
    Agrees like an adjective: vsak dan, vsaka ura, vsako jutro. The noun after it is always singular — even for two, the dual does not switch on.
  • kdo
    who
    both opening consonants sound; the k is not swallowed: kdoh with a long o
  • zakaj
    why
    j is "y", stress the second syllable: zah-KIGH
  • čemu
    what for?
    č is "ch", stress the u: cheh-MOO
  • kakšen
    what kind of
    š is "sh", stress the first syllable: KAHK-shen
  • čigav
    whose
    č is "ch", final v sounds like "u": chee-GOW
  • nihče
    nobody
    the h sounds, č is "ch", stress at the end: neeh-CHEH
  • nekaj
    something
    j is "y", stress the first syllable: NEH-kigh
  • oba
    both
    stress the a: oh-BAH
  • ne vem
    I do not know
    one stress, on the second word: neh VEM
  • videti
    to see
    stress the first syllable: VEE-deh-tee
  • slišati
    to hear
    š is "sh", stress the first syllable: SLEE-shah-tee
  • spati
    to sleep
    stress the a: SPAH-tee; in the present it slides onto the ending: SPEEM
  • nesti
    to carry
    stress the e: NES-tee
  • postaviti
    to put up
    stress the a in the middle: poh-STAH-vee-tee
  • lomiti
    to break
    stress the second syllable: loh-MEE-tee
  • graditi
    to build
    Stress the second syllable: gra-DEE-tee.
  • veliko
    a lot
    stress the second syllable: veh-LEE-koh
  • malo
    little (amount)
    stress the first syllable: MAH-loh
  • mehek
    soft
    the h sounds, stress the first syllable: MEH-hek
  • trd
    hard
    Before r, use a brief sound like the first vowel in "about", then tap your tongue tip for r. Said on its own, the final d sounds like t: "tuhrt".
  • moker
    wet
    stress the first syllable: MOH-ker
  • suh
    dry
    final h is pronounced
  • tanek
    thin
    stress the first syllable: TAH-nek
  • globok
    deep
    stress the last syllable: gloh-BOHK
  • okrogel
    round
    final l sounds like "u"
  • kam
    where to?
    long vowel, the a stretches: kaam
  • povsod
    everywhere
    v before s sounds like "u", stress the last syllable
  • nikjer
    nowhere (at)
    j is "y", stress the last syllable
  • stvari
    things
    Plural of stvar, "a thing, an item". Feminine: moje stvari. Two things: dve stvari.
  • tveganje
    risk
    nj = ny: TVEH-gah-nyeh
  • rezervni načrt
    backup plan
    č = ch: reh-ZEHR-vni nah-CHUHRT
  • nevšečnost
    inconvenience
    š = sh, č = ch: nev-SHECH-nost
  • vzrok
    cause
    lives in three turns and hardly anywhere else: vzrok za nekaj, iskati vzrok, brez vzroka; it does not take the bare "of what" form — vzrok za nesrečo; the neighbour razlog, a reason, is commoner in paperwork: iz osebnih razlogov
  • rezultat
    result
    three uses: rezultat testa, brez rezultata, kot rezultat; in sport it is the score: rezultat je 2 : 1; the native izid means the same and sounds in the news: izid volitvev
  • zato
    therefore
    introduces the consequence and stands at the head of the second half after a comma; the short word comes right after it: zato sem ostal; ker introduces the cause instead, and the halves swap; the ready answer pair: Zakaj? — Zato ker ...
  • ker
    because
    a conjunction and the comma before it is compulsory: Ostal sem doma, ker sem bil bolan; the short word stands right after ker: ker se mi mudi; it may open the sentence too — then the comma splits it midway; ker answers why, zato answers what came of it
  • zaradi tega
    because of this
    zaradi takes the "of what" form: zaradi dežja, zaradi tega; it opens the phrase and pushes the short word to second place: Zaradi tega sem zamudil; stylistically colder than zato — this one points at the culprit
  • biti odvisen od
    depend on
    Slovenian uses the verb biti with an agreeing adjective rather than a verb: odvisen sem, odvisna sva; after od comes the "of what" form: od vremena, od tebe; the commonest everyday answer is just Odvisno., it depends
  • pojasniti vzrok
    explain the reason
    two verbs split the English explain: razložiti unpacks something unclear, pojasniti clarifies circumstances and excuses; you pojasniš a reason and razložiš a task; the noun is pojasnilo
  • cilj
    objective
    Lj is a soft "ly", as in "million": tseely
  • smisel
    point (sense)
    the main turn is nima smisla, there is no point: Nima smisla čakati; also v tem smislu, in this sense; the meaning of a word is pomen, not smisel: pomen besede — English sense covers both, Slovenian splits them
  • sklep
    conclusion
    one common turn: priti do sklepa, to reach a conclusion; from skleniti, to conclude — the same verb closes a contract, skleniti pogodbo; hence a resolution by a body, and even a joint, anatomically
  • priložnost
    opportunity
    ž = zh: preel-OOZH-nost
  • mogoče
    perhaps
    č = ch: moh-GOH-cheh
  • nemogoče
    impossible
    the usual frame is to je nemogoče and nemogoče je ... with an infinitive; in speech people prefer se ne da, it cannot be done: Vrat se ne da odpreti; said of people it means unbearable: nemogoč človek
  • potreba
    need
    stands on two turns: ni potrebe, there is no need, and po potrebi, when needed; the verb is potrebovati, to need; do not confuse with the impersonal treba je, one must — treba has no subject, potreba is a noun
  • obvezno
    obligatory
    means obligatory, not surely: Prijava je obvezna; the English surely I will come is zagotovo pridem or čisto gotovo; inside sits vezati, to bind — the obligatory is what you are bound by
  • moral bom
    I will have to
    there is no verb have to in Slovenian: take the future of morati — moral bom, morala bom, morala bova; the participle agrees in gender and number, bom never changes; soften it with the conditional: moral bi
  • dovoljeno
    permitted
    Tukaj je dovoljeno fotografirati means "Photography is allowed here". To address a person: lahko fotografiraš or smeš fotografirati, "You may take photos". dovoljenje means "permission".
  • prepovedano
    prohibited
    the word of signs: Prepovedan vstop, Parkiranje prepovedano; it agrees with what is banned: prepovedan vstop, prepovedana vožnja; about a person say ne smeš — prepovedano sounds like a notice
  • izbira
    choice
    three turns cover everything: imeti izbiro, nimam izbire, po lastni izbiri; the second sense is assortment: velika izbira vin; the verb is izbirati, to choose
  • možnost
    option
    ž = zh: MOHZH-nost
  • dvom
    doubt
    inside is dva, two — to doubt is to be of two minds; turns: brez dvoma, v dvomih sem, vzbuditi dvom; careful: brez dvoma means certainty — a ready formula of agreement
  • dvomiti
    doubt (verb)
    two governments, different ones: dvomiti o nečem with the "where at" form, and dvomim, da ... — the second is the everyday one: Dvomim, da bo prišel, hardly likely; short and weighty: just Dvomim.
  • prepričan
    sure
    Č is "ch" as in "church": prehp-REE-chahn
  • težko da
    hardly
    ž = zh: tezh-KOH dah
  • verjetno
    probably
    from verjeti, to believe — literally believably; stands as a parenthetical first or mid-sentence, no comma, and shifts the short word: Verjetno se je zmotil; a scale: mogoče weaker, verjetno stronger, najverjetneje most likely
  • zagotovo
    definitely
    the certainty kind of surely: Zagotovo pridem; the exactness kind is točno: točno ob petih, at five sharp; swap them and you promise to arrive to the minute; the shorter gotovo is the same, slightly softer
  • zdi se mi
    it seems to me
    an impersonal turn with the "to whom" form; it must be followed by da: Zdi se mi, da je zaprto; the favourite spoken spot is a tail at the end: Zaprto je, se mi zdi; for two: zdi se nama
  • v resnici
    in fact
    literally in the truth; it introduces a correction to what was said and stands first or after the subject: V resnici je bilo drugače; the softer neighbour is pravzaprav, actually, good for correcting yourself; neither takes a comma
  • domnevati
    presume
    a bookish word of papers and courts: domnevamo, da ...; the noun domneva is a presumption, the adjective domnevni presumed — domnevni storilec; in speech say predvidevam or recimo, da ..., let us say
  • nisem prepričan
    I am not sure
    the ready polite formula of disagreement — Slovenians rarely say a bare ne, they say nisem prepričan; a woman says nisem prepričana, two people nisva prepričana; continue with da or ali
  • izkušnja
    experience
    š = sh: ees-KOOSH-nya
  • primer
    case
    one Slovenian word for case and example, sorted out by the turn: v tem primeru, v vsakem primeru, v najboljšem primeru; na primer, for instance; a sudden incident is not a primer but a dogodek
  • zgled
    example (to follow)
    the model kind of example, the one you imitate: dober zgled, dajati zgled, po zgledu Nemčije; when you want an illustration, ask for a primer: navedi primer; English has one word, Slovenian two, and the choice depends on imitation or explanation
  • na primer
    for example
    written as two words, abbreviated npr. — the mark you will see in every dictionary; stands mid-phrase, fenced with commas on both sides: Vzemi kaj toplega, na primer jopico; it does not shift the short word, because it is never first
  • razlika
    difference
    turns: razlika med enim in drugim with the instrumental after med; za razliko od with the "of what" form; ni razlike; in a shop razlika is also the change when you swap goods
  • primerjava
    comparison
    the main turn is v primerjavi z plus instrumental: v primerjavi z lani — the ready formula for prices, weather and statistics; also za primerjavo; the verb primerjati you have already applied to prices
  • razlikovati se
    differ
    reflexive, and with od plus the "of what" form: razlikuje se od drugih; without se it means to tell apart: razlikovati barve; the plainer spoken option is biti drugačen od, to be different from
  • podoben
    similar
    takes the "to whom" form, not to: podoben očetu, to je podobno našemu; the English pattern similar to is a trap here, podoben na sounds wrong; also biti si podoben, to be alike: brata sta si zelo podobna
  • podobnost
    resemblance
    turns: podobnost med njima, opaziti podobnost; a word you will need: Slovenian is full of false resemblances, and navidezna podobnost, an apparent resemblance, is exactly the story of leto, hiša and stol
  • sprememba
    change (noun)
    turns: sprememba naslova, brez sprememb, priti do sprememb; the verb spremeniti changes once, spreminjati keeps changing; do not confuse with zamenjati, to swap one thing for another
  • prvič
    firstly
    č = ch, light vowel in the first cluster: prvič
  • drugič
    secondly
    č = ch: DROO-gich
  • predvsem
    above all
    one word, written solid, literally before all; stands either first or right before the word it highlights: Predvsem je treba počakati, Rabim predvsem čas; no comma in either spot; najprej is about time order, predvsem about importance
  • poleg tega
    besides
    poleg takes the "of what" form, hence tega; stands first, no comma after, the short word takes second place right behind it: Poleg tega sem pozabil ključe; neighbours: razen tega, še več
  • mimogrede
    by the way
    literally on the way past: mimo plus grede; stands first and takes a comma — one of the few parentheticals where the comma is normal: Mimogrede, si videl novico?; mid-sentence it means incidentally, on the side; the spoken swap-in is sicer pa
  • na splošno
    in general
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": nah-SPLOHSH-noh
  • skratka
    in short
    one word, from kratek, short; it draws the line under what was said and stands first, usually with a comma; and the fine detail: the comma breaks the count, so the short word still cannot come first — Skratka, ni se izšlo; kin: na kratko, z eno besedo
  • z drugimi besedami
    in other words
    Before a voiced sound the preposition z is said as "z" in "zoo": z-DROO-gee-mee-beh-SEH-dah-mee
  • glavno
    the main thing
    not a noun but a neuter adjective standing in for one, so it lives only in the frame glavno je, da ...: Glavno je, da smo zdravi; the comma before da is compulsory; for a real noun take glavna stvar or bistvo, the gist
  • navsezadnje
    after all
    one long word, literally onto the very last; stands first and introduces the last argument, not the last event: Navsezadnje ni bilo tako hudo; for the order of events say nazadnje or na koncu; no comma
  • čeprav
    although
    č = ch: cheh-PRAHV
  • zato pa
    but then
    the whole difference from zato, therefore, is the particle pa, and it flips the sense: zato therefore, zato pa but then, as a compensation; opens the second half after the comma, the short word comes third: Ni poceni, zato pa je blizu; pa is inseparable and always second
  • nasprotno
    on the contrary
    from nasproti, opposite; stands first, almost always with a comma: Nasprotno, bilo je celo bolje; speech prefers ravno obratno, quite the reverse; obratno alone means the other way round, about movement and order, not opinion
  • kljub
    despite
    Lj is a soft "ly", as in "million": klyoob
  • vendar
    however
    a conjunction, and the comma goes before it, not after: Poskusil sem, vendar ni šlo; it takes position zero — the short-word count starts with the next word: vendar se ni izšlo; the strength row: ampak spoken, vendar bookier, toda bookiest; all three behave alike
  • po eni strani
    on one hand
    the "where at" form after po, hence strani; opens the phrase, no comma after it, the short word shifts: Po eni strani mi je žal; it almost always demands the pair po drugi strani in the second half — started without it, it sounds cut off
  • po drugi strani
    on the other hand
    the pair to po eni strani, the first word of the second half, often with pa inside: po drugi strani pa ...; the comma goes before it, because it splits the halves; the short word follows right behind: Po drugi strani je to poceni
  • kljub temu
    nevertheless
    the same preposition kljub with temu, the "to whom" form; stands first in the second half, after the comma, and shifts the short word: Kljub temu sem poskusil; add da and it becomes a conjunction of a full clause: kljub temu da je bilo pozno; the spoken swap-in is pa vseeno
  • namesto tega
    instead
    namesto takes the "of what" form: namesto kave, namesto mene, namesto tega; stands at the head of the second half, no comma after it, the short word follows: Namesto tega sva ostala doma; before an infinitive add da: namesto da bi čakal
  • vseeno
    all the same
    two senses told apart by position; at the front it means still, no matter what: Vseeno sem šel; with the "to whom" form it means indifferent: vseeno mi je, I do not care; written solid, literally all one; do not confuse with enako, the same
  • slučajno
    by chance
    č = ch: sloo-CHAHY-noh
  • namenoma
    on purpose
    from namen, intention: deliberately, often with a reproach; specially for you is not namenoma but posebej zate — namenoma zate would sound like an accusation; next to it nalašč, out of spite, even harsher
  • neuspeh
    failure
    simply ne- in front of uspeh, success; to fail an exam is pasti na izpitu, literally to fall
  • korak za korakom
    step by step
    the second word stands in the instrumental after za; built the same way: dan za dnem, leto za letom
  • zaporedje korakov
    sequence of steps
    literally an ordering of steps; red also means order, but another kind — tidiness and the timetable, vozni red
  • podrobno
    in detail
    from droben, fine — in detail is by fine points; a detail is podrobnost, while natančno beside it means precisely
  • s svojimi besedami
    in your own words
    s svojimi besedami means "in your own words". Say the two s sounds together, but write s separately. z drugimi besedami means "put another way".
  • preprosto povedano
    simply put
    literally simply said; the English participle comes out as a Slovenian one in -no; built the same way: na kratko povedano, in short
  • daj primer
    give an example
    an example is not cited but given: dati primer; primer also means a case, which is how it first appeared
  • pokaži, kako se to naredi
    show how it is done
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": poh-KAH-zhee-kah-KOH-seh-toh-nah-REH-dee
  • je jasno?
    Is that clear?
    a teacher asks Je jasno?, a conversation partner softens it to Razumeš?; people also say Je kaj nejasnega?, is anything unclear
  • zdaj mi je jasno
    now it is clear to me
    the "to whom" form again instead of a subject: not clear me but clear to me; without mi you get the general zdaj je jasno, now it is all clear
  • zmeden sem
    I am confused
    from zmešati, to mix up: a confused person is literally mixed; a woman says zmedena sem; the tangle itself is zmeda
  • spomniti se
    remember
    takes the "of what" form: spomnim se tega dne, not the object form; without se the verb means to remind someone: spomni me
  • pozabiti
    forget
    to leave a thing somewhere is pozabiti torbo na vlaku; forgetful is pozabljiv, built like potrpežljiv
  • namen
    intention
    one word for an intention, a purpose and an assignment, as in namen potovanja, the purpose of a trip; on purpose is namenoma, to intend nameravati
  • premisliti si
    change your mind
    the particle here is si, not se: the action is done to yourself; without the particle premisliti means to think over — the direct opposite of the outcome
  • vse poteka po načrtu
    everything is going to plan
    Č is "ch" as in "church": vseh-poh-TEH-kah-poh-nah-CHUHR-too
  • če bo šlo
    if it works out
    Č is "ch" as in "church", š is "sh" as in "ship": cheh-boh-shloh
  • še nisem odločen
    I have not decided yet
    Č is "ch" as in "church": sheh-NEE-sehm-ohd-LOH-chehn
  • vse se je spremenilo
    everything changed
    the particle se makes the verb intransitive: spremeniti changes something, spremeniti se changes oneself; a change is sprememba
  • na bolje
    for the better
    the English to Slovenian renders with na: obrniti se na bolje; the literal k boljšemu sounds foreign
  • na slabše
    for the worse
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": nah-SLAHB-sheh
  • pripadati
    belong
    about things and about people in a group: Ta zemlja pripada sosedu, Pripadam tej ekipi; belonging as a noun is pripadnost
  • tuj
    someone else's
    J is "y" as in "yes": tooy
  • skupen
    shared
    from skupaj, together: skupni račun, skupna kuhinja; the English in general is na splošno, another root
  • potiskati
    push
    the imperfective, the perfective being potisniti; on Slovenian doors you read potisni, push, and povleci, pull
  • vleči
    pull
    Č is "ch" as in "church": VLEH-chee
  • udariti
    hit
    a blow is udarec, to hurt yourself udariti se; to beat repeatedly is tolči, to kick a ball brcniti, from brca, a kick
  • meter
    metre
    The second e is almost swallowed: MEH-tehr
  • centimeter
    centimetre
    C is "ts" as in "cats": tsehn-tee-MEH-tehr
  • kilometer
    kilometre
    Stress on the "me": kee-loh-MEH-tehr
  • liter
    litre
    The second e is almost inaudible: LEE-tehr
  • gram
    gram
    in recipes you will more often see dag, a decagram, ten grams: dvajset dag sira is two hundred grams of cheese; the kilogram is kilogram
  • teža
    weight
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": TEH-zhah
  • dolžina
    length
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision"; Stress on the "i": dohl-ZHEE-nah
  • širina
    width
    Š is "sh" as in "ship"; Stress on the "i": shee-REE-nah
  • višina
    height
    Š is "sh" as in "ship"; Stress on the "i": vee-SHEE-nah
  • globina
    depth
    Stress on the "i": gloh-BEE-nah
  • približno
    approximately
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": preeb-LEEZH-noh
  • skoraj
    almost
    Final j is "y": SKOH-righ
  • natanko
    exactly
    Stress on the "tan": nah-TAHN-koh
  • v povprečju
    on average
    Č is "ch" as in "church": v-pohv-PREHCH-yoo
  • dvakrat toliko
    twice as much
    dvakrat alone means twice; twice as many is dvakrat več, twice as little dvakrat manj, twice as dear dvakrat dražje
  • števka
    digit
    Š is "sh" as in "ship", v before a consonant sounds like "oo" in "rule": SHTEHOW-kah
  • četrtina
    quarter (fraction)
    Č is "ch" as in "church", the r between consonants carries the syllable itself: cheh-tuhr-TEEN-ah
  • stehtati
    weigh
    The h is pronounced: STEHH-tah-tee
  • odvečen
    extra (superfluous)
    Č is "ch" as in "church": ohd-VEH-chehn
  • prazen
    empty
    The middle e is barely audible, it drops out in the plural: PRAH-zehn
  • izogibati se
    avoid
    after it comes the "to whom" form, not the "of what" form: izogibati se sladkorju, izogibati se prepirom; a one-off dodge is izogniti se
  • dejstvo
    fact
    J is "y" as in "yes": DEHY-stvoh
  • vprašanje
    question
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": vprah-SHAH-nyeh
  • pomemben
    important
    The b stays audible in front of the n; Stress on the "mem": poh-MEHM-behn
  • pozitiven
    positive
    Dictionaries allow two stresses: pózitiven and pozitíven
  • negativen
    negative
    Stress on the "ti": neh-gah-TEE-vehn
  • v primerjavi z
    compared with
    J is "y" as in "yes": v-pree-mehr-YAH-vee-z
  • prav tak
    just the same
    literally right such; enak identical, isti the very same — three different same; feminine prav taka
  • prednost
    advantage
    Stress on the first syllable: PREHD-nohst
  • pomanjkljivost
    drawback
    Lj is a soft "ly", as in "million": poh-mahny-KLYEE-vohst
  • posledice
    consequences
    C is "ts" as in "cats"; Stress on the "le": pohs-LEH-dee-tseh
  • upoštevati
    take into account
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": oo-pohsh-TEH-vah-tee
  • najverjetneje
    most likely
    J is "y" as in "yes": nigh-vehr-YEHT-neh-yeh
  • nedvomno
    undoubtedly
    from dvom, doubt — a doubt-less word; zagotovo is definitely; nedvomno sounds surer and more bookish
  • verjetnost
    probability
    J is "y" as in "yes": vehr-YEHT-nohst
  • domneva
    assumption
    Stress on the "ne": dohm-NEH-vah
  • videti je, da
    it looks like
    literally see is that; nearby live zdi se mi, da, it seems to me, and kot kaže, as it appears
  • najbrž
    presumably
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision", the r between consonants carries the syllable itself: NIGH-buhrzh
  • ni mogoče
    it cannot be
    Č is "ch" as in "church": nee-moh-GOH-cheh
  • vsaj
    at least
    V before a consonant sounds like "oo" in "rule", j is "y" as in "yes": owsigh
  • v vsakem primeru
    in any case
    literally in every case; the shorter vsekakor; tako ali tako means either way
  • za vsak primer
    just in case
    one preposition apart from v vsakem primeru, and the meaning shifts: this one is about a reserve, that one about the outcome
  • če bi
    if (unreal)
    Č is "ch" as in "church": cheh-bee
  • pod pogojem
    on condition that
    from pogoj, a condition; the full form is pod pogojem, da...
  • tudi če
    even if
    Č is "ch" as in "church": TOO-dee-cheh
  • v tem primeru
    in that case
    the third primer in a row: v tem primeru, since it is so; in speech people shorten to potem pa
  • sicer
    otherwise
    C is "ts" as in "cats"; stressed on either syllable: sicèr or sícer
  • takrat
    at that time
    then, at that moment: Takrat sem bil otrok; then as a conclusion is potem pa or v tem primeru — Slovenian keeps them apart
  • zato da
    in order to
    zato without da means therefore, together they mean purpose; a single da also works: Prišel sem, da ti pomagam
  • kot da
    as if
    often with bi: Kot da bi ga videl včeraj; plain kot means just like: bel kot sneg
  • namesto da
    instead of (doing)
    namesto with the "of what" form replaces a thing: namesto kave; with da it replaces an action, and bi usually follows
  • večinoma
    mostly
    Č is "ch" as in "church": veh-CHEE-noh-mah
  • praviloma
    as a rule
    from pravilo, a rule — a frozen instrumental; in speech people say običajno, usually
  • skoraj vsi
    almost everyone
    vsi is everyone of people, vse everything of things; skoraj nihče, almost no one, takes double negation: skoraj nihče ni prišel
  • izjema
    exception
    J is "y" as in "yes": eez-YEH-mah
  • in tako naprej
    and so on
    abbreviated itn., more rarely ipd. — in podobno, and the like; naprej is onward, forward
  • za razliko od
    unlike
    from razlika, a difference; od takes the "of what" form: za razliko od brata; the simpler version is drugače kot
  • razen
    except
    it excludes: vsi razen mene; poleg tega means besides, an addition — the English except does both jobs, Slovenian only the first
  • ne povsem
    not quite
    povsem means completely, entirely; in speech ne čisto is commoner; ne ravno means not exactly
  • bolj ali manj
    more or less
    bolj more, manj less; približno is said of numbers, bolj ali manj of degree
  • s težavo
    with difficulty
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": s-teh-ZHAH-voh
  • splača se poskusiti
    it is worth trying
    Č is "ch" as in "church": SPLAH-chah-seh-pohs-KOO-see-tee
  • moral bi
    should have
    a reproach in hindsight: Moral bi mi povedati; a woman says morala bi, and two men also morala bi — the dual and the feminine coincide
  • najbolje
    best (of all)
    J is "y" as in "yes", lj is a soft "ly", as in "million": nigh-BOH-lyeh
  • najslabše
    worst (of all)
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": NIGH-slahb-sheh
  • čim prej
    as fast as possible
    Č is "ch" as in "church": cheem-prehy
  • zaman
    in vain
    Stress on the last syllable: zah-MAHN
  • zmoči
    cope (manage)
    Č is "ch" as in "church": ZMOH-chee
  • poskus
    attempt
    Stress on the "kus": pohs-KOOS
  • se pravi
    that is (i.e.)
    Stress on the "pra": seh-PRAH-vee
  • izkazalo se je
    it turned out
    J is "y" as in "yes"; Stress on the "ka": eez-KAH-zah-loh-seh-yeh
  • posledično
    consequently
    Č is "ch" as in "church": pohs-LEH-deech-noh
  • pripelje do
    leads to
    literally drives up to, from peljati, to drive; after do comes the "of what" form: pripelje do težav
  • zahvaljujoč
    thanks to
    Č is "ch" as in "church", lj is a soft "ly", as in "million": zahh-vah-lyoo-YOHCH
  • v prvo
    on the first try
    no written vowel — the r itself carries the stressed syllable: V-puhrv-oh
  • dvesto
    two hundred
    One word, and the vowel shifts: not dva sto but dvesto, with the e of dve. After it the series runs regular: tristo, štiristo.
  • tristo
    three hundred
    Written as one word: tri plus sto. Bigger numbers stack back to front, like the tens: tristo dvaintrideset, "three hundred two-and-thirty".
  • štiristo
    four hundred
    š is "sh": SHTEE-ree-stoh
  • petsto
    five hundred
    From five hundreds on, just as after five, the noun slips into "of what" plural: petsto evrov, not evri.
  • šeststo
    six hundred
    š is "sh"; across the seam the s stretches long: SHES-STOH
  • sedemsto
    seven hundred
    Unlike sedemdeset, nothing drops out here: the whole sedem plus sto.
  • osemsto
    eight hundred
    No losses either: osem plus sto. Compare the ordinal osmi, where the e does drop.
  • devetsto
    nine hundred
    The last hundred before tisoč, "thousand". Years before 2000 are read exactly like this: tisoč devetsto devetdeset.
  • četrti
    fourth
    č is "ch": chuh-TUHR-tee
  • peti
    fifth
    Spelled exactly like the verb peti, "to sing" — agreement tells them apart: peti dan is day five, rad poje is "he loves to sing".
  • šesti
    sixth
    š is "sh": SHEH-stee
  • sedmi
    seventh
    Here the e drops: sedem, but sedmi. The same in osem becoming osmi — both ordinals are shorter than their numbers.
  • osmi
    eighth
    In dates the ordinal takes the "of what" form: osmega marca, "of the eighth of March". The day of the month is always given as an ordinal.
  • deveti
    ninth
    From devet with no losses. At the station the platform is named by ordinal: z devetega tira.
  • deseti
    tenth
    From deset. Beyond it the row assembles from the numeral the same way: enajsti, dvajseti, stoti.
  • stoti
    hundredth
    From sto. Keep it apart from fractions: a hundredth part is stotina, and the hundredth of a second on a stopwatch is stotinka.
  • ali
    or
    The same word opens a yes/no question: ali greš, "are you going?". One word, two very different jobs.
  • tudi
    also
    It stays tudi under negation: tudi jaz ne, "me neither". There is no separate word doing the job of "either".
  • samo
    only
    A shorter, more bookish twin is le; the two mean the same thing.
  • že
    already
    One letter, but ž is the "zh" of "measure". Under negation the sense flips: že ne, "not any more".
  • še
    still
    A trap for the eye: še is "still", while se without the little hat is a reflexive particle. The caron is the whole difference.
  • preveč
    too
    Literally "over-much": pre- plus več. With a noun it demands the "of what" form: preveč soli, "too much salt".
  • skupaj
    together
    From skup, "in a heap". Even when exactly two people do it, it stays skupaj — adverbs have no dual.
  • ni dovoljeno
    it is not allowed
    Literally "it is not permitted". In speech people usually reach for the verb instead: ne smeš, "you must not".
  • treba je
    it is necessary
    Impersonal. When one particular person has to do it, switch to moram, moraš — from the verb morati.
  • življenje
    life
    ž is the "zh" of "measure": zheev-LYEH-nyeh
  • hoteti
    to want
    Present hočem, hočeš. The polite way to want something is rad bi — literally "would be glad".
  • moči
    can
    č is "ch": MOH-chee
  • beseda
    word
    It only looks like it might be "conversation" — that is pogovor. Beseda is the single word itself.
  • zadeva
    matter
    A matter, an affair, a thing being dealt with. Za kaj gre? is the everyday way to ask "what is this about?".
  • način
    way
    č is "ch": nah-CHIN
  • lahko
    easily
    The same word does "may": lahko grem?, "may I go?". One word, two distant jobs.
  • težko
    with difficulty
    ž is the "zh" of "measure": tezh-KOH
  • da
    so that
    Slovenian "yes" is ja; da is the conjunction "that" and "so that" in one, and the verb after it stays in the present — no "would" form.
  • če
    if
    Never drop the caron — če without it is a different word. Conditions stand in present or future: če bo dež; there is no "would" about it.
  • dokler
    as long as
    dokler is the time word; "until" demands its own mandatory ne, the little word learners tend to swallow.
  • ko že
    since
    Literally "when already". It opens the subordinate clause and demands the main clause after it: kupi kruh.
  • samo da
    if only
    samo ("only") plus da gives "if only"; the verb after it stays in the present — no "would" gets translated.
  • tako da
    so
    zato is "therefore" and leads the main clause; tako da introduces the clause of consequence.
  • med
    between
    Written like med, "honey", but here it means "between". med banko in pošto means "between the bank and the post office". For movement into the clouds, oblaki, "clouds", changes to oblake: med oblake, "into the clouds".
  • poleg
    next to
    Takes the "of what" form: poleg mene. okoli is "around"; for "near, beside" only poleg will do.
  • namesto
    instead of
    The "of what" form after it, and in front of a verb it becomes namesto da — "instead of doing".
  • proti
    against
    The only preposition here that takes the "to whom" form: proti predlogu. It also means "toward": proti mestu.
  • brez
    without
    The "of what" form after it, plain and simple: brez sladkorja, brez mene.
  • za
    for
    There is no separate word for "for": it is za with the object form — za tebe, za otroke. The same za with the instrumental means "behind".
  • o
    about
    No split between "about" and "on the topic of": one little o with the "where at" form — o filmu, o tebi.
  • po
    after
    Takes the "where at" form: po kosilu, po službi. The same po also does the work of "along": po mestu.
  • v času
    during
    med with the instrumental would say the same, but that slot is taken by "between"; v času takes the "of what" form: v času vojne.
  • zaradi
    because of
    The "of what" form, and only for causes. "From around the corner" needs a completely different preposition: izza vogala.
  • okoli
    around
    The "of what" form: okoli hiše. The same word means "approximately": okoli petih, "around five".
  • čez
    across
    č is "ch": chehz
  • od znotraj
    from the inside
    znotraj is "inside"; od in front of it adds movement or a view from within: zaklenjeno od znotraj.
  • v bližini
    nearby
    The "where at" form of bližina, "vicinity"; add an "of what" form and it becomes "near something": v bližini postaje.
  • težava
    problem
    ž is the "zh" of "measure"
  • zelo
    very
    It boosts adjectives and adverbs — zelo dobro, zelo lep. With a verb it will not work alone: "I very much love to read" is zelo rad berem, through rad.
  • pomoč
    help
    pomoč means "help", and pomagati means "to help". Na pomoč! is a cry of "Help!".
  • je
    there is
    No separate word for existence: plain je, "is", from biti, does the job. The plural is so, and for exactly two things it is sta.

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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

ja — yes. Live speech always says ja; the bookish da sounds on the street like a soldier saying "sir, yes sir".

ne — no. The same word negates verbs: ne razumem, "I do not understand". It fuses with "be" and "have" into nisem and nimam.

dobro — fine. The standard full reply is Dobro sem, hvala — "I am fine, thank you".

slabo — badly. From slab, "weak". Say it about yourself when you feel under the weather.

Test yourself

First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.

  1. What is this word?

  2. What is this word?

  3. What is this word?

  4. What is this word?

  5. What is this word?

Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.

  1. How do you say “yes” in Slovenian?

  2. How do you say “may (permission)” in Slovenian?

  3. How do you say “queue” in Slovenian?

  4. How do you say “old” in Slovenian?

  5. How do you say “thirteen” in Slovenian?

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.

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.

Frequently asked

How do you say “yes” in Slovenian?

«ja». Like "yah". It is one of 309 words in the set “basic words” — the rest are in the table above.

How many basic words do you need to start?

The whole set on this page is 309 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.

Is there audio?

Yes, 309 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.

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