LingoflyThe city and its places in Slovenian
84 words in Slovenian on the topic “the city and its places”: mesto — city, ulica — street, trg — square, lekarna — pharmacy. 84 words can be played from recordings.
84 words on the topic
- mestocityIt only looks like it might mean "place" — that job belongs to kraj.
- ulicastreetc is "ts": OO-lee-tsah
- trgsquareno written vowel before r; a faint "uh" glides in: tuhrg
- lekarnapharmacyFrom lek, "medicine". The word apoteka is not used here.
- bankabankPlainly the financial kind — no other meaning is attached to it.
- množicacrowdž is the "zh" of "measure", c is "ts", stress the first syllable: MNOH-zhi-tsah
- semafortraffic lightStress the last syllable: semafór. rdeča luč is the red light, zelena luč the green.
- kolobicycleLiterally "the wheel" — the bicycle is called a wheel. You ride s kolesom, and the rider is kolesar.
- avtobusna postajabus stop (postaja)v before t sounds like "u", j is "y"
- mesečna vozovnicatransit passč is "ch", c is "ts"
- progaroute (transit)The transit route, the bus line number. A walking route is still pot, the road.
- prehod za pešcecrosswalkš is "sh", c is "ts"
- prometni zastojtraffic jampromet is traffic; zastoj is a standstill. In speech shorter: gneča — the crush.
- parkiriščeparking lotšč in sequence
- bencinska črpalkagas stationč is "ch", no vowel between č and r
- parkparkThe main Ljubljana park is Tivoli, and in speech its name replaces the word park.
- knjižnicalibrarynj is a soft "ny", ž is the "zh" of "measure"
- muzejmuseumz as in "zoo"
- gledališčetheateršč in sequence
- kinocinemaUndeclined: grem v kino, sem bil v kinu — only that one ending changes.
- cerkevchurchc is "ts", final v sounds like "u"
- stadionstadiumStress the first syllable: stádion. The Ljubljana one goes by its district — Stožice.
- križiščecrossroadsŽ is "zh" as in "vision", šč is two sounds said one after the other, "sh-ch": kree-ZHEESH-cheh
- pločniksidewalkČ is "ch" as in "church": PLOHCH-neek
- avenijaavenuea rare word: a wide street in Slovenian towns is cesta or drevored, an alley of trees; avenija sounds like a translated foreign address
- stranska ulicaside streetliterally a side street — Slovenian has no separate word for an alley; stran is both a side and a page of a book
- nabrežjeembankmentŽ is "zh" as in "vision": nahb-REHZH-yeh
- mostbridgea full look-alike of the English bridge; the famous Tromostovje in Ljubljana is three bridges in one word
- predortunnelStress on the "o": preh-DOHR
- ulična svetilkastreet lampČ is "ch" as in "church": OO-leech-nah-sveh-TEEL-kah
- klopbenchfeminine; there is also a masculine homonym klop, a tick, in the news every Slovenian spring — only the gender tells them: na klopi vs klop me je pičil
- koš za smetilitter binŠ is "sh" as in "ship": kohsh-zah-SMEH-tee
- voznik avtobusabus driverthe second word in the "of what" form, no preposition: voznik avtobusa, voznik tovornjaka; a woman driver is voznica
- končna postajafinal stopČ is "ch" as in "church": KOHN-chnah-pohs-TAH-yah
- številka linijeroute numberŠ is "sh" as in "ship": shteh-VEEL-kah-LEE-nee-yeh
- prometna konicarush hourC is "ts" as in "cats": proh-MEHT-nah-koh-NEE-tsah
- vozni red avtobusovbus timetablevozni red means "timetable". The next word tells you what it is for: avtobusov, "of buses"; vlakov, "of trains"; letal, "of planes". Each uses a changed ending.
- plačati vozovnicopay the fareČ is "ch" as in "church": PLAH-chah-tee-voh-ZOHV-nee-tsoh
- zasesti sedežtake a seatŽ is "zh" as in "vision": zah-SEHS-tee-SEH-dehzh
- naročiti taksiorder a taxiČ is "ch" as in "church": nah-roh-CHEE-tee-TAHK-see
- izstopiti na naslednjiget off at the next stopthe pair vstopiti — izstopiti works only for transport; leaving the house is iti ven; the word postaji is usually dropped, naslednji says it all
- četrtdistrictČ is "ch" as in "church", the final r stands without a vowel and holds the syllable: cheh-tuhrt
- središče mestacity centreŠč is two sounds said one after the other, "sh-ch": sreh-DEESH-cheh-MEHS-tah
- obrobje mestaoutskirtsfrom rob, an edge, a rim; the same root in obroba, a hem on clothing; a suburb is a separate word, predmestje
- gradbiščeconstruction siteŠč is two sounds said one after the other, "sh-ch": grahd-BEESH-cheh
- obnova cesteroad worksC is "ts" as in "cats": ohb-NOH-vah-TSEHS-teh
- smerokazsignpostStress on the last syllable: smeh-roh-KAHZ
- javno straniščepublic toiletŠč is two sounds said one after the other, "sh-ch": YAHV-noh-strah-NEESH-cheh
- čistcleanČ is "ch" as in "church": cheest
- umazandirtyStress on the middle "a": oo-MAH-zahn
- gnečacrowdsČ is "ch" as in "church": GNEH-chah
- vasvillagea full look-alike of the pronoun vas, you: vabim vas v vas is a correct Slovenian sentence; only word order tells them apart; rural is vaški, a villager vaščan
- prestolnicacapital (city)C is "ts" as in "cats": prehs-TOHL-nee-tsah
- javni prevozpublic transportjaven is public and open to all, as in javno stranišče, a public toilet; prevoz is transport, the vehicle itself prevozno sredstvo
- vrteckindergartenC is "ts" as in "cats", the r between consonants carries the syllable itself: VUHRT-ehts
- otroško igriščeplaygroundŠ is "sh" as in "ship", č is "ch" as in "church": oht-ROHSH-koh-eeg-REESH-cheh
- vodnjakfountainNj is a soft "ny", as in "canyon", j is "y" as in "yes": vohd-NYAHK
- pokopališčecemeteryŠ is "sh" as in "ship", č is "ch" as in "church": poh-koh-pah-LEESH-cheh
- gasilsko vozilofire enginefrom gasilec, a firefighter; vozilo is any vehicle: osebno vozilo a car, tovorno vozilo a truck
- soseskaneighborhoodFrom sosed, "neighbor". četrt is a city district, so the block is soseska.
- zelenicasmall parkFrom zelen, "green". A park is big; a zelenica is a patch of green between houses.
- stolptowerFour consonants in a row at the end — perfectly ordinary here. A residential high-rise is stolpnica.
- predmestjesuburbLiterally "before-the-city", neuter in -je. In stanujeva, "the two of us live", the dual is at work.
- naseljesettlementFrom naseliti, "to settle". vas is taken for village; naselje covers the town-like settlement too.
- mimoidočipasser-byč is "ch"
- pešecpedestrianFrom peš, "on foot", with a fleeting e: pešca. The signs say prehod za pešce.
- tablasignThe same word for a school board and a road panel. A sign over the entrance is tabla or napis.
- koštrash binš is "sh": kosh
- ulična lučstreetlightč is "ch"
- tratalawnzelenica is the little green park with trees; trata is mown grass and nothing more.
- cvetlična gredaflower bedč is "ch" twice
- vhodne stopnicefront stepsThere is no word of its own: stopnice is the staircase, and the entrance is named by the adjective. Always plural in shape.
- stopnicastepThe singular of stopnice, the stairs: one is stopnica, two take the dual stopnici.
- hišna številkahouse numberš is "sh"
- ime ulicestreet nameA name is ime, literally "name"; the language keeps no separate word for "title". The "of what" form, ulice, follows without a preposition.
- drogpolesteber is a column, a load-bearing support; drog is a pole and a street post. "Of what" is droga.
- staro mestno jedroold townLiterally "the old town core". staro mesto alone would be heard as "a town that is old".
- stanovanjska hišaapartment buildingš is "sh"
- tišinasilenceš is "sh": TEE-shee-nah
- stavbabuildingFeminine. hiša is a home; stavba is any built structure, from a school to a station. zgradba says the same but leans toward the construction.
- dvoranahallA hall for people: koncertna dvorana. The gym is telovadnica, and the living room is dnevna soba — dvorana will not fit there.
- gostilnatraditional innFrom gost, "guest". A restavracija is a different and pricier business.
- vinotekawine barA glass is ordered in deci, by the deciliter: dva deci means two hundred grams of wine.
- Plečnikova LjubljanaPlečnik’s LjubljanaA rare case: the entry is not a building or an ensemble but one man’s work across a whole city.
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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
mesto — city. It only looks like it might mean "place" — that job belongs to kraj.
ulica — street. In addresses the street name comes first: Slovenska ulica 5. On signs it is shortened to ul.
trg — square. It has almost no vowel at all: before r a faint "uh" glides in. Prešernov trg is the heart of Ljubljana.
lekarna — pharmacy. From lek, "medicine". The word apoteka is not used here.
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 mesto — city.
- What is this word?
It is množica — crowd.
- What is this word?
It is proga — route (transit).
- What is this word?
It is park — park.
- What is this word?
It is cerkev — church.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “city” in Slovenian?
It only looks like it might mean "place" — that job belongs to kraj.
- How do you say “crowd” in Slovenian?
From mnogo, "much". In school mathematics the same word means "set".
- How do you say “route (transit)” in Slovenian?
The transit route, the bus line number. A walking route is still pot, the road.
- How do you say “park” in Slovenian?
The main Ljubljana park is Tivoli, and in speech its name replaces the word park.
- How do you say “church” in Slovenian?
Said of the building as its English cousin of meaning is; feminine, stara cerkev. Stress the first syllable.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Street, square, pharmacy, bank. An address is built out of these, and an address is something you have to both say and understand.
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.
- Study spread over days wins 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 “city” in Slovenian?
«mesto». It only looks like it might mean "place" — that job belongs to kraj. It is one of 84 words in the set “the city and its places” — the rest are in the table above.
How many street and place words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 84 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, 84 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.