COMMON EXPRESSIONS
Slovenians divide their day into four parts: early morning, daytime, evening, and night. Thus for 'good afternoon' there is no special expression. The parting expression na svidenje translates 'see you again'. The now seldom used expression for permanent parting zbogom means 'with God'. In the mountains one often hears the word srečno 'good luck' in parting.
| Meeting | Parting |
| Good morning. Dobro jutro (before 8 a.m.). |
Good bye. Na svidenje. |
| Good day. Dober dan (8 a.m.-sunset). |
Adieu. Zbogom. |
| Good evening. Dober večer. |
Good night. Lahko noč. |
| Welcome. Dobrodošli./Pozdravljeni. (Usually for groups.) |
Good luck. Srečno. |
| Hi. Zdravo./Živijo. |
Bye. Zdravo./Živijo./Adijo. |
| Have a good/nice time. Lepo se imejte. / Lepo se imej (fam.). |
OTHER POLITE EXPRESSIONS
| Excuse me (, please) ... (To introduce a question.) Oprostite (, prosim) ... |
|
| Pardon me. Pardon. |
That's O.K. Je že v redu. |
| Oh, I am sorry. Oh, oprostite. |
Never mind. Nič hudega. |
| Thank you. Hvala. |
You're welcome. Prosim. |
| Thank you very much. Hvala lepa. |
Don't mention it. Ni za kaj. / Prosim. |
| Thank you so much. Najlepša hvala. |
That's O.K. Je že v redu. |
| Yes. Ja (coll.). / Da (lit.). |
No. Maybe. Probably. Ne. Mogoče. Verjetno. |
| May I? Smem? |
You may not. Ne smete. / Ne smeš (fam.). |
| Could I? Lahko? |
Please do. Prosim, izvolite (lit.). |
| Do you mind if I smoke? Bi vas motilo, če kadim? |
Not at all. / I don't mind. Sploh ne. / Ne. |
| Could you lend me ...? Mi lahko posodite ...? |
Of course. With pleasure. Seveda. Z veseljem. |
| Could I borrow ...? Si lahko sposodim ...? |
Unfortunately not. Žal, ne. |
| Enjoy your meal. Dober tek. |
Thank you. Same to you. Hvala, enako. |
| Cheers. Na zdravje. / Živijo. |
|
| I'm looking for ... Iščem ... |
I'd like ... Rad bi ... / Rada bi (f.) ... |
| Who's there? Kdo je? (When answering a knock at the door.) |
Come in. Kar naprej. |
| Can you help me? Mi lahko pomagate? |
Can I help you? Vam lahko pomagam? |
| Let me introduce myself. Dovolite, da se predstavim. |
|
| My name is John Blatnik. Jaz sem John Blatnik. |
Glad to meet you. Me veseli. |
| I'd like you to meet my wife. Vam smem predstaviti svojo ženo? |
|
| This is my daughter Jane. This is my son Alex. To je moja hčerka Jane. To je moj sin Aleks. |
PERSONAL DATA
| What's your name? Kako vam je ime? |
Are you Mr. Biggins? Ste vi gospod Biggins? |
| What's your last name? Kako se pišete? |
Where do you live? Kje stanujete? |
| Where are you staying? Kje stanujete tukaj? |
Where are you working? Kje delate? |
| What do you do for a living? Kaj ste po poklicu? |
I am a lawyer, attorney. Pravnik, advokat sem. |
Other possibilities
| manager direktor/direktorica
(f.) merchant/businessman trgovec/trgovka (f.) office worker uradnik/uradnica (f.) physician zdravnik/zdravnica (f.) priest/pastor duhovnik store clerk prodajalec/prodajalka (f.) salesman trgovski zastopnik student študent/študentka (f.) teacher učitelj/učiteljica (f.) worker delavec/delavka (f.) professor profesor/profesorica (f.) engineer inženir farmer kmet/kmetica (f.) |
| I have a trade. Imam obrt. |
|
| What are you doing here? Kaj počnete tukaj? |
I am a tourist. Turist sem. / Turistka sem (f.). |
| I am on business. Potujem službeno. |
I am visiting relatives. Sem na obisku pri sorodnikih. |
| Ime in priimek Name
and surname Stalni naslov Permanent address Začasno bivališče Current address Ulica in kraj Street and City Rojen/Rojena (f.) Born Datum in kraj rojstva Date and place of birth Številka potnega lista/vizuma Passport/Visa number Poročen/Poročena (f.) Married Samski/Samska (f.) Single Obkroži ustrezno Circle applicable answer Številka registrske tablice Car license number Narodnost Nationality Državljanstvo Citizenship Podpis Signature |
In official documents a distinction is made between nationality and citizenship. You may put: »Nationality: American/Slovenian-American/etc., Citizenship: U.S.A.«
| May I ask where you are from? Od kod ste, če smem vprašati? |
From America. Iz Amerike. |
| Yes, but from what part? Že, mislim, iz katerega konca? |
Chicago./California. Čikago./Kalifornija. |
| Are you here for the first time? Ste prvič tukaj? |
No, the second. Ne, drugič. |
| Are you perhaps of Slovenian origin? Ste mogoče slovenskega rodu? |
Yes, I am Slovenian American. Ja, ameriški Slovenec sem. / Ja, ameriška Slovenka sem (f.). |
| How do you like it here? Kako vam je všeč tukaj? |
Very much. It's nice. Zelo. Lepo je. |
| I'd like to get your address. Rad bi vaš naslov. / Rada bi vaš naslov (f.). |
Here is my card. Nate vizitko. |
Young people in Slovenia will probably understand some English since most of them are required to take four years of English in elementary school and usually four years in high school. Many older people, on the other hand, may understand German. Italian and Hungarian are taught in schools on the western and eastern borders, respectively.
| Do you speak another language besides English? Ali govorite samo angleško? |
|
| Do you speak Slovenian? Ali govorite slovensko? |
Pardon? Prosim? |
| I have trouble speaking Slovenian. Težko govorim slovensko. |
|
| Do you understand? Ali razumete? |
A little. Malo. |
| Speak slowly. Govorite počasi. |
I don't understand. Ne razumem. |
| Would you repeat it? Ponovite, prosim. |
Would you write that down? Ali napišete? |
| What's that? Kaj je to? |
That's ... To je ... |
| Is this ...? Je to ...? |
How do you say in Slovenian ...? Kako se reče po slovensko ...? |
In certain situations (in the classroom, in waiting rooms, etc.) persons are called by their last name only. When referring to a third person the forms of address are not used, except in political or other professional jargons.
| Sir! Gospod! |
Madam! Gospa! |
| Mr. Adamich! Gospod Adamič! |
Mrs. Adamich! Gospa Adamič! |
| Doctor! Gospod doktor! |
|
| Professor! Gospod profesor! |
Miss! Gospodična! |
| Waitress! Gospodična! |
Waiter! Natakar! |
| Teacher! Tovariš!/Tovarišica (f.)! |
Ladies and gentlemen! Gospe in gospodje! |
| Excuse me, ma'am. Where is Gregorčič Street? Oprostite, gospa! Kje je Gregorčičeva ulica? |
|
| Anything else, ma'am? Še kaj, gospa? |
Vi and ti are the Slovenian equivalents for »you«. Ti (singular) is the familiar (fam.) form used when addressing children, relatives, and intimate friends. The plural form is vi. It is used in addressing persons you are not close to. You are advised to use the vi form until there is a proposal to begin using ti:
| Nama se pa res ni treba vikati.
Kar »ti« mi reci. We really don't need to use vi. Use ti with me. |
At that point continue on a first name basis. It is not, however, necessary to worry about this too much since even native Slovenians are sometimes in doubt as to which form to use. As concerns grammar, the choice of vi or ti affects verbs endings (see the following examples).
| Jack! Are you Jack? Jack! Si ti Jack? |
Mr. Cooper! Are you Mr. Cooper? Gospod Cooper! Ste vi gospod Cooper? |
| What's your name? Kako vam je ime? / Kako ti je ime (fam.)? |
Excuse me! Oprostite!/ Oprosti (fam.)! |
| Do you understand me? Me razumete? / Me razumeš (fam.)? |
How are you? Kako se imate? / Kako se imaš (fam.)? |
It is polite to precede the following questions by Prosim (Please) or Oprostite (Excuse me).
| Where is the main road? Kje je glavna cesta? |
Turn back. Obrnite nazaj. |
| Turn right/left. Zavijete desno. / Zavijete levo. |
|
| Where is the toilet? Kje imate stranišče? |
Behind there. Tam zadaj. |
| Where is that? Kje je to? |
Where is your mother? Kje je mama? |
| Can you show me on the map (where I am)? Mi lahko pokažete na zemljevidu (, kje sem)? |
|
| Is this the way to ...? Je to cesta za ...? |
You missed. Zgrešili ste. |
| Where does this road lead to? Kam pelje ta cesta? |
|
| Where should I go? Kam naj grem? |
Keep following the main road. Kar po glavni cesti naprej. |
| How do I get there? Kako pridem tja? |
Keep left. Držite se leve. |
| How far is it to Bohinj? Kako daleč je do Bohinja? |
Approximately 3 kilometers. Približno tri kilometre. |
| How long a drive is it to ...? Koliko ur vožnje je do ...? |
About 1 hour. / About 2 hours. Okoli eno uro. / Okoli dve uri. |
| How long does it take to walk from here to the top? Koliko ur hoje je od tu do vrha? |
|
| How much farther to Bled? Je še daleč do Bleda? |
Not far. / Pretty far. Ni daleč. / Precej daleč. |
| It's very close. Čisto blizu je. |
For drivers distance is measured in kilometers, for hikers in the mountains in hours of walking.
| 10 km = 6 miles | 10 miles = 16 kilometers |
| West Zahod |
North Sever |
South Jug |
East Vzhod |
| Where to (direction)? Kam? |
Where (location)? Kje? |
| Where are you going? Kam greste? / Kam greš (fam.)? |
Where are you staying? Kje stanujete? / Kje stanuješ (fam.)? |
| I'm going to Ljubljana/Bled. Grem v Ljubljano. / Grem na Bled. |
I'm residing in Ljubljana/Bled. Stanujem v Ljubljani. / Stanujem na Bledu. |
»In« translates as v with most locations (v Ljubljani) but with quite a few locations as na »on« (na Bledu).
| Where to? Kam? |
Where? Kje? |
| left levo right desno here sem there tja up gor down dol forward naprej backward nazaj |
on the left na levi on the right na desni here tu there tam up(stairs) zgoraj down(stairs) spodaj in front spredaj in back zadaj |
| before pred behind za from ...to od ...do at pri in noter at the intersection na križišču straight naravnost opposite nasproti across the bridge čez most to the traffic light do semaforja |
| Greetings from Portorož/Triglav/Gorenjska. Pozdrav iz Portoroža / s Triglava / z Gorenjske. |
| At what time? Kdaj? |
What time is it? Koliko je ura? |
| 1.00 at one o'clock ob enih 2.00 ob dveh 3.00 ob treh 4.00 ob štirih 12.30 ob pol enih 1.30 ob pol dveh 2.30 ob pol treh |
one ena dve tri štiri pol enih pol dveh pol treh (etc., as on the left, but without ob) |
| 3.30 ob pol štirih |
| 4.30 ob pol petih
(literally: half to five) ob štirih in trideset (four thirty) |
| 12.45 ob tri četrt na eno (literally: three quarters into the first hour) |
| 12.15 ob četrt čez dvanajst
(a quarter past twelve) ob petnajst čez dvanajst (fifteen past twelve) |
| 3.15 ob četrt čez tri ob petnajst čez tri |
| 4.55 ob pet (minut) do petih five (minutes) to five |
| 5.05 ob pet čez pet
five past five ob petih in pet minut five and five minutes |
Radio, TV, timetables, etc., use a 24-hour clock. For example, 1 p.m. = 13.00, 2 p.m. = 14.00, etc.
| When does the concert begin/end? Kdaj se začne koncert? / Kdaj se konča koncert? |
When does it start? Kdaj je začetek? |
| When did you get here? Kdaj ste prišli sem? / Kdaj si prišel sem (fam.)? / Kdaj si prišla sem (fam., f.)? |
| When is the mass? Kdaj je maša? |
At 10 o'clock. Ob desetih. |
| At what time should I be there? Kdaj naj bom tam? |
In an hour. Čez eno uro. |
| How late are you open? Do kdaj je odprto? |
Until 7. Do sedmih. |
| When are you open? Kdaj imate odprto? |
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Od osmih do dveh. |
| How long will it last? Koliko časa bo trajalo? |
Two hours. Dve uri. |
| What a nice day! Kakšen lep dan! |
We'll see you in the evening. Vidimo se zvečer. |
| I'm free this afternoon. Popoldne sem prost. / Popoldne sem prosta (f.). |
| morning jutro night noč evening večer day dan a.m. dopoldne at midday opoldne |
in the morning zjutraj at night ponoči in the evening zvečer during the day podnevi / čez dan p.m. popoldne at midnight opolnoči |
| good morning dobro jutro good day dober dan good evening dober večer good night lahko noč |
| on Monday v ponedeljek |
on Tuesday v torek |
on Wednesday v sredo |
on Thursday v četrtek |
on Friday v petek |
on Saturday v soboto |
on Sunday v nedeljo |
Ponedeljek means »the day after Sunday«, torek once meant »the second day«, sreda is »the day in the middle«, četrtek is »the fourth day«, petek is »the fifth day«, sobota is derived from »sabbath«, and nedelja is »no-work day«.
| this/next week ta
teden /
naslednji
teden in two weeks čez dva tedna for the weekend (za) konec tedna for holidays za praznike |
| How long have you been in Slovenia? Koliko časa ste že v Sloveniji? |
Five days. We came on Friday. Pet dni. Prišli smo v petek. |
| How long will you stay? Koliko časa boste ostali? |
One week more. We are leaving on Sunday. Še en teden. V nedeljo gremo. |
| yesterday včeraj today danes tomorrow jutri the day before yesterday predvčerajšnjim the day after tomorrow pojutrišnjem a day before pred enim dnevom in a day čez en dan in a few days čez nekaj dni |
| year leto |
| January | in January |
| januar | januarja |
| februar | februarja |
| marec | marca |
| april | aprila |
| maj | maja |
| junij | junija |
| julij | julija |
| avgust | avgusta |
| september | septembra |
| oktober | oktobra |
| november | novembra |
| december | decembra |
| last year lani last month prejšnji mesec this year letos this month ta mesec next year drugo leto next month drugi mesec |
| spring pomlad | in the spring spomladi |
| summer poletje | in the summer poleti |
| fall jesen | in the fall jeseni |
| winter zima | in the winter pozimi |
| Today's date: July 5, 1994. Današnji datum: 5. julij 1994 / 5. VII. 1994. |
Neither days of the week nor months are capitalized.
| before prej now zdaj after potem |
just pravkar immediately takoj soon kmalu |
| on time pravočasno (too) early (pre)zgodaj (too) late (pre)pozno seldom redko often pogosto since ... until od ... do |
sometimes včasih regularly redno always vedno never nikoli once enkrat |
| Are you ready? Ste že? / Si že (fam.)? |
I'm finished/ready. Sem že. I'm not yet finished/ready. Nisem še. |
| Is Mrs. Černe still here? Je gospa Černe še tu? |
She has just left. Pravkar je odšla. She is comming immediately. Takoj pride. |
| I am in a hurry. Mudi se mi. |
I was too late. Zamudil sem. / Zamudila sem (f.). |
| I'm sorry for being late. Oprostite, da sem pozen. / Oprostite, da sem pozna (f.). |
Have you been waiting long? Ste dolgo čakali? / Si dolgo čakal (fam.)? / Si dolgo čakala (fam., f.)? |
| How much is that? Koliko je to? |
Nothing. Nič. |
| How much does this cost? Koliko to stane? |
1000 tolars. Tisoč tolarjev. |
| How much will that cost? Koliko bo to stalo? |
1500. Tisoč petsto. |
| How much do you want for this? Koliko hočete za to? |
Five hundred. Petsto. |
| What's the price? Kakšna je cena? |
Ten thousand. Deset tisoč. |
| How many pieces? Koliko kosov? / Koliko komadov (coll.)? |
A dozen. Ducat. |
| Do you have enough money? Imate dovolj denarja? |
Not enough. Premalo. |
Quite a lot. Precej. |
| Do you have any money? Imate kaj denarja? |
Some. Nekaj. |
A little. Malo. |
| Is this enough? Je to dovolj? |
Enough. Dovolj. |
Too much. Preveč. |
| How much do I owe you? Koliko vam dolgujem? |
A lot. Veliko. |
It's for free. To je zastonj. |
| How old are you? Koliko ste stari? / Koliko si star (fam.)? / Koliko si stara (fam., f.)? |
60. Šestdeset. 10. Deset. Over 20. Nekaj čez dvajset. |
| 1 en/ena (f.) 2 dva/dve (f.) 3 trije/tri (f.) 4 štirje/štiri (f.) 5 pet 6 šest 7 sedem 8 osem 9 devet |
11 enajst 12 dvanajst 13 trinajst 14 štirinajst 15 petnajst 16 šestnajst 17 sedemnajst 18 osemnajst 19 devetnajst |
21 enaindvajset 22 dvaindvajset 23 triindvajset 24 štiriindvajset 25 petindvajset 26 šestindvajset 27 sedemindvajset 28 osemindvajset 29 devetindvajset |
| 10 deset 20 dvajset 30 trideset 40 štirideset 50 petdeset 60 šestdeset 70 sedemdeset 80 osemdeset 90 devetdeset |
100 sto 200 dvesto 300 tristo 400 štiristo 500 petsto 600 šeststo 700 sedemsto 800 osemsto 900 devetsto |
1000 tisoč 2000 dva tisoč 3000 tri tisoč 4000 štiri tisoč 1,000,000 milijon |
| 1987 tisoč devetsto sedeminosemdeset | ||
| first prvi/prva (f.) second drugi/druga (f.) third tretji/tretja (f.) fourth četrti/četrta (f.) fifth peti/peta (f.) sixth šesti/šesta (f.) last zadnji/zadnja (f.) next naslednji/naslednja (f.) |
| BLAGAJNA Cashier BREZ SVINCA Unleaded CENIK Price list CENTER Downtown ČAKALNICA Waiting room DATUM PROIZVODNJE Date of manufacture DELOVNI ČAS Business hours DOBRODOŠLI Welcome DOVOLJENO ZA Allowed for ... only GARDEROBA Coat/Baggage check room GOSTILNA/GOSTIŠČE Restaurant/Inn HUD PES Beware of dog IZHOD Exit IZSTOP Exit (on buses) KADILCI Smokers KADITI PREPOVEDANO No smoking POLICIJA Police MOŠKI Men NA SVIDENJE So long NE HODI PO TRAVI Keep off the grass NEKADILCI Non-smokers NEVARNOST PLAZOV Danger of avalanches NEVARNOST POŽARA Danger of fire NEZAPOSLENIM VSTOP PREPOVEDAN Employees only NI VSTOPA No entrance OBIŠČITE Visit OBVOZ Detour ODHODI Departures ODMOR On break ODPADKI Waste paper ODPRTO Open PAZI, STOPNICA Caution, step (PITNA) VODA (Potable) water POTEGNI Pull POTISNI Push POZOR Caution POZVONI Ring PRENOČIŠČA Beds PREPOVEDANO FOTOGRAFIRATI No picture taking PREPOVEDANO KURITI OGENJ No fires PREPOVEDANO PARKIRATI No parking PRIDEM TAKOJ I'll be right back PRIHODI Arrivals PRIVATNA POT Private drive PRODANO Sold PROSTO Vacant RAZPRODAJA Sale REZERVIRANO (ZA INVALIDE) Reserved (for handicapped) RINI Push ROK TRAJANJA/UPORABE Best when used before SMETI Trash SOBE Rooms SREČNO (POT) Bon voyage STRUP Poison ŠOLA School UPORABNO DO Use before URADNE URE Office hours VHOD Entrance VLECI Pull VOZNI RED Timetable ZAPIRAJTE VRATA Close the door ZASEDENO Occupied ZASILNI IZHOD Emergency exit ŽENSKE Women/Ladies |
CONGRATULATIONS AND CONDOLENCES
| Congratulations. Čestitam. |
Happy birthday. Vse najboljše za rojstni dan. |
| Happy name day. Vse najboljše za god. |
Thank you, the same to you. Hvala, enako. |
| My condolences. Moje sožalje. |
|
| Happy New Year. Srečno novo leto. |
Merry Christmas. Vesel božič. |
Prosim (please) can be used before or after all phrases below.
| Answer! Odgovorite!/Odgovori
(fam.)! Listen! Poslušajte!/Poslušaj (fam.)! Tell me! Povejte!/Povej (fam.)! Speak!/Talk! Govorite!/Govori (fam.)! Look! Poglejte!/Poglej (fam.)! Show me! Pokažite!/Pokaži (fam.)! Find it! Poiščite!/Poišči (fam.)! Leave that! Pustite!/Pusti (fam.)! Hurry! Pohitite!/Pohiti (fam.)! That's enough! Dosti!/Dovolj! Call! Pokličite!/Pokliči (fam.)! Quiet!/Silence!/Calm! Tiho!/Tišina!/Mir! Give me! Dajte mi! / Daj mi (fam.)! Take it! Vzemite!/Vzemi (fam.)! Bring me! Prinesite!/Prinesi (fam.)! Here! Nate!/Na (fam.)! Come here! Pridite sem! / Pridi sem (fam.)! Come in! Vstopite!/Vstopi (fam.)!/ Naprej! (When knocking.) Stop it! Nehajte!/Nehaj (fam.)! Stop! Ustavite se! / Ustavi se (fam.)! / Stojte!/Stoj (fam.)! (Stronger.) Open! Odprite!/Odpri (fam.)! Close the window! Zaprite okno! / Zapri okno (fam.)! Careful! Pazite!/Pazi (fam.)! Put your shoes on! Obujte se! / Obuj se (fam.)! Take your shoes off! Sezujte se! / Sezuj se (fam.)! Get dressed! Oblecite se! / Obleci se (fam.)! Get undressed! Slecite se! / Sleci se (fam.)! Sign here! Podpišite tu! / Podpiši tu (fam.)! Jump! Skočite!/Skoči (fam.)! Turn on! Prižgite!/Prižgi (fam.)! Turn off! Ugasnite!/Ugasni (fam.)! |
| Put out the cigarette! Ugasnite cigareto! / Ugasni cigareto (fam.)! |
EXPRESSING OPINIONS, WANTS, ETC.
| I know. / I don't know. Vem. / Ne vem. |
I think so. Mislim, da. |
|
| I don't think so. Mislim, da ne. |
Surely. (Prav) gotovo. / Sigurno. |
|
| I'm sure. Prepričan sem. / Prepričana sem (f.). |
Don't worry. Brez skrbi. |
|
| I doubt it. Dvomim. |
No way. Nikakor ne. |
|
| It's not possible. Nemogoče. |
Maybe./Perhaps. Mogoče. |
|
| It seems so. Zdi se tako. |
Probably. Verjetno./Najbrž. |
|
| You're right. Prav imate. / Prav imaš (fam.). |
I wish. Želim. |
|
| I want to. Hočem. |
I don't want to. Nočem. |
|
| You may. Smeš. |
You must. Moraš. |
|
| You don't have to. Ni treba. |
You musn't. Ne smeš. |
|
| I can. Lahko. |
I can't. Ne morem. |
|
| I would like ... Rad bi ... / Rada bi ... (f.) |
I like this. Všeč mi je. |
|
| I don't like it. Ni mi všeč. |
I prefer this. To imam rajši. |
|
| It doesn't matter. Vseeno je. |
It's good. Dobro je. |
It's bad. Slabo je. |
| I agree. Strinjam se. |
I don't agree. Ne strinjam se. |
|
| That's nice / not nice. Lepo je. / Ni lepo. |
It's boring. Dolgčas je. |
It's amusing. Zabavno je. |
| It's strange. Čudno je. |
That's right / not right. Prav je. / Ni prav. |
|
| O.k. Prav. / V redu. |
I'm lucky. Imam srečo. |
|
| I've got bad luck. Imam smolo. |
Come on. Daj no daj. |
|