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.).

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?

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.

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.)

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:

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).

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.

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.