Slovenščina phrases for the first day
The lesson before the course. Every phrase below is one you can say whole, today, without knowing a single ending — they are the same phrases the course teaches, read off the same files.
95 phrases · This is the language the full course is in — the list is its first ten minutes.
The first ten
- dober dan
- good daydobro jutro in the morning, dober večer in the evening.
- hvala
- thank younajlepša hvala = many thanks.
- prosim
- please; you're welcome; pardon?Also the polite 'say that again?'.
- oprostite
- excuse me / sorry (formal)Informal: oprosti.
- ja
- yesda in formal register.
- ne
- no; not
- ne razumem
- I don't understandThe most useful sentence of your first month.
- govorite angleško
- do you speak English
- Koliko stane ___?
- How much does ___ cost?Plural: Koliko stanejo?
- nasvidenje
- goodbye
Hello and how are you
- dobro jutro
- good morningUntil about ten; after that dober dan.
- dober večer
- good evening
- živjo
- hiInformal; adijo on parting.
- kako ste
- how are youThe polite form.
- kako si
- how are youInformal; kako ste is the polite form.
- kako gre
- how's it going
- kaj je novega
- what's newThe default answer is nič posebnega.
- me veseli
- nice to meet youLiterally 'it pleases me'. Used both on meeting and on parting.
- dobrodošli
- welcome
- lahko noč
- good nightOnly as a parting before sleep.
Thank you, sorry, never mind
- hvala lepa
- thank you very much
- najlepša hvala
- many thanks
- ni za kaj
- you're welcomePeople also just say prosim.
- ni problema
- no problem
- z veseljem
- with pleasure
- se opravičujem
- I apologiseMore formal than oprostite.
- oprostite, da motim
- sorry to bother you
- oprostite za zamudo
- sorry I'm late
- žal mi je
- I'm sorry (for you)Sympathy, not an admission: your own fault is oprosti.
- nič hudega
- never mind
- brez zamere
- no offence
When you did not understand
- ne razumem
- I don't understandThe most useful sentence of your first month.
- nisem razumel
- I didn't catch thatAbout this one sentence. 'I don't understand' in general is ne razumem. Feminine: nisem razumela.
- prosim, počasneje
- slower, please
- prosim, ponovite
- could you repeat that
- še enkrat prosim
- once more, please
- kako se reče
- how do you sayKako se reče … po slovensko?
- kaj pomeni
- what does … mean
- kako se piše
- how is it spelled
- govorim malo slovensko
- I speak a little Slovenian
- šele se učim
- I'm only learningChanges how someone speaks to you more than any request to slow down.
Asking for something
- Kje je ___?
- Where is ___?kje = where at, kam = where to.
- Koliko stane ___?
- How much does ___ cost?Plural: Koliko stanejo?
- Rad bi ___
- I would like ___The default polite request.
- Ali lahko ___?
- Can / could ___?Both 'may I' and 'could you'.
- Potrebujem ___
- I need ___The thing needed is a direct object in the accusative: Potrebujem pomoč.
- Iščem ___
- I'm looking for ___What you are looking for takes the accusative: iščem stanovanje, iščem lekarno.
- Koliko je ura?
- What time is it? / At ___A time takes ob: ob osmih (at eight).
- Koliko je vse skupaj?
- How much altogether?The till will ask Skupaj ali posebej?
Small talk
- v redu
- all right, fineThe commonest answer to how are you.
- vse v redu
- all goodBoth the question and the answer.
- nič posebnega
- nothing special
- bo šlo
- it'll doThe answer to 'how are you' when it is neither. Literally 'it will go'.
- ne najbolje
- not the best
- pa ti
- and you?Without this the answer to 'how are you' is left half-finished. Formally: pa vi?
- se strinjam
- I agreeAt the start of a sentence se leads; inside one it follows the verb: Popolnoma se strinjam.
- se ne strinjam
- I disagreeThe flat version. Ne bi rekel is softer.
- nisem prepričan
- I'm not sureFeminine: nisem prepričana.
- točno tako
- exactly so
- vseeno mi je
- I don't mindDative: literally 'it is all the same to me'.
- moram iti
- I have to goThe standard way out of a conversation, no explanation needed.
- malo hitim
- I'm in a bit of a hurry
In a shop, a bar, a restaurant
- samo pogledam
- I'm just lookingThe answer when a shop assistant offers help.
- to je vse
- that's all
- še kaj
- anything elseWhat the shop assistant asks.
- koliko sem dolžan
- how much do I oweA woman says dolžna.
- kdaj imate odprto
- when are you openThe door says odprto and zaprto.
- račun, prosim
- the bill, please
- jedilni list
- menuLiterally 'list of dishes'; meni is understood too.
- kaj priporočate
- what do you recommend
- za s sabo
- to take awayFor coffee and food to go.
- dober tek
- enjoy your mealDiners say it to each other too.
- na zdravje
- cheers; bless youA toast, and the answer to a sneeze.
When something goes wrong
- na pomoč
- helpA shout, not a request.
- nujna pomoč
- emergency careThe hospital sign says Urgenca.
- pazi
- watch outPolitely: pazite.
- si v redu
- are you okay
- ni panike
- no panic
- nimam pojma
- I've no idea
- kdo ve
- who knows
- trenutek, prosim
- one moment, please
- napačna številka
- wrong number
Goodbye
- nasvidenje
- goodbye
- adijo
- byeInformal; nasvidenje is the polite one.
- se vidimo
- see you
- se vidiva
- see you (two of us)The dual. To three or more it is se vidimo, and the slip is audible every time.
- se slišimo
- talk soonHow a phone call ends.
- lep dan
- have a nice dayIn full: lep dan še naprej.
- lep dan še naprej
- have a nice rest of the dayWhat a shop says as it hands back your change.
- lep vikend
- have a good weekend
- lepo se imej
- have a nice timeFormally: lepo se imejte.
- vse dobro
- all the best
- srečno pot
- have a good trip
- ostanimo v stiku
- let's keep in touch
- hitro okrevaj
- get well soonFormally: hitro okrevajte.
Then keep them
A phrase you read once is gone by Thursday. The trainer gives them back to you the day before you would have forgotten — and then teaches the endings that let you change them.
Start the course