Lesson 1: Slovenian sounds and greetings

Special Slovenian sounds

Some Slovenian letters may sound new at first.      

• Š sounds like sh in shopping
• Č sounds like ch in chocolate                              
• Ž sounds like the sound in vision
• J sounds like y in yes
• Y is not a typical Slovenian letter.
  You mostly see it in foreign names or words.

Say it

• šola — school
• čaj — tea
• živjo — hi
• jaz — I

Greetings and introductions

Basic Greetings                                                                                     

• Dober dan. – Good day.
• Živjo. – Hi.
• Dobro jutro. – Good morning.
• Dober večer. – Good evening.
• Lahko noč. – Good night.
• Nasvidenje. – Goodbye.
• Adijo. – Bye.

Introducing Yourself

• Jaz sem Anna. – I am Anna.
• Moje ime je Anna. – My name is Anna.
• Kako ti je ime? – What is your name?
• Kako vam je ime? – What is your name? (formal)
• Sem iz Anglije. – I am from England.
• Živim v Sloveniji. – I live in Slovenia.

Useful Phrases

• Kako si? – How are you?
• Kako ste? – How are you? (formal)
• Dobro sem. – I am fine.
• V redu sem. – I am okay.
• Hvala. – Thank you.
• Prosim. – Please / You’re welcome.
• Me veseli. – Nice to meet you.
• Tudi mene veseli. – Nice to meet you too.

Formal and Informal
In Slovenian, we use informal and formal forms.
ti is informal, and vi is formal.

Examples:

• Kako ti je ime? – informal
• Kako vam je ime? – formal

Mini Dialogue

• A: Živjo. Kako ti je ime? – Hi. What is your name?
• B: Ime mi je Anna. Kako pa tebi? – My name is Anna. And you?
• A: Jaz sem John. Me veseli. – I am John. Nice to meet you.
• B: Tudi mene veseli. – Nice to meet you too.

Practice

1. Introduce yourself in Slovenian.
2. Write three greetings in Slovenian.
3. Write one informal and one formal question.
4. Complete the dialogue with your own name.

Key Phrases

• Dober dan.
• Živjo.
• Kako ti je ime?                                                 
• Moje ime je …
• Hvala.                                                            
• Me veseli.       

  Audio practice
  Listen to the audio in the Materials tab and repeat the words aloud.