Slovene phrases | Most common phrases for everyday life

Slovene phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Slovene with translation. | Free & useful

Slovene phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.

They are an important part of Slovene culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.

Slovene phrases you should know

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Greet someone in Slovene

If you want to greet someone in Slovene, it’s actually quite easy:

English	Slovene	IPA
Welcome to the site.	Dobrodošli na strani.	[dɔbɾɔˈdóːʃli na ˈstɾàːni]
Welcome to the site	Dobrodošli na strani	[dɔbɾɔˈdóːʃli na ˈstɾàːni]
Good day to you!	Dober dan vam želim!	[ˈdóːbəɾ dàːn ʋam ʒɛˈlíːm]
Good morning to you!	Dobro jutro vam želim!	[ˈdóːbɾɔ ˈjúːtɾɔ ʋam ʒɛˈlíːm]
Good evening!	Dober večer!	[ˈdóːbəɾ ʋɛˈtʃéːɾ]
Good to see you.	Lepo te je videti.	[lɛˈpóː tɛ jɛ ˈʋíːdɛti]
I’m glad to see you.	Vesel sem, da te vidim.	[ʋɛˈséːu̯ sɛm da tɛ ˈʋíːdim]

If you are greeted in Slovene, the best way to respond is as follows:

English	Slovene	IPA
Have a nice day too!	Tudi tebi želim lep dan!	[ˈtúːdi ˈtɛːbi ʒɛˈlíːm ˈlèːp dàːn]
Thanks, it’s nice to see you too.	Hvala, tudi mene veseli, da te vidim.	[ˈxʋàːla ˈtúːdi ˈmɛːnɛ ʋɛsɛˈlíː da tɛ ˈʋíːdim]

How is my dialogue partner?

As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:

English	Slovene	IPA
How are you doing?	Kako si?	[ˈkàːkɔ si]
Are you doing well?	Si v redu?	[si ʋ ˈɾéːdu]

If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:

English	Slovene	IPA
Thank you for asking, I am fine.	Hvala, da si vprašal, počutim se dobro.	[ˈxʋàːla da si ʋpɾàːʃau̯ pɔˈtʃúːtim sɛ ˈdɔ̀ːbɾɔ]
Thank you, I am fine.	Hvala, v redu sem.	[ˈxʋàːla ʋ ˈɾéːdu sɛm]
Thank you, I am not doing so well.	Hvala, ne počutim se najbolje.	[ˈxʋàːla nɛ pɔˈtʃúːtim sɛ ˈnáːjbɔljɛ]
Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing?	Hvala, dobro sem. Kako si?	[ˈxʋàːla ˈdɔ̀ːbɾɔ sɛm | ˈkàːkɔ si]

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How do I say goodbye to someone in Slovene?

Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Slovene is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:

English	Slovene	IPA
Goodbye!	Nasvidenje!	[nasʋiˈdèːnjɛ]
Take care of yourself!	Pazi nase!	[ˈpàːzi ˈnàːsɛ]
Goodbye	Adijo	[aˈdíːjɔ]
See you tomorrow	Se vidimo jutri	[sɛ ˈʋíːdimɔ ˈjúːtɾi]
See you soon	Se vidimo kmalu	[sɛ ˈʋíːdimɔ ˈkmàːlu]
See you later	Se vidimo kasneje	[sɛ ˈʋíːdimɔ kasˈnèːjɛ]
Good night	Lahko noč	[ˈlàːxkɔ ˈnóːtʃ]
Sleep well	Lepe sanje	[ˈlèːpɛ ˈsàːnjɛ]
Talk to you later.	Se slišiva kasneje.	[sɛ ˈsliːʃiʋa kasˈnèːjɛ]
Nice to have met you!	Lepo te je bilo spoznati!	[lɛˈpóː tɛ jɛ ˈbíːlɔ spɔˈznáːti]

How do I introduce myself in Slovene?

When travelling in Slovenia, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Slovene and know who you’re talking to.

English	Slovene	IPA
My name is Jonas.	Ime mi je Jonas.	[ˈìːmɛ mi jɛ ˈjóːnas]
What is your name?	Kako ti je ime?	[ˈkàːkɔ ti jɛ ìːmɛ]
What is your surname?	Kateri je tvoj priimek?	[kaˈtèːɾi jɛ ˈtʋóːi̯ pɾiˈíːmɛk]
What is your first name?	Kakšno je tvoje ime?	[ˈkàːkʃnɔ jɛ ˈtʋóːjɛ ìːmɛ]
What is your surname?	Kakšen je tvoj priimek?	[ˈkàːkʃɛn jɛ ˈtʋóːi̯ pɾiˈíːmɛk]

If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:

English	Slovene	IPA
Where do you come from?	Od kod si?	[ɔt ˈkóːt si]
I am from London.	Jaz sem iz Londona.	[jàːs sɛm iz ˈlóːndɔna]
Are you from Birmingham?	Si iz Birminghama?	[si iz bìɾminɡhàːma]
No, I’m from Madrid.	Ne, jaz sem iz Madrida.	[nɛ jáːs sɛm iz maˈdɾíːda]
Great, I’m from Madrid too.	Super, tudi jaz sem iz Madrida.	[ˈsùːpɛɾ ˈtúːdi jáːs sɛm iz maˈdɾíːda]
Where do you live?	Kje živiš?	[kjɛ ʒiˈʋíːʃ]
I live in Berlin.	Živim v Berlinu.	[ʒiˈʋíːm ʋ bɛɾˈlíːnu]

If you have problems with your Slovene, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:

English	Slovene	IPA
Do you speak English?	Ali govoriš angleško?	[ˈàːli ɡɔʋɔˈɾíːʃ anˈɡléːʃkɔ]
Yes, I speak English.	Da, govorim angleško.	[da ɡɔʋɔˈɾím anˈɡléːʃkɔ]
Yes, I speak some English.	Da, govorim malo angleško.	[da ɡɔʋɔˈɾím ˈmàːlɔ anˈɡléːʃkɔ]
No, I do not speak any English.	Ne, ne govorim angleško.	[nɛ nɛ ɡɔʋɔˈɾím anˈɡléːʃkɔ]
I only speak English.	Govorim samo angleško.	[ɡɔʋɔˈɾím ˈsàːmɔ anˈɡléːʃkɔ]
I understand some Slovene.	Razumem nekaj slovenščine.	[ɾaˈzúːmɛm ˈnèːkai̯ slɔˈʋèːnʃtʃinɛ]

Useful sentences with ‘I am…’

The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Slovene and express your wishes and concerns:

English	Slovene	IPA
I am English.	Sem Anglež.	[sɛm anˈɡléːʒ]
I am injured.	Poškodovan sem.	[pɔʃkɔdɔˈʋàːn sɛm]
I am here.	Tukaj sem.	[ˈtúːkai̯ sɛm]
I am hungry.	Lačen sem.	[ˈláːtʃɛn sɛm]
I am thirsty.	Žejen sem.	[ˈʒéːjɛn sɛm]
I am a single person.	Sem samski.	[sɛm ˈsàːmski]
I need help!	Potrebujem pomoč!	[pɔtɾɛˈbúːjɛm pɔˈmóːtʃ]
I am tired.	Utrujen sem.	[uˈtɾúːjɛn sɛm]
I am happy.	Vesel sem.	[ʋɛˈséːu̯ sɛm]
I am sad.	Žalosten sem.	[ˈʒàːlɔstɛn sɛm]
I am in love.	Zaljubljen sem.	[zaˈljuːbljɛn sɛm]
I am ill.	Bolan sem.	[bɔˈlàːn sɛm]
I am ready.	Pripravljen sem.	[pɾiˈpɾàːʋljɛn sɛm]
I am busy.	Zaposlen sem.	[zapɔˈslèn sɛm]
I am lost.	Izgubljen sem.	[izɡuˈbljɛn sɛm]
I am a tourist.	Sem turist.	[sɛm tuˈɾìːst]
I am new here.	Nov sem tukaj.	[nɔ́u̯ sɛm ˈtúːkai̯]
I am confident.	Samozavesten sem.	[samɔzaˈʋéːstɛn sɛm]
I am proud.	Ponosen sem.	[pɔˈnóːsɛn sɛm]
I am a teacher.	Sem učitelj.	[sɛm uˈtʃíːtɛl]
I am late.	Z zamudo prihajam.	[z zaˈmúːdɔ pɾiˈxàːjam]
I am 30 years old.	Star sem 30 let.	[stàːɾ sɛm ˈtɾíːdɛsɛt lèːt]
I am in a hurry.	Se mi mudi.	[sɛ mi muˈdìː]
I am happy.	Vesel sem.	[ʋɛˈséːu̯ sɛm]
I am surprised.	Presenečen sem.	[pɾɛsɛˈnéːtʃɛn sɛm]
I am angry.	Jezen sem.	[ˈjéːzɛn sɛm]

Apologising in Slovene

Here’s how to apologise to a Slovene speaker:

English	Slovene	IPA
I apologise.	Opravičujem se.	[ɔpɾaʋiˈtʃúːjɛm sɛ]
Sorry, that was not the intention.	Oprosti, to ni bilo namenoma.	[ɔˈpɾóːsti tɔ ni ˈbíːlɔ naˈmèːnɔma]
Sorry, I did not do it on purpose.	Oprosti, nisem naredil tega namenoma.	[ɔˈpɾóːsti ˈníːsɛm naˈɾéːdiu̯ ˈtèːɡa naˈmèːnɔma]
Sorry, that was very clumsy of me.	Oprosti, to je bilo zelo nerodno od mene.	[ɔˈpɾóːsti tɔ jɛ ˈbíːlɔ zɛˈlóː nɛˈɾɔ̀ːdnɔ ɔd ˈmɛːnɛ]

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More information about the Slovene Intermediate Course.

Useful signs and notices in Slovene

Useful signs and messages in Slovene that you will often see.

English	Slovene	IPA
Entrance	Vhod	[ʋˈxɔt]
Toilet	Stranišče	[stɾaˈníːʃtʃɛ]
Exit	Izhod	[isˈxɔt]
Attention!	Pozor!	[pɔˈzɔɾ]
Police	Policija	[pɔliˈtsíːja]
Emergency services	Urgenca	[uɾˈɡɛːntsá]
Fire brigade	Gasilci	[ɡaˈsíːlt͡si]
Passage forbidden.	Prehod prepovedan.	[pɾɛˈxɔːt pɾɛpɔˈʋéːdan]
Caution!	Opozorilo!	[ɔpɔzɔˈɾíːlɔ]
This building is under video surveillance.	Ta stavba je pod video nadzorom.	[ta ˈstàːu̯ba jɛ pɔt ˈʋíːdɛɔ nadˈzɔːɾɔm]

Numbers to 25 in Slovene

Counting in Slovene is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Slovene from 1 to 25.

English	Slovene	IPA
1	ena	[ˈɛːna]
2	dve	[ˈdʋéː]
3	tri	[ˈtɾíː]
4	štiri	[ˈʃtíːɾi]
5	pet	[ˈpèːt]
6	šest	[ˈʃèːst]
7	sedem	[ˈsèːdɛm]
8	osem	[ˈɔ̀ːsɛm]
9	devet	[dɛˈʋèːt]
10	deset	[dɛˈséːt]
11	enajst	[ɛˈnáːjst]
12	dvanajst	[dʋaˈnáːjst]
13	trinajst	[tɾiˈnáːjst]
14	štirinajst	[ʃtiɾiˈnáːjst]
15	petnajst	[pɛtˈnáːjst]
16	šestnajst	[ʃɛstˈnáːjst]
17	sedemnajst	[sɛdɛmˈnáːjst]
18	osemnajst	[ɔsɛmˈnáːjst]
19	devetnajst	[dɛʋɛtˈnáːjst]
20	dvajset	[ˈdʋáːjsɛt]
21	enaindvajset	[ɛnaìnˈdʋáːjsɛt]
22	dvaindvajset	[dʋàinˈdʋáːjsɛt]
23	triindvajset	[tɾìinˈdʋáːjsɛt]
24	štiriindvajset	[ʃtìɾiinˈdʋáːjsɛt]
25	petindvajset	[pɛtìnˈdʋáːjsɛt]

The colours in Slovene

The most common colours in Slovene with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.

English	Slovene	IPA
Red in Slovene	Rdeča	[əɾˈdèːtʃa]
Blue in Slovene	Modra	[ˈmóːdɾa]
Green in Slovene	Zelena	[zɛˈlèːna]
Yellow in Slovene	Rumena	[ɾuˈmèːna]
Black in Slovene	Črna	[ˈtʃə́ːɾna]
White in Slovene	Bela	[ˈbéːla]
Orange in Slovene	Oranžna	[ɔˈɾáːnʒna]
Purple in Slovene	Vijolična	[ʋiˈjóːlitʃna]
Brown in Slovene	Rjava	[ˈɾjàːʋa]
Pink in Slovene	Rožnata	[ˈɾóːʒnata]

Days of the week, months and seasons in Slovene

Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Slovene and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Slovene.

Days of the Week in Slovene
English in Slovene	Slovene	IPA
Monday in Slovene	Ponedeljek	[pɔnɛˈdèːljɛk]
Tuesday in Slovene	Torek	[ˈtɔːɾɛk]
Wednesday in Slovene	Sreda	[ˈsɾéːda]
Thursday in Slovene	Četrtek	[ˈtʃə́ːtɾtɛk]
Friday in Slovene	Petek	[ˈpèːtɛk]
Saturday in Slovene	Sobota	[sɔˈbóːta]
Sunday in Slovene	Nedelja	[nɛˈdèːlja]

Months in Slovene
English	Slovene	IPA
January in Slovene	Januar	[ˈjàːnuàr]
February in Slovene	Februar	[ˈfɛ̀ːbɾuàr]
March in Slovene	Marec	[ˈmáːɾɛts]
April in Slovene	April	[aˈpɾíːl]
May in Slovene	Maj	[ˈmàj]
June in Slovene	Junij	[ˈjúːnij]
July in Slovene	Julij	[ˈjúːlij]
August in Slovene	Avgust	[au̯ˈɡúst]
September in Slovene	September	[sɛpˈtèːmbɛɾ]
October in Slovene	Oktober	[ɔkˈtóːbɛɾ]
November in Slovene	November	[nɔˈʋèːmbɛɾ]
December in Slovene	December	[dɛˈtsèːmbɛɾ]

Seasons in Slovene
English	Slovene	IPA
Spring in Slovene	Pomlad	[pɔˈmlàːt]
Summer in Slovene	Poletje	[pɔˈlèːtjɛ]
Autumn / Fall in Slovene	Jesen	[jɛˈsèːn]
Winter in Slovene	Zima	[ˈzíːma]

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More information about the Slovene Business Course.

Additional links

• The different ways of learning languages
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• Motivated language learning
• It is so easy to train your understanding of a language at the same time
• Learning languages quickly? – Is it possible?
• The different types of learners when learning languages

More information about the Slovene Course for Children.