Verbs are the key to using any language: they build sentences and show what is happening and what someone is doing. Whether you are just dipping your toes into Slovenian or ready to level up, this guide covers the most common Slovenian verbs, their tenses and how to conjugate them.
Getting started can feel overwhelming, so we keep it simple: a table of 83 must-know verbs, then easy conjugation tables for biti (to be) and imeti (to have).
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Download now!What Are The Most Common Slovenian Verbs?
Here’s a table of 83 of the most common Slovenian verbs. They are listed in their infinitive form, which is the basic form you’ll find in dictionaries. This form typically ends in “-ti” and is used as the base for conjugating the verb into different tenses and forms.
| English | Slovenian |
|---|---|
| to be | biti |
| to have | imeti |
| to do/make | narediti |
| to go | iti |
| to come | priti |
| to say | reči |
| to get | dobiti |
| to see | videti |
| to know | vedeti |
| to think | misliti |
| to give | dati |
| to take | vzeti |
| to find | najti |
| to use | uporabljati |
| to tell | povedati |
| to work | delati |
| to love | ljubiti |
| to like | imeti rad |
| to call | klicati |
| to start | začeti |
| to understand | razumeti |
| to try | poskusiti |
| to meet | srečati |
| to play | igrati |
| to read | brati |
| to write | pisati |
| to sit | sedeti |
| to stand | stati |
| to run | teči |
| to leave | oditi |
| to enter | vstopiti |
| to bring | prinesti |
| to buy | kupiti |
| to sell | prodati |
| to ask | vprašati |
| to answer | odgovoriti |
| to clean | čistiti |
| to cook | kuhati |
| to wash | prati |
| to sing | peti |
| to dance | plesati |
| to build | graditi |
| to break | zlomiti |
| to fix | popraviti |
| to draw | risati |
| to paint | slikati |
| to cut | rezati |
| to open | odpreti |
| to close | zapreti |
| to save | shraniti |
| to spend | porabiti |
| to show | pokazati |
| to teach | učiti |
| to learn | učiti se |
| to remember | spomniti se |
| to forget | pozabiti |
| to arrive | priti |
| to depart | odpotovati |
| to lead | voditi |
| to follow | slediti |
| to move | premakniti |
| to wait | čakati |
| to stop | ustaviti |
| to begin | začeti |
| to end | končati |
| to need | potrebovati |
| to want | želeti |
| to help | pomagati |
| to support | podpreti |
| to choose | izbrati |
| to decide | odločiti |
| to plan | načrtovati |
| to consider | razmisliti |
| to believe | verjeti |
| to doubt | dvomiti |
| to hope | upati |
| to wish | želeti |
| to laugh | smejati se |
| to cry | jokati |
| to smile | nasmehniti se |
| to worry | skrbeti |
| to relax | sprostiti |
| to travel | potovati |

How Do You Conjugate Slovenian Verbs?
In Slovenian, verbs are conjugated based on tense and gender. Slovenian verbs themselves don’t have gender, but the past tense and some participles agree with the gender of Slovenian nouns, which can be masculine, feminine, or neuter.
Slovenian verbs have four tenses: present, past, pluperfect and future. Let’s look at the three you will use most, with a few examples.
What Does The Present Tense Look Like?
Let’s start with two basic Slovenian verbs: biti (to be) and imeti (to have). Check out the tables below to see how these verbs change depending on who you’re talking about. This will give you a solid foundation for speaking and understanding Slovenian.
Biti (To Be)
| English | Slovenian |
|---|---|
| I am | Jaz sem |
| You are | Ti si |
| He/She/It is | On/ona/ono je |
| We are | Mi smo |
| You (plural) are | Vi ste |
| They are | Oni so |
Imeti (To Have)
| English | Slovenian |
|---|---|
| I have | Jaz imam |
| You have | Ti imaš |
| He/She/It has | On/ona/ono ima |
| We have | Mi imamo |
| You (plural) have | Vi imate |
| They have | Oni imajo |
How Do You Form The Past Tense?
In Slovenian, the past tense of verbs changes based on the gender of the subject. Here’s a simple look at how the verbs biti (to be) and imeti (to have) are used in the past tense for the masculine and feminine gender:
Biti (To Be)
| English | Slovenian (Masculine) | Slovenian (Feminine) |
|---|---|---|
| I was | Jaz sem bil | Jaz sem bila |
| You were | Ti si bil | Ti si bila |
| He/She/It was | On je bil | Ona je bila |
| We were | Mi smo bili | Me smo bile |
| You (plural) were | Vi ste bili | Ve ste bile |
| They were | Oni so bili | One so bile |
Imeti (To Have)
| English | Slovenian (Masculine) | Slovenian (Feminine) |
|---|---|---|
| I had | Jaz sem imel | Jaz sem imela |
| You had | Ti si imel | Ti si imela |
| He/She had | On je imel | Ona je imela |
| We had | Mi smo imeli | Me smo imele |
| You (plural) had | Vi ste imeli | Ve ste imele |
| They had | Oni so imeli | One so imele |
How Do You Form The Future Tense?
Here’s how to form the future tense for imeti (to have) and biti (to be) in Slovenian. The forms change based on the subject’s gender, with separate forms for masculine and feminine.
Biti (To Be)
| English | Slovenian Future Tense |
|---|---|
| I will be | jaz bom |
| You will be | ti boš |
| He will be | on bo |
| She will be | ona bo |
| It will be | ono bo |
| We will be | mi bomo |
| You (plural) will be | vi boste |
| They will be | oni bodo |
Imeti (To Have)
In the future tense construction, the future form of the auxiliary verb biti (to be) is used with the conjugated form of imeti (to have).
| English | Slovenian (Masculine/Feminine) |
|---|---|
| I will have | jaz bom imel / jaz bom imela |
| You will have | ti boš imel / ti boš imela |
| He will have | on bo imel |
| She will have | ona bo imela |
| It will have | ono bo imelo |
| We will have | mi bomo imeli / me bomo imele |
| You (plural) will have | vi boste imeli / ve boste imele |
| They will have | oni bodo imeli / one bodo imele |

What Does The Reflexive Pronoun Se Do?
In Slovenian, the word se is called a reflexive pronoun. It’s used with certain verbs to show that the action of the verb is happening to the subject itself. For example, in the verb učiti se (to learn), se means that you are learning something for yourself.
When you see se in a verb, it tells you that the action is directed back at the person or thing doing it. So, with učiti se, it’s like saying ‘to teach oneself’ or ‘to learn by oneself’. This reflexive pronoun helps make it clear that the subject is both doing and receiving the action.
Here’s a quick overview of the present tense conjugation for učiti se (to learn).
| English | Slovenian |
|---|---|
| I learn | jaz se učim |
| You learn | ti se učiš |
| He/She/It learns | on/ona/ono se uči |
| We learn | mi se učimo |
| You (plural) learn | vi se učite |
| They learn | oni se učijo |
What Is The Grammatical Dual In Slovenian?
Slovenian grammar has a special thing called the dual form, used for talking about exactly two things or people. It’s a unique feature that sets Slovenian apart from many other languages, which only have singular and plural forms.
So, when you’re talking about two people or things, you use these special dual pronouns and verb forms. It’s also important to note that the dual forms can differ based on the gender of the people or things being referred to, especially in feminine contexts.
Here’s the verb biti (to be) in the present tense, including the dual forms:
| English | Slovenian (Present Tense) |
|---|---|
| I am | jaz sem |
| You are (informal) | ti si |
| He/She/It is | on/ona/ono je |
| We (two people) are | midva sva (masculine), midve sva (feminine) |
| You (two people) are | vidva sta (masculine), vidve sta (feminine) |
| They (two people) are | onadva sta (masculine), onidve sta (feminine) |
| We (three or more people) are | mi smo (masculine), me smo (feminine) |
| You (three or more people) are | vi ste (masculine), ve ste (feminine) |
| They (three or more people) are | oni so (masculine), one so (feminine) |
How Do You Say Verb In Slovenian?
The word for verb in Slovenian is glagol.
What Grammar Words Help You Talk About Slovenian Verbs?
Learning all these rules can feel overwhelming at first, but knowing a few basic grammar words makes it simpler. This list covers the basic Slovenian words you will need to understand and use verbs in Slovenian.
| English | Slovenian |
|---|---|
| verb | glagol |
| conjugation | spregatev |
| tense | čas |
| present tense | sedanjik |
| past tense | preteklik |
| future tense | prihodnjik |
| pronoun | zaimek |
| subject | osebek |
| object | predmet |
| infinitive | nedoločnik |
| verb form | oblika glagola |
| auxiliary verb | pomožni glagol |
| agreement | skladnost |
| singular | ednina |
| plural | množina |
| dual | dvojina |
| sentence | stavek |
| phrase | fraza |
| grammar | slovnica |
| language | jezik |
| vocabulary | besedišče |
| example | primer |
| practice | vadba |
| rule | pravilo |
| form | oblika |

Frequently Asked Questions About Slovenian Verbs
What Is The Grammatical Gender In Slovenian?
In Slovenian, every noun has a gender, which can be masculine, feminine or neuter. For example, avto (car) is masculine, roža (flower) is feminine and jabolko (apple) is neuter. The gender of a noun shapes adjective endings and past tense verb forms.
How Many Tenses Does Slovenian Have?
Slovenian has four tenses: present, past, pluperfect and future. This guide covers the present, past and future with biti (to be) and imeti (to have).
What Are The Grammatical Cases In Slovenian?
Slovenian has six cases: nominative (who or what the sentence is about), genitive (who something belongs to), dative (who receives something), accusative (who or what gets the action), instrumental (how or with what something is done) and locative (where or when something happens).
Slovenian Verbs Recap: What Should You Remember?
Now that you’ve got a handle on Slovenian verbs, you’re well on your way to speaking more naturally. Remember that most infinitives end in -ti, that the past tense agrees with the gender of the subject, and that Slovenian has a dual for exactly two people or things. With regular practice, you’ll soon find it easier to use Slovenian sentence structure in your conversations, and if you are comparing apps, see why there is no Slovenian on Duolingo.
Learn Slovenian With Ling
Congratulations on making it through these Slovenian verbs! There are not many places to learn Slovenian, but Ling has a complete Slovenian course, with flashcards, native speaker audio, fun mini-games and Dialog for real conversation practice. Start learning Slovenian today and put your new verbs to work!