When it comes to pogovarjanje or conversing with the locals, you can never go wrong when you start the talk with greetings in Slovenian. While it is true that English is also a widely spoken language in Slovenia, talking with the locals in a language they are familiar with can help you earn an extra brownie point and even help you establish a better connection.
In this post, we will walk you through the phrases that you can use for both formal and informal context when greeting Slovenians. So, if you are curious, let’s start learning!
Table Of Contents
Basic Greetings In Slovenian
Depending on where you are precisely in Slovenia, please note that the greetings may change since the country has many dialects. In this part, we will only focus on the general ones which do not have double meaning so that you are safe when trying to use them in your everyday conversation.
| English | Slovenian |
|---|---|
| Hello / Good day! | Zdravo |
| Hello (On the phone) | Halo |
| Hello | Pozdravljeni |
| Hello (casual) | Živjo |
| Welcome | Dobrodošli |
| Have a nice day | Lep dan vam želim |
| Have a nice day (casual) | Lep dan ti želim |
| Good morning | Dobro jutro |
| Good afternoon | Dober dan |
| Good evening | Dober večer |
| Good night | Lahko noč |
| How are you? | Kako ste? |
| How are you? (casual) | Kako si? |
| Goodbye (formal) | Nasvidenje |
| Bye (casual) | Adijo |
| Bye (casual) | Čav |
| Farewell | Slovo |
| Bon voyage | Srečno pot |
| See you | Se vidimo |
Other Useful Conversational Phrases In Slovenian
When you’re meeting people or catching up with friends in Slovenia, knowing the right greetings can make a great impression. Here’s a quick guide to some other basic Slovenian phrases that will help you start conversations and connect with others. Check out the table below to find the perfect greeting for any situation!
| English | Slovenian | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Kako si? | Casual greeting |
| How do you do? | Kako ste? | Formal greeting |
| Nice to meet you | Lepo vas je spoznati | Formal introduction |
| Nice to meet you | Me veseli | Informal introduction |
| What’s up? | Kaj je novega? | Casual greeting |
| How’s it going? | Kako gre? | Casual greeting |
| Good to see you | Dobro te je videti | Casual or informal |
| Long time no see | Dolgo se nismo videli | Informal greeting for someone you haven’t seen in a while |
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How To Make A Great First Impression
While you can always stick with hello or hi in the Slovenian language, learning other expressions and greetings can significantly change how the locals treat you. Automatically, it will make them see how genuinely interested you are in their culture, which will affect the type of relationship you can build with them. Unlike other countries where the greetings are casual or informal, even when speaking with an authority figure, the tradition for the locals is to speak in a formal and polite manner. Additionally, it would help if you took note of the following:
- When speaking with someone, maintaining eye contact is a must.
- It is expected that you will greet someone with a big smile and a firm handshake.
- Friends and family sometimes kiss twice on the cheek (ladies) or give each other a pat on the back (men).
- When you are in the office setting, it would be wise to call your colleagues formally using an honorific title or just by simply adding Mr. and Ms. along with their last names.
- When you are already best buds, you can start calling them by their first names.
As we reach this part of the post, we hope that you could help you expand your vocabulary and develop confidence in speaking the Slovenian language. If you enjoyed this post and would like to learn more, we highly recommend that you check out our previous Slovenian-based posts like the Slovenian basic words and phrases every traveler must know.
How Do You Say Greetings In Slovenian?
The word for greetings in Slovenian is pozdravi.
Other Useful Slovenian Vocab
Now if you are interested to go beyond the greetings, allow us to give you a few more general phrases and expressions which we believe you should know.
| English | Slovenian |
| Where is the toilet? | Kje je stranišče? |
| What is your name? | Kako ti je ime? |
| How much is this? | Koliko je to? |
| What are you doing here? | Kaj delate tukaj? |
| Where do you live? | Kje živite? |
| How are you today? | Kako ste danes? |
| Which bus is the right one | Kateri avtobus je pravilen? |
| How much time do you have? | Koliko časa imate? |
| Why are you sad? | Zakaj si žalosten? |
| Do you know me? | Me poznaš? |
| Can I help you? | Vam lahko pomagam? |
| What time is it now? | Koliko je ura? |
| What is this? | Kaj je to? |
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say Hello In Slovenian Slang?
Slovenian slang words for saying hello to close friends are oj, čav, hej, or serbus.
How Do You Say ”Do You Speak English” In Slovenian?
The phrase ”do you speak English” in Slovenian is ali govoriš angleško? This is the informal version.
The formal version is ali govorite angleško?
How Do You Say Best Wishes In Slovenian?
There’s different ways to say best wishes, depending on the context.
If it’s someone’s birthday, you would say vse najboljše.
If you want to wish someone good luck in Slovenian, you can say srečno, or vso srečo.
Best wishes translates to najlepše želje, but you wouldn’t really say that, when wanting to congratulate someone. In this case you’d say iskrene čestitke!
Say Hello Like A Slovenian Pro
Now that you know some key Slovenian greetings and phrases, you’re all set to make a great impression. Just remember to practice speaking Slovenian a bit and use these phrases whenever you get the chance. Keep exploring and learning, and you’ll be chatting comfortably in no time. For more tips and tricks, check out our other blog posts!
