When it comes to govoriti 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 Slovenes. So, if you are up for that, let’s start learning!
Slovenia is perhaps one of the most beautiful places on earth, given its distinct set of tourist attractions that will make your jaw drop to the ground! However, there is also one major asset that this country holds: their amazing language! The Slovene language is a unique South Slavic Language that is so diverse (with about 46 dialects) and is mainly spoken by over 2.5 million people across the globe!
What makes it interesting is that despite being locked between Italy, Hungary, Austria, and Croatia geographically, the neighboring countries could not greatly influence the Slovene language! Usually, countries that are just hours away have some type of expressions or words that are similar to each other…but that is not the case for Slovene! It is truly unique, and this is one of the many reasons why you should learn it too.
Basic Greetings In Slovenian
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.
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 | Dobrodošel! |
| 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 se imate? |
| How are you? (casual) | Kako se imaš? |
| Goodbye | Nasvidenje |
| Bye (casual) | Adijo |
| Bye (casual) | Čao |
| So long | Tako dolgo |
| Farewell | Slovo |
| Bon voyage | Srečno pot |
| See you | Se vidimo |
Other Useful Conversation Starters In Slovenian
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? |
Conclusion
As we reach this part of the post, we hope that you could help you expand your vocabulary and develop confidence in speaking the Slovene 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 50+ basic words and phrases every traveler must know and how to name the colors in the Slovene language.
Also, suppose you want to go beyond the basics and get a more structured course regarding this foreign language. In that case, you should definitely continue reading below to find out about our most recommended LanguageTool today!
Learn Slovenian Today Using The Ling App!
When it comes to learning a language, we do understand that not everyone has the time and energy left to spare. If you are someone who is interested in learning on the go and using your mobile device, then the Ling App is an impressive choice! Simya Solutions develop this language learning application with the goal of helping language enthusiasts go from “zero” to total “hero” by just using the app for at least 10 minutes per day!
Thanks to its gamified design, this useful tool makes the process of memorizing and learning fun and exciting! It is ideal for those young learners and professionals. It gives you instant access to challenging quizzes, fun games, AI chatbot features, and FREE articles that will definitely get you hooked on mastering your target language. Aside from all that, the language content you’ll find here is not “common,” which means that all the words, phrases, and translations are updated so that you can understand and use it all like a total pro!
Download the Ling App from the Play Store or App Store today to get started.
