Do you want to learn Slovenian fast? You’ve come to the right place! In this post, I will break down tips and tricks that will help you learn Slovenian in a quick and efficient manner to make the most out of your language-learning journey.
Learning the Slovenian language doesn’t have to be a super challenging task, but it will take some dedication and consistency. If you’re ready to explore the most efficient ways to learn Slovenian, keep reading!
Start With The Basics: Slovenian Alphabet
Learning Slovenian starts with the fundamentals, and what’s more basic to know than the alphabet? The Slovenian alphabet consists of 25 letters. It relies on Latin roots, so the letters will look familiar to you if you’re a native English speaker.
The only difference in the Slovenian alphabet is that you’ll find that the letters C, S, Z may wear a funny V-shaped hat in words sometimes! That “hat” is called a diacritic strešica mark and all it means is that the pronunciation changes. For example, the Č is pronounced with a “CH” sound as in chair, Š is pronounced like “SH” like in shoe, and Ž is pronounced like “ZH” like in the words “pleasure” and “measure.”
Tip #1: Online Resources
There are many places you can find resources to learn Slovenian online. Try out language learning apps that offer Slovenian lessons, look for a fully immersive experience where you can chat with native speakers, or even a quick and free Slovenian course on YouTube to get you started. Learning Slovenian doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg, so listen close and I’ll tell you some of my favorite places where I recommend you can get your Slovenian study on!
Ling App
Great news: our very own Ling app offers Slovenian lessons for you to take! Specializing in languages that stray off the popular path, learning Slovenian on Ling is a wonderful place to start learning basic Slovenian vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar. Lessons can be taken in quick 10-minute bursts that touch on reading, writing, speaking, and listening! How easy is that?
YouTube
Content creators on YouTube are a fantastic way to connect with real people that show you how Slovenian is spoken in real-life settings. Browsing through channels with a quick “learn Slovenian” search will bring up plenty of videos that allow you to hear Slovenian words written and/or spoken which will definitely come in handy to brush up on that tricky Slovenian pronunciation. Personally, I enjoy Learn Slovene with Sandra!
Tip #2: Break It Down!
Let’s keep going with this language-learning journey. Next up, how to learn Slovenian words and phrases! Vocabulary is a super important part of knowing Slovenian. You have to know some Slovene words to be able to speak sentences, right? This is where practice and consistency will become your best friends. By breaking this step down into two parts – learning a few words at a time and then using sentence mining (more on that later!) you can make the learning process easier. No need to stress!
Slovenian Words
Learning Slovenian might seem difficult at first, and perhaps overwhelming, since there are so many new words you feel like you have to learn, but here’s a pro tip for you! Try to start by memorizing just a handful — about ten — a day should be good. Make sure the words are easy, “everyday” words you would use in typical conversations. Think: greetings like dober dan or how to say “yes” or “no,” and you’ll blossom from the beginners category to conversational in no time!
Here are some simple and common Slovenian words you should use as a useful guide to get you started.
| English | Slovenian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Já | Ya |
| No | Noben | Noh-behn |
| Please | Prosim | Pro-seem |
| Excuse me | Oprosite | Oh-pro-see-teh |
| How are you? | Kako si? | Kah-koh see? |
| Thank you | Hvala | Huh-vala |
| Cheers! | Na zdravje | Nah zuh-drah-vyeh |
Slovenian Phrases
After you know some Slovenian vocabulary, it’s time to string them together to form Slovenian phrases. Check out some handy sentences in the table below that will give you an idea of the kind of Slovene you should have in your back pocket.
| English | Slovenian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Kako se imate? | Kah-ko seh ee-mah-teh? |
| What’s your name? | Kako ti je ime? | Kah-ko tee jeh ee-meh? |
| My name is… | Ime mi je… | Ee-meh mee yeh… |
| I’m from… | Sem iz… | Sehm eez… |
| I don’t know | Ne vem | Neh vehm |
| I understand | Razumem | Rahzoomehm |
With so many possible combinations to make out of knowing Slovenian words, your best bet is to utilize “sentence mining” which is a process that focuses on mixing and matching your existing vocabulary breadth to form different phrases.
Tip #3: Sentence Mining
Sentence mining is a rather easy concept to grasp. Think of it like packing a capsule wardrobe for a speedy week-long vacation: some key pieces in each category like a t-shirt and blouse, a pair of jeans and trousers, and a pair of loafers and sneakers. With just a few items, you can create a bunch of outfits that can be used for going out to a fancy brunch or a casual shopping errand.
With the same “capsule wardrobe” structure in mind, learning Slovenian with sentence mining can be done by simply jotting down a few pronouns, action words, and vocabulary terms to create a slew of sentences.
Slovenian Pronunciation
Want to speak like the native speakers of Slovenia? A crucial part of language learning is sounding the part. Word pronunciation is one of the more challenging parts of learning Slovenian, but can be one of the most rewarding when you finally nail a difficult word!
Don’t worry if you can’t pronounce these words and phrases perfectly. It’s completely normal, especially as a second and foreign language to not be able to get pronunciation on your first try. But with plenty of practice, you’ll definitely be on your way to sounding like a Slovene!
Slovenian Language History
The history behind the quirky Slovenian language and how similar it is to other languages in the Slavic family comes from Slovenia’s geography. Because Slovenia borders Croatia and Serbia, speakers of these different languages can generally understand each other as these languages have evolved into sharing some degree of similarity in their vocabulary and pronunciation rules.
Only spoken by around two million people worldwide (with most speakers having it as their first language), Slovenian is a relatively uncommon language to know outside the small country of Slovenia, especially as a second and foreign language. In comparison to other languages, Spanish has around 100 million speakers who consider it a second language. Don’t let those numbers scare you off. You don’t have to be a native Slovene to learn Slovenian.
There are lots of dialects (which means to have changes in pronunciation and/or vocabulary) within Slovenian that reflect the many regions of the country: Lower Carniolan, High Carniolan, Corinthian, Primorski, and Stajerski just to name a few. A majority of Slovenian speakers use Lower Carniolan, as it is recognized as the baseline dialect. This standardized version of Slovenian serves as the formal version of the language used in schooling material, public institutions, and official media publications.
Learn Slovenian Fast With Ling
Now that you’ve read through this guide, are you ready to learn Slovenian? Whether it’s through taking a journey straight to Slovenia or language learning apps, I’m glad you’re curious to start learning a new language!
The Ling app can definitely help with learning Slovenian. Check it out today on the App Store or Google Play Store. With Slovenian lessons, the Ling app is an awesome place to dip your toes in the metaphorical water to learn Slovenian. While you’re at it, many other Slavic languages are also on Ling, so check those out, too, if you’re interested! Once you do have a bit of Slovenian under your belt, you should consider taking a vacation to Slovenia and getting in real waters, like the gorgeous emerald waves of Lake Bled!
