kapa

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Božičkova kapa. Source

Translation: cap, hat

Volnena kapa (woolen cap) is an essential piece of clothing on winter days. Some other types are:

kuharska kapa – chef hat
plavalna kapa – swimming / bathing hat
kapa s ščitnikom – baseball hat
kapa s cofom – pom-pom hat

Examples:

Zeblo jo je, ker je pozabila kapo doma.
(She was cold, because she forgot the cap at home.)

Za rojstni dan mu je podarila volneno kapo.
(She gave him a woolen cap as a birthday present.)

Plavalna kapa v bazenu je obvezna.
(Swimming hat in the pool is mandatory.)

Expressions:

Kapo dol!
(Hats off!; especially overused with respect to sports)

Denis se je žrtvoval za ekipo. Kapo dol!
(Denis sacrificed himself for the team. Hats off!)

Related:

klobuk – hat
pokrivalo – headgear
šal – scarf
rokavica – glove, mitten

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

hrana

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When in Slovenia, you should make time for potica. Source

Translation: food

Slovenia has a varied cuisine. Bread (kruh) is a constant, potato (krompir) is the king, and nothing beats potica in terms of a dessert. The meals of the day are:

zajtrk – breakfast
kosilo – lunch
večerja – dinner
malica – snack

Examples:

Ptice iščejo hrano.
(Birds are searching for food.)

Dobra knjiga je hrana za dušo.
(A good book is food for the soul.)

Iz kuhinje je zadišalo po hrani.
(A smell of food wafted from the kitchen.)

Ne pozabi nahraniti zlate ribice.
(Don’t forget to feed the goldfish.)

Related:

nahraniti – to feed
jesti – to eat
piti – to drink
Dober tek! – Bon appetit!

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

stranišče

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No toilet humor in this post. Source

Translation: toilet, bathroom, lavatory

Stranišče is both the lavatory and the piece of furniture that you use to do… things. The full name for the furniture is straniščna školjka (lit. toilet shell).

Examples:

Oprostite, kje je stranišče?
(Excuse me, where is the toilet?)

Počakaj! Predem odidemo, moram na stranišče.
(Wait! Before we leave, I have to go to the toilet.)

Kdo je na vrsti, da počisti stranišče?
(Whose turn is it to clean the toilet?)

Sedim na stranišču, in razmišljam.
(I sit on the toilet, and I think/contemplate.)

Na stranišču neznosno smrdi.
(There is an unbearable stench in the lavatory.)

Related:

stranišče na štrbunk – latrine
kopalnica – bathroom
umivalnik – sink, washbasin
smrad – stench, stink

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

vino

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Opozorilo: alkohol škoduje zdravju. Source

Translation: wine

For better and worse, wine permeates Slovenian culture. Several regions in Slovenia are known for their stunning vineyards. And wine, obviously.

Examples:

Kakšno vino bi radi: belo ali rdeče?
(What kind of wine would you like: white or red?)

Steklenica vina stane petnajst evrov.
(A bottle of wine costs fifteen euros.)

Ne maram vina; raje pijem pivo.
(I don’t like wine; I prefer drinking beer.)

Vrhunsko vino potrebuje vrhunsko grozdje.
(A topmost wine needs topmost grapes.)

Expressions:

V vinu je resnica.
(In vino veritas. – lit. In wine lies the truth.)

vino mu je stopilo v glavo
(he got drunk – lit. the wine set foot into his head)

naliti si čistega vina
(to face the unpleasant truth/fact – lit. to pour oneself some clean/pure wine)

Extra:

Each year on November 11th, Slovenia celebrates St. Martin’s day (martinovanje).
On this magical day, must turns into wine. It is an opportunity for socializing and entertainment, encouraged by the noble droplet (žlahtna kapljica), as we sometimes refer to wine.

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

mnenje

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A fact or an opinion? Source

Translation: opinion, view

Everyone has it. Some are expressing theirs a bit too enthusiastically, especially
on social media. Mnenje can be:

objektivno mnenje – objective opinion
javno mnenje – public opinion
strokovno mnenje – expert opinion
komentatorsko mnenje – commentator’s opinion

One can also do things with mnenje:

spremeniti mnenje – to change one’s opinion
vsiljevati komu svoje mnenje – to impose one’s opinion on somebody
ustvarjati si mnenje – to make one own’s opinion
oblikovati javno mnenje – to form public opinion
povedati svoje mnenje – to give one’s opinion

Examples:

Po mojem mnenju so novi ukrepi proti koronavirusu slabi.
(In my view are the new measures against the coronavirus bad.)

Svoje mnenje je delil na twitterju.
(He shared his opinion on Twitter.)

Po pogovoru je spremenil svoje mnenje.
(After the conversation he changed his opinion.)

Preden začnem graditi hišo, moram pridobiti strokovno mnenje.
(Before I start building a house, I have to obtain an expert opinion.)

O njej imam dobro mnenje.
(I think highly of her.)

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

jokati

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It will be fine. Source

Translation: to cry

Cry me a river!

Examples:

Otrok je jokal in se oklepal matere.
(The child cried and clung to his mother.)

Včeraj je jokala, danes pa se smeje.
(Yesterday she cried and today she smiles.)

Jokam od sreče.
(I cry with happiness.)

Zaradi hude bolečine v hrbtu je jokal.
(He cried due to a bad pain in his back.)

Related:

jok – crying
solza – a tear
cmera – a cry-baby

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

narava

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Nature in mountains is arguably the best kind of nature. Source

Translation: nature

Narava has more or less the same meaning(s) to nature in English.

Examples:

Spomladi se narava prebuja.
(Nature is waking up in spring.)

V nedeljo gremo na sprehod v naravo.
(On Sunday, we are going to make a walk in the nature.)

Naravo moramo ohraniti.
(We have to conserve the nature.)

Narave virusa še vedno ne poznamo dobro.
(We still don’t know the nature of the virus well.)

S tem dejanjem je pokazala svojo pravo naravo.
(With this action she has shown her true nature.)

Expressions:

igra narave
(unusual, extraordinary phenomenon in nature)

Igra narave razveseljuje ljudi: veličastna mavrica nad Ljubljano
(The play of nature delights people: a magnificent rainbow over Ljubljana)

Volk dlako menja, a narave nikdar.
(One doesn’t simply change their nature; lit. – A wolf changes its fur, but never its nature.)

Related:

naraven – natural
umeten – artificial

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

nor

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The older people get, the crazier they are. Literally and figuratively. Source

Translation: mad, crazy, insane, awesome

Nor is a versatile adjective. Literally it refers to insanity. But its derivatives are also used to express an excess (biti noro zaljubljen; to be madly in love) or appreciation (Noro!; Awesome!). In fact, it is used in so many contexts, I probably left out many of them, so keep an eye out for it.

Examples:

Tomaž se rad pogovarja s svojim papagajem. Je malo nor.
(Tomaž likes to talk with his parrot. He is a bit crazy.)

Kdo je tukaj nor?!
(Who is crazy here?! Note – a popular shout when questioning someone’s views or course of action)

O ta nora ženska mi gre res na živce.
(Oh that crazy woman really gets on my nerves.)

Prevzelo ga je noro navdušenje.
(He was overcome by an enormous excitement.)

Noro!
(Awesome!)

Expressions:

biti za luno
(to be crazy)

Ljudje, ki bi šli radi na Luno, so malo za luno.
(People who want to go to the Moon are a bit crazy.)

biti čez les
(to be crazy/weird)

Moja teta je imela deset mačk. Bila je malo čez les.
(My aunt had ten cats. She was a bit crazy.)

Mladost je norost, čez jarke skače, kjer je most.
(Youth does not mind where it sets its foot. Lit. – Youth is folly, it jumps over trenches next to a bridge.)

Gora ni nora; nor je tist’, ki gre gor.
(lit. The mountain is not crazy; crazy is the one that goes on it.)

Related:

norost – madness, craziness, insanity
blaznost – insanity
zmešan – insane (lit. mixed)

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

čvekanje

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Small talk. Is. Hard. Source

Translation: small talk, chatter, chitchat, prattle

I suck at small talk. But it’s a useful skill to overcome the social barriers, so perhaps I should learn how to čvekati. Čvekati is also used to describe talking nonsense.

Examples:

Ni in ni nehal čvekati.
(He just didn’t stop chattering.)

Ženske rade čvekajo.
(Women like to prattle.)

Daj, nehaj čvekati neumnosti.
(Come on, stop talking nonsense.)

On samo čveka, pa nič naredi.
(He only talks, but does nothing.)

Related:

klepet – a chat
nakladanje – to yack, to bullshit (lit. to put a load on sth)
čveka – a gasbag (someone who chatters a lot)

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

čestitati

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Congratulations! Source

Translation: to congratulate

This is a basic one. Wouldn’t it be useful to know how to congratulate someone
for their birthday, getting a job, etc?

Examples:

Ana, boš dala bratcu roko in mu čestitala za rojstni dan?
(Ana, will you shake your brother’s hand and congratulate him for his birthday?)

Dobil sem službo! – Super, čestitke!
(I got a job! – Great, congratulations!)

Čestitkam se je pridružil tudi premier.
(The prime minister also joined with congratulations.)

Dovolite mi, da vam iskreno čestitam.
(Let me give you my sincere congratulations. Note – in this sentence I used the formal address)

Vse najboljše!
(Happy birthday!)

Related:

čestitka – a card (with good wishes)
dobre želje – good wishes

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

Extra:

You all know this one. Here is the transcription of the first, international part of the song (leaving out the laughter and the coughing). If you remember this, you’re good to go!

Vse najboljše za te, vse najboljše za te
vse najboljše draga Ana, vse najboljše za te.