Monthly Archives: April 2020

dolgčas

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Translation: boredom, tedium

The word dolgčas literally means long (dolg) time (čas). I hope this post will not bore you.

Examples:

Dolgčas mi je.
(I’m bored.)

Po nekaj dneh neznosnega dolgčasa je končno lahko zapustil stanovanje.
(After a few days of unbearable boredom he was finally able to leave the apartment.)

Ta predstava je čisti dolgčas.
(This show is a total boredom.)

Kadar sta Pak in Mak skupaj, jima ni nikoli dolgčas.
(Pak and Mak are never bored when they are together.)

Expressions:

preganjati dolgčas
(to pass the time, to kill the time; lit. to chase away the boredom)

Med poletjem sem si dolgčas preganjal z branjem knjig.
(During the summer I was passing the time reading books.)

Related:

brezčasen – timeless (lit. without (brez) time)
sčasoma – in time (lit. with time)

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

juha

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Translation: soup

Every decent traditional Slovenian meal includes soup as a starter. Some common soup types are:

goveja juha – beef soup (very traditional)
zelenjavna juha – vegetable soup
fižolova juha – bean soup
paradižnikova juha – tomato soup

Examples:

Miha, če je juha prevroča, jo malo popihaj.
(Miha, if the soup is too hot, blow on it a bit.)

Moja babica skuha najboljšo juho.
(My grandma cooks the best soup.)

Imaš rajši zelenjavno ali govejo juho?
(Do you prefer vegetable or beef soup?)

Expressions:

ne priplavati po juhi
(to have enough experience that you are not being taken for a fool; lit. to not swim over on a soup)

Kaj praviš? Da si z golimi rokami ujel tigra? A misliš, da sem po juhi priplaval?
(What are you saying? That you caught a tiger with your bare hands? Are you taking me for a fool?)

vroča juha
(an unpleasant situation; lit. hot soup)

Vodstvo se je prepozno odzvalo in še tri dni pogrevalo vročo juho.
(The leadership (or management) reacted too late and persisted in the unpleasant situation for three days.)

Extra:

In several Slovenian dialects, juha is replaced by župa. Župa is a
so-called germanizem, a word that has been adopted, and over time
slightly transformed, from German. Here is a short article about these
words (if you can read a bit of Slovenian). Some other examples are:

šraufenciger (izvijač) – screwdriver
fuzbal (nogomet) – soccer
zic (sedež) – a seat

While such words are not considered a beautiful Slovenian, they are very
common in everyday speech.

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

vrt

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Translation: garden

Vrt is a place for growing vegetables or flowers, or a place with grass and flowers where one can take a walk. If you want to be more specific you can talk of zelenjavni vrt (vegetable garden) or cvetlični vrt (flower garden).

Examples:

Na mojem vrtu rastejo solata, korenje in zelje.
(Salad, carrots, and cabbage are growing in my garden.)

Spomladi večino prostega časa namenim delu na vrtu.
(In spring I devote most of my free time to the work on the garden.)

Odkar sem v pokoju, redno vrtnarim.
(I regularly work in a garden since I am in retirement.)

Hotelski gostje se pred večerjo radi sprehajajo po vrtu.
(The guests of the hotel like to stroll in the garden before dinner.)

Gremo v živalski vrt.
(We go to the zoo.)

Related:

vrtec – kindergarten
vrtiček – a small garden
vrtičkar – someone who owns a small vegetable garden and spends a lot of time working on it
vrtnariti – to garden
vrtnarjenje – gardening
botanični vrt – botanical garden
živalski vrt – zoo

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

krompir

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Translation: potato

Krompir is found in many Slovenian dishes either as the main or side dish. Basic potato side dishes are:

pečen krompir – baked potato
pomfrit – French fries
tenstan krompir – mashed potato
pire – puree

Examples:

Mami, kaj bo za kosilo? – Juha, meso in krompir.
(Mom, what will we have for lunch? – A soup, meat, and potato.)

Zaradi deževnega poletja bo letošnja letina krompirja slaba.
(This year’s potato crop will be bad because of the rainy summer.)

Krompir je hrana revežev.
(Potato is the food of the poor.)

Expressions:

imeti krompir
(do be lucky; lit. to have potato)

Neumen kmet ima debel krompir.
(the less you think the better you will do in life; lit. A stupid farmer has/grows fat potatoes.)

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

Extra:

The love for tenstan krompir, also known as pražen (roasted) krompir, has somehow escalated completely in Slovenia. There is a society (Društvo praženega krompirja) taking this kind of potato very seriously. They claim that their recipe is the official recipe and they organize festivals where the main dish is… tenstan krompir. It is all just as silly as you imagine.