knjiga

Posted on by
Reply
A well-known Slovenian publisher. Source

Translation: book

Various examples/phrases, where knjiga plays the central role:

mladinska knjiga – young adult book
spominska knjiga – memorial book
žalna knjiga – condolence book
matična knjiga – register
zemljiška knjiga – land register
šolska knjiga – school book
e-knjiga – e-book

Examples:

Knjiga ima dvesto strani.
(The book has two hundred pages.)

Vsak teden preberem vsaj eno knjigo.
(Each week I read at least one book.)

Všeč so mi knjige s trdimi platnicami.
(I like hardcover books.)

Pisateljica se je z novinarjem pogovarjala o svoji novi knjigi.
(The writer talked with the journalist about her new book.)

Gospodar prstanov je roman v treh knjigah.
(Lord of the rings is a novel in three volumes.)

Kaj misliš o e-knjigah?
(What’s your opinion of e-books?)

Expressions:

biti kot odprta knjiga
(to be an open book)

Njen sin je zelo družaben. Je kot odprta knjiga.
(Her son is very sociable. He is an open book.)

požirati knjige
(to read books in a fast succession)

Tako pameten je, ker cele dneve požira knjige.
(He is so smart because he reads books all the time.)

Related:

knjigarna – bookstore
knjižnica – library
bralec / bralka – reader (masculine / feminine)
pisatelj / pisateljica – writer (masculine / feminine)
pesnik / pesnica – poet (masculine / feminine)
knjigožer – bookworm

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.


banana

Posted on by
Reply
Slovenian ode to bananas.

Translation: banana

No comment necessary.

Examples:

Banana je podolgovat, rumen tropski sadež.
(Banana is an elongated, yellow, tropical fruit.)

Za posladek je pripravil palačinke z bananami in čokolado.
(He prepared pancakes with bananas and chocolate for dessert.)

Banane ne rastejo v Sloveniji.
(Bananas don’t grow in Slovenia.)

Expressions:

banana republika
(typically a small, poorly economically and politically developed country; lit. – banana republic. Note: also “banana država”)

banana (šport)
(block (sports) – a term in basketball describing the tipping or deflection of a shooter’s shot)

Related:

pomaranča – orange
ananas – pineapple
kivi – kiwi
limona – lemon
lubenica – water melon

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

raj

Posted on by
Reply
Paradise. Source

Translation: paradise, heavens, bliss

Raj is a place where one’s soul goes after they’ve done something well according to their religion (I apologize for this simplified definition). Note that in Christianity one can also use the word nebesa, which means the same as heavens. On the other hand, raj also describes a state of bliss.

Examples:

Adam in Eva sta bila izgnana iz raja.
(Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise.)

Če boš priden, boš šel v nebesa. Če boš poreden, boš šel v pekel.
(If you behave, you will go to heavens. If you misbehave, you will go to hell.)

Pašniki, gore, jezera… Slovenija je raj na Zemlji!
(Pastures, mountains, lakes… Slovenia is a paradise (heaven) on Earth.)

Rajske ptice imajo čudovito perje.
(Birds-of-paradise have a wonderful plumage.)

Expressions:

obljubljati raj na Zemlji
(to promise something wonderful)

Related:

pekel – hell
vice – purgatory

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

žur

Posted on by
Reply
Kje so rookeeee! Source

Translation: party (informal)

The formal word for a party is zabava. But it sounds a bit stuck-up. If your party involves dancing and beer and a lot of fun, then you would call it žur or žurka. It is especially applicable to student parties. Derivatives also exist:

žurirati – to party
žuriranje – partying
žurka – also a party

Žur can also be used to describe a particular collective festive fun feeling on an event. See examples.

Examples:

Hej, a danes zvečer prideš na žur? – Ja, seveda.
(Hey, are you coming to the party tonight? – Yes, of course.)

Žuriranje med študenti je zaskrbljujoče.
(Partying among students is worrisome.)

Včeraj sem bil v klubu. Didžej, muska, ples-bil je pravi žur!
(I was in the club yesterday. DJ, music, dance-it was great! Note: I used the slang muska instead of glasba here.)

Med izbruhom koronavirusa so vsi žuri prepovedani.
(All parties are forbidden during the coronavirus outbreak.)

Expressions:

Žur do jutranjih ur.
(Party until early in the morning. Note: in Slovenian it rhymes, therefore this incomplete sentence is often used in different circumstances.)

Related:

zabava – party, fun
plesišče – dance floor
pivo – beer
pir – beer (informal)

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

zvezda

Posted on by
1

Translation: star

Similar to its English meaning, zvezda describes both a hot ball of burning gas and a famous person with an inclination for extravagant.

Examples:

Sonce je Zemlji najbližja zvezda.
(Sun is the closest star to Earth.)

Na večernem nebu so zasijale prve zvezde.
(The first stars appeared (lit. started to shine) on the evening sky.)

Peterokraka zvezda je pomemben ideološki in verski simbol.
(A five-pointed star is an important ideological and religious symbol.)

Prihodnost je zapisana v zvezdah.
(The future is written in the stars.)

Filmske zvezde so se sprehodile po rdeči preprogi.
(Movie stars walked down the red carpet.)

Expressions:

biti rojen pod srečno zvezdo
(to be born under a lucky star; it is also common to say nesrečno zvezdo, which means unlucky)

kovati koga v zvezde
(to praise somebody to the skies; lit. to forge somebody into stars)

seči po zvezdah
(to reach for the stars)

Related:

The red star is one of the symbols of communism. In Slovenia, the survived fighters of the second world war (and their younger supporters) still proudly wave with flags with red stars on national ceremonies. To the chagrin of the survived opposition (and their young supporters). You wouldn’t believe the debates and arguments between the two brainwashed ideological factions that are still present in Slovenian politics.

Politics aside, my first association with the red star is Betelgeuse. Talking about the brainwashed.

Behold: The Red Star! Ref: NASA/ESA
Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

dolgčas

Posted on by
Reply
Bored? Maybe you should pick up a hobby. Source

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

Posted on by
Reply

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

Posted on by
Reply
A popular activity in Slovenia. Source

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

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Tenstan ali pražen krompir. Source

vas

Posted on by
2
A typical village in Slovenia. Source

Translation: village

The straightforward translation of vas is village. However, you will encounter this word a lot in a completely different setting: vas is also an object pronoun, used in two different roles:

2nd person plural

Videl sem vas hoditi po cesti.
(I saw (multiple) you walking down the road.)

Ne slišim vas!
(I don´t hear (multiple) you!)

The formal version of the 2nd person singular (see also Extra)

Gospod Novak, dolgo vas že nisem videl.
(Mr Novak, I haven´t seen you for a long time.)

Gospod Novak, vabimo Vas na sestanek članov odbora.
(Mr Novak, we invite you to a meeting of the board members.)

Examples:

Življenje na vasi je idilično.
(Village life is idyllic.)

Z vasi je prišel v mesto.
(He came from a village to the town.)

Novica se je hitro razširila po vasi.
(The news has spread quickly throughout the village.)

Vas ima sto prebivalcev.
(The village has a hundred dwellers.)

Expressions:

Zame je španska vas.
(it´s all Greek to me; lit. For me it is a Spanish village; note that another version with the same meaning is deveta vas, which translates into “ninth village”)

Dober glas seže v deveto vas.
(what is good, or of good quality, is famous very far away; lit. – a good voice reaches to the ninth village)

Related:

zaselek – hamlet
mesto – town
velemesto – city

Listen to the pronunciation of Slovenian words and phrases.

Extra:

You address other people formally when you want to show respect. Typically you would use this form when talking with someone you don´t know or someone older you know, but not well enough to be on a friendly basis. In writing you can be extremely formal by capitalize it (Vas instead of vas). In Slovenia, this formal address is still very common and even expected; forgetting to use it in certain situations is considered rude.