Welcome to the course!
This grammar explanation will be quite thorough, which is essential for understanding the Slovenian language, especially if you do not speak any Slavic language, as you might not easily grasp the logic behind certain grammatical structures otherwise.
However, if you are already familiar with a Slavic language and understand how to use the verb "to be," determine noun gender, and other fundamental concepts explained here, feel free to skip ahead.
Conjugation of 'biti' (To Be)
The verb "to be" (biti) is essential for talking about existence or identity. Its present tense forms are used to say "I am," "you are," "he is," etc., or to indicate where something is located. Slovenian has singular, dual (for two), and plural forms.
Singular:
- Jaz sem (I am)
- Ti si (You are, singular informal)
- On/Ona/Ono je (He/She/It is)
Dual:
- Midva/Midve sva (We two are)
- Vidva/Vidve sta (You two are)
- Onadva/Onidve/Oni sta (They two are - masc/neuter / They two are - fem)
Plural:
- Mi smo (We are)
- Vi ste (You are)
- Oni/One so (They are)
Examples: Jaz sem študent (I am a student). Moja sestra je dobra (My sister is good). Midva sva dobra prijatelja (We two are good friends). Oni so tukaj (They are here).
How to Determine the Gender of a Word
Slovenian nouns belong to one of three genders: Masculine, Feminine, or Neuter. Knowing the gender is crucial because it affects the endings of adjectives and other words used with the noun. Generally, the gender is evident from the noun's ending in its basic form (nominative singular):
- Masculine: Most nouns ending in a consonant are masculine (e.g., dom - house, stol - table, učitelj - teacher).
- Feminine: Most nouns ending in -a are feminine (e.g., žena - woman, knjiga - book, zemlja - earth/land).
- Neuter: Most nouns ending in -o or -e are neuter (e.g., mesto - city, morje - sea).
- Keep in mind: There are some exceptions to these rules, but they apply to the majority of words.
The Nominative Case: The Subject and Naming
The Nominative case is the basic form of a noun or adjective, primarily used for the subject of a sentence (who or what performs the action) or simply to name things. This is the form you will find words in dictionaries.
Nouns: Singular, dual, and plural forms vary based on gender.
- Masculine Examples: Sg: dom. Du: doma. Pl: domovi.
- Feminine Examples: Sg: žena. Du: ženi. Pl: žene.
- Neuter Examples: Sg: mesto. Du: mesti. Pl: mesta.
Adjectives: Agree in gender, number (singular, dual, plural), and case with the noun they describe. Adjectives have different endings for hard and soft stems.
- Hard Stem Examples: Singular: dober (m), dobra (f), dobro (n). Dual: dobra (m/n), dobri (f). Plural: dobri (m), dobre (f/n).
- Soft Stem Examples: Singular: svež (m), sveža (f), sveže (n). Dual: sveža (m/n), sveži (f). Plural: sveži (m), sveže (f/n).
Examples: Dober dom je star (A good house is old). Sveža polja so zelena (Fresh fields are green). Lepe ženske govorijo (Beautiful women are speaking).
Demonstrative Pronouns (Nominative) and Why Use Them
Demonstrative pronouns help us specify particular nouns, similar to using "this" or "that" in English. In the Nominative case, they also match the gender and number (singular, dual, plural) of the noun they refer to. Using them helps you specify exactly which item you mean from a group.
- Singular: ta (m), ta (f), to (n) - (this/that)
- Dual: ta (m), ti (f), ti (n) - (these/those two)
- Plural: ti (m), te (f), ta (n) - (these/those)
- Examples: Ta dom je velik (This/That house is big). Ta knjiga je moja (This/That book is mine). To je naše mesto (This/That is our city). Ti ljudje so veseli (These/Those people are cheerful).