Rada Lečič BASIC OF THE

LANGUAGE MANUAL PHONOLOGY GLASOSLOVJE

11 PREFACE

his manual provides a concise ing rules, the final chapter provides 1 and schematic presentation of some background information on spell- Tthe basics of Slovene grammar ing, especially with regard to the use of WORDS in terms of its phonology, lexicon, mor- BESEDOSLOVJE capital letters and marks. phology and ; at the end there is This grammar book is meant for learn- also a short section on the main princi- ers of Slovene who have as their mother ples of spelling. tongues different languages, not neces- 17 The chapter on phonology deals with the sounds of Slov- ene and stress. Since in Slov- A little treasure trove: a compact ene stress is not determined grammar of the Slovene language.

7 7 by set rules, its position has to This original and userfriendly language be remembered on a word by manual will be indispensable to

MORPHOLOGY word basis together with in- language students and language lovers OBLIKOSLOVJE dividual words’ declension. alike. Although the use of written accents is not obligatory in Slovene, in sarily English, and to all those who are the examples given in this book they 19 interested in acquiring the basic princi- are marked to help the learner. Accents ples of Slovene grammar (students of are used to indicate the stressed syllable Slovene, translators, participants of lan- and vowel length (short or long). guage courses, candidates for language After the section on phonology, there is proficiency exams, etc.). 10 a short chapter on the Slovene lexicon. It is hoped that the book may be a basic The central part of the book focuses on SYNTAX reference point and a source of sugges- SKLADNJA morphology, with both open class and tions for studying Slovene in greater closed class parts of speech are present- depth for those who are only just begin- ed. To facilitate the understanding and ning to learn it as well as to those who learning of Slovene morphology, in would like to brush up or strengthen 99 particular by readers who are not na- their knowledge of the language. tive speakers, the of nouns, The Slovene-speaking area is immense- and verbs is schematically ly varied, and much more so if one con- presented in tables and by means of siders the rather limited extension of its

125 several examples. territory. Part of the cultural and natural Each part of speech has a specific syn- heritage of Slovenia has been captured APPENDIX tactic role in clauses and in sentences. in photographs which accompany the DODATEK Accordingly, in the chapter on syntax, text. Their purpose is not merely deco- the various component parts of the rative; they are meant to enable the read- sentence elements, as well as mood and ers, especially foreign ones, to catch a 121 word order are presented, as well as the glimpse of the natural and cultural envi- principal features of reported speech. ronment in which Slovene has been de- Since every language has its own spell- veloping over time.

155 63, 64 65 MORPHOLOGY

NUMERALS – ŠTEVNIK ATTENTION! a) Cardinal numerals èn and dvá agree with the noun in gender, case and Numerals can be classified into the following categories: number: • cardinal numerals – they denote quantity by specifying the number of èn učítelj – êna študêntka – êno deklè people, things or other units: dvá prijátelja – dvé slíki – dvé jájci èn učênec, stó tríje otrôci; • ordinal numerals – they denote the order of people, things or other units: b) The form èn (nobèn) [one (no one)] is in actual fact an and al- pŕvi, stópêti, trítísoči; ways precedes the noun; the corresponding is êden (nobêden): • differential numerals – they denote quantity (dvóje rók, šestéro ôken) or Èn prijátelj živí v Ljubljáni, êden pa v Máriboru. the number of different types of the specified referent (tróji žgánci: ájdovi, Nobèn prijátelj me ní obiskàl. Nobêden me ní obiskàl. krompírjevi, korúzni); c) Cardinal numerals trí and štíri have the form tríje and štírje when refer- • multiplicative numerals – they denote multiplication (dvójno gorjé, trój- ring to a masculine noun: na stêkla, štírikratna céna), quantity of different kinds/types (dvójna morála) or an increase of the dimensions of a referent (dvójni podbrá- tríje prijátelji – trí híše – trí stanovánja 54 dek); d) After cardinal numerals from five (pét) on in the nominative and the 55 • indefinite numerals – these are not numerals in a strict sense, but words accusative the noun to which they refer is in the genitive plural; the verb with a quantitative meaning. They refer to an approximate, imprecise is singular and participles (where they occur) take the neuter gender: quantity. They always precede the noun and are not inflected (vèč/málo/ Na mízi je (bilò) pét zrélih banán. – Pojédla sem pét banán. nékaj/dôsti/velíko ljudí). e) Numerals from 1 to 99 and round hundreds are written as one word, Cardinal numerals – Glavni števniki whereas for numerals greater than 100, the hundreds and the numbers from 1 to 99 are separated by a space: 123456 šéstintrídeset (36) učêncev, stó pétindvájset (125) sadík, v dvésto dvájsetih èn, êno ênega ênemu èn/ênega, êno (o) ênem (z) ênim (220) krájih êna êne êni êno (o) êni (z) êno f) Thousands, millions, billions… are written separately one after the other: dvá, dvé, dvé dvéh dvéma dvá, dvé, dvé (o) dvéh (z) dvéma tísoč dvésto dváinpétdeset (1252), dvá tísoč (2000), tríje, trí, trí tréh trém trí (o) tréh (s) trémi pét milijónov (5.000.000) štírje, štíri, štíri štírih štírim štíri (o) štírih (s) štírimi pét pêtih pêtim pét (o) pêtih (s) pêtimi g) Milijón is inflected like a masculine noun (milijón milijóna), and milijár- da is inflected like a feminine noun (milijárda milijárde). The interrogative used to inquire about cardinal numerals is kóliko (how many?). Cardinal numerals are represented either by numbers (3, 34, 786) h) The cardinal numeral tísoč (1000) has a zero inflectional ending, remai- or are written out (trí, štíriintrídeset, sédemsto šéstinósemdeset). ning invariable in all the cases, just like round hundreds usually do. Govóril je pred tísoč ljudmí. – Sréčali smo se s stó študênti. BASIC GRAMMAR OF THE SLOVENE LANGUAGE BASIC GRAMMAR OF THE SLOVENE LANGUAGE

72 73 MORPHOLOGY

QUALIFYING OF KIND POSSESSIVE QUANTITATIVE of kind – Vrstni zaimki TOTALIZING vsákršen -šna -o vsák -a -o (od) vsákogar vès, vsà, vsè Also the pronouns which are derived from the adjectives of kind katéri, (celostni/ vsákogaršnji -a -e obá -é -é néki, màrsikatéri, katérikóli, vsák, nobèn, drúg, ísti, tísti, óni follow the totalni) Na trávniku so Vsáka stvár Zanímajo nas Vsì článi so se rásle vsákršne imá svôjo céno. vsákogaršnje izpisáli. – adjectival declension: róže. težáve.* Obá soséda sta I katéri katérega katéremu katéri/katérega (o) katérem (s) katérim prijázna. INDEFINITE nikákršen -šna -o nobèn -êna -o (od) nikógar nìč NEGATIVE nikógaršnji -a -e (nikalni) Tó ní bilò Nobêna obléka Tá máčka ní Nìč hráne nísi ATTENTION! nikákršno znánje. mi ní pràv. nikógaršnja.* prinésel. DEMONSTRA- drugáčen -čna -o drúg -a -o (od) drúgega vèč, mànj The difference between relative pronouns ki/katéri TIVE DIVERSI- Postávili so Ráje smo šlì v Tá vŕt je od Ustávil se je pred FYING mu drugáčno drúgo gostílno. drúgih, ne nàš. vèč hotéli. Ki does not decline and is accompanied by unstressed personal pronouns (ki (drugostni) vprašánje. ga, ki ji, ki jih, ki jim...). DEMONSTRA- enák -a -o ísti -a -o (od) ístega enáko 60 Otròk, ki se igrá na vŕtu, je mój sín. 61 TIVE IDENTI- Za rôjstni dán Vôdo so Od ístega Enáko rác pláva v Otròk, ki ga vídiš, je mój sín. FYING sem dobíl enáki zajémali iz slikárja slíke so vôdi kot včéraj.* (istostni) slíki. ístega vodnjáka. zeló raznolíke. Drevésa, ki jih sékajo, so še mláda. DEMONSTRA- ták(šen) tá, tá, tó (od) téga, té tóliko The pronoun katéri is used: TIVE -(šn)a -(šn)o tísti -a -o (od) tístega, tíste tólik(šen) • with prepositions (kazalni) óni -a -o (od) ónega, óne -(šn)a -(šn)o Zakáj si táka Šlì bomo v tá Kúpil sem od Tóliko ljudém je že Otròk, s katérim se pogovárjaš, je mój sín. mévža? bár. – Poznám ónega poséstvo. pomágal. – Vŕt, na katérem stojíš, je sosédov. tísto gospó. – Tólikšno híšo si je Izgúbil sem óno zgrádil. • to avoid semantic ambiguites písmo. Ôče je lepó pozdrávil učítelja, ki ga zeló spoštúje. ≠ Ôče je lepó pozdrávil učítelja, katérega zeló spoštúje. * The use of these pronouns is stylistically marked.

Qualifying pronouns – Kakovostni zaimki Demonstrative pronouns – Kazalni zaimki (tá, tá, tó; tísti -a -o; óni -a -o)

The pronouns derived from qualifying adjectives kákšen, kàkršen, nekàk(šen), Tá (this) denotes a referent that is close to the speaker, tísti (that) denotes a kàk(šen), màrsikàk(šen), kàkršenkóli, vsákršen, nikákršen, drugáčen, enák, referent which is more remote from the speaker (but may be close to the ták(šen) decline like adjectives: hearer), and óni indicates a referent that is more remote from both the spe- aker and the hearer. I kàkršen kàkršnega kàkršnemu kàkršen/kàkršnega (o) kàkršnem (s) kàkršnim Tá pès je nàš, tísti tàm je sosédov, óni tàm pa od nékega gospóda. BASIC GRAMMAR OF THE SLOVENE LANGUAGE BASIC GRAMMAR OF THE SLOVENE LANGUAGE 173, 174 175 APPENDIX

Comma – Vejica (,)* – Dvopičje (:) The is used: The function of the colon is to introduce an explanation, description or specification of what has been stated previously. It is often used with lists. • between elements of equal syntactic status in a simple or complex senten- ce; it serves to indicate enumeration, description or coordination: Prišlì so vsì soródniki: stríci, tête, sestríčne, bratránci in nečáki. Oglédali smo si Rím, Paríz, Lóndon. – Rók je bíl zeló sposóben, odlíčen In direct speech, the colon appears before the quoted elements, at the be- učênec. – Mésta si nísmo oglédali, kájti mudílo se nam je. – Vídel nas je, pa ginning of which a capital letter is used. nas ni pozdrávil. Sêstra me je vprašála: »Kdáj odpotúješ?« • before or after an apposition: Francè Prešéren, slovénski pésnik, se je rodíl v Vŕbi na Gorénjskem. Semi-colon – Podpičje (;)

• between the main clause and a dependent clause or between two depen- The semi-colon indicates a stronger break than the comma, but not as dent clauses (NB: unlike in English, in Slovene the comma serves an es- strong as the . Its use is relatively limited. It is used instead of a full sential syntactic function and is obligatory in the great majority of con- stop when grammatically autonomous phrases are logically interconnected, 128 texts): for which reason it would not be appropriate to neatly separate them. 129 Vém, da bo dánes vróče. – Vprášaj jo, ali imá čàs. – Ko bom iméla dopúst, V hlévu so bilì kônji in kráve; tudi kokóši so bilè med njími. bom šlà na mórje. – Míha ni šèl v šólo, ker je zbôlel. – Narêdi, kàkor hóčeš! – The semi-colon also serves to highlight a group of elements of equal syntac- Vzêmi, kàr potrebúješ! – Oséba, ki jo vídiš, je môja sêstra. tic status which form a list. • between a non finite dependent clause and the rest of the sentence: Lástna iména so osébna, zemljepísna in stvárna: Bárbara, Múri; Ljubljána, Priplúla je ládja, pôlna tovóra. – Stojéč na êni nôgi, se je oprijéla ográje. Švíca; Petról, Vôjna in mír.

• to isolate a right- or left-dislocated phrase which is independent from the It is also used after items in ordered lists (letters, numerals, bullet points, main clause: etc.), especially when such items are of some length. Hčérka, z njó bodo težáve! – Prišlì so ob ôsmih zvečér, prepôzno. Pretêklik izráža: a) dovršêna dejánja, dogódke v pretêklosti (Pojédel sem kosílo.); • after an adverbial or an which constitute clause-like elements b) sedánje stánje (Têta je prišlà.); that are only loosely tied to the main clause: c) trájanje v pretêklosti (Potovàl sem štíri úre.); Skrátka, potovánje je bilò čudovíto. – Sevéda, pésem smo ználi na pámet. – d) ponávljanje (Vsák dán je kúhala in posprávljala.). Hêj, prídi sèm! – Vezaj (-) Conjunction hyphen (without spaces) is used: • as a link between elements which form a unit, but are not part of a com- pound word (strokôvno-téhnični); sometimes the two elements could also be linked by the conjunction in (póljsko-rúski slovár, čŕno-béla fotografíja, * See also: Use of the comma before conjunctions (p. 94). slovénsko-italijánska mêja, gospodársko-polítične razmére); BASIC GRAMMAR OF THE SLOVENE LANGUAGE BASIC GRAMMAR OF THE SLOVENE LANGUAGE

Part of the cultural and natural heritage of Slovenia has been captured in photographs which accompany the text. Their purpose is not merely decorative; they are meant to enable the readers, especially foreign ones, to catch a glimpse of the natural and cultu- ral environment in which Slovene has been developing over time.

Rada Lečič: BASIC GRAMMAR OF THE SLOVENE LANGUAGE – language manual Manuscript reviewers: doc. dr. Andreja Žele in dr. Nataša Jakop Translated by: Oliver Currie in Martina Ožbot Published by: ZALOŽBA GAYA | Gaya d.o.o. | Močnikova 1 | 5282 Cerkno | Slovenija T: +386 (0)5 372 30 60 | F: +386 (0)5 372 30 61 | E: [email protected]