Language/Slovenian/Grammar/Conjugation-of-verbs-in-the-past-tense

Slovenian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Unit 5 - Intermediate Grammar and Communication → Conjugation of verbs in the past tense

Introduction

Welcome to Unit 5 of the "Complete 0 to A1 Slovenian Course"! In this unit, we will delve into the intricacies of Slovenian grammar and communication at an intermediate level. Our focus will be on the conjugation of verbs in the past tense. Mastering the past tense is essential for effective communication in Slovenian, as it allows us to express actions, events, and states that have already occurred.

Throughout this lesson, we will explore the various forms and tenses of past tense verbs in Slovenian, providing you with numerous examples and opportunities to practice. Additionally, we will discuss any regional variations that may exist in the usage of past tense verbs and uncover interesting cultural facts related to this topic.

By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of how to conjugate verbs in the past tense and be able to use them confidently in conversation. So, let's dive into the fascinating world of Slovenian grammar!

Conjugation of verbs in the past tense

In Slovenian, the past tense is used to refer to actions, events, or states that have already taken place. It allows us to talk about past experiences, describe past actions, and express past habits or routines. To form the past tense, we need to conjugate the verb according to the subject and add the appropriate ending.

Regular verbs

Most Slovenian verbs follow regular conjugation patterns in the past tense. To conjugate regular verbs in the past tense, we need to consider the subject and add the appropriate ending to the verb stem. The verb stem is obtained by removing the infinitive ending -ti.

Here is a table that illustrates the conjugation of regular verbs in the past tense:

Slovenian	Pronunciation	English
Plesati (to dance)	Plesal sem	I danced
Kuhati (to cook)	Kuhala sem	I cooked
Pisati (to write)	Pisal sem	I wrote
Hoditi (to walk)	Hodil sem	I walked

As you can see, the verb stem remains unchanged for all subjects, and we simply add the appropriate ending. Let's take a closer look at the endings for each subject:

- Singular:

 - Jaz (I): -al sem
 - Ti (you): -al si
 - On/Ona/Ono (he/she/it): -al je/-ala je/-alo je

- Plural:

 - Mi (we): -ali smo
 - Vi (you): -ali ste
 - Oni/One/Ona (they): -ali so/-ale so/-ala so

Here are some example sentences using regular verbs in the past tense:

• Plesal sem včeraj na zabavi. (I danced yesterday at the party.)
• Kuhala sem kosilo za svojo družino. (I cooked lunch for my family.)
• Pisal sem pismo svojemu prijatelju. (I wrote a letter to my friend.)
• Hodil sem po parku včeraj popoldne. (I walked in the park yesterday afternoon.)

Remember to pay attention to the gender agreement when conjugating verbs for the third-person singular form. For example, if the subject is a masculine noun, we use the ending -al je. If the subject is a feminine noun, we use the ending -ala je. And if the subject is a neuter noun, we use the ending -alo je.

Irregular verbs

While most Slovenian verbs follow regular conjugation patterns in the past tense, there are a few irregular verbs that require special attention. These verbs have unique conjugation forms and do not follow the regular -al/-ala/-alo je pattern.

Here are some examples of irregular verbs in the past tense:

• Biti (to be):

Slovenian	Pronunciation	English
Jaz sem bil/bila	Yaas sem beel/beela	I was
Ti si bil/bila	Tee see beel/beela	You were
On/Ona/Ono je bil/je bila/je bilo	On/Ona/Ono ya je beel/ya beela/ya beelo	He/She/It was
Mi smo bili/bile	Mee smo beelee/bee-le	We were
Vi ste bili/bile	Vee ste beelee/bee-le	You were
Oni/One/Ona so bili/so bile/so bila	Oni/One/Ona so beelee/so bee-le/so bee-la	They were

• Imeti (to have):

Slovenian	Pronunciation	English
Jaz sem imel/imela	Yaas sem ee-mel/ee-mela	I had
Ti si imel/imela	Tee see ee-mel/ee-mela	You had
On/Ona/Ono je imel/je imela/je imelo	On/Ona/Ono ya ee-mel/ya ee-mela/ya ee-melo	He/She/It had
Mi smo imeli/imele	Mee smo e-mee-lee/e-mee-le	We had
Vi ste imeli/imele	Vee ste e-mee-lee/e-mee-le	You had
Oni/One/Ona so imeli/so imele/so imela	Oni/One/Ona so e-mee-lee/so e-mee-le/so e-mee-la	They had

• Delati (to work):

Slovenian	Pronunciation	English
Jaz sem delal/delala	Yaas sem de-lal/de-la-la	I worked
Ti si delal/delala	Tee see de-lal/de-la-la	You worked
On/Ona/Ono je delal/je delala/je delalo	On/Ona/Ono ya de-lal/ya de-la-la/ya de-la-lo	He/She/It worked
Mi smo delali/delale	Mee smo de-la-lee/de-la-le	We worked
Vi ste delali/delale	Vee ste de-la-lee/de-la-le	You worked
Oni/One/Ona so delali/so delale/so delala	Oni/One/Ona so de-la-lee/so de-la-le/so de-la-la	They worked

It is important to familiarize yourself with the conjugation forms of irregular verbs and practice using them in context.

Reflexive verbs

Reflexive verbs in Slovenian indicate that the subject of the verb is also the object. When conjugating reflexive verbs in the past tense, we need to consider both the reflexive pronoun and the verb itself.

Here is an example of conjugating a reflexive verb in the past tense:

• Umivati se (to wash oneself):

Slovenian	Pronunciation	English
Jaz sem se umival/umivala	Yaas sem se oo-mee-val/oo-mee-va-la	I washed myself
Ti si se umival/umivala	Tee see se oo-mee-val/oo-mee-va-la	You washed yourself
On/Ona/Ono se je umival/je umivala/se je umivalo	On/Ona/Ono se ya oo-mee-val/ya oo-mee-va-la/se ya oo-mee-va-lo	He/She/It washed himself/herself/itself
Mi smo se umivali/umivale	Mee smo se oo-mee-va-lee/oo-mee-va-le	We washed ourselves
Vi ste se umivali/umivale	Vee ste se oo-mee-va-lee/oo-mee-va-le	You washed yourselves
Oni/One/Ona so se umivali/so se umivale/so se umivala	Oni/One/Ona so se oo-mee-va-lee/so se oo-mee-va-le/so se oo-mee-va-la	They washed themselves

Negative form

To form the negative form of past tense verbs in Slovenian, we use the auxiliary verb "niti" (to not) before the main verb. Here is an example using the verb "plesati" (to dance) in the negative form:

Slovenian	Pronunciation	English
Jaz nisem plesal(a)	Yaas nee-sem ple-sal(a)	I didn't dance
Ti nisi plesal(a)	Tee nee-see ple-sal(a)	You didn't dance
On/Ona/Ono ni plesal(a)	On/Ona/Ono nee ple-sal(a)	He/She/It didn't dance
Mi nismo plesali(e)	Mee nee-smo ple-sa-lee(e)	We didn't dance
Vi niste plesali(e)	Vee nee-ste ple-sa-lee(e)	You didn't dance
Oni/One/Ona niso plesali(e)	Oni/One/Ona nee-so ple-sa-lee(e)	They didn't dance

Cultural Insight

In Slovenian culture, the past tense is used not only to talk about past events but also to express politeness and formality. When recounting a personal experience or telling a story, it is common to use the past tense to create a sense of distance and detachment.

Additionally, Slovenian literature is rich in historical and cultural references, often employing the past tense to convey a sense of nostalgia or to reflect on the past. Some of the most renowned Slovenian authors, such as France Prešeren and Drago Jančar, have masterfully used the past tense to evoke emotions and create a vivid sense of time and place in their works.

Practice Exercises

Now it's time to practice what you've learned! Complete the following exercises to reinforce your understanding of the conjugation of verbs in the past tense.

Exercise 1

Conjugate the following regular verbs in the past tense according to the given subject:

1. Jaz (plesati) - 2. Ti (pisati) - 3. Ona (kuhati) - 4. Mi (hoditi) -

Solution: 1. Jaz sem plesal(a). 2. Ti si pisal(a). 3. Ona je kuhala. 4. Mi smo hodili(e).

Exercise 2

Conjugate the following irregular verbs in the past tense according to the given subject:

1. Jaz (biti) - 2. Ti (imeti) - 3. On (delati) - 4. Mi (biti) -

Solution: 1. Jaz sem bil/bila. 2. Ti si imel/imela. 3. On je delal. 4. Mi smo bili/bile.

Exercise 3

Conjugate the following reflexive verbs in the past tense according to the given subject:

1. Jaz (umivati se) - 2. Ti (obleči se) - 3. Ona (umivati se) - 4. Mi (pripraviti se) -

Solution: 1. Jaz sem se umival(a). 2. Ti si se oblekel(a). 3. Ona se je umivala. 4. Mi smo se pripravili(e).

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully learned how to conjugate verbs in the past tense in Slovenian. By mastering the past tense, you can now express past actions, events, and states with confidence. Keep practicing and incorporating past tense verbs into your conversations to further enhance your Slovenian language skills.

In the next unit, we will explore adverbs and prepositions in Slovenian, providing you with the tools to express yourself more precisely and fluently. Until then, keep up the great work and continue your language learning journey!

Table of Contents - Slovenian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Singular and Plural Nouns
• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time
• Days of the Week

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

  ---

Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
• Adverbs

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

  ---

Hobbies and Free Time

• Common Hobbies
• Talking about Free Time

  ---

Slovenian Customs and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Food and Drink

Other Lessons

• Pronouns
• Nouns, articles and gender
• Writing and composing simple texts
• Conjugation of verbs in the present tense
• Pronouns and their use
• Future Tense
• How to Use Have
• Word order and sentence structure
• The subjunctive mood and modal verbs
• Conditional and future tense