Language/Slovenian/Grammar/Pronouns-and-their-use
As a Slovenian language teacher with 20 years of experience, I'm excited to introduce you to one of the most important parts of Slovenian grammar: pronouns. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced learner, understanding how to use personal and possessive pronouns is crucial to understanding the language and communicating effectively with native speakers.
In this lesson, we'll cover the basics of personal and possessive pronouns, including the different cases and tenses in which they are used. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a solid foundation in using these important parts of speech.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are words used to refer to people or things without using their names. In Slovenian, there are multiple forms of personal pronouns depending on the person being referred to and the case being used.
Let's start with the nominative case, which is used for the subject of the sentence:
| Slovenian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| jaz | yaas | I |
| ti | tee | you (singular) |
| on | own | he |
| ona | owna | she |
| ono | owno | it |
| mi | mee | we |
| vi | vee | you( plural) |
| oni | ownee | they (masculine) |
| one | owna | they (feminine) |
Next, let's look at the accusative case, which is used for the direct object of the sentence:
| Slovenian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mene | meh-neh | me |
| tebe | teh-beh | you (singular) |
| njega | nyeh-gah | him |
| njo | nyoh | her |
| to | toh | it |
| nas | nahs | us |
| vas | vahs | you (plural) |
| njih | nyeeh | them (masculine) |
And finally, let's look at the dative case, which is used for the indirect object of the sentence:
| Slovenian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| meni | meh-nee | to/for me |
| tebi | teh-bee | to/for you (singular) |
| njemu | nyeh-moo | to/for him |
| njej | nyehy | to/for her |
| njemu | nyeh-moo | to/for it |
| nam | nahm | to/for us |
| vam | vahm | to/for you (plural) |
| njim | nyeh-mee | to/for them (masculine) |
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show ownership or possession of something. In Slovenian, like personal pronouns, possessive pronouns also have different forms depending on the case being used.
Let's start with the singular forms:
| Slovenian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| moj/moja/moje | moy/moyah/moyeh | my (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| tvoj/tvoja/tvoje | tvoiy/tvoyah/tvoyeh | your (singular masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| njegov/njegova/njegovo | nyegov/nyegovah/nyegovoh | his (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| njen/njena/njeno | nyen/nyenah/nyenoh | her (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| njegov/njegova/njegovo | nyegov/nyegovah/nyegovoh | its (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| naš/naša/naše | nahsh/nahshah/nahsheh | our (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| vaš/vaša/vaše | vahsh/vahshah/vahsheh | your (plural masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| njihov/njihova/njihovo | nyihov/nyihovah/nyihovoh | their (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
And now the plural forms:
| Slovenian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| moji/moje | moyee/moyeh | my (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| tvoji/tvoje | tvoiyee/tvoyeh | your (singular masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| njegovi/njegove | nyegoviy/nyegovay | his (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| njeni/njene | nyeni/nyenay | hers (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| njegovi/njegove | nyegoviy/nyegovay | its (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| naši/naše | nahshee/nahshe | our (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| vaši/vaše | vahshee/vahshe | your (plural masculine/feminine/neuter) |
| njihovi/njihove | nyihoviy/nyihovay | their (masculine/feminine/neuter) |
Conclusion
Congratulations! You've made it through the basics of personal and possessive pronouns in Slovenian. It's important to practice using these pronouns in different tenses and cases so that you can communicate effectively with native speakers. Keep practicing and stay tuned for the next lesson in our Complete 0 to A1 Slovenian Course!