Language/Slovenian/Grammar/Nouns
Hi Slovenian learners! 😊
In today's lesson, we will be discussing the basics of Slovenian nouns. We will cover topics such as gender, number, and case. By the end of this lesson, you will have a better understanding of how to use nouns in Slovenian.
Gender
In Slovenian, nouns are either masculine, feminine, or neuter. To determine the gender of a noun, you must look at the ending of the word.
Masculine
Masculine nouns typically end in -a, -e, -i, -o, -u, -ar, -ec, -ek, -er, -ir, -or, -ur, -ž, -č, -šč, -c, -šc, -z, -šz, -žec, -žek, -žer, -žar.
Examples:
- mož (man)
- pes (dog)
- oče (father)
Feminine
Feminine nouns typically end in -a, -ca, -ka, -ica, -ica, -ka, -lka, -nka, -tka, -čka, -ška, -žka, -ja, -ija, -dija, -nija, -tija, -čija, -šija, -žija.
Examples:
- žena (woman)
- knjiga (book)
- ulica (street)
Neuter
Neuter nouns typically end in -e, -je, -ce, -ke, -ice, -ice, -ke, -lke, -nke, -tke, -čke, -ške, -žke, -m, -n, -p, -t, -č, -šč, -ž.
Examples:
- mesto (city)
- jezero (lake)
- stanovanje (apartment)
Number
In Slovenian, nouns can be singular or plural. To form the plural of a noun, you must add the appropriate ending.
Singular
Singular nouns do not have any special endings.
Examples:
- mož (man)
- žena (woman)
- mesto (city)
Plural
To form the plural of a noun, you must add the appropriate ending.
Masculine nouns typically end in -i, -ov, -ev, -ovje, -evje.
Examples:
- moži (men)
- očev (fathers)
- pesovje (dogs)
Feminine nouns typically end in -e, -i, -ke, -ice, -ice, -ke, -lke, -nke, -tke, -čke, -ške, -žke.
Examples:
- žene (women)
- knjige (books)
- ulice (streets)
Neuter nouns typically end in -a, -ja, -ca, -ka, -ica, -ica, -ka, -lka, -nka, -tka, -čka, -ška, -žka.
Examples:
- mesta (cities)
- jezera (lakes)
- stanovanja (apartments)
Case
In Slovenian, nouns can be in one of seven cases. The cases are nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, locative, instrumental, and vocative.
Nominative
The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence.
Examples:
- Mož je hodil po ulici. (The man was walking down the street.)
- Žena je brala knjigo. (The woman was reading the book.)
- Mesto je bilo lepo. (The city was beautiful.)
Genitive
The genitive case is used to indicate possession.
Examples:
- Moževega psa. (The man's dog.)
- Ženine knjige. (The woman's book.)
- Mestovega prebivalca. (The city's inhabitant.)
Dative
The dative case is used to indicate the indirect object of a sentence.
Examples:
- Možu sem dal knjigo. (I gave the man the book.)
- Ženi sem dal denar. (I gave the woman the money.)
- Mestu sem dal darilo. (I gave the city a gift.)
Accusative
The accusative case is used to indicate the direct object of a sentence.
Examples:
- Moža sem videl. (I saw the man.)
- Ženo sem videl. (I saw the woman.)
- Mesto sem videl. (I saw the city.)
Locative
The locative case is used to indicate location.
Examples:
- Možu je bilo v mestu. (The man was in the city.)
- Ženi je bilo v knjigi. (The woman was in the book.)
- Mestu je bilo v državi. (The city was in the country.)
Instrumental
The instrumental case is used to indicate the means by which something is done.
Examples:
- Mož je hodil z avtom. (The man was walking with a car.)
- Žena je brala s knjigo. (The woman was reading with a book.)
- Mesto je bilo obkroženo z gozdom. (The city was surrounded by a forest.)
Vocative
The vocative case is used to address someone directly.
Examples:
- O mož! (Oh man!)
- O žena! (Oh woman!)
- O mesto! (Oh city!)
If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
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