Asking Questions in Slovenian

Slovenian ⋙ Slovenian A1

Welcome to our Slovenian grammar course for beginners! Today we're going to talk about asking questions and interrogative words and expressions in Slovenian.

There are several ways to ask questions in Slovenian. You can combine the word order and/or use question words, or simply change your intonation. Here's how to ask questions effectively.

Intonation

To ask a question, you need to change the intonation without altering any words in the sentence. In other words, you use a declarative sentence but change its intonation. To form a basic yes/no question in Slovenian, follow this pattern:

Verb + Subject + Question Mark

For example:

Greš v gledališče? (Are you (informal) going to the theater?)
Imate brata? (Do you (formal) have a brother?)

General Interrogative Words

Slovenian has interrogative words that, when present in a sentence, indicate that it's a question rather than a statement. These words are used similarly to interrogative words in the English language. Here are some common question words and their usage:

Kdo (Who):

Kdo je tu? (Who is here?)

Kaj (What):

Kaj počneš? (What are you (informal) doing?)

Kje (Where):

Kje delaš? (Where do you (informal) work?)

Kam (Where to):

Kam greste? (Where are you (formal) going?)

Kdaj (When):

Kdaj se bova srečala? (When will we two meet?)

Zakaj (Why):

Zakaj si žalosten? (Why are you (informal) sad?)

Kako (How):

Kako se imenuješ? (What is your (informal) name?)

Koliko (How much/many):

Koliko je ura? (What time is it?)

Koliko stane (How much does it cost):

Koliko stane ta razglednica? (How much does this postcard cost?)

Add Particles

For a question requiring a simple "yes" or "no" answer, you just need to add the particle "ali" or "a" before the affirmative sentence. Simply place it at the beginning of the sentence:

Ali imate potni list? A imate potni list? - Do you (formal) have a passport?
Ali nimate potnega lista? A nimate potnega lista? - Don't you (formal) have a passport?

Summary

If you want to ask something in Slovenian, you can use intonation, general interrogative words, or simply add the particles "ali" or "a" before an affirmative sentence. To learn the basics of asking questions, you need to be better prepared to communicate and interact effectively in a Slovenian conversation. So don't be afraid to ask questions and to talk to the native speakers.
We are waiting for you in the next lesson, where we will talk about Slovenian prepositions. Good luck!