The easiest way to learn Slovenian is to read and listen to short, easy Slovenian about things you already like, checking the translation when you need it. Leave case tables and long word lists for later, because easy Slovenian keeps showing you the most common words and endings. Below are the first steps in order, and some easy Slovenian to start with.
Is Slovenian Easy to Learn?
Slovenian is easy to start, and it takes a long time to learn well. The letters come quickly, while the case endings and new words take much longer. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute puts Slovenian in the third of its four groups for English speakers, with Polish and Russian. Our guide to the fastest way shows how long it takes.
Three things make the start easier than it looks.
- An Alphabet You Already ReadSlovenian uses 25 letters: the Latin alphabet you already know without q, w, x and y, plus č, š and ž.
- Words You Already KnowMany Slovenian words look like English ones, such as muzej (museum) and čokolada (chocolate).
- No Words for “A” or “The”Slovenian has no words for a or the, so hiša can mean a house or the house.
What Is the Easiest Way to Start?
The easiest way to start is with greetings and other short Slovenian you enjoy, one small step at a time.
- Start With GreetingsBegin with lines you can use right away, like Dober dan (good day) and Hvala (thank you).
- Read About What You LoveRead short dialogues about food, music, or anything else you already enjoy.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, because the spelling doesn't show which part of a word is stressed.
- Hide the TranslationKeep the English hidden, and check it only when a line stops you.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep, each with the line you found it in, so you see its ending too.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like Eno kavo, prosim (one coffee, please) for a cafe in Ljubljana.
Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening to Slovenian at your level, with lessons that Poppy, its AI tutor, writes about the things you like. Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, so reviewing them means reading more Slovenian.
What Makes Slovenian Feel Hard, and How Can You Make It Easier?
Four parts of Slovenian feel hard at first, and each one gets easier when you meet it again and again in easy Slovenian.
| What feels hard | The easy fix |
|---|---|
| Case endings | Easy dialogues use the same few endings again and again, as in Grem v Ljubljano (I'm going to Ljubljana) and Živim v Ljubljani (I live in Ljubljana). The endings start to sound right before you ever open a table. |
| Forms for two | Slovenian has special forms for exactly two people or things, called the dual, as in Midva greva v kino (the two of us are going to the cinema). Dialogues between two friends use them often, so they soon sound normal. |
| Stress and vowel sounds | Everyday spelling doesn't show which syllable is stressed, and e and o can each stand for more than one sound. Copy the way the audio says each whole word. Standard Slovenian can be spoken with or without rising and falling tones, so the tones can wait. |
| Dialects and fast speech | Slovenia's official website says linguists count 46 dialects, so people from different regions can sound very different. Listen to slow, clear audio made for learners first, and words you already know will be much easier to catch in fast speech. |
What Is Easy Slovenian to Start With?
Easy Slovenian to start with is short and slow, and it is about something you enjoy. Slovenian you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input.
| What | Why it's easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Slovene Learning Online | Short everyday dialogues come with audio and translations, in a free course from the University of Ljubljana. | slonline.si |
| LingQ Mini Stories | Short stories for beginners repeat the same basic patterns, with audio you can play while you read. | lingq.com |
| Slovenščina skozi dialog | Short videos show everyday dialogues, such as a trip to the post office, so you can listen and read at the same time. | YouTube |
| Enostavno | RTV Slovenija tells the news in short, simple sentences, and you can play each story slowly, once you know some words. | rtvslo.si |
If a new word shows up in almost every line, switch to something easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Slovenian pronunciation hard?
Most of it is easy to learn. Once you know that c sounds like the ts in cats and j sounds like the y in yes, you can read cesta (road) and jajce (egg) out loud. The l at the end of past forms takes some listening: in bil (was), it sounds like the w in now.
Can I learn Slovenian just by watching Slovenian TV?
Not at the start, because most of a show goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. Shows help more once you can follow a simple conversation, especially with Slovenian subtitles on. On RTV 365, RTV Slovenija's free app, you can turn on Slovenian subtitles for most of TV Slovenija's shows in Slovenian, and some programs are blocked outside Slovenia.
Which Slovenian app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Slovenian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. For courses, tutors and speaking practice, see our comparison of Slovenian apps.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Wikipedia: Slovene alphabet (25 letters, without q, w, x and y; stress marks almost never written; e and o each stand for more than one sound)
- Wikipedia: Slovene language (no definite or indefinite articles; singular, dual and plural)
- Wikipedia: Slovene phonology (standard Slovene has tonal and non-tonal varieties; the l at the end of past forms is said like a w)
- Slovenia.si: Slovenian language (46 dialects)
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences: Slovene Learning Online, part 3 (a free course with audio)
- RTV Slovenija: Enostavno, about the site (news in easier language, also for people learning Slovenian, with a slow reading option)
- RTV Slovenija: About subtitles (most Slovenian-language shows on TV SLO 1 and 2)
