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Matevž Zorec and Farnaz Baksh

Zdravo in dobrodošli.

(Good healthy hello to you and welcome. )

Nothing compares to the thrill of being able to speak with locals in their own language when you visit their country.

You are in luck. You can now experience this amazing feeling too.

My name is Matevž and I’ve been teaching and consulting soft and technical subjects to locals and foreigners for over a decade.

Languages are my passion: I love learning new ones and teaching ones I mastered.

Read more

Zdravo in dobrodošli.

(Good healthy hello to you and welcome. )

Nothing compares to the thrill of being able to speak with locals in their own language when you visit their country.

You are in luck. You can now experience this amazing feeling too.

My name is Matevž and I’ve been teaching and consulting soft and technical subjects to locals and foreigners for over a decade.

Languages are my passion: I love learning new ones and teaching ones I mastered.

Together with my partner Farnaz, we created Slovenian for Exchange Students, our mission to make learning Slovenian easier than ever and accessible, especially to those who tried before and failed.

Our course is perfect for the complete beginner as we chop down the Slovenian language into bits that we teach you how to bring together again in an easy to understand way.

You can go from knowing no Slovenian at all to putting together your own sentences in minutes.

If nothing else, we want you to see how easy it is to learn Slovenian.

Each lesson in this course is short, most last only 2 minutes with only a few taking up to 10 minutes.

In each lesson you will learn a tiny bit of Slovenian.

You can use all these bits to start building spoken sentences in Slovenian.

As you work through the course you catch more and more bits and your sentences will start getting longer.

Everything you learn in the first lessons carries throughout the course.

Therefore you don't have to worry about remembering everything.

With so much opportunity for practice, the phrases will be easy to remember.

Every lesson in this course is focused on the practical and effective ways of building your language skills that you can apply immediately.

You will end up speaking Slovenian with comfort and zest whenever you are in a Slovenian speaking country.

When starting something new, as human beings, we tend to get very excited and driven.

You might spend hours learning the first day, but the next day, you can only manage one hour.

... and then that goes down 30 minutes, and then you get bored and stop completely.

The reason behind our brief lessons is simple: they help you stay motivated. This in turn means your learning is more consistent.

True success with any learning related mission lies in consistency. And we build that with habits.

By ensuring your learning takes place in short bits, something wonderful happens:

1. Your enthusiasm endures

The key to learning starts with zeal and zest to get it done - your own true enthusiasm.

If you allow yourself a beset study time of just a few minutes, you'll keep your Slovenian sharp and shiny.

Your excitement and eagerness to learn will show more and results will be self-evident.

Forcing yourself to spend hours sitting and staring at a screen studying, will only get you bored and it'll just be another chore.

We hate that. So instead, we designed all lessons brief, concise; each has a fun, quick worksheet and a recap.

2. You will study with much more consistency

It’s much better to study for just five minutes once a day than to study for three hours but only once a week.

One can always find five minutes, even on the busiest of schedules.

If you ensure you complete at least one lesson every day, it’ll quickly become a habit that you’ll do without ever thinking.

It’s much easier to fit in a daily five-minute habit than a weekly one-hour chore.

With just doing this, you’ll become an incredibly consistent learner and consistency is the key to success.

You will become a success and learn to speak Slovenian.

3. Your memory will improve

This is the best reason to why it is a good idea to limit daily study routines into small bits.

Studying smaller bits is a mind trick that allows you to memorise information faster and better than if you look at it for hours on end.

"Here is stuff I see daily, it must be important but I don't get to see it for too long... I should hold on to it and turn it into memory quickly. "

Things will tend to stay in your brain with more ease if you limit yourself to just five minutes a day.

... and that is why we choose to keep our lessons brief.

So. If you want a course that teaches you to speak the Slovenian you can use daily and even uses this fun and simple approach, then enroll in Slovenian For Exchange Students today.

Hvala.

Matevž and Farnaz

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Speak slovenian confidently and comfortably in everyday situations
  • Understand what is told back to you
  • Be more than just an average tourist when travelling to slovenia
  • Go from beginner to building sentences after just the first 2 lessons
  • Get a proper serving of vocabulary of words and phrases you can use straight away
  • Understand and use essential features of the slovenian language with ease
  • Start to understand the composition of the slovenian language
  • Voice your thoughts and opinions in slovenian
  • Describe things in slovenian
  • Greet the locals properly when you are in a slovenian speaking country
  • Order your food and drinks in slovenian
  • Get accustomed to slovenian pronunciation
  • Learn about essential slovenian culture, history and the education system all in one place
  • Show more
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Syllabus

Introduction to SFES and what to do if you don't know what to do.

A brief course introduction where you will learn about what to expect learning Slovenian with us.

All of Lesson 1 is kept open for preview free of charge as it serves as an example and template for the quality standard we uphold.

Read more

This video will introduce the course structure and general layout.

You will also learn about the Slovenian Alphabet, how to pronounce the letters and a bit about their origins.

In the attached worksheet you can find links to additional study resources.

We recommend you start with the alphabet and spend at least 20' practicing speaking out loud the 25 letters.

Use the enclosed wikipedia derived approximate sounds for the letters from English equivalent sounds.

Check out the links below for a lot of useful information as well as sites made to help you make learning Slovenian simpler.

We will use some of these later on in the course to help us further our studies and give new emphasis to our speaking and reading skills.

Before we delve deeper into Slovenian, you should understand that if you're ever in trouble or you don't know what to say then this lesson is perfect for you.

If you try to say something but get lost, remember these few key phrases:

"I don't understand."  |  "Ne razumem."

"How do I say this?"  |  "Kako rečem to?"  [phonetic: Caa-co ra-ch-am t-oh?]

"I need help."  |  "Rabim pomoč."  [phonetic: Raa-beem poh-moh-ch.]

Solve the worksheet to recap this lesson as well, it will greatly improve your understanding of the topic.

Vital phrases to remember when learning a new language - now in Slovenian and easily accessible!

A few phrases for emergency situations.

UPDATE FOR LESSON 2 SCHEDULED FRI OCT 23rd 2020, 8pm GMT+1.

In this lesson you will learn how to introduce yourself, a bit of etiquette and time of day dependent greetings, like:

   good morning  |  dobro jutro   and

   good afternoon  |  dober večer

Use the attached worksheet with the last lecture to recap what we talk about, go back to the video and try to pronounce each statement again.

Don't be shy or afraid of mispronouncing the terms. It doesn't matter if you mispronounce them. The only thing you should concern yourself with is to remember what they sound like, how to say them and say them well enough that you can communicate what you want. So if they sound off, it's of no importance to us at this stage whatsoever!

Do enjoy the puzzle in the worksheet, all in all this whole section should take you about 45 minutes to complete, including recaps and a short study revision.

Basic means "osnovno", greetings "pozdravi" (plural).

In this section we discuss greetings.

The basic kind, the appropriate ones, the suitable ones depending on the hour of the day and we finish with a few building blocks for introducing ourselves.

There's a secret set of rules to Slovenian:

Endings of words change, they adapt and adopt a spelling most suitable for their use.

Most fascinating!

Etiquette  |  Bonton; it means to have manners / rules regarding manners.

Here we discuss common expressions in relation to manners:

what to say when you like someone, when you wish someone well, before you start a meal and so forth.

You will also learn more tips on pronouncing č and š sounds.

Remember!

š = [sh(-ow)]

č = [ch(-eck)]

Lastly, we talk about how to excuse ourselves.

How might one say good day in Slovenian?

When is it appropriate?

Note: you can say "dober dan" in the afternoon, but in late afternoon it makes more sense to say "dober večer".

Do note how much we reuse certain word roots - and yet their endings adapt to the use case.

We continue building basic intuition for this principle in this lecture.

It's time to cover the basic expressions when introducing yourself!

Listed a few alternative words below.

Where are you from? Where am I from?  |  Od kje ste? Od kje sem

are you - ste

am I - sem

What is your name? What is my name?  |  Kako vam je ime?  Kako mi je ime?

your  - vam, vaše

my - moje, mi

I am doing this... I am doing that...  |  Jaz delam to...  Jaz delam tisto...

to - tisto

this - that

Pay attention, we are building intuition for all this complicated concepts slowly.

Time to face facts here: we take a deeper dive into what's what and inch forward a bit more towards understanding what this adaptive word ending stuff is about.

And it's fun: it's a set of rules in Slovenian that helps encapsulate, include into words we communicate information both on what is going on, or what is going on with what as well as the gender of the item or person in questions.

We take a look at the example: student  |  študent

For a student whose gender is masculine, in Slovenian we say "študent"

Yet for a student whose gender is feminine, we say "študentka"

It's the same root word: "študent"!

We merely added the ending "/-ka" to the root word.

This means if someone says "študent" they mean the person studying is masculine, however the root word could also be neutral if used in literature - it would mean either masculine or feminine if in general context.

Every single word - nouns especially has these strange rules applied to them.

Fear not, despite there being literally thousands of variations possible, we will learn them all in a nutshell at least with a trick.

We will first understand the intuitive notions that led to them existing in the first place.

A lovely brain teaser and exercise for the mind!

Well done completing your second section; your second step towards learning Slovenian!

Use the attached worksheet with the last lecture to recap what we talk about, go back to the video and try to pronounce each statement again.

Do enjoy the puzzle in the worksheet.

As a short study revision, solving the worksheet will not take long yet will benefit you greatly!

We hope you enjoy it and do leave any questions you have so far with the course.

Zdravo!

Recap the Basic Greetings.

The couple is lost in the Alps while hiking!

This conversation draws content from Lesson 5: Asking for directions.

Follow the conversation video activity for Lesson 8 then consult the attached custom prepared worksheet.

The instructions are to find the right words to fill in the blanks.

To accomplish this exercise go back to the video and pause whenever relevant.

As you are writing all the words in Slovenian, you automatically start to learn them and better remember their meaning.

Our couple wanders to the local restaurant. The conversation involves vocabulary from Lesson 3.

Follow the conversation video activity for Lesson 8 then consult the attached custom prepared worksheet.

The instructions are to find the right words to fill in the blanks.

To accomplish this exercise go back to the video and pause whenever relevant.

As you are writing all the words in Slovenian, you automatically start to learn them and better remember their meaning.

Section 10 overview & disclaimer.

Make sure you pay attention to the attached checklist in resources!

This lecture provides a step by step walkthrough and answers many questions with regard to applying and receiving a Temporary Residence Permit in Slovenia or abroad.

Make sure you pay attention to the attached checklist in resources!

This lecture provides a step by step walkthrough and answers many questions with regard to applying for a Slovenian visa from abroad.

Make sure you pay attention to the attached checklist in resources!

This lecture provides a step by step walkthrough and answers many questions about getting your car registered.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Focuses on practical, everyday Slovenian, which is ideal for exchange students aiming to quickly integrate and communicate with locals
Breaks down the Slovenian language into small, manageable lessons, which helps learners build confidence and retain information more effectively
Includes lessons on Slovenian culture, history, and the education system, which provides valuable context for exchange students
Covers essential topics like greetings, introductions, ordering food, and asking for directions, which are immediately useful in daily life
Features lessons on temporary residence permits, visa information, and car registration, which directly addresses the needs of exchange students
Emphasizes short, consistent study habits, which helps learners stay motivated and make steady progress in their language acquisition

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Reviews summary

Practical slovenian for visitors

According to learners, this course offers a highly practical introduction to Slovenian, specifically geared towards those planning a temporary stay, such as exchange students or tourists. Students particularly praise the inclusion of useful everyday phrases and essential administrative information like navigating permits and visas. The course's structure, featuring short, bite-sized lessons, is frequently mentioned as a strength, making it easy to fit into a busy schedule and promoting consistent learning. While reviewers find it excellent for complete beginners seeking functional language, some note that it lacks depth in grammar or may not be sufficient for learners progressing beyond the very basics.
Lessons are short, making them easy to manage daily.
"The short lessons (2-10 minutes) made it easy to stay consistent, even on busy days."
"I liked the bite-sized format; it didn't feel overwhelming and helped with daily practice."
"While the short lessons are great for consistency, I sometimes felt I needed more depth or practice time within each one."
"The brief lessons are perfect for fitting study into my commute."
Guidance provided on Slovenian pronunciation.
"The tips on specific Slovenian sounds like 'č' and 'š' were very helpful."
"I appreciated the phonetic guides provided for some phrases."
"Hearing the words spoken in the videos helped me get a feel for the pronunciation."
"More practice with native speaker audio throughout would enhance pronunciation learning."
Excellent starting point for those with no prior knowledge.
"As a complete beginner, this course was exactly what I needed to get started."
"It assumes no prior knowledge and builds up concepts step by step, which I found very effective."
"Great introduction to the sounds and basic structure of Slovenian for someone starting from scratch."
"If you know zero Slovenian, this course will give you a solid foundation."
Helpful guidance on permits, visas, and other practicalities.
"The section on temporary residence permits was incredibly helpful and hard to find elsewhere."
"I was surprised and delighted to find information on visas and car registration - very relevant for students!"
"This course went beyond language, providing crucial info on navigating Slovenian bureaucracy."
"The practical tips on administrative tasks saved me a lot of time and stress."
Provides practical vocabulary and phrases for daily use.
"I found the phrases for ordering food and asking for directions immediately useful during my trip."
"The vocabulary covered is very practical for everyday situations an exchange student would face."
"This course focuses on language I can actually use, which I appreciate."
"The focus on real-life scenarios like shopping or transport was a major plus for me."
May not delve deep into complex grammar rules.
"While great for phrases, I wished there was more explanation on grammar rules and cases."
"The course is practical but doesn't provide a strong theoretical grammar foundation."
"It teaches you what to say, but not always *why* you say it that way."
"For understanding the language's structure beyond basic phrases, I felt the grammar covered was insufficient."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Slovenian For Exchange Students with these activities:
Review Basic Greetings
Reinforce your understanding of basic Slovenian greetings and etiquette before starting the course to build a solid foundation.
Browse courses on Greetings
Show steps
  • Review common Slovenian greetings and phrases.
  • Practice pronunciation of greetings out loud.
  • Write down 5 common greetings.
Read 'Colloquial Slovenian: The Complete Course for Beginners'
Supplement course materials with a comprehensive beginner's guide to Slovenian, reinforcing grammar and vocabulary.
View Colloquial Slovene on Amazon
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'Colloquial Slovenian'.
  • Work through the first few chapters, focusing on pronunciation and basic grammar.
  • Complete the exercises in the book to test your understanding.
Practice Vocabulary Flashcards
Reinforce vocabulary learned in each lesson through regular flashcard practice to improve retention.
Show steps
  • Create flashcards for new vocabulary words from each lesson.
  • Review the flashcards daily, focusing on pronunciation and meaning.
  • Use the words in simple sentences to practice usage.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Create a Short Dialogue
Apply learned vocabulary and grammar by writing a short dialogue in Slovenian, solidifying understanding and promoting creative language use.
Show steps
  • Choose a scenario (e.g., ordering food, asking for directions).
  • Write a short dialogue in Slovenian, using vocabulary and grammar from the course.
  • Practice the dialogue with a partner or record yourself speaking.
Explore 'Slovenian-English/English-Slovenian Dictionary & Phrasebook'
Expand vocabulary and improve comprehension by using a Slovenian-English dictionary and phrasebook as a reference.
View Alter Ego: A Novel on Amazon
Show steps
  • Obtain a Slovenian-English dictionary and phrasebook.
  • Use the dictionary to look up unfamiliar words encountered in the course.
  • Browse the phrasebook for useful expressions and practice using them.
Write a Travel Blog Post
Consolidate language skills and cultural knowledge by writing a blog post about a hypothetical trip to Slovenia, focusing on practical communication.
Show steps
  • Research a specific region or city in Slovenia.
  • Write a blog post in English describing your experiences, incorporating Slovenian phrases and vocabulary.
  • Include information about local customs, food, and attractions.
Practice Conversational Slovenian
Improve fluency and confidence by practicing conversational Slovenian with a language partner or tutor.
Show steps
  • Find a language partner or tutor who speaks Slovenian.
  • Schedule regular practice sessions to converse in Slovenian.
  • Focus on using vocabulary and grammar learned in the course.

Career center

Learners who complete Slovenian For Exchange Students will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Tour Guide
A tour guide leads groups of tourists, providing information about the history, culture, and attractions of a particular location. For those interested in guiding tours in Slovenia or for Slovenian-speaking tourists, this course provides a foundation in the Slovenian language. The course will assist with learning greetings, directions, and cultural information. The syllabus's insights into Slovenian culture, history, and landmarks may be particularly useful for a tour guide.
Cultural Exchange Coordinator
A cultural exchange coordinator organizes and manages programs that promote cross-cultural understanding and collaboration. This course in Slovenian may be useful for those who want to work with Slovenian exchange students or programs involving Slovenia. The ability to communicate effectively in Slovenian, coupled with the course's cultural insights, can help a Cultural Exchange Coordinator facilitate meaningful interactions and build relationships between participants from different backgrounds. The course may also help the coordinator understand the student experience better.
Translator
A translator converts written material from one language to another. This course in Slovenian may be useful, especially for those who want to focus on translating documents to and from Slovenian. The course's emphasis on practical language skills, vocabulary, and sentence construction can help translators accurately convey the meaning and context of the original text. The course's attention to detail regarding Slovenian culture and history may also be very helpful for a translator.
Interpreter
An interpreter converts spoken language from one language to another. This course in Slovenian may be useful for individuals aiming to work as interpreters, particularly if they want to work with Slovenian-speaking clients or in Slovenia. The course's focus on practical speaking skills, pronunciation, and everyday vocabulary can help interpreters effectively communicate in real-time conversations. The course may also help someone to understand the nuances of Slovenian culture.
Customer Service Representative
A customer service representative addresses customer inquiries and resolves issues. In globalized markets, knowing Slovenian can be a significant asset for customer service representatives. This course in Slovenian may allow representatives to communicate with Slovenian-speaking customers, improving customer satisfaction and company reputation. The course's focus on practical language skills and cultural sensitivity may also help representatives build rapport and provide personalized service.
Diplomat
A diplomat represents their country's interests abroad, engaging in negotiations and fostering relationships with foreign governments. Aspiring diplomats who plan to work with Slovenia may benefit from this course in Slovenian. The course's emphasis on language proficiency and cultural understanding may enable diplomats to communicate effectively and build rapport with Slovenian officials. It may also help a diplomat to understand the nuances of Slovenian society.
Immigration Officer
An immigration officer processes and reviews applications for visas, residence permits, and citizenship. This course in Slovenian may benefit individuals aspiring to work as immigration officers, especially if they anticipate interacting with Slovenian speakers. The course's emphasis on language acquisition and cultural understanding may improve communication and build trust with applicants. The course syllabus's section covering temporary residence permits, visa information, and other related topics may be beneficial to an immigration officer.
Travel Agent
A travel agent assists customers with planning and booking trips, including flights, accommodations, and tours. Knowledge of Slovenian, gained from this course, may allow travel agents to better serve clients interested in traveling to Slovenia. The course's focus on practical communication skills, cultural insights, and essential vocabulary related to travel may also increase their ability to cater to this demographic. A travel agent who has taken this course may be more well-rounded.
International Business Consultant
An international business consultant advises companies on strategies for expanding their operations into foreign markets. This course in Slovenian may be helpful for consultants who wish to specialize in the Slovenian market. The course's insights into Slovenian culture, history, and language may assist in communication and negotiation. The course's lessons about various aspects of Slovenian life may give consultants an additional edge.
Language Blogger
A language blogger creates content related to language learning, culture, and travel. This course in Slovenian may give someone the knowledge to write about Slovenian language and culture. The course's practical approach to language acquisition, combined with its insights into Slovenian culture and history, may provide ample material for blog posts. A language blogger's own experience learning Slovenian can also be relatable to their audience.
ESL Teacher
An English as a Second Language teacher instructs non-native speakers in the English language. While this course teaches Slovenian, understanding the challenges of language acquisition helps one to be a more effective ESL teacher. By taking this course, future ESL teachers can gain insight into the process of learning a new language. The course's emphasis on breaking down the language into manageable parts and building sentences from scratch may be particularly insightful.
International Aid Worker
An international aid worker provides assistance to communities in need, often in developing countries. This course in Slovenian may be useful if one is assigned to work in Slovenia. Basic conversational skills from this course can help one communicate with the local population, understand their needs, and coordinate aid efforts effectively. The course's cultural insights may also help one to be respectful and sensitive to local customs.
Content Creator
A content creator produces content for various platforms, such as YouTube or TikTok. This course in Slovenian allows a content creator to niche down on Slovenian language and culture. The course may also serve as a springboard for creating tutorials, vlogs, or travelogues related to Slovenia. The course offers insights that a content creator may not be able to find elsewhere.
Linguist
A linguist studies the structure, history, and acquisition of languages. A linguist typically holds a master's degree or doctorate. While this course focuses on practical language skills, it may be a starting point for someone interested in the academic study of Slovenian. The course provides a foundation in Slovenian grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, which can be helpful for further linguistic research. The course may also spark an interest in the evolution and diversity of Slovenian dialects.
Librarian
A librarian helps people find information and resources. While a librarian may not seem like a natural fit for this course, it can be useful for librarians working in communities with Slovenian speakers. The course may allow librarians to better serve their patrons by providing access to Slovenian-language materials and assistance with research. Furthermore, this course demonstrates a commitment to cultural awareness, which may allow a librarian to better serve the needs of the public.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Slovenian For Exchange Students.
Provides a comprehensive introduction to Slovenian, covering grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. It's designed for beginners and includes dialogues and exercises to help learners develop practical communication skills. It would be a valuable resource for students looking for a more structured and in-depth approach to learning Slovenian than the course provides. This book is particularly useful for those who prefer a textbook-style learning experience.
This dictionary and phrasebook valuable resource for language learners. It provides a comprehensive collection of words and phrases, making it easy to look up unfamiliar terms. The phrasebook section is particularly useful for practical communication in everyday situations. While not a textbook, it serves as an excellent reference tool for expanding vocabulary and understanding common expressions.

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