For Everyone Who Missed the Live Session: Here’s Your Slovene Speaking
Scenario to Read and Practise!
Source: European Commission
If you couldn’t join us live on 30 July for the Slovene Speaking Session on the OLS (Online Language Support) platform – no worries! We've prepared this written version of our session so that you can read, practise, and still enjoy learning Slovene at your own pace.
This content is created for members of the Slovene Language Community at OLS – Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps participants who are preparing for their mobility stay in Slovenia in the 2025/2026 academic year. Whether you’ll be studying or volunteering in Ljubljana, Maribor, on the coast in Koper, in Nova Gorica, or at any of the other vibrant institutions across Slovenia, these playful and practical exercises are here to help you start building confidence in Slovene before you arrive.
Our session began with a warm greeting from Alenka, your Slovene community manager at OLS platform, who briefly introduced the purpose of the session: to build confidence in speaking Slovene through fun, interactive practise.
To set the mood, we started with a song: Modrijani & Isaac Palma – “Hočem le tebe”. Participants watched the music video, filmed in the beautiful streets of Ljubljana, and listened to the lyrics. Even if you're just starting out with Slovene, music can help you develop a natural sense of rhythm, pronunciation, and vocabulary – so you can look up the song on YouTube, listen a few times, and try to repeat or sing along. Bonus points if you recognize Ljubljana landmarks in the background!
We then moved into short self-introductions in Slovene. Here's a mini template you can use:
Ime mi je … (My name is…)
Prihajam iz … (I come from…)
Moja najljubša hrana je … (My favourite food is…)
Example: Ime mi je Alenka. Prihajam iz Slovenije. Moja najljubša hrana je golaž!
Why not try writing your own introduction and posting it in our OLS Slovene Forum HERE?
ACTIVITY A: Slovene Tongue Twisters
One of the central elements of the Slovene speaking session was then the use of tongue twisters to improve pronunciation and fluency. Tongue twisters are short phrases that are intentionally difficult to articulate clearly and quickly. They serve as an effective pedagogical tool for developing pronunciation accuracy, training articulatory muscles, and raising awareness of specific phonetic features of a language. In Slovene, such exercises are especially useful due to the frequent occurrence of consonant clusters and the distinct phonemes č, ž, š, and other sounds that may be unfamiliar to learners.
The activity was structured in a step-by-step manner. First, the community manager read each tongue twister aloud at a slow and clear pace. Participants were instructed to listen carefully and focus on the structure of the sounds. After the initial exposure, they were invited to repeat each phrase slowly, several times, gradually building familiarity and confidence. In the next phase, the repetition pace was increased progressively, creating a lively rhythm and often humorous atmosphere. As participants attempted to pronounce the sentences faster, mistakes became part of the learning process, triggering laughter and fostering a relaxed, encouraging environment for speaking practice.
The following tongue twisters were used in the session, each accompanied by its English translation for better understanding:
Krokodil Krištof
kriči krotek krik.
(Crocodile Christopher cries a meek cry.)
Branko brusi
brusni blok.
(Branko sharpens the sharpening block.)
Muca Mara molče
melje mleto meso.
(Mara the cat silently grinds minced meat.)
Kri kriči, krik
kriči.
(Blood screams, scream screams.)
Polh pod plehom
pleza, pleh pa pleše.
(The dormouse climbs under the metal sheet, and the sheet dances.)
Stanko stresa
strešne strešnike.
(Stanko shakes the roof tiles.)
Črn čebelnjak
črnih čebel.
(A black beehive of black bees.)
Na žaru žge
žareči žerjav.
(A glowing crane burns on the grill.)
The use of such tongue twisters is not only linguistically beneficial but also motivational. It encourages learners to engage more actively in oral production without fear of making mistakes. The controlled introduction of increasingly complex phonetic patterns strengthens both listening and speaking skills, and the dynamic nature of the exercise contributes to better retention of correct pronunciation.
Participants are encouraged to continue practising these tongue twisters on their own. It is recommended to begin with slow repetition and gradually increase the speed, ideally practising aloud. Repetition over time will improve articulatory control and support greater ease and confidence in speaking Slovene. Learners are also welcome to share their attempts or reflections in the “Practise your Slovene” Forum on the OLS platform HERE, where they can exchange tips and encouragement with fellow participants preparing for their mobility period in Slovenia.
ACTIVITY B: Talking About Your Routine
The second major part of the Slovene Live Session was focused on building functional fluency through the topic of everyday routines. This type of activity is essential for learners preparing for mobility, as it enables them to communicate about daily habits, schedules, and simple time-related contexts in Slovene language functions that are highly relevant during the initial stages of life and integration in a new country. The main linguistic focus of the activity was the present tense, with an emphasis on simple declarative sentences that describe what the speaker does on a regular basis. The sentence structure introduced was based on the standard subject-verb-time model, allowing participants to create grammatically correct and meaningful expressions with the vocabulary they are beginning to acquire.
The activity was introduced by presenting a selection of commonly used Slovene verbs such as biti (to be), delati (to work), jesti (to eat), piti (to drink), gledati (to watch), hoditi (to walk), poslušati (to listen), učiti se (to study), kuhati (to cook), and spati (to sleep). These were accompanied by basic time expressions, including days of the week (ponedeljek, torek, sreda, četrtek, petek, sobota, nedelja) and parts of the day (zjutraj, dopoldne, popoldne, zvečer, ponoči, vsak dan, vsak vikend), as well as time-specific phrases such as ob sedmih (at seven o'clock) or ob treh (at three o'clock).
Participants were first guided through model sentences, such as:
Ob sedmih pijem kavo.
(At seven I drink coffee.)
Zvečer gledam serijo.
(In the evening I watch a series.)
Vsak petek poslušam
glasbo.
(Every Friday I listen to music.)
Once participants were familiar with the grammatical structure and vocabulary, the session proceeded with individual production. Participants were encouraged to respond to simple questions using complete sentences, for example:
Kaj delaš vsak dan? (What do you do every day?)
Kdaj piješ kavo? (When do drink coffee?)
Kaj delaš zvečer? (What do you do in the evening?)
Kaj počneš vsaki vikend? (What do you do every weekend?)
This part of the session supported both oral expression and listening comprehension. The interactive format allowed for personal engagement, as learners were prompted to relate the language structures to their own routines and anticipated daily life during their mobility stay in Slovenia. Pedagogically, the activity had multiple benefits. It activated the learners’ ability to produce grammatically simple but communicatively rich sentences. By using vocabulary connected to routine actions and regular time expressions, participants developed greater confidence in speaking about themselves and their schedules—a key competence for navigating everyday conversations in Slovene once they arrive in the country.
Learners are encouraged to continue practising by writing or speaking about their routines independently. Repetition of familiar sentence patterns, combined with substitution of verbs and time expressions, allows for effective vocabulary expansion and internalisation of grammatical rules. Those who wish to practise further can post short written routines or audio recordings in the “Practise your Slovene” Forum on the OLS platform HERE, where fellow participants and moderators can offer feedback, suggestions, or simply exchange ideas in a supportive environment.
Source: European Commission
ACTIVITY C: Homework / Domača naloga
At this point in the session, the community manager briefly introduced the final thematic section, titled "Homework / Domača naloga". Although the title suggested that a formal assignment might follow, it was quickly revealed to participants that no actual homework was being assigned. This served as a light-hearted linguistic joke, drawing on a cultural and educational reference familiar to many Slovenians. In Slovene language and literature classes, both in schools and in adult education settings, the term domača naloga (homework) is commonly associated with routine follow-up tasks. By including this term, the community manager playfully acknowledged the traditional structure of classroom learning while signalling a more relaxed approach appropriate for the online session format.
Instead of a homework task, the session continued with a guided visit to two specific forums on the OLS platform. The first was the discussion topic titled "Resources for your mobility programme", which contains curated links to practical information for incoming students and volunteers. These include guides for Erasmus+ students published by individual Slovene universities, as well as resources from CMEPIUS (Centre of the Republic of Slovenia for Mobility and European Educational and Training Programmes for ESC participants). This segment of the session aimed to equip participants with orientation tools and reliable points of reference as they prepare for their mobility experience in Slovenia.
The second platform visit was directed toward the OLS Blog Forum, specifically the thread titled "Places to see in Slovenia". This part of the session invited participants to explore blog-style articles that highlight cultural landmarks, natural sites, and must-see destinations across the country. The aim was not only to provide inspiration for weekend trips and cultural discovery but also to expand learners’ vocabulary in context and deepen their connection to the host environment they will soon enter.
These final platform interactions served a dual purpose: they extended the language session into a practical context while also fostering self-directed exploration of the tools and content available on the OLS platform. Participants were encouraged to engage with the forums further by browsing, commenting, or sharing their thoughts and plans with others preparing for the same journey.
Even if you missed the live event, we hope this blog post gives you a great starting point to keep speaking Slovene with more confidence. Every sentence, song, and silly tongue twister helps you get closer to feeling at home in your new environment.
If you have questions or want to share your practice, head over to the #forums section on OLS and join the discussion. We're here to support you on your Slovene language journey!
Hvala in srečno! / Thank you and good luck!
Alenka, Community Manager – Slovene