Slovene nouns

In Slovene, nouns define a person, place, or a thing, as well as adjectives, which describe the attributes of a noun, are declined for six cases and three numbers (singular, dual, and plural). (See grammar in Slovene grammar.)

Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Case 1.2 Number 1.3 Gender 1.4 Common phonological changes 2 Declensions 2.1 Feminine declension 2.1.1 First declension 2.1.2 Second 2.1.3 Third 2.1.4 Fourth 2.1.5 Irregular Feminine Nouns 2.2 Masculine declensions 2.2.1 First 2.2.2 Second 2.2.3 Third 2.2.4 Fourth 2.2.5 Irregular masculine nouns 2.3 Neuter declensions 2.3.1 First 2.3.2 Fourth 2.4 Mass noun 2.5 Adjectives

Introduction

Case

In Slovene, a noun in a sentence is marked using different cases and endings. There are six cases (The Slovene names are given in brackets):

1. Nominative (imenovalnik or nominativ)
2. Genitive (rodilnik or genitiv)
3. Dative (dajalnik or dativ)
4. Accusative (tožilnik or akuzativ)
5. Locative (mestnik or lokativ)
6. Instrumental (orodnik or instrumental)

It is traditional to refer to the cases by the numbered location as in the above list. Thus, the nominative case is referred to as "1", while the locative case is "5".

Number

Slovene has three numbers:

1. Singular, which refers to one of an object
2. Dual, which refers to a pair of objects
3. Plural, which refers to more than two objects.

Most nouns contain distinct forms for each of the cases.

Gender

A noun in Slovene can have one of the following three genders:

1. Masculine
2. Feminine
3. Neuter

An adjective, on the other hand, has different forms for each gender.

Common phonological changes

In the declension of nouns and adjectives, certain predictable sound changes occur in the base form (root).

• Fill Vowel: Under certain circumstances, an -e-, which is pronounced as a schwa-sound, may be inserted between two consonants that occur at the end of a word. This occurs commonly in many nouns in the nominative singular case and in feminine and neuter nouns in the genitive plural and dual cases. For example, the nominative case igra (game) has a genitive plural form of iger. In the combination, -consonant + j, the fill vowel is an -i-. For example, ladja (boat) has a genitive plural of ladij.

• Preglas: Nouns whose roots end in C, Č, Ž, Š, or J change the following -o- of the ending into an -e-. Thus, for example, the ending -ov becomes -ev for nouns whose roots end in the above letters. The following 2 sets of words can be compared: korak/korakom (step) and stric/stricem (uncle).

Declensions

There are four common declension patterns for nouns, with a single pattern for the declension of adjectives. An example of each with a model noun is given below. There are many exceptions, not all of which have been given. The endings in the following tables are marked in bold.

Feminine declension

First declension

This declension consists of nouns that end in -a. Most of the nouns are feminine with the exception of a few masculine nouns such as vojvoda (duke), which can be declined either as an -a noun or as a regular masculine noun. The model noun for this declension is lipa, lime (or linden) tree.

Feminine First (-a) Declension

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	lipa	lipi	lipe
Genitive (2)	lipe	lip	lip
Dative (3)	lipi	lipama	lipam
Accusative (4)	lipo	lipi	lipe
Locative (5) (pri/o)	lipi	lipah	lipah
Instrumental (6) (z)	lipo	lipama	lipami

A fill vowel may be added in the genitive plural and dual cases. For example, vožnja (fare) - voženj, igra (game) - iger, ladja (ship) - ladij.

Second

This declension consists of feminine nouns that end in a consonant. The model noun for this declension is perut, the wing of a bird.

Feminine Second Declension

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	perut	peruti	peruti
Genitive (2)	peruti	peruti	peruti
Dative (3)	peruti	perutma	perutim
Accusative (4)	perut	peruti	peruti
Locative (5) (pri/o)	peruti	perutih	perutih
Instrumental (6) (z)	perutjo	perutma	perutmi

The following exceptions should be noted:

• In the instrumental singular case, nouns, which have a fill vowel in the nominative singular form, have an ending in -ijo. Likewise, these same nouns insert an -i- in the instrumental plural and dual, as well as the instrumental plural. For example, pesem (a song) has an instrumental singular form of pesmijo, a dative/instrumental dual form of pesmima, and an instrumental plural of pesmimi.
• In the dative and locative dual and plural, monosyllabic nouns, whose stress falls on the ending, have an -e- inserted between the root and the ending. For example, stvar (a thing) has the following endings: dative dual: stvarema; dative plural: stvarem; locative dual and plural: stvareh.
• Some nouns drop the schwa (-e-) that occurs in the nominative case (fill vowel). For example, nominative singular bolezen (illness) has the genitive singular bolezni.
• The noun, kri (blood), has a different stem (krv-) for all but the nominative and accusative singular. Thus, kri, krvi, krvi, kri, krvi, krvjo.
• Feminine nouns, that end in -ev in the nominative singular, such as breskev (peach), lestev (ladder), žetev (harvest) have the following peculiarities in their declension:
  • The root drops the -e- of -ev in all other cases.
  • In the instrumental singular, the ending is -ijo.
  • In the genitive singular the ending is -e.
  • In the dual and plural, these nouns follow the declension of the feminine -a nouns.
  • These nouns could also be declined as -a with the above changes.

Third

This declension consists of all indeclinable feminine nouns. The form in all cases is the same. The model noun for this declension is mami, or mummy (a nickname for mother).

Feminine Third Declension

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	mami	mami	mami
Genitive (2)	mami	mami	mami
Dative (3)	mami	mami	mami
Accusative (4)	mami	mami	mami
Locative (5) (pri/o)	mami	mami	mami
Instrumental (6) (z)	mami	mami	mami

Fourth

This declension pattern consists of feminine adjectival noun (posamostaljeni pridevnik). These nouns are declined as a regular feminine adjective.

Irregular Feminine Nouns

The following nouns have an irregular declension pattern: gospa (lady, madam), hči (daughter), and mati (mother) in the singular. In the plural and dual mati and hči follow, the -a stem pattern.

Irregular Feminine Nouns

Case	mati	hči
Nominative (1)	mati	hči
Genitive (2)	matere	hčere
Dative (3)	materi	hčeri
Accusative (4)	mater	hčer
Locative (5) (pri)	materi	hčeri
Instrumental (6) (s/z)	materjo	hčerjo

Gospa

Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	gospa	gospe	gospe
Genitive (2)	gospe	gospe	gospe, gospa
Dative (3)	gospe	gospema	gospem
Accusative (4)	gospo	gospe	gospe
Locative (5) (pri)	gospe	gospeh	gospeh
Instrumental (6) (z)	gospo	gospema	gospemi

Masculine declensions

First

The model noun for this declension is korak, (a step).

Masculine First Declension

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	korak	koraka	koraki
Genitive (2)	koraka	korakov	korakov
Dative (3)	koraku	korakoma	korakom
Accusative (4)	korak	koraka	korake
Locative (5) (pri/o)	koraku	korakih	korakih
Instrumental (6) (s)	korakom	korakoma	koraki

The following points should be borne in mind:

1. Animate nouns, that is nouns representing living things, take the genitive ending in the accusative case. Some other inanimate nouns also obey this rule. Thus, fant (a boy) has an accusative of fanta.
2. Nouns whose roots end in C, Č, Ž, Š, J are subject to preglas. The letter -o- of the endings is replaced by an -e-. Thus, stric (an uncle) has the instrumental form stricem.
3. Some monosyllabic nouns have the ending -u instead of -a in genitive singular. For example, grad (a castle) has a genitive singular of gradu.
4. In the plural and dual forms, monosyllabic nouns often have an -ov- added before the endings. Thus, zid (wall) - zidova - zidovi.
5. Nouns taken from other languages may have the ending -o or -e in nominative singular; for example, avto (car) or finale.
6. The nouns mož (husband or man), zob (tooth), and las (hair) have the ending -je in nominative plural instead of -i: možje, zobje, lasje. Some allow either form. For example, fant (boy), gost (guest), škof (bishop). These same nouns also have a genitive plural and dual without any endings.
7. For masculine nouns with the fill vowel, -e-, in the nominative singular case, drop this letter in all other cases. Thus, vrelec (thermal spring) has genitive singular vrelca.
8. Some nouns add to their stem -j- (if the nominative ends in -r), -t- (if for proper nouns ending in -e) or -n- (if the nominative ends in -lj) in all other cases. Thus, redar (security guard at a public event) - redarja; Zvone - Zvoneta; nagelj (carnation) - nageljna.
9. The noun otrok (child) has a nominative plural of otroci and a locative dual of otrocih.
10. The noun človek (human) has a different stem in the plural and in the genitive and locative dual. ljud-. Thus: in the plural, ljudje - ljudi - ljudem - ljudi - pri ljudeh - z ljudmi; in the dual: človeka - ljudi - človekoma - človeka - pri ljudeh - s človekoma (dual).

Second

This declension pattern is identical to the feminine first declension. Most nouns in this group can also be declined as a masculine first declension noun. The model noun for this declension is vojvoda, duke.

Masculine Second Declension

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	vojvoda	vojvodi	vojvode
Genitive (2)	vojvode	vojvod	vojvod
Dative (3)	vojvodi	vojvodama	vojvodam
Accusative (4)	vojvodo	vojvodi	vojvode
Locative (5) (pri/o)	vojvodi	vojvodah	vojvodah
Instrumental (6) (z)	vojvodo	vojvodama	vojvodami

The two forms for the nouns Luka (Luke, a name) are:

1. Nominative: Luka
2. Genitive: Luke or Luka
3. Dative: Luki or Luku
4. Accusative: Luko or Luka
5. Locative: pri Luki or pri Luku
6. Instrumental: z Luko or z Lukom

Third

The model noun for this declension is H₂O, or any other acronym or symbol.

Masculine Third Declension

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	H2O	H2O	H2O
Genitive (2)	H2O	H2O	H2O
Dative (3)	H2O	H2O	H2O
Accusative (4)	H2O	H2O	H2O
Locative (5) (pri/o)	H2O	H2O	H2O
Instrumental (6) (z)	H2O	H2O	H2O

All acronyms and symbols belong to this declension, but they may also be declined as per the first masculine declension, with an obligatory hyphen (-).

Thus, for the noun ATP (meaning adenozin trifosfat, adenosine triphosphate):

1. Nominative: ATP
2. Genitive: ATP or ATP-ja
3. Dative: ATP or ATP-ju
4. Accusative: ATP or ATP
5. Locative: pri ATP or pri ATP-ju
6. Instrumental: z ATP or z ATP-jem

Fourth

This declension pattern consists of masculine adjectival noun (posamostaljeni pridevnik). These nouns are declined as a regular masculine adjective.

Irregular masculine nouns

The most common irregular masculine noun is dan (day). The declension pattern is:

Declension of dan

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	dan	dni, dneva	dnevi
Genitive (2)	dne, dneva	dni	dni
Dative (3)	dne, dnevu	dnema, dnevoma	dnem, dnevom
Accusative (4)	dan	dni, dneva	dni, dneve
Locative (5) (pri/o)	dne, dnevu	dneh, dnevih	dneh, dnevih
Instrumental (6) (z)	dnem, dnevom	dnema, dnevoma	dnemi, dnevi

Neuter declensions

First

The model noun for this declension is mesto, city.

Neuter First Declension

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	mesto	mesti	mesta
Genitive (2)	mesta	mest	mest
Dative (3)	mestu	mestoma	mestom
Accusative (4)	mesto	mesti	mesta
Locative (5) (pri/o)	mestu	mestih	mestih
Instrumental (6) (z)	mestom	mestoma	mesti

• Nouns whose roots end in C, Č, Ž, Š, J are subject to preglas. The letter -o- of the endings is replaced by an -e-. Thus, sonce (sun) has the instrumental form soncem. .
• Some nouns have no ending in nominative singular, such as kolo (bicycle), ime (name), telo (body), and dekle (girl). These nouns extend their stem by -n-, -s- or -t- in all other cases and numbers (ime - imena, kolo - kolesa, dekle - dekleta).
• Nouns may insert a fill vowel (-e-/schwa or -i- before j) in the genitive dual and plural cases. For example: okno (window) - oken, veselje (happiness) - veselij.
• The noun oko (eyes) has a different plural forms when referring to human eyes. This form is oči, the dual form, which in the plural is declined as a second feminine declension plural noun. Furthermore, its stem is očes- for most of the nouns.

Fourth

This declension pattern consists of neuter adjectival noun (posamostaljeni pridevnik). These nouns are declined as a regular neuter adjectives. Certain town names also fall in this category.

Mass noun

In Slovene, mass nouns are either singular or plural.

Uncountable nouns used in the singular only can be split into three groups, denoting the following:

• matter (voda (water) (though plural when talking about rivers, lakes and seas), kri (blood), pesek (sand))
• groups (drevje (trees), mladina (youth), pohištvo (furniture))
• concepts (ljubezen (love), zdravje (health), mir (peace), znanje (knowledge))

Plural nouns are, for example, the following: pljuča (lungs), sani (sleigh), norice (smallpox), možgani (brain). In addition, normally the plural is used instead of the dual for body parts (roke (arms), ušesa (ears)), clothes (nogavice (socks)), devices (rolerji (rollerblades), and for biological pairs (starši (parents)), except when stressing that there are only two (or one).

It is permissible to use plural or dual forms for uncountable singular nouns when stressing the diversity or the number. (Obstaja več ljubezni. (Literally: 'There are more loves.') -- but this is better said "Obstaja več vrst ljubezni. (There are more types of love.))

Adjectives

The declension of adjectives is as follows:

Feminine Adjectival Declension

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	dežurna	dežurni	dežurne
Genitive (2)	dežurne	dežurnih	dežurnih
Dative (3)	dežurni	dežurnima	dežurnim
Accusative (4)	dežurno	dežurni	dežurne
Locative (5) (pri/o)	dežurni	dežurnih	dežurnih
Instrumental (6) (z)	dežurno	dežurnima	dežurnimi

Masculine Adjectival Declension

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	dežurni	dežurna	dežurni
Genitive (2)	dežurnega	dežurnih	dežurnih
Dative (3)	dežurnemu	dežurnima	dežurnim
Accusative (4)	dežurnega	dežurna	dežurne
Locative (5) (pri/o)	dežurnem	dežurnih	dežurnih
Instrumental (6) (z)	dežurnim	dežurnima	dežurnimi

For adjective, the ending given above for the accusative case is only used for nouns modifying animate nouns or for adjectival nouns. Otherwise, the nominative singular form is used. In order to form the indefinite adjective, no ending is used instead.

Neuter Adjectival Declension

	Number
Case	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative (1)	dežurno	dežurni	dežurna
Genitive (2)	dežurnega	dežurnih	dežurnih
Dative (3)	dežurnemu	dežurnima	dežurnim
Accusative (4)	dežurno	dežurni	dežurna
Locative (5) (pri/o)	dežurnem	dežurnih	dežurnih
Instrumental (6) (z)	dežurnim	dežurnima	dežurnimi

In nominative and accusative singular, the ending is -e instead of -o for adjectives ending in c, č, ž, š and j ("preglas").