booboo24

It made me laugh and its so true!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=cUkkW7cauPE and on the right u'll see nr 1, 2, 3.4...

SloJohn

Thanks for that booboo!

I think I've got more chance of winning the lottery than speaking Slovenian to a useful level. Will stick with the English and continue to improve my German.

mbkarl

Is the guy presenting that show first language German? So learning Slovenian may have been a bit easier.

I would like to hear more of how he did it, as there is nothing here for adult learners of Slovenian.

I don't think learning Slovenian is impossible, I'm trying but it's going to take time.

Managing other peoples expectations is key as well, learning a new language as an adult is never going to be easy.

I tell Slovenians if they want a similar experience to what I'm going through, to go learn Chinese or Arabic from scratch.

fizzytom

I think that knowledge of German or Russian really helps when learning Slovenian. If you understand the German cases Slovenian isn't quite so frightening.

I know that Proverba, a language school based in Brestrnica (western side of Maribor) offers Slovene lessons, not cheap but the cost drops the more students there are in the group.

I find listening to the radio helps a lot (if you listen to phone ins - such as the music choice hour in the afternoon on Radio Si - you also get exposed to the different regional accents), I like to pick up the free papers too. I can listen to a news bulletin and understand the majority of it but it's saying what I want to say from scratch is more difficult.

AntsMcMurdosch

The chap is from the USA. He had a blog that I found a few years ago that has lain dormant for a long while, and some of the material comes from there: http://www.carniola.org/

At the time it was one of the few English blogs on Slovenia I could find, and some of the material has found its way to this radio series. I'm told he also reads the news in English on the radio, for the Slovenian equivalent of the British Council.

I'm not especially talented with languages, but I do find them fascinating. I dabbled in French, Italian and Spanish growing up, and could actually get by fairly well with Swedish due to connections there (that was the easiest of the lot), but Slovenian is extremely difficult and isn't helped by the fact there is little-to-no quality self-learning material around. You do really need someone to teach you, and I prefer self-learning.

If any of you do want lessons, let me know. My girlfriend is a literary translator and also teaches, so she knows quite a few teachers based in different places, so I'm sure she could put you in touch with a teacher close by.

Greentricky

I know from experience that Ontario in Ptuj offer reasonable slovene tuition but it isn't cheap. I am currently trying to learn myself from books but its not the most enjoyable experience I have ever known

fizzytom

I've been self teaching and find it Ok - but I'm trained to teach English to speakers of other languages and I already know German well (as well as French, Spanish and Italian) so the grammar makes sense to me and doesn't scare me - in fact I'm a bit nerdy and enjoy it.

The Teach Yourself Slovene CD and book isn't bad (the one with the yellow logo) but you do need to supplement it with listening to lots of Slovene. When we were travelling a few years ago around the Black Sea a few people told us they had learned English via the World Service. I was sceptical - I couldn't see how no lessons and listening to English would help you but actually I find that I can listen to a radio news bulletin and understand most of it. Eventually you start to identify patterns in the grammar.

billycornelly

I got pretty good on turkish by holidaying and then visiting friends out of season and when we bought our place in slovenia i wasn't too worried about learning the lingo but ouch! got a huge shock at how difficult it is, several words for one english and the dreaded dual but I am slowly starting to make sense of it, our grandkids started school last september and are really good they show us up but my excuse is I am sometimes too tired to study after working on the house.

booboo24

I went there about 4/5 years ago to enquire and it was 25 Euros for 40 minutes I asked if I gathered up a few people would it bring the price down and I got a big NO!

Entering our sixth year and I have given up on trying to learn it, I've got the CDs, books, listen to the radio etc. I've even tried watching children's programs
I have heard all the stories of people who have been here a few months and now speak fluent Slovenian but have yet to meet one!

billycornelly

Crikey una, nobody can say you aint tried, how is chris doing? one thing I can say is that everyone comments that I speak better slovene when I'm drunk but you don't drink and after last weekend I feel like abstaining( well maybe for a week)

mbkarl

Everyone is different and will pick things up at a different pace.

There is no secret easy method to learning this and if someone does find it please share!

Native Slovenian speakers can help you pronouncing things correctly, but ignore any advice/comments/jokes on how learn and remember things, only you will figure this out. (unless that person has learned Chinese or Arabic or something as equally insane as Slovenian as an adult!)

We will all get there in the end, but none of us can predict how long it will take

fizzytom

I've found that often if you ask a question about grammar Slovenes argue among themselves about why something is the way it is. If Slovenes can't agree on it you can see why foreigners struggle to understand it.

mbkarl

Exactly, there are so many ways of saying the same thing in Slovenian.

Also the thing about local accents/dialects is over played. Once you Slovenian is at such a level you can fluently speak/understand natives, you will adjust to the accent your hearing, as you do with English.

As lets be honest not everyone speaks proper English like us geordies do

fizzytom

Wey aye!

booboo24

I have to admit I have never studied it as such...as in sat down everyday for hours and hours!

What I do find helpful is reading the subtitles when watching a movie and I agree with fizz about listening to the radio!