Slovenian - English translation

Keeping the information Slovenian encodes when writing English

Do not lose the two people inside a dual verb

Slovenian dual forms can tell the reader that exactly two people are involved even when no separate word for two appears. “Prišla sva” can be “The two of us arrived.” Translating it merely as we arrived may be sufficient in some exchanges, but it loses the explicit group-size information if that fact matters to the arrangement.

In a booking or pickup message, retain the number when the recipient needs it. An English reader cannot recover exactly two from ordinary we. Do not expand the group because English lacks a special dual ending, and do not describe dual as a separate time tense. It is a distinction in grammatical number, relevant to participants and objects rather than to when an event happened.

Context determines how prominently to express it. If the previous sentence already establishes a two-person booking, repeated both of us may be unnecessary. If the message is read alone, the two of us can prevent a misunderstanding. Preserve the useful information without adding a repetitive explanation to every sentence.

One present form can describe now or a routine

“Pišem sporočilo” can be “I’m writing a message” when describing an activity underway. “Pišem vsak dan” can be “I write every day” when describing a routine. Slovenian does not need to reproduce the English contrast between a simple present and am plus an -ing form to convey these meanings.

Choose the English construction according to what the writer is doing in the exchange. A status update about an unfinished message and a statement about a daily habit answer different questions. Words indicating repetition or the immediate situation help distinguish them. Copying the same English tense across all present-tense Slovenian verbs can make an ordinary routine sound temporary or turn a current activity into a habit.

Recover subjects and references before choosing English pronouns

Slovenian can omit subject pronouns when verb forms and context identify the participant. English usually needs an expressed subject in a complete statement. Identify the person from the verb and the surrounding conversation, rather than inserting the last name mentioned as the automatic subject. Past participle agreement can provide clues, but it should be read as part of the full clause.

Also distinguish grammatical gender assigned to objects from information about people. An English pronoun for a document or an ordinary inanimate item is generally it, even when the Slovenian noun and its agreement are masculine or feminine. A noun’s grammatical class does not turn an object into a human participant.

Supply articles without changing which item is meant

English may need a message when an item is first introduced and the message when the same item is discussed again. Slovenian does not mark that distinction through a directly corresponding article in every noun phrase. Read the chain of references before adding English a or the.

This is particularly helpful in instructions with several documents or reservations. An apparently minor article choice can imply that a new item has appeared or that the reader should already know a specific one. Keep the object, its owner, and its identity consistent as you rebuild natural English sentences.