Greetings
Dober dan
DOH-ber dahn
Good day — the standard polite greeting. 'Živjo' is the informal one and is used constantly among people under fifty.
Daily life
EMŠO
EM-shoh
The unique personal identification number. Foreign residents are assigned one and it is required for almost every registration.
Davčna številka
DAVCH-na shte-VEEL-ka
Tax number, issued by the Financial Administration. Needed before an employer can pay you and before you can open a bank account.
Upravna enota
oo-PRAV-na eh-NOH-ta
The administrative unit — the local government office that issues residence permits and registers your address. Your unit is decided by where you live.
Prijava prebivališča
PREE-ya-va preh-bee-VA-lish-cha
Residence registration at the administrative unit, required shortly after you move in and again whenever you change address.
Kavalir
ka-va-LEER
The little electric vehicles that ferry people around Ljubljana's pedestrian centre free of charge. You wave at one and it stops.
Social
Kava
KA-va
Coffee — and an hour on a riverside terrace, not a takeaway cup. The Ljubljanica embankments are the city's living room.
Na zdravje
nah ZDRAHV-yeh
'To health' — the toast, and also what you say when someone sneezes. Eye contact is expected.
Culture
Hribi
HREE-bee
The hills. Slovenians hike constantly and a Saturday plan involving hribi needs no further explanation.
Food
Potica
po-TEE-tsa
A rolled yeast cake with walnut or tarragon filling. The national baked good and the thing that appears at every holiday.
Emergency
112 / 113
—
112 for fire, ambulance and rescue; 113 for the police. Slovenia keeps the two separate and it is worth knowing which you want.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.