When we use the word brez, it means "without." It's always followed by a noun in the genitive case. For example, if you want to say "without sugar," you would say "brez sladkorja."
It's a really common preposition and you'll hear it a lot in everyday conversations. You can use it to describe a lack of something or someone. For instance, "without a car" would be "brez avta."
Remember that genitive case after brez is important, so pay attention to how the noun changes. This is a good way to practice your genitive case endings!
§ Understanding 'brez'
The Slovenian word 'brez' means 'without'. It's a very common preposition you'll hear and use often. Think of it as the opposite of 'z' (with).
- Slovenian word
- brez
- English definition
- without
§ 'Brez' and the Genitive Case
This is important: 'brez' always takes the genitive case. If you're not familiar with cases, don't worry too much right now. Just remember that the word following 'brez' will change its ending. This is how Slovenian grammar works.
Let's look at some examples:
- When you say 'without sugar', 'sugar' (sladkor) is in the genitive case.
- When you say 'without money', 'money' (denar) is in the genitive case.
For now, focus on recognizing the pattern and don't get too bogged down in memorizing all the genitive endings. You'll pick them up as you go.
§ Examples of 'brez' in sentences
Here are some common phrases and sentences using 'brez'. Pay attention to the word following 'brez' and how its ending might look different from its basic form.
Pijem kavo brez sladkorja.
- Translation hint
- I drink coffee without sugar.
Ne morem živeti brez tebe.
- Translation hint
- I cannot live without you.
Prišel je brez denarja.
- Translation hint
- He came without money.
Avto je brez bencina.
- Translation hint
- The car is without petrol.
Odšel je brez pozdrava.
- Translation hint
- He left without saying goodbye (without a greeting).
Ne morem biti brez glasbe.
- Translation hint
- I cannot be without music.
§ Common phrases with 'brez'
Here are some useful, ready-to-use phrases:
brez problema (without a problem / no problem)
To lahko naredim brez problema.
- Translation hint
- I can do that without a problem.
brez dvoma (without a doubt / undoubtedly)
On je brez dvoma najboljši.
- Translation hint
- He is undoubtedly the best.
brez razloga (without reason)
Zakaj si to storil brez razloga?
- Translation hint
- Why did you do that without reason?
§ Summary of 'brez'
The key takeaway is that 'brez' is a powerful little word for expressing 'without'. Always remember it triggers the genitive case for the noun or pronoun that follows it.
§ Mistakes with brez
The Slovenian word brez means "without." It's a common word, and it's essential for forming many everyday sentences. However, there are a couple of common mistakes English speakers often make when using it. Let's look at them so you can avoid them.
§ Mistake 1: Not using the genitive case
This is the biggest and most important mistake to avoid. In Slovenian, prepositions often govern specific cases. Brez always, always, always requires the genitive case. If you use another case, your sentence will sound incorrect to a native speaker.
Let's look at some examples to make this clear. Imagine you want to say "without sugar." The word for sugar is sladkor. In the nominative case (the dictionary form), it's sladkor. But with brez, it needs to be in the genitive case, which is sladkorja.
Kavo pijem brez sladkorja.
- Hint
- I drink coffee without sugar.
If you said "Kavo pijem brez sladkor," it would be grammatically wrong. Similarly, if you want to say "without problems," the word for problem is problem. In the genitive plural, it becomes problemov.
Želim živeti brez problemov.
- Hint
- I want to live without problems.
§ Mistake 2: Translating word-for-word "without doing something"
English speakers sometimes try to translate phrases like "without doing something" directly. For example, if you want to say "without saying anything," you might be tempted to use an infinitive after brez. However, this is not how it works in Slovenian.
Instead of an infinitive, Slovenian often uses a subordinate clause or a different construction when expressing "without doing something."
Odšel je, ne da bi kaj rekel.
- Hint
- He left without saying anything. (Literally: He left, not that he would say anything.)
You wouldn't say "Odšel je brez reči kaj" (which would be a direct, incorrect translation). While brez can be followed by a verbal noun (which is less common for beginners), it's more natural to use constructions like ne da bi + subjunctive or similar phrases when talking about actions. For now, focus on mastering brez with nouns in the genitive case.
§ Summary of key points for brez
- Always use the genitive case after brez. This is non-negotiable.
- Do not directly translate "without doing something" using brez and an infinitive.
By keeping these two points in mind, you will avoid the most common errors with brez and sound much more natural when speaking Slovenian.
حقيقة ممتعة
The 'z' in 'brez' is a common feature in Slavic languages, often indicating a lack or absence.
سهل الخلط
Many English speakers find prepositions difficult. 'Brez' can be confusing because it doesn't always directly translate word-for-word in idiomatic expressions.
'Brez' means 'without'. It's used when something is missing or absent.
Kava brez sladkorja. (Coffee without sugar.)
Similar to 'brez' in some contexts, but 'razen' means 'except' or 'apart from'.
'Razen' indicates an exclusion from a group. 'Brez' indicates an absence of something.
Vsi so prišli, razen Petra. (Everyone came, except Peter.)
The prepositions 's' (or 'z' before certain letters) mean 'with', which is the opposite of 'brez'. New learners often mix them up.
'S/z' indicates accompaniment or the use of an instrument. 'Brez' indicates lack of these.
Pijem kavo s sladkorjem. (I drink coffee with sugar.)
This verb means 'is missing' or 'lacks', which expresses a similar idea to 'brez' but in a verbal form.
'Manjka' is a verb, while 'brez' is a preposition. 'Brez' is followed by a noun in the genitive case.
Manjka mi denar. (I'm missing money.)
أصل الكلمة
Proto-Slavic
المعنى الأصلي: *bez
Indo-Europeanالسياق الثقافي
When talking about Slovenian culture, you might hear 'brez mesa' (without meat) for vegetarians, or 'brez skrbi' (without worries) as a common idiom for 'no worries'.
تدرّب في الحياة الواقعية
سياقات واقعية
Ordering a drink
- Kavo prosil, brez sladkorja. (Coffee please, without sugar.)
- Čaj brez mleka. (Tea without milk.)
- Voda z limono, brez ledu. (Water with lemon, without ice.)
Describing ingredients in food
- To je juha brez mesa. (This is soup without meat.)
- Piškoti brez glutena. (Cookies without gluten.)
- Omaka brez česna. (Sauce without garlic.)
Expressing absence or lack
- Sem brez denarja. (I am without money.)
- Življenje brez tebe je prazno. (Life without you is empty.)
- Knjiga brez slik. (A book without pictures.)
Stating conditions or requirements
- Ne moreš vstopiti brez vstopnice. (You cannot enter without a ticket.)
- To je mogoče samo brez strahu. (This is only possible without fear.)
- Ne govori brez premisleka. (Don't speak without thinking.)
Describing actions or states
- Spim brez blazine. (I sleep without a pillow.)
- Prišel je brez opozorila. (He came without warning.)
- Živel je brez skrbi. (He lived without worries.)
بدايات محادثة
"Kaj bi naročili v kavarni, če ste "brez" nečesa?"
"Opišite svoj najljubši obrok. Kaj bi jedli "brez"?"
"Kako bi opisali življenje "brez" interneta?"
"Kaj je ena stvar, ki je ne morete narediti "brez"?"
"Bi raje živeli "brez" stresa ali "brez" dela?"
مواضيع للكتابة اليومية
Napišite pet stavkov o stvareh, ki jih običajno jeste ali pijete "brez" nečesa.
Razmislite o dveh stvareh, ki jih počnete vsak dan. Kako bi bilo, če bi ju morali početi "brez"?
Opišite nekoga, ki ga poznate, z uporabo besede "brez" vsaj trikrat.
Napišite kratek odstavek o tem, kako bi bilo vaše življenje "brez" vaše najljubše stvari.
Zamislite si, da ste na potovanju. Napišite tri stvari, ki jih boste zagotovo vzeli s seboj, in tri stvari, ki jih boste pustili doma, torej boste "brez" njih.
اختبر نفسك 36 أسئلة
I am without coffee.
She is without a car.
We are without water.
Read this aloud:
Jaz sem brez problema.
Focus: brez
قلت:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
On je brez denarja.
Focus: brez
قلت:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Ti si brez knjige.
Focus: brez
قلت:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence means 'I am without money.' The word order in Slovenian is similar to English for this simple phrase.
This means 'She is without a car.' In Slovenian, the subject, verb, and 'brez' followed by the noun is a common structure.
This translates to 'We are without a problem.' The plural form of 'to be' (smo) is used with 'Mi' (We).
Ne morem živeti ___ kave. (I can't live ___ coffee.)
The preposition 'brez' means 'without' and takes the genitive case, which is appropriate here.
Prišel je na zabavo ___ vabila. (He came to the party ___ an invitation.)
'Brez' indicates the absence of something. In this context, it means 'without an invitation'.
Otroci so se igrali ___ skrbi. (The children played ___ worries.)
'Brez skrbi' is a common phrase meaning 'without worries'.
Nikoli ne grem od doma ___ dežnika, če je napovedan dež. (I never leave home ___ an umbrella if rain is forecast.)
To leave 'without' something, use 'brez'.
Projekt so zaključili ___ večjih težav. (They completed the project ___ major difficulties.)
'Brez' signifies the absence of difficulties.
Težko si predstavljam življenje ___ interneta. (I can hardly imagine life ___ the internet.)
'Brez' is used to express the lack of something essential.
Listen for 'brez mleka'.
Listen for 'brez blazine'.
Listen for 'brez načrta'.
Read this aloud:
Hočem kosilo brez mesa.
Focus: brez
قلت:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Ne morem živeti brez glasbe.
Focus: glasbe
قلت:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Ali imaš pijačo brez sladkorja?
Focus: sladkorja
قلت:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Is the report complete or without errors?
Their strategy is risky because they operate without a clear plan.
They completed the project without external help, which is impressive.
Read this aloud:
Pričakujem, da bo nova programska oprema delovala brezhibno, brez kakršnih koli tehničnih težav.
Focus: brezhibno
قلت:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Po več urah razprave, so končno dosegli sporazum brez kompromisov.
Focus: kompromisov
قلت:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Čeprav je bil pritisk velik, je ostala mirna in je nalogo opravila brez stresa.
Focus: stresa
قلت:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Njegovo življenje je bilo vedno polno izzivov, vendar nikoli ni obupal, saj je bil ___ strahu pred neuspehom.
'Brez' (without) is the correct preposition to convey the meaning that he was devoid of fear.
Po letih napornega dela in odrekanj je končno dosegel svoj cilj, ___ pomoči kogar koli.
'Brez' (without) signifies that he achieved his goal independently, without external assistance.
Čeprav je bil obtožen hude prevare, so ga na koncu oprostili, saj so dokazali, da je bil popolnoma ___ krivde.
'Brez' (without) is used to express that he was entirely free from guilt.
Uživala je v samotnem sprehodu po gozdu, ___ kakršnih koli skrbi ali obveznosti.
'Brez' (without) correctly indicates that her walk was free from worries or obligations.
Njegova odločitev je bila drzna in nepričakovana, saj je bila sprejeta popolnoma ___ vpliva zunanjih dejavnikov.
'Brez' (without) is the appropriate preposition to convey that the decision was made independently of external influences.
Kljub slabim napovedim je projekt uspel, saj so vsi delali s takšno vnemo, ___ počitka in predaha.
'Brez' (without) indicates that they worked continuously, without taking breaks.
/ 36 correct
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