Jesti kosilo
To eat lunch
Phrase in 30 Seconds
The essential way to describe eating your main midday meal in Slovenia.
- Means: To eat the midday meal (kosilo).
- Used in: Daily routines, work breaks, and family gatherings.
- Don't confuse: With 'malica', which is a smaller mid-morning snack/lunch.
Explanation at your level:
Bedeutung
The act of having a midday meal.
Kultureller Hintergrund
Lunch is the main meal. It almost always starts with soup, usually 'goveja juha' (beef soup) or 'gobova juha' (mushroom soup). Most employees have a 30-minute break for 'malica' or 'kosilo'. Many companies provide vouchers or have their own canteens. Sunday lunch is a long, multi-generational event. It is the most formal 'kosilo' of the week. Schools provide a warm lunch for students, which is subsidized by the state. It is a key part of the school day.
The Soup Rule
If you are eating 'kosilo' in a traditional setting, always start with the soup. It's culturally expected!
Irregular Verb
Remember that 'jesti' is irregular. 'Jem' (I eat) is very different from 'jesti' (to eat).
Bedeutung
The act of having a midday meal.
The Soup Rule
If you are eating 'kosilo' in a traditional setting, always start with the soup. It's culturally expected!
Irregular Verb
Remember that 'jesti' is irregular. 'Jem' (I eat) is very different from 'jesti' (to eat).
The Supine
When you say 'I am going to eat lunch', use 'Grem jest kosilo' (no 'i' at the end of jest).
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'jesti'.
Jaz vsak dan ______ kosilo ob 13.00.
The first person singular form of 'jesti' is 'jem'.
Which sentence is correct for an invitation?
How do you ask a friend to go to lunch?
'Kosilo' is the correct word for the midday meal.
Match the person with the correct verb form.
Match the following:
These are the correct present tense forms of 'jesti'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Ali si že ______ kosilo? B: Ne še, grem zdaj.
The past participle 'jedel' is needed for the past tense question.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Typical Slovenian Kosilo Courses
Juha (Soup)
- • Goveja juha
- • Gobova juha
- • Paradižnikova juha
Glavna jed (Main)
- • Pečenka
- • Dunajski zrezek
- • Golaž
Priloga (Side)
- • Pražen krompir
- • Riž
- • Testenine
Solata (Salad)
- • Zelena solata
- • Zelje
- • Fižolova solata
Häufig gestellte Fragen
12 FragenIn Slovenia, yes. A 'cold lunch' like a sandwich is usually called 'malica'.
Yes, but 'jesti kosilo' is more common for the actual act of eating.
'Jesti' is the process (I am eating), 'pojesti' is the completed action (I have eaten).
Between 12:00 and 15:00. On Sundays, it's often around 13:00.
It's becoming more common in cities, but most people prefer to go to a canteen or restaurant.
It is 'mi jémo'.
It is neuter (to kosilo).
The traditional Sunday family lunch, usually the most elaborate meal of the week.
Yes, 'poslovno kosilo' (business lunch) is very common.
Goveja juha (beef soup) with noodles.
No, for animals we usually use the verb 'žreti'.
You say 'Lačen sem' (masculine) or 'Lačna sem' (feminine).
Verwandte Redewendungen
iti na kosilo
similarto go to lunch
pripraviti kosilo
builds onto prepare lunch
zajtrkovati
contrastto eat breakfast
večerjati
contrastto eat dinner
malicati
similarto have a snack/light lunch
Wo du es verwendest
At the office
Sodelavec: Gremo jesti kosilo?
Ti: Ja, sem že zelo lačen!
At home with family
Mama: Otroci, jemo kosilo!
Otrok: Pridem čez minuto!
In a restaurant
Natakar: Boste jedli kosilo?
Gost: Da, prosim jedilni list.
On a first date
Oseba A: Bi šla jutri jesti kosilo?
Oseba B: Z veseljem, poznam odlično restavracijo.
Calling a friend
Prijatelj: Kaj delaš?
Ti: Ravno jem kosilo.
At school
Sošolec: Kaj je danes za kosilo?
Ti: Mislim, da so špageti.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Jesti' as 'Yeast' (bread/food) and 'Kosilo' as 'Cozy-low' (a cozy meal in the low part of the day).
Visual Association
Imagine a giant clock pointing to 12:00, but instead of numbers, there are bowls of steaming soup (the start of kosilo).
Rhyme
Ob enih jem, kosilo že vem!
Story
A farmer takes a 'kos' (piece) of bread to the field. As he eats it at noon, the sun is high. This 'kos' grows into a full 'kosilo' on a big table with his family.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Try to say 'Jem kosilo' every time you sit down for your midday meal today, even if you are alone!
In Other Languages
Almorzar
Spanish has a dedicated verb for the action.
Déjeuner
French 'déjeuner' can also mean breakfast in some dialects (like Swiss/Belgian).
Zu Mittag essen
German uses a prepositional phrase 'zu Mittag'.
昼ご飯を食べる (Hiru-gohan o taberu)
Japanese requires the object marker 'o'.
يتناول الغداء (Yatanāwal al-ghadā’)
The verb 'take' is more common in formal Arabic than 'eat'.
吃午饭 (Chī wǔfàn)
Chinese lacks the complex verb conjugations of Slovenian.
점심을 먹다 (Jeomsimeul meokda)
Korean uses different levels of politeness for the verb 'to eat'.
Almoçar
The single verb 'almoçar' is the standard default.
Easily Confused
Learners often don't know which one is 'lunch'.
Kosilo is the big, warm meal. Malica is the smaller snack or quick work lunch.
Direct translation from some languages where 'consume' is used for both.
In Slovenian, you always 'eat' (jesti) lunch, never 'drink' (piti) it.
FAQ (12)
In Slovenia, yes. A 'cold lunch' like a sandwich is usually called 'malica'.
Yes, but 'jesti kosilo' is more common for the actual act of eating.
'Jesti' is the process (I am eating), 'pojesti' is the completed action (I have eaten).
Between 12:00 and 15:00. On Sundays, it's often around 13:00.
It's becoming more common in cities, but most people prefer to go to a canteen or restaurant.
It is 'mi jémo'.
It is neuter (to kosilo).
The traditional Sunday family lunch, usually the most elaborate meal of the week.
Yes, 'poslovno kosilo' (business lunch) is very common.
Goveja juha (beef soup) with noodles.
No, for animals we usually use the verb 'žreti'.
You say 'Lačen sem' (masculine) or 'Lačna sem' (feminine).
