Signification
The act of composing a letter.
Contexte culturel
The 'Pismo Božičku' (Letter to Santa) is a huge event. The Slovenian Post even has a special 'Santa's Post' office in the town of Celje where children get replies. Historical letters from the front lines during WWI and WWII are preserved in many Slovenian families as 'dragoceni spomini' (precious memories). Slovenians are very proud of their handwriting (pisava). In schools, there is still an emphasis on 'lepopis' (calligraphy/neat writing). The 'Open Letter' (Odprto pismo) is a common tool for public intellectuals to criticize the government or social trends in major newspapers.
The Neuter Rule
Remember that 'pismo' is neuter. This makes it easy because the object form (accusative) is the same as the subject form (nominative).
Don't say 'pisam'
Even though many Slovenian verbs end in -am, 'pisati' is an 'i-conjugation' verb. It's 'pišem'.
Signification
The act of composing a letter.
The Neuter Rule
Remember that 'pismo' is neuter. This makes it easy because the object form (accusative) is the same as the subject form (nominative).
Don't say 'pisam'
Even though many Slovenian verbs end in -am, 'pisati' is an 'i-conjugation' verb. It's 'pišem'.
Use 'eno'
If you want to sound more natural, say 'Pišem eno pismo' (I'm writing a letter). It adds a friendly, informal touch.
Postcards count!
In Slovenia, writing a postcard (razglednica) is often referred to as 'pisati pismo' in a general sense of sending mail.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'pisati'.
Jaz ______ pismo prijatelju.
The first person singular form of 'pisati' is 'pišem'.
Which sentence is correct?
Select the correct way to say 'He is writing a letter'.
The third person singular form is 'piše'.
Match the Slovenian phrase with its English translation.
Match the following:
This tests your understanding of aspect and prefixes.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Kaj delaš? B: ______ pismo babici.
The context of 'pismo' requires the verb 'to write'.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Pisati vs Napisati
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesJaz ______ pismo prijatelju.
The first person singular form of 'pisati' is 'pišem'.
Select the correct way to say 'He is writing a letter'.
The third person singular form is 'piše'.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
This tests your understanding of aspect and prefixes.
A: Kaj delaš? B: ______ pismo babici.
The context of 'pismo' requires the verb 'to write'.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
14 questionsTechnically no, you should say 'pisati mejl' or 'pisati e-pošto', but older people might use 'pismo' metaphorically.
Usually, yes. It can also mean 'scripture' (Sveto pismo - The Holy Bible).
Use 'Pišem vam pismo.'
The plural is 'pisma'.
It is imperfective. The perfective is 'napisati'.
No, for that use 'pisati sporočilo'.
The Accusative case for the object (pismo) and Dative for the recipient.
It is becoming rare, but still highly valued for birthdays and holidays.
Ljubezensko pismo.
An 'open letter' published in a newspaper for everyone to read.
In slang, 'pismo' can be an exclamation of surprise, similar to 'Letter!' or 'My god!', though this is dated.
Usually with 'Dragi...' (Dear...) for informal or 'Spoštovani...' (Respected...) for formal.
No, every letter in Slovenian is pronounced.
Yes, it is one of the first collocations you learn.
Expressions liées
napisati pismo
similarto finish writing a letter
odpisati na pismo
builds onto reply to a letter
poslati pismo
builds onto send a letter
prejeti pismo
contrastto receive a letter
ljubezensko pismo
specialized formlove letter
uradno pismo
specialized formofficial/formal letter
