Ordering Multiple Clitics
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Slovenian clitics must follow a strict 'Se-Mi-Ti-Ga' order, always appearing in the second position of the sentence.
- Clitics (short pronouns/particles) must cluster together after the first stressed word.
- The order is fixed: 'se' (reflexive) > 'mi/ti/si' (dative) > 'ga/jo/ju' (accusative).
- If you have multiple clitics, they form a single block that cannot be separated.
Meanings
Clitics are unstressed words that cannot stand alone and must attach to the second position in a sentence. They follow a rigid hierarchy to ensure clarity.
Reflexive/Dative/Accusative sequence
Standard ordering of pronominal clitics.
“Videl sem ga.”
“Povedal mi ga je.”
Auxiliary placement
Placement of the auxiliary verb 'biti' within the clitic chain.
“Videl sem ga.”
“Rekel si mi.”
Clitic Order Hierarchy
| Position 1 | Position 2 | Position 3 | Position 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflexive (se) | Dative (mi/ti/mu/ji) | Accusative (ga/jo/ju) | Auxiliary (sem/si/je) |
Common Clitic Forms
| Type | Dative | Accusative |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Sing | mi | me |
| 2nd Sing | ti | te |
| 3rd Sing | mu/ji | ga/jo |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Word + se + dat + acc + aux | Videl se mi ga je. |
| Negative | Ne + se + dat + acc + aux | Ne se mi ga je dalo. |
| Question | Verb + se + dat + acc | Se ti ga je dalo? |
| Short Answer | Da/Ne + clitic | Da, se mi ga je. |
| Reflexive | Se + verb | Se smejim. |
| Dative-Accusative | Dat + Acc | Daj mi ga. |
フォーマル度スペクトル
Ne ljubi se mi ga storiti. (Daily life)
Ne da se mi ga narediti. (Daily life)
Se mi ga ne da. (Daily life)
Se mi ga ne da. (Daily life)
The Clitic Train
Chain
- se reflexive
- mi dative
- ga accusative
Clitic Order
Examples by Level
To mi je všeč.
I like this.
Kje ga imaš?
Where do you have it?
Daj mi ga.
Give it to me.
Se vidimo.
See you.
Videl sem ga včeraj.
I saw him yesterday.
Rekel si mi resnico.
You told me the truth.
Nisem ga videl.
I didn't see him.
Povedal mi je vse.
He told me everything.
Danes se mi ga ne ljubi pisati.
I don't feel like writing it today.
Zakaj si mi ga poslal?
Why did you send it to me?
Ona se mu je nasmehnila.
She smiled at him.
Niso nam ga hoteli dati.
They didn't want to give it to us.
Če bi se mi ga dalo, bi ga naredil.
If I felt like it, I would do it.
Vse se nam je zdelo čudno.
Everything seemed strange to us.
Niso se nam ga upali pokazati.
They didn't dare show it to us.
Povedal bi ti ga, če bi vedel.
I would tell you, if I knew.
Kakor se mi ga je zdelo, je bilo prav.
As it seemed to me, it was right.
Niti se mi ga ni dalo pogledati.
I didn't even feel like looking at it.
Bilo bi se nam ga treba naučiti.
We should have learned it.
Če se ti ga zdi preveč, povej.
If it seems like too much to you, say so.
Zdelo se mi ga je vredno omeniti.
It seemed worth mentioning to me.
Nikar se mi ga ne trudi razložiti.
Don't bother trying to explain it to me.
Kajpak se nam ga je ljubilo čakati.
Of course we felt like waiting for it.
Ko se mi ga je zljubilo, sem odšel.
When I felt like it, I left.
Easily Confused
Learners use full pronouns where clitics are required.
Putting the auxiliary before the pronoun.
Forgetting 'se' in reflexive verbs.
よくある間違い
Mi ga dal.
Dal mi ga je.
Ga mi je dal.
Mi ga je dal.
Dal mi je ga.
Dal mi ga je.
Se dal mi je.
Dal se mi je.
Ga sem videl.
Videl sem ga.
Mi je ga rekel.
Rekel mi ga je.
Se mi ga ne da.
Ne se mi ga da.
Mi ga je dal on.
On mi ga je dal.
Se mi ga je zdelo.
Zdelo se mi ga je.
Ga mi je bilo všeč.
Bilo mi ga je všeč.
Ga bi ti dal.
Dal bi ti ga.
Se nam ga je treba.
Treba se nam ga je.
Mi ga je bilo treba.
Treba mi ga je bilo.
Se ga mi je ljubilo.
Se mi ga je ljubilo.
Sentence Patterns
___ se mi ga ne da.
___ mi ga je dal.
Zdi ___ mi ga prav.
___ bi si ga upal.
Real World Usage
Se mi ga ne da.
Predstavil se mi je.
Dajte mi ga.
Pripravite mi ga.
Se mi ga zdi super.
Zdelo se mi ga je potrebno.
Always check the order
Don't start with a clitic
Use the auxiliary
Sound natural
Smart Tips
Use the SMTG acronym.
Put 'se' at the very front of the cluster.
Put 'ne' before the whole cluster.
Place the auxiliary at the end of the chain.
発音
Clitic stress
Clitics are unstressed and attach to the preceding word.
Falling
Se mi ga je. ↘
Statement of fact
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Remember 'Se-Mi-Ti-Ga': Se (reflexive), Mi (dative), Ti (dative), Ga (accusative).
Visual Association
Imagine a train where the cars must be attached in a specific order: the Reflexive engine, the Dative passenger car, and the Accusative cargo car.
Rhyme
Se, mi, ti, ga, in na koncu je, tako se v slovenščini pravilno pove.
Story
Imagine a man named 'Se' who meets 'Mi' and 'Ti' to give them 'Ga'. They always stand in that order in line at the shop.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Write 5 sentences using 'se', 'mi', and 'ga' in the correct order.
文化メモ
Clitics are used in all dialects, but the order is strictly enforced in standard language.
Clitics evolved from stressed pronouns that lost their stress over time.
Conversation Starters
Se ti ga da danes ven?
Kdo ti ga je dal?
Se ti ga zdi prav?
Bi si ga upal narediti?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Danes ___ (se/mi/ga) ne da.
Find and fix the mistake:
Ga mi je dal.
Which is correct?
Se mi ga da.
mi / dal / ga / je
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
A: Daj mi ga. B: ___.
Midva ___ (sem/sva/sta) ga videla.
Score: /8
練習問題
8 exercisesDanes ___ (se/mi/ga) ne da.
Find and fix the mistake:
Ga mi je dal.
Which is correct?
Se mi ga da.
mi / dal / ga / je
se
A: Daj mi ga. B: ___.
Midva ___ (sem/sva/sta) ga videla.
Score: /8
よくある質問 (8)
No, clitics are unstressed and cannot start a sentence.
You usually don't. Use a prepositional phrase instead.
No, the hierarchy remains the same.
It's a rule of Slovenian syntax to prioritize reflexive markers.
Yes, they are standard in all registers.
Only if you use a full pronoun, but that changes the emphasis.
Some dialects might vary, but stick to standard for learning.
Write sentences and check the order against the SMTG rule.
In Other Languages
me lo da
Spanish clitics attach to the verb.
il me le donne
French clitics are always pre-verbal.
er gibt es mir
German does not have a clitic cluster system.
kore o kureta
Japanese has no clitic clusters.
a'tanihi
Arabic suffixes are attached to the verb.
ta gei wo le
Chinese has no clitic system.
