I use my “professional” Twitter account for three things: occasional reposts of TSN stories, a moshpit for engaging with Brexiteers, and a way to learn Slovenian 280 characters at a time. With regard to the latter I follow local names and dig down into the tweets and replies, hitting Google Translate when needed and saving the texts for printing and study at leisure. It’s a lot of fun, and I like to think I’m progressing, but one person who certainly is Julia Borden, the woman behind the excellent Živjo Luka! account, which documents – a word or phrase at a time – her quest to master the language. Her joy of discovery is beautiful and inspiring, and intrigued by her tweets I sent along some questions to learn more, and she kindly replied…

When I first heard Slovene, I thought people were so friendly because everyone got adorable nicknames. Like Ana became Ani, Marko became Marku. Only once I started to learn the language did I realize that this was simply standard noun conjugation. #Slovenia

— ZivjoLuka (@ZivjoLuka) May 6, 2020

Who are you?

My name is Julia Borden. I’m from California and currently live here. I’m a PhD student and avid Slovene learner.

Why the interest in learning Slovenian?

My partner is Slovenian, and even though he speaks English fluently, I’m trying to learn to better communicate with him and his family. The language is really difficult to master, and I’m often frustrated with the grammar. But it’s also interesting linguistically, and I find it to be quite poetic!

I love that the word for plant, "rastlina", comes from the root "rast", which means growth. So a plant is "one that grows". So poetic and reflective of Slovenes being gifted gardeners and plant lovers! #Slovenia #LanguageLearning

— ZivjoLuka (@ZivjoLuka) June 19, 2020

I started the account because I wanted to capture everything I was learning and discovering. My partner and I both love basketball and Luka Dončić, and this was around the time that Luka was really becoming a sensation on the Mavs, so I thought it would be fun to base the account on my desire to talk to him one day in his native language. It’s maybe not the full reason I started the account, but it would still be amazing to say “Živjo!” to Luka!

What other languages do you speak, and how difficult do you think Slovenian is?

I’m a native English speaker, and a proficient Spanish speaker. Slovene is my first Slavic language, and man is it tough! The trickiest part is trying to learn the six declination cases, since we don’t have this in English.

Every time I try and say a sentence that requires noun and adjective inflection (which is all of them) I feel like I'm throwing darts at a board. Maybe it's -e? or -a? or -om? I'm right about 5% of the time, and those moments are pure joy. #Slovenia #LanguageLearning

— ZivjoLuka (@ZivjoLuka) June 16, 2020

When did you start learning Slovenian?

I started taking an online class through the Slovenian Union of America once a week about a year ago, though it ended in May.

What methods do you use, and why do they appeal to you?

Unfortunately, since not many people speak Slovene outside of Slovenia, there aren’t many easily accessible ways to learn such as through Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, or even university classes. I have 1,2,3 Gremo, and the class worked with the textbook Slovenska Beseda v Živo. Having a class and learning with other people helps a lot, since I’m not living in Slovenia, which would be the best way to learn! I also learn quite a bit through brainstorming ideas for Živjo Luka.

A basketball phrase for y'all: if you sink a basketball into the net it’s called “brez kosti” which means “boneless”. @luka7doncic we Americans out here tryin to learn some SLOVENE! Retweet so Luka knows we exist :) #Slovenia #LanguageLearning

— ZivjoLuka (@ZivjoLuka) June 12, 2020

Do you plan on visiting Slovenia?

I’ve been to Slovenia a couple of times, and I was planning to go again this June, but the coronavirus prevented that from happening.

What are some of the words, phrases that you find most interesting?

I absolutely love the unique idioms and phrases that Slovene has! Like “pojdite v gosjem redu”, “to imam v malem prstu”, and especially “tristo kosmatih medvedov”. 

Next time you encounter a toddler with too much energy who is zooming around, you can do as the Slovenes do and tell them "imaš sršene v riti!" ("you have hornets up your butt!"). #Slovenia #LanguageLearning

— ZivjoLuka (@ZivjoLuka) May 25, 2020

How are you enjoying Twitter?

I’ve received some really great comments from people on Twitter, pointing out nuances of the language I hadn’t noticed or thought about. It’s been a great way to learn that takes me beyond the pages of a textbook.

Slovene has formal & informal "you". So if I say to a Slovene grandma "Kako si?" (how are you (informal)) she could say "Vikaj me!" (say formal "you" to me!) which is an informal way to tell me to be more formal. Meta manners. #Slovenia #LanguageLearning

— ZivjoLuka (@ZivjoLuka) May 17, 2020

With the introduction over, and a few examples shown in this story, it’s time for you to head over to Twitter and follow Živjo Luka!. But also click here to check out all our stories on learning Slovenian.

STA, 22 June 2020 - Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg told the press after they met in Ljubljana on Monday that they would do everything in their power so that the shared border was not closed again due to Covid-19. The countries have boosted information exchange and coordination in this field, they added.

Logar stressed that Slovenia, which had its borders opened to a majority of the Western Balkan countries until recently, was keeping close tabs on the development of the pandemic in the countries and taking quick measures if the epidemiological situation worsened.

Schallenberg said regarding Slovenia's decision to remove a majority of the Western Balkan countries from the so-called green list that "one needs to be aware that if one Schengen area country opens its borders, it assumes the responsibility of all others".

He explained that Austria decided which country was safe not only based on an increase in the number of infected persons, but also on a set of other criteria, including to which countries have opened up to these countries.

Ministra @AnzeLog in Schallenberg sta poudarila odlične odnose med državama, izpostavila Leto sosedskega dialoga in zadovoljstvo z dobrim gospodarskim sodelovanjem. Minister Logar je izpostavil tudi pričakovanja slovenske narodne skupnosti v ??➡️https://t.co/MkS2cGhSGz pic.twitter.com/sPphivf2RX

— SLOVENIAN MFA (@MZZRS) June 22, 2020

Logar and Schallenberg agreed they will keep each other informed about future measures and coordinate the country's actions, if necessary. The latter said he could not promise that movement across the shared border would not be restricted again.

The countries are doing everything they can to prevent this, because they do not only share the border, as many citizens and families in both countries are closely connected to the border area, the Austrian minister added.

Logar also said that he had agreed with Schallenberg that reviving the trade flow, including by keeping borders open, and kick-starting the economy and life in general was very important for recovery after the pandemic.

Austria in particular is important for economic cooperation as it is at the top in terms of foreign investments, volume of trade and arrivals of tourists, he added.

Remaining an open issue is control on the Austrian side of the border aimed at stemming illegal migration, which Schallenberg said had been extended until November, as a new increase was expected given the situation on the Turkish-Greek border.

The Austrian minister said that the control was help of sorts for Slovenia, as everybody who crosses illegally into Slovenia knew it would be hard to enter Austria. "This is not a sign of distrust in Slovenia, but a clear signal to smugglers."

Logar said that while Slovenia did not oppose temporary controls on internal EU borders if these were warranted, there should be very transparent and realistic reasons for such measures.

They also discussed cooperation on the EU's multi-year financial framework and the recovery package. "Slovenia and Austria are perhaps sometimes on opposite banks here, which is normal when one is a net contributor and the other is a net recipient," Logar said.

Nevertheless, he is convinced that agreements should be reached as soon as possible, even before the summer holidays. "Sometimes you need to take a step back so that we together can take two steps forward," Logar added.

Schallenberg shared the view that an agreement at the EU level needed to be reached as soon as possible.

The ministers touched on the Slovenian minority in Austria, labelling the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Carinthian plebiscite as an important bilateral event. Logar said it was a historic opportunity to make a step forward in this field.

Schallenberg said he was optimistic about the possibility to develop a "positive story, which will be oriented towards the future while not forgetting about the past" as part of the anniversary.

The Austrian minister also reiterated the wish that the German-speaking community in Slovenia be recognised as a minority.

Later in the day, Schallenberg met representatives of the community, who informed him that certain progress had been made in the dialogue with the previous Slovenian government.

The community thus expects from the current government to continue the dialogue and adopt measures which would ensure long-term protection of the community's work, the community's union of cultural association said in a press release.

The anniversary of the Carinthian plebiscite was meanwhile the main topic as Schallenberg was received by President Borut Pahor, who noted that he and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen had agreed to mark it together

Preparations are under way and they pursue the goal that ceremonies are held with dignity and in a European spirit. The presidents will speak about this at a meeting on 7 July in Vienna, the president's office said.

It added that Pahor was happy with the intention of the new Austrian government to improve the situation of the Slovenian minority, and that the anniversary could be a major milestone in the advancement of bilateral relations.

In the July edition of the influential Decanter wine magazine, which is dedicated to the world's best orange wines, the Slovenian Dolium Muscat Ottonel of Zorjan shares the first place with the Austrian Graue Freyheit of Heinrich. Both wines were ascribed 95 points by Simon J. Woolf who composed a list of 30 best orange wines in the world. Third place also went to Slovenia, with Rebula selekcija of Blažič, which Woolf awarded 94 points.

Zorjan’s Dolium Muscat Otonel from Podravje in Štajerska region is a 2016 vintage that was macerated for one year in amphorae and then another year in barrels, from where it went into bottles without filtration.

Orange wine is made of white grapes, produced as if it were red, and thus with a prolonged maceration process in which tannins from grape skins and stems dissolve into the wine’s stronger body. Rosé, on the other hand, is a red grape wine, produced as if it were white, with the removal of skins and stems from the wine making process.

Most of the Slovenia’s pioneers in co-natural wine production – which refuses regulation of chemical processes of wine through chemical additives – originate from around the border of Goriška brda (Collia), Vipava Valley and the Karst area, and are widely seen as among the best in the world of their kind. To name a few, Gravner, Radikon, Prinčič, Terpin, Mlečnik, Renčel, and Zidarich are all established names to look out for. More recent names from all of the country’s winegrowing regions have also joined this creative circle, including Urbajs, Klinec, Štekar. Nando, Keltis, Šuman, Gordia, Reia, Škerk, Škerlj, UOU, Kabai and Movia. 

Although large supplies of such wines cannot be produced in Slovenia, they are present all over the world, from Japan to the USA and Paris. In Ljubljana, you can find many fine bottles from the above listed producers in Štorija, a specialised wine store on Trubarjeva Street.

STA, 22 June 2020 - In tackling grey economy, the Financial Administration (FURS) last year paid particular attention to undeclared work, carrying out a total of 11,982 inspections, with violations detected in 22.3% of the cases. A total of EUR 5.8 million in fines was issued, shows the annual report of the relevant government commission.

In the report, the commission for the prevention of undeclared work and employment commends FURS for managing to detect a large share of irregularities through "well planned and targeted inspections".

It is FURS which received most of the reports related to violations of the labour legislation - last year it received 2,826 reports against 3,504 entities.

In 2019, it detected a total of 2,826 violations and issued a total of EUR 5.8 million in fines, while also filing eleven criminal complaints over the criminal act of undeclared employment under the penal code.

Perpetrators received suspended prison sentences in two cases, the report shows.

What the Inspectorate of Infrastructure has meanwhile emphasised as still problematic is supervision of transport of passengers with personal vehicles, where it is hard to prove undeclared work.

On the other hand, the Inspectorate of Education and Sport notes that there are still private providers of child care who avoid registration procedures in which they need to prove they meet the personnel, spatial and equipment requirements.

"This may result in risky and inadmissible situations for children, which is why such acts should be prevented by amending the relevant law with appropriate measures," the report says.

The police say in their part of the report that no significant differences were detected in comparison with the previous years, and that undeclared work and employment is the most frequent in construction, hospitality and transport sectors.

In terms of criminal acts against the labour relationship and social security, the most frequent in recent years is the failure to pay wages and social security contributions, and illegal termination of contract.

STA, 21 June 2020 - Slovenia still lags behind the EU-27 average in actual individual consumption per capita and in GDP per capita, which reached 81% and 88% of the 2019 average, respectively, the EU's early figures, released by Slovenia's Statistics Office (SURS), show.

SURS released Eurostat's preliminary figures for 37 European countries, showing that actual individual consumption per capita - an indicator of material prosperity of households - ranged from 59% to 135% of the EU average.

Slovenia's actual individual consumption in 2019 was two percentage points above the country's 2018 figure.

Closest to Slovenia in actual individual consumption was Malta (80% of the EU average), and Poland and Romania (both 79%).

The differences among the 37 European countries were even bigger in GDP per capita, an indicator of economic activity, which ranged from 53% to 261% of the EU average.

GDP per capita in Slovenia has been rising, up one point in 2019 over 2018, in what was the fourth consecutive annual rise. Closes on the list to Slovenia last year were Cyprus with 89% and Spain 91%.

Luxembourg fared best in both indicators, which are expressed in purchasing power standards, and Albania worst.

Actual individual consumption and Gross domestic product per capita in purchasing power standards, volume indices, European countries (EU-27=100), 2019

STA, 21 June 2020 - The Cankar Prize, a new literature award, was won by Sebastijan Pregelj for V Elvisovi Sobi (In Elvis's Room), a novel about a generation which was growing up while the former Yugoslavia was slowly disintegrating. He received the EUR 5,000 prize on Sunday in Vrhnika, the birthplace of author Ivan Cankar, after whom the award is named.

The novel is pervaded with the memory of recent historical changes, telling a coming-of-age story against the backdrop of a broader social context from the end of the 1970s until Slovenia's independence.

The jury, chaired by Ivan Verč, said it captures very well the feelings of the generation which witnessed the collapse of Yugoslavia, the war and transition in their childhood.

In his short acceptance speech, Pregelj, who was born in 1970, said "the novel tells a story about my generation, which was growing up with some watershed events".

He believes the time has come to look back and write those stories to tell them to new generations, to introduce them to the times "which were a bit more exciting".

The novel is also about people who found themselves on the wrong side through no fault of their own and about others who found themselves on the right side without any merit, the writer said.

The prize for the most original piece of literature from the previous year - either fiction, play, essay or poetry - was established last year by Slovenian PEN, the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU), the SAZU's Science and Research Centre, and the University of Ljubljana to honour Cankar (1876-1918) and encourage top-quality literature.

The award, for which the prize money was donated by the Vrhnika municipality, was given out at a ceremony in Cankarjev Laz, a piece of land that used to belong to Cankar's poor family.

Pregelj won it against another three shortlisted authors - Vinko Möderndorfer, who was in the running with his collection of essays Misanthrope at the Marketplace, Simona Semenič with her erotic play This Apple, Golden, and Brane Senegačnik with Conversations with Nobody, a collection of poems.

The novel is not yet available in English, but while you're waiting you can read Pregelj’s earlier Chronicle of Forgetting

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA:

Janša govt extremely busy in its 100 days in office

LJUBLJANA - The Janez Janša government, which was sworn in on 13 March as the Covid-19 epidemic kicked in, had no grace period in its first 100 days, being busy taking measures to contain the novel coronavirs. The government is happy that the virus was quickly contained and that it managed to adopt three stimulus packages within a month to cushion social distress of residents and help the economy survive the lockdown shock. While coalition partners are content with their handling of the crisis, most opposition parties are very critical, highlighting opaque procurement of PPE, contentious staffing and divisive rhetoric by the prime minister. Political analysts meanwhile see the government firmly in the saddle, united in the face of persistent pressure that is however coming from a divided opposition.

No Slovenian diplomat among 30 new EU delegation heads

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia had four diplomats vying for EU delegation heads around the world within the bloc's diplomatic service, but none managed to get nominated this week. The diplomats had applied for the posts of EU delegation head in Egypt, Iceland, Malaysia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo, the Foreign Ministry said, but did not name them. Its spokesperson Aleksander Geržina confirmed earlier this week he was one of them. Once Samuel Žbogar soon leaves as the head of the EU Delegation in North Macedonia, the only Slovenian holding an EU ambassadorial post will be Jernej Videtič, the head of the Delegation in Papua New Guinea. The ministry blames the failure to secure a high-level post on the failure of the ministry's previous leadership to lobby for the candidates, for which it said were excellent.

First Cankar Prize won by Sebastijan Pregelj

VRHNIKA - The Cankar Prize, a new Slovenian literature award, was won by Sebastijan Pregelj for V Elvisovi Sobi (In Elvis's Room), a novel about a generation which was growing up while the former Yugoslavia was slowly disintegrating. The novel is pervaded with the memory of recent historical changes, telling a coming-of-age story against the backdrop of a broader social context from the end of the 1970s until Slovenia's independence. In his acceptance speech, Pregelj, born in 1975, said "the novel tells a story about my generation, which was growing up with some watershed events". He received the EUR 5,000 prize in Vrhnika, the birthplace of acclaimed author Ivan Cankar (1876-1918), after whom the award is named. Pregelj won it against another three shortlisted authors.

One new coronavirus case confirmed on Saturday

LJUBLJANA - Only one new coronavirus case was confirmed in Slovenia on Saturday after a recent increase in new daily cases, bringing the total number of infections since early March to 1,520, the latest government data showed. As many as 758 coronavirus tests were carried out, and six Covid-19 patients were in hospital, of whom one needed intensive care. The country's death toll remained at 109 since the last Covid-19 patient died on 31 May.

Over 20 exhausted migrants found in two lorries at Gruškovje

GRUŠKOVJE - Police found 22 foreigners trying to enter Slovenia illegally in two food grade tank lorries with Serbian licence plates on Saturday at Gruškovje border crossing with Croatia. The citizens of Bangladesh, India, Turkey and Syria were visibly exhausted and there was a high chance that they could suffocate, the Maribor Police Department said. According to media reports, the foreigners did not ask for asylum in Slovenia, so they were sent back to Croatia. The lorry drivers were not detained, but police filed a criminal complaint against an unknown perpetrator.

If you're learning Slovenian then you can find all our dual texts here

STA, 21 June 2020 - Police found 22 foreigners trying to enter Slovenia illegally in two food grade tank lorries with Serbian licence plates on Saturday at Gruškovje border crossing with Croatia.

The citizens of Bangladesh, India, Turkey and Syria were visibly exhausted and there was a high chance that they could suffocate, the Maribor Police Department said.

Police first discovered 13 foreigners in one food grade tank lorry. Then then spotted another vehicle of the same company in the line, checking it immediately after discovering that the group of people in the first lorry were very exhausted, finding the other nine illegal migrants.

According to media reports, the foreigners did not ask for asylum in Slovenia, so they were sent back to Croatia.

Slovenian police did not detain the lorry drivers, but filed a criminal complaint against an unknown perpetrator.

Since last Friday, it’s been possible for permanent residents of Slovenia to use their tourist vouchers as a form of payment for a accommodation facilities, and since they can be used in instalments residents who use the government’s e-services can follow their balance with Tax Office's E-Davki website and application.

Related: What You Need to Know about Slovenia’s Tourist Vouchers to Kickstart the Tourism Industry

Where can you to find it?

Enter into eDavki portal and sign in. Click your name in the upper right corner.

In case you’ve registered an S.P. you will have to choose your “natural person” (fizična oseba) account, or else the system will treat you as a potential service provider (as a “taxable person”) rather than a consumer.

Choose ”Insights” (Vpogledi) in the left column.

Scroll down to the “redemption of tourist vouchers” and click on “Insight into redeemed tourist vouchers”.

Here you’ll get the information on your current tourist voucher account.

STA, 21 June - Looking at the new government after its first 100 days in power, which have been marked by coronavirus measures and disputes related to them, analysts Andraž Zorko and Rok Čakš see the government firmly in the saddle, united in the face of persistent pressure that is however coming from a divided opposition.

What is usually a grace period for new governments is passing on Sunday. It has been unusually turbulent, a major factor being the coronavirus crisis and strong divisions in the political arena reflected in society at large.

The new centre-right government led by Janez Janša and his SDS (Democrats) has held a record 77 sessions so far, whose agendas have included three stimulus packages meant to mitigate the economic and social impact of the crisis, and lockdown measures, which included a ban on travel among municipalities.

Also making headlines were staffing changes at leading posts, including in the army, police, intelligence services, the supervisory board of Telekom Slovenije, the programming council of RTV Slovenija, as well as at the top of the Statistics Office.

Andraž Zorko from the pollster Valicon argued for the STA that the government looked stable after the first 100 days, "definitely more so than its predecessor", a minority centre-left government led by the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) and disbanded after Šarec's resignation in January.

Conservative columnist Rok Čakš feels the coalition partners are aware that any crack between them will trigger an attack and that they can only survive if they cover each other's backs, a case in point being the recent vote on Constitutional Court candidate Andraž Teršek, who failed to get appointed in the secret ballot even though some coalition parties had announced their support.

As regards potential future stumbling blocks for the government, Čakš mentioned projects that could be perceived publicly as ideological, for instance changes to media legislation. "We can also expect some behind the scenes jostling when it will come to securing influence in the emerging demographic funds and similar cost-heavy projects," he said.

Zorko on the other hand feels that the coalition partners - the SDS, New Slovenia (NSi) and the centrist Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and Modern Centre Party (SMC) - have divided up the spheres of influence in a way that precludes a serious conflict.

"The term is short, only half the usual duration, there will not be time for major projects, especially not if one considers the upcoming EU presidency, which will shortly be followed by the new election campaign," Zorko said, while pointing to the Constitutional Court-ordered electoral reform as the only potential apple of discord.

While noting that a failure to enact electoral system changes could be used as an excuse against calling an early election in the event of an unlikely clash in the coalition, Zorko said the changes should be adopted smoothly "if they wish to restore the trust of citizens in politics and elections". "However, a high turnout is indeed not equally desired by everybody," he added.

Čakš expects the borders of electoral districts will be redrawn by the end of the year to provide a minimum solution to the court ruling. He added the SDS had already gotten what it wanted as the proposal to abolish electoral districts and introduce the preferential vote failed to win the needed majority in parliament.

Meanwhile, commenting on the government cabinet, Zorko does not see any markedly weak links, although he did single out Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, "whose statements often interfere in spheres beyond the domain of the interior minister and do not help calm the heated atmosphere, but rather have the opposite effect".

Čakš, who feels it will take a while longer to be able to asses the work of some of the ministers who were less exposed during the crisis, argued "the current situation in the country and international comparisons suggest the PM and the front-line ministers did well in the battle against this dangerous battle". "However the war is not won yet," he added.

Čakš pointed to the high public support the government enjoyed at the outset of the crisis, adding that public attention was later gripped by the reports about dubious practices in the procurement of personal protective equipment and medical ventilators.

The reports, along with PM Janša's clashes with the media, his tweets, and the government's contentions changes to environmental legislation through the targeting of NGOs, have been a key galvanising force behind continuing protests, which have seen 5,000-plus cyclists taking the streets of Ljubljana as well as some smaller towns each Friday for two months now.

Zorko highlighted the record level of aversion to the ruling SDS among voters, with a poll showing 55% would not vote for this party no matter what the circumstances. "Things looked different at the beginning, but it was already clear after two weeks that the SDS and its president remain in their traditional trenches," he said.

As for the opposition, Zorko said it became active after struggling initially, but "the divisions created among the current opposition parties by Marjan Šarec's style of rule, are still clearly visible".

Zorko moreover does not share what he says is some people's puzzlement over the opposition Left now using the same strategies in parliament as the SDS and the LMŠ copying the SDS's communication approaches.

Čakš said the left opposition has been "exerting aggressive pressure on the centre-right coalition since the very first minute, irrespective of the difficult circumstances".

"The SDS has a well-earned reputation of a tough and merciless opposition, but it did not file ouster motions within the first 100 days of new governments," he said in reference to motions filed against Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek over PPE procurement and Interior Minister Hojs after the ministry overrode a ban on a concert by Croatian nationalist singer Marko Perković Thompson.