Yes/no questions
Level A1 · Unit 1: Hello! · Lesson 5: To be: sem, si, je…
Put ali at the start of a statement to make a yes/no question:
- Ste iz Slovenije. You're from Slovenia. → Ali ste iz Slovenije? Are you from Slovenia?
In everyday speech, ali is often shortened to a, or dropped altogether: A ste iz Slovenije? / Ste iz Slovenije?
Short answers repeat the verb: Ja, sem. "Yes, I am." Ne, nisem. "No, I'm not."
Practise this in the free course
This explanation comes from Unit 1, Lesson 5 of Slovenim, a free Slovenian course with dialogues, audio and exercises that check your answers.