Every year there are more foreigners in Slovenia who come for study or work opportunities. After according to SURS (Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia) data from 2020, there are more than 7
% of the population of foreign citizens.
But many of them have experienced (perhaps you are one of them) how difficult it can be to communicate in Slovenian, with all its declensions, duals, lowercase and uppercase initials, commas and tropic… However, Slovenians know foreign languages well. When foreigners go to a store, restaurant or even on the street, they can communicate with Slovenians in English, as well as in some other language. However, it is not the same as if they speak to Slovenians in their native language. Work in Slovenia is also easier if a foreigner knows Slovenian. If you are also a foreign citizen working in Slovenia, you may be interested in the following
information.
From April 27, 2023, an amendment to Article 52 of the Aliens Act will come into force, which stipulates that in order to obtain a residence permit in the Republic of Slovenia, foreign citizens must - in addition to other necessary documents - demonstrate knowledge of the Slovenian language at level A2 and pass an exam in Slovenian for foreigners. This exam will test your communication in everyday situations, reading and listening comprehension (understanding written texts and speaking), written communication (writing texts for everyday use) and speaking and writing skills. You can take the exam at various providers and public institutes.
If you want to obtain or extend a residence permit in Slovenia (which is also a condition for maintaining an employment relationship or obtaining a job), you will need to show a certificate of successful completion of the Slovenian language at the first level (A2 level of the Common European Language Framework).
We can help you with this in Language City, where we offer Slovene courses for foreigners, where you can learn difficult Slovene in an easy way. We offer courses both online and live at Vič in Ljubljana in the premises of our language school. Our learning is experiential, which means that we talk a lot, practice dialogues in everyday situations, learn useful new words, listen to music to improve understanding, laugh and play a lot.
You will be able to supplement the course with e-learning, as upon registration we give you free access to our e-classroom, where you will find a large number of interactive exercises and additional activities that will help you learn. However, if you are a more "independent" type of person and a group or individual course with a teacher is not for you, you can decide to self-teach and rent one classroom, a module or even an entire level at a special promotional price. Once you get access, however, you can study on your own according to the program and, of course, adjust the speed to your schedule. You can view the free demonstration e-classroom here.
So this change in the Foreigners Act (mandatory Slovene exam for foreigners) is not a disaster at all - rather you can take it as a challenge to improve your Slovene. This is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. It can also be fun - just ask our satisfied students.
We look forward to meeting you and making the preparation for the Slovenian language exam for foreigners relaxed and fun together.
Also check the Lingopoly game to prepare for the Slovenian exam for foreigners.
