In the interests of balance, to contrast my 10 Best Things About Living in Slovenia, I’ve compiled a ‘worst things about living in Slovenia’ too. No country is perfect, and having lived in six different nations so far, I’ve experienced the pros and cons of each.
I’ll point out that when it comes to Slovenia, a) this list is far shorter than the best things list, b) most points are not unique to Slovenia, and c) this list presents somewhat of a ‘first world problems’ line-up, in that if these are the worst aspects of living in Slovenia, then overall – things are pretty good.
And of course, this is just my personal experience of life in Slovenia. Please add your own thoughts and experiences in the comments.
1. Slovene Grammar Destroys Neurones
As someone trying to learn Slovene but unfamiliar with the family of Slavic tongues, there are several concepts which exist in the Slovenian language which are quite head-twisting for me. Though Slovenes are quick to cite the ‘dual plural’ as being the foreigner-proof aspect of their language – for me it’s the declensions (skloni) which I find most frustrating.
This ongoing mental tripwire is what I call the ‘Slovene Skloni Matrix’; a giant table of word-ending modifications which intersects six cases, three genders, two types of plural and a single type of singular, (not to mention the different endings for adjectives and nouns), that must be memorised and applied in order to end your words correctly, depending on the context.
In Slovene, even proper nouns are modified, thus my name can be: Sam, Sama, Samu, Samom, etc – depending on what’s being said.
I acknowledge that if I spent more time actually learning the grammar rules, rather than complaining about them, it probably wouldn’t be on this list.
2. Death Wish Drivers: Blind-Corner Road-Hoggers
Too many Slovenian drivers have a terrible habit of straying from their lane on blind corners. Every time I drive to Breg, at least once during my journey (and normally several times), I will come around a corner to find an oncoming Slovenian driver with at least 50% of their car on my side of the road, forcing me to take evasive action. This also triggers my ire in the form of a lengthy horn blast and some ‘Get the hell over!’ gesturing.
With this dangerous habit so common here, it’s little surprise to me that Slovenia is ranked in the bottom third of EU countries when it comes to road safety and has more than double the road deaths per million inhabitants, compared to the UK.
What does surprise me though, is that Italy is not ranked even lower than Slovenia. Whilst driving from Barcelona to Slovenia (and back) during the Road Trip From Hell in 2017, the Italian drivers stood out for being by far the worst of the six countries that we drove through.
3. The Habit of ‘Hate Thy Neighbour’
It’s a strange and somewhat sad situation here, that Slovenians seem to have an unusually high frequency of neighbourly feuds and disputes; apparently, neighbourly envy is deep seated.
There’s a well-known Slovene saying which illustrates this trait:
Naj sosedu crkne krava, če je že sami nimamo.
It translates as:
‘May the neighbour’s cow die, if we don’t have one.’
The longer version of the story goes something like this: there were three neighbours, each owning a cow. One day, the cow of the first neighbour dies. This makes the other two very happy. Then the cow of the second neighbour dies. This makes the last neighbour even happier still – neither of his neighbours has a cow, yet he still does!
But then he realises that his now cow-less neighbours will come begging for milk, so he then wishes for his own cow to die too, so that he doesn’t have to give them anything.
The rather sad meaning of the story is that Slovenians would rather see their own cow die, before having to share anything with their neighbours.
Now, I must point out that most of my neighbours have been very generous and very sharing. Despite hearing several stories from Slovenian friends and colleagues about their neighbourly problems, I took the whole ‘hate thy neighbour’ trait, as an exaggeration.
That was until I myself started having my own problems with one of my neighbours, which now makes the cow story sound quite accurate. Though my dispute involves neither dead cows nor any calls for milk, I have personally experienced the unbelievable level of vindictiveness that a nasty Slovene neighbour can go to, over the silliest and smallest things.
I’ll again say that all my other neighbours have been lovey, helpful and pleasant people, but if this really is as common as I’m led to believe from my Slovene friends, then for me it’s the most (and perhaps only) ugly side of Slovenia that I’ve so far experienced, in what is otherwise a very pleasant place.
4. Service Culture: Not Very Proactive
As with much of the rest of continental Europe, table service is the norm here and going to the bar (like in the UK) is generally not the done thing. This is good. I like not having to waste my time queuing, waving a tenner at the bartender hoping he’s going to serve me next rather than the guy who just barged in front of me.
However, in more than half of the places I go to, I find that although the table service upon first seating yourself is quite prompt, follow up attention is much less so. Normally you need to flag down the server, rather than getting a proactive ‘Would you like another drink/something else/ the bill?’ attentiveness.
I reiterate, there are some places with great service but there’s definitely room for improvement in the many of cafes and bars I’ve visited.
5. Unreliable Tradesmen: No shows and Radio Silence
It’s not unique to Slovenia by any stretch, but I’ve found it even more difficult than the UK to get tradesmen here to actually turn up when they say they’re going to turn up. I’ve had numerous dealings with various trades over the years, and more often then not, they have not appeared when they said they would.
This has been especially frustrating when I have driven two hours to Koroška on the agreed date just to meet with a tradesman, only for a no show, then radio silence, with my calls and texts going unanswered.
(To be fair – Glyn here is an excellent and reliable grafter who’s been integral to the development of Breg House)
This has led to my default position being to expect them not to appear at the agreed time and date, and the acceptance that things always take longer than I want and require more pestering than I’m used to.
So – there it is. I suspect this list might change over the years; some things may improve (my grasp of Slovene grammar for example!) and new items may appear. I make no complaints about life overall here – but there’s always room for improvment.
UPDATE: After 4 years, I’m adding a new one to this list: Having to deal with the awful Upravna Enota
Do you agree with the list? Post a comment below.
Slovenia: Life in the SLO Lane 
Complicated neighbourly relationships and unkept promises – absolutely true! I moved to my apartment less than a year ago and there was an old lady liiving next to me, who at first appeared to be very friendly, was trying to talk to me every time she saw me abd asked a lot of questions about myself, my family… Actually at one point I realised – too many. Another thing I starred to realise… she kept an eye on me, on all the people who came and went to my place and even making some comments a couple of times. Once I caught her secretly looking from a corner the curtain, who was passing by – well, spying? And then I realised that for no obvious reason she stopped greeting me or giving any reply to my greetings and running away, when I was walking up the stairs. On the othet hand, I’ve never seen this lady talk to any other neighbours either. So I guess I was hardly the only one. Although let’s say,this kind of old ladies, spying after theie neighbours etc. can be met everywhere, in any country. But somehow…
People not keeping their promises, evwn very insignificant and small ones, like sending an email on the agreed day, noy showing up – this js another big NO GO in Slovenia. It took me time to realise it’s not me, who’s unfortunate to meet suxh people, but it’s a common thing here.
You write: “Slovenians seem to have an unusually high frequency of neighborly feuds and disputes; apparently, neighborly envy is deep seated.There’s a well-known Slovene saying which illustrates this trait: Naj sosedu crkne krava, če je že sami nimamo. It translates as: ‘May the neighbor’s cow die, if we don’t have one.’”
Well, i did not know that it exists in Slovenia. I know it from Serbia: “neka komsiji crkne krava” (same meaning) As you see, it’s not specific to Slovenia 🙂
I often wonder if many of the accidents are caused by foreigners unfamiliar with the twists and turns of the roads? Slovenia gets more than its fair share of vehicles in transit, driving through to other destinations, north south, east and west. Italians heading north and east, Romanians driving south and west, Dutch and Germans and Brits going south…it’s a merry-go-round of different driving skills and tactics, isn’t it?
As for the neighbours, well, yes, there are a few, but the nosey-Parker’s exist everywhere. However, in times of crises and disaster, the Slovene neighbour usually steps right up to help and asks for no reward other than that you are ready to give a hand when it’s needed?
Tradesman really are a problem. Try https://www.mojmojster.net/ so you can at least give them a bad review in a no-show case / help everybody else.
Hi Chris – thanks for your thoughts. I don’t think the high rate of accidents can be attributed to foreigners for two reasons.
Firstly – Slovenia is not unique in having non-native drivers on its roads. France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland – in fact most countries in Europe have plenty of drivers from other countries on their roads.
Secondly – I think that the less familiar you are with a road – the more cautiously you drive. Certainly, anecdotally, it’s Slovenian drivers (or people driving Slovene-plated cars) that I personally experience driving dangerously. I strongly suspect that familiarity with the road is actually a factor for increased bad driving rather than the opposite.
Slovenes will come flying around that blind corner on the wrong side, on that rural road they ‘know’ – and 99 times they’ll be fine. On the 100th time they hit a cyclist/pedestrian/deer/oncoming car doing the same thing.
You might know a road, but you can never know what’s round the corner.
RE: Neighbours – yes, on the whole my neighbours have been great -but I have also experienced the ‘dark side’ of neighbourly relations here, and by all accounts, it’s not uncommon sadly.
I was really amused while reading your post. It s nice to read how other see us. A good mirror 🙂
Regarding the drivers – maybe it depends also from the region.
Slovenia has some unique attributes having lived in Zagreb and Dubrovnik at one time seconded to the OSCE. That said, each country seems to have that certain metric which poses a particular challenge for some. But, that said, it is a pretty country..most speak “American” (as John Wayne once said in the classic film Searchers..). Been thru Slovenia many times, but mostly over in the western side near Kobart (and yes, the Austrian police tagged me coming off the highway into Slovenia..cost me over 150 euro..they have a credit card machine in their van). Will be back his summer with my Volks T5 for extended stay in Ljub..with trip west and over to Istra. Super Dobro! RH (Melbourne, Florida)
Crazy time, crazy people
I am looking to move my family to Slovenia but the whole nasty neighbor discussion has me worried – could someone please explain what level of vindictiveness you are talking about – like shoot your dog level vindictive or won’t collect your mail on vacation level of vindictiveness? Also, are those who are not white generally treated well?
Thanks so much,
Lin
Same here, Lin. I’ve been viewing properties for a while and a proportion have unearthed some kind of legal dispute with a neighbour. That said, I was invited into a log cabin by a lovely young couple from Lj who even voluntarily told me what they’d paid for it. Would be good to have more examples of the issues, as you say. And has anyone noticed a shift in sentiment towards non-nationals in the past couple of years? The vibe I felt back in 2016 has all but evaporated, for known reasons, I think. Perhaps things will improve a bit now, let’s see. I’ve also noticed an east-west divide and have found folks from Lj towards Nova Gorica or Bohinj much friendlier than those over to the east. Has anyone else sensed something similar?
In reply to Lin and Nick – I’d say the level of vindictiveness is low to medium. Generally, we’re not talking about dogs getting shot. We’re talking generational feuding, tit-for-tat reporting each other to the authorities, court cases, and ‘don’t step on my land!’ kind of thing. And it’s fairly common. I can’t comment on regional differences though – I’ve found most Slovenes I have met have been pretty friendly, wherever they are in the country.
Hi there, was wondering if relocation to lubiana Slovenia for a senior citizen from USA a good idea? Thanks much ❤️
Thank you, this information is all very helpful and I appreciate your taking the time to share.
Lin
Hi San – it’s really hard to say! Whilst there are many great things about life in Slovenia – I have no idea how it would be for a senior citizen, who has healthcare, pensions and other considerations. It also depends on what sort of life you are looking for – right?
You may see more Americans asking these questions; my family is one of many I know looking to leave the US as it has so quickly become a country we don’t recognize anymore. IMHO, the tremendous crime, drugs, and homeless problems make it feel like a dangerous third world country. Add to that the open borders, the bizarre social turns the country has taken, the lies being told by our government, and the radical indoctrination of our children in schools – things I would have called crazy conspiracy theories just a few years ago – and you get the sad reality of a nation rapidly disintegrating. I don’t know about San, but many of us are just looking for a quiet, safe life around people with values and common sense.
I found your blog here while googling on Slovenian work ethics.
I am a freelance translator and I have worked with many different countries (agencies and clients) and the Slovenian agency was by far the worst treatment I have ever encountered and it wasn’t just the project management, it was all of them as an agency!
As a linguist and intercultural communicator I always avoid stereotyping and always look for the best in a culture, however, Albanian, Bulgarian and Indian clients and agencies are a lot better. It was a huge shock how badly the Slovenian agency treated me as a vendor/collaborator and it was one of the few times I genuinely felt it was about their business culture (or lack thereof) and not about the individual agency.