My Struggles with Learning Slovenian as a Puerto Rican American Immigrant

Moving from New York City to Slovenia was one of the boldest decisions I’ve ever made. As a Puerto Rican American, I grew up in a city where diversity was the norm, and switching between English and Spanish was second nature. I never imagined that language would become such a major hurdle in my daily life. But after arriving in Slovenia, I quickly realized just how much of a barrier not speaking Slovenian would become.

At first, I was optimistic. I figured that as someone who already spoke two languages, I’d pick up Slovenian easily. I was eager to learn, motivated, and had every intention of integrating into society. I already had great pronunciation for the words I did pick up. However, reality hit fast. I struggled with even the simplest interactions - asking for directions, ordering food, or understanding official documents. Making friends outside of English-speaking circles felt almost impossible. Of course, with time, this changed as more and more migrants appeared in Ljubljana. When it came to practical things like finding an apartment or a job, I felt incredibly stressed. Many landlords and employers preferred Slovenian speakers, and my lack of fluency made everything more complicated. It was frustrating and isolating, and to make matters worse, I found myself in this situation during COVID. I had just lost my job at a hotel, my relationship had ended, and I felt completely alone in a country where I could barely communicate - all while the borders were closed, preventing me from returning home to New York.

Thankfully, some of my Slovenian friends and acquaintances assisted me during these hard times. In the end, after a few months of struggles, patience, and perseverance, I managed to get back on my feet. I was offered a job through a previous partner, and I found a room to rent through a friend.

Then came the bureaucracy - one of the biggest sources of stress for any foreigner in Slovenia. One of the most frustrating experiences I’ve had (and continue to have) is dealing with Upravna enota, the government office for foreigners. The irony? None of the caseworkers there are allowed - or willing - to speak English. You’d think that an office specifically meant for non-Slovenians would have some kind of English support, but no. If you don’t speak Slovenian, you’re on your own. I’ve had moments where I stood in front of a caseworker, doing my best to ask - in my limited Slovenian - if we could speak in English. Their response? A curt reply in Slovenian: "Samo slovensko" ("Only Slovenian"). I struggled to understand important information about my residency, my permit, my documents - yet there was no effort to meet me halfway. It was a helpless feeling. Eventually, I just accepted that unless I bring a Slovenian-speaking friend with me, I won’t get anywhere.

The Slovenian government does offer free language courses for immigrants through Cene Štupar. At the time, I was grateful for the opportunity. However, the course itself had a lot of flaws. The biggest issue? 180 hours is nowhere near enough to gain functional fluency, even for the basics - especially in a complex language like Slovenian. In my native language, we don’t use the dual grammatical form, so this was something I couldn’t even grasp at first. To make things even harder, students were placed into mixed-level classes with people from completely different language backgrounds - people from Albania, Thailand, the U.S., Serbia, and more - all learning at different speeds. If you already knew some Serbian or another Slavic language, you had an advantage. But for people like me, who had zero experience with Slavic languages, it was an uphill battle.

I’ve thought about taking private lessons or starting a course at Filozofska fakulteta, but they were way too expensive. For someone like me - living alone, going through a divorce, and paying taxes monthly as a self-employed worker - spending hundreds of euros on language classes just wasn’t realistic. And yet, without speaking Slovenian, it’s hard to get a better job. It’s a vicious cycle that a lot of immigrants here get stuck in.

But despite the struggles, there were bright spots. At Cene Štupar, I met an amazing group of people who were in the same boat as me. Some of these people have now become my closest friends. We bonded over our shared experiences, and even three years after finishing the course, we’re still close. We check in on each other, share resources, and occasionally meet up to vent about the difficulties and challenges of integration. We share our experiences so that our voices are heard - because the more people speak out about these challenges, the more likely things are to change.

The challenges of language integration remain significant. However, if we continue pushing for improvements together, we can start to see real changes. Outside of government offices, I’ve noticed that more Slovenians - especially in Ljubljana - are making an effort to speak English. Community groups like Krožek konverzacije v slovenščini, run by Društvo Medkulturni dialog, are popping up, where people who already have a basic understanding of Slovenian can practice speaking in a relaxed setting. It’s small progress, but it gives me hope. Also, as mentioned in the introduction of ČKZ #293: Balkan Migration Route Revisited, there is a public initiative and petition to improve Slovenian language programs for foreigners, highlighting the challenges migrants face when learning the language, developed by project BODE+ with the support of the project GEtCoheSive. At Infokolpa, we are proud supporters and co-signers of this initiative.

My journey with Slovenian is far from over. Some days, I feel motivated. On other days, I feel like I’ll never get there. But if this experience has taught me anything, it’s the importance of persistence, patience, and community. Slovenia still has a long way to go when it comes to supporting newcomers, but real change starts when we talk about these challenges openly.

Here are some solutions I think could help improve language integration in Slovenia:

1. Interval Language Integration – Instead of offering only 180 hours of language courses upfront, Slovenia could implement a system where immigrants receive ongoing language education as they continue living in the country. If 3,000 hours is the estimated time needed for a non-Slavic speaker to gain fluency, the government could provide 600 hours per year for the first five years, leading up to when immigrants can apply for permanent residency. This structured approach would give people who have already decided to stay long-term the time and resources needed to integrate more effectively.

2. Bilingual/Multilingual Support in Government Offices – There’s no excuse for places like Upravna enota not to have English-speaking staff or at least provide translation services. The goal should be to facilitate, not block, communication for people trying to legally reside and work in Slovenia.

3. More Community-Led Language Exchange Programs – Expanding initiatives like Krožek konverzacije v slovenščini would encourage Slovenians and immigrants to practice the language together in a natural, non-classroom setting. Creating more informal spaces for learning can reduce stress and encourage real-life practice.

4. Better Structured Language Courses – Instead of lumping all students together, courses should be separated based on prior knowledge of Slavic languages. A person with no experience in Slavic languages will struggle much more than someone who already speaks Serbian or Russian. Tailoring classes to different backgrounds would help students learn more effectively.

We need better language programs, bilingual/multilingual support in government offices, and stronger integration policies. Slovenia has a growing immigrant population, and the reality is that this will not change whether the borders stay open or not. If the country wants people to truly integrate and contribute, it needs to make that process more accessible.

At the end of the day, integration isn’t just about learning a language—it’s about being included, feeling welcomed, and building a long-term future together.