Slovene Punctuation - Exclamation Mark

Exclamation Mark

Syntactical Use

An exclamation mark (!) is a left-leaning punctuation mark. It is used as a closing punctuation mark of emphatic sentences and clauses, and as a non-closing punctuation mark finishing inserted sentences. They are typical of imperative mood, but only if emotionally charged.

• Gregor, utihni! (Gregor, shut up!)
• Mojbog! (My god!)
• Na pomoč! (Help!)
• Pleši, pleši, dokler ti petke dopuste! (Dance, dance, as long as your shoe heels allow for that!)
• To se mi je zdela odlična ideja! (That I thought a marvellous idea!)
• Spoštovani! (Respected! (at the beginning of a letter, though more usual is "Spoštovani,"))
• Ubil te bom! (I shall kill you!)
• Če mi še kdaj izustiš kaj takega ...! (If you ever say something like that again ...!)
• Mnogo let nazaj – joj, da bi le že pozabila na to! – sem živela na kmetiji. (Many years ago – oh, if only I should forget this already! – I lived on a farm.)
• Reci mu vendar, naj pride domov! (Tell him to come home! – the exclamation mark is likely bound to 'come home', however, and not 'tell')
• Zrecitiraj Kons V! (Recite Kons V!) (But: "Zrecitiraj: Kons V.")
• "Gremo!" je vzkliknila Janja. ("Let's go!" exclaimed Janja.)

See the note on the use of the combination with a question mark below under question mark. One may use the combination !! (or even more exclamation marks) to express further exclamatory mood.

• Kaj?! (What?!)
• Izgini!! (Get lost!!)

Non-Syntactical Use

An exclamation mark may be used for emphasis of a certain point in a text.

• Morda je to res, a emancipacijo (!) testov smo pričakovali. (Perhaphs that is true, but the emancipation (!) of tests has been expected. – used to emphasise a word used, which should probably be evalvacijo (evaluation))
• Nuna (!) je strastno govorila o umetnosti ljubljenja. (The nun (!) passionately talked about the art of making love.)