srečno novo leto
srečno novo leto is the Slovenian way to say "happy new year".
You use srečno novo leto to wish someone a happy new year. It can be part of longer, more elaborate wishes such as Zdravja, sreče, uspehov in ljubezni v novem letu!, which translates to "Health, happiness, success and love in the new year!" You can also combine it with holiday greetings, such as Vesele božične praznike in srečno novo leto!, meaning "Merry Christmas holidays and a Happy New Year!" In more professional contexts, you might say Hvala za podporo v preteklem letu. Srečno in uspešno novo leto!, which translates to "Thank you for your support in the past year. Happy and successful New Year!"
Meaning: Happy New Year (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of srečno (happy or lucky), novo (new) and leto (year).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the neuter gender for all three words to agree with the neuter noun leto. If you want to express the idea of moving "into the new year" (such as in the phrase "May you enter the new year well"), use the phrase v novo leto.
Did you know?
- The Slovenian word for 'year' leto shares the same root as the word for 'summer'. In ancient Slavic languages the two concepts were virtually identical.
- The word srečno is a linguistic relative of the word for 'fate', implying that you are wishing someone a favorable destiny in the coming year.
- In Slovenia you might hear people wishing srečno as a standalone phrase during the transition to the new year. In this context it functions as a shorthand for 'good luck' rather than just 'happy'.
Examples in context
- Srečno novo leto!Happy New Year!
- Želim vam srečno novo leto.I wish you a happy new year.
- Vsem srečno novo leto!A happy new year to everyone!
Example conversation
Two friends meeting for coffee after the holidays.
- MaticSrečno novo leto, Zala!Happy New Year, Zala!
- ZalaHvala, Matic! Srečno novo leto tebi!Thanks, Matic! Happy New Year to you!
- MaticKako si praznovala?How did you celebrate?
- ZalaZelo dobro, hvala.Very well, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy new year” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries leto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
