znova

Znova is a term used in Slovene and some other South Slavic languages as an adverb meaning "again" or "once more." It signals repetition or a return to a previous state and can modify a verb phrase to indicate that an action is being performed anew.

In Slovene, znova is a standard word and commonly appears in everyday speech and writing. It can be used with any finite verb form, as in examples like "Znova sem začel delati" (I started working again) or "Znova bo deževalo" (It will rain again). The word is typically placed before the verb or clause it modifies, though it can also begin a sentence for emphasis.

Regional variation exists within the broader South Slavic area. In Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian, the more common term for "again" is ponovo, with znova understood in many contexts but less frequent in standard usage. In other languages with similar roots, cognates appear as Russian snova or Ukrainian znovu, reflecting a shared semantic field of repetition and renewal.

Etymologically, znova is viewed as a productive form in Slovene and related languages, often linked to the idea of renewal or repetition. It is related to cognates across Slavic languages, although exact historical derivations can differ between languages and dialects.

See also: cognates such as snova, znów, znovu; adverbs of repetition in Slavic languages.