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A1 Slovak Grammar — 76 Topics & Common Mistakes

Every A1 topic below gives you the key rule, real correct-vs-incorrect examples, and the mistakes learners actually make — covering orthography, cases, verb tenses and more.

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A1Agreement

Three Grammatical Genders (m./f./n.)

Tri gramatické rody (m./ž./s.)

Every Slovak noun belongs to one of three genders: masculine, feminine or neuter. The gender is not about biology — a table, a book and a window each have a grammatical gender. You usually read the gender off the nominative singular ending. Nouns ending in a consonant are mostly masculine (dom, stôl, chlap). Nouns ending in -a are mostly feminine (žena, kniha, mama). Nouns ending in -o or -e are mostly neuter (mesto, more, srdce). Gender matters because adjectives, demonstratives and possessives must all match the noun's gender. Learn each noun together with its gender from the start.

Key rule

Every noun is masculine, feminine or neuter, and the nominative singular ending usually shows which: consonant → masculine, -a → feminine, -o/-e → neuter.

Examples

  • Dom je veľký.
    Dom je veľká.

    Dom ends in a consonant and is masculine, so the adjective takes the masculine form veľký, not the feminine veľká.

  • Kniha je nová.
    Kniha je nový.

    Kniha ends in -a and is feminine, so the adjective is nová, not the masculine nový.

  • Mesto je staré.
    Mesto je starý.

    Mesto ends in -o and is neuter, so the adjective is staré, not the masculine starý.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming a consonant ending always means masculine

    Kosť je biely.
    Kosť je biela.

    Kosť ends in a consonant but is feminine, so the adjective must be feminine (biela), not masculine (biely).

  • Treating -o nouns as masculine

    To je dobrý víno.
    To je dobré víno.

    Víno ends in -o and is neuter, so it needs the neuter adjective dobré.

A1Agreement

Subject–Verb Agreement (Person & Number)

Zhoda podmetu s prísudkom (osoba a číslo)

In Slovak the verb changes its ending to match who is doing the action (person) and how many (number). The verb byť 'to be' shows this clearly: ja som, ty si, on/ona/ono je, my sme, vy ste, oni/ony sú. Because the ending already tells you the person, the subject pronoun is often left out: Som študent means 'I am a student'. Other verbs work the same way: robím, robíš, robí, robíme, robíte, robia. Always pick the verb form that fits the subject, and keep the copula byť — Slovak does not drop it the way English drops the verb in some sentences.

Key rule

The verb takes a personal ending that matches its subject in person and number (som/si/je/sme/ste/sú), and the copula byť is always present in the present tense.

Examples

  • Ja som doma.
    Ja je doma.

    The 1st-person singular subject ja needs the 1st-person form som, not the 3rd-person je.

  • Ty si učiteľ.
    Ty je učiteľ.

    The 2nd-person singular ty requires si; je is the 3rd-person form.

  • My sme kamaráti.
    My je kamaráti.

    A plural subject (my) needs the plural form sme, not the singular je.

Common mistakes

  • Using the 3rd-person form for I or you

    Ja je rád.
    Ja som rád.

    Je is 3rd person; the subject ja needs the 1st-person form som.

  • Dropping the copula byť (English-style)

    On unavený.
    On je unavený.

    Slovak keeps the verb byť in the present tense; an English-style verbless sentence is ungrammatical.

A1Agreement

Plural Formation — Basic Nominative Endings

Tvorenie množného čísla — základné tvary nominatívu

To make a basic plural in the nominative, Slovak changes the noun's ending according to its gender. Feminine nouns in -a take -y: žena → ženy, kniha → knihy. Neuter nouns in -o take -á: mesto → mestá, auto → autá. Inanimate masculine nouns take -y: stôl → stoly, dom → domy. Animate masculine nouns (people) are special: they take -i, and the final consonant often softens — chlap → chlapi, študent → študenti. Some animate masculine nouns take -ovia instead: syn → synovia, dedo → dedovia. Always start from the noun's gender and whether a masculine noun is a person or a thing.

Key rule

Nominative plural endings follow gender: feminine -a → -y, neuter -o → -á, inanimate masculine → -y, but animate masculine (persons) → -i/-ovia with consonant softening.

Examples

  • ženy
    ženi

    Feminine nouns in -a form the plural with -y (žena → ženy), not -i.

  • mestá
    mesty

    Neuter nouns in -o take the long -á (mesto → mestá), not -y.

  • stoly
    stoli

    Inanimate masculine nouns take -y (stôl → stoly); -i is reserved for animate masculine nouns.

Common mistakes

  • Using -i for feminine plurals

    Dve knihi sú na stole.
    Dve knihy sú na stole.

    Feminine nouns in -a form the plural with -y: kniha → knihy.

  • Using -y for neuter plurals

    Mesty sú veľké.
    Mestá sú veľké.

    Neuter -o nouns take -á in the plural: mesto → mestá.

A1Agreement

Adjective Agreement with the Noun (Basic)

Zhoda prídavného mena s podstatným menom (základy)

An adjective must match the gender of the noun it describes. In the nominative singular the basic endings are: masculine -ý (pekný dom), feminine -á (pekná žena), neuter -é (pekné mesto). The adjective normally comes before the noun, just like in English. Watch the rhythmic law: when the stem already has a long vowel, the ending stays short — so it is krásny, not 'krásný'; biely dom, biela kniha, biele auto. After soft stems you also meet -í/-ia/-ie (cudzí, cudzia, cudzie). Always read the noun's gender first, then choose the matching adjective ending.

Key rule

A nominative-singular adjective matches its noun's gender with -ý (m.), -á (f.), -é (n.); the rhythmic law shortens the ending after a long stem (krásny, biely).

Examples

  • pekný dom
    pekná dom

    Dom is masculine, so the adjective takes -ý (pekný), not the feminine -á.

  • pekná kniha
    pekné kniha

    Kniha is feminine, so the adjective ends in -á (pekná).

  • pekné mesto
    pekný mesto

    Mesto is neuter, so the adjective ends in -é (pekné).

Common mistakes

  • Keeping the masculine ending for all genders

    Mám nový kniha.
    Mám novú knihu.

    Kniha is feminine, so both the adjective and the noun must agree (here in the accusative: novú knihu).

  • Using a long adjective ending against the rhythmic law

    To je krásný dom.
    To je krásny dom.

    After the long stem krás- the ending shortens to -y; krásný is a Czech form.

A1Determiners

Demonstratives ten / tá / to (Article-like)

Ukazovacie zámená ten / tá / to (ako člen)

Slovak has no articles like 'a' or 'the', but the demonstrative ten / tá / to does similar work: it points to a specific thing and agrees with the noun's gender. Masculine ten (ten dom), feminine tá (tá kniha), neuter to (to auto). In the plural it is tí for male persons, tie for everything else (tí chlapi, tie ženy, tie mestá). Be careful not to confuse to 'that (neuter)' with the fixed phrase to je 'it is / this is', which introduces things of any gender: To je môj dom. Use ten/tá/to to single out something you can point at or have just mentioned.

Key rule

ten/tá/to is a gender-agreeing, article-like demonstrative (ten dom, tá kniha, to auto; pl. tí/tie), distinct from the invariable presentational to in 'to je / to sú'.

Examples

  • ten dom
    tá dom

    Dom is masculine, so the demonstrative is ten, not the feminine tá.

  • tá kniha
    ten kniha

    Kniha is feminine, so the demonstrative is tá.

  • to auto
    ten auto

    Auto is neuter, so the demonstrative is to.

Common mistakes

  • Mismatching the demonstrative gender

    Tá auto je nové.
    To auto je nové.

    Auto is neuter, so the demonstrative must be to.

  • Using ten instead of presentational to

    Ten je moja sestra.
    To je moja sestra.

    The identifying construction uses the fixed neuter to je, regardless of the following noun's gender.

A1Determiners

Possessives môj / tvoj — Basic Agreement

Privlastňovacie zámená môj / tvoj — základná zhoda

The possessives môj 'my' and tvoj 'your' agree with the gender of the thing owned, not with the owner. In the nominative singular: masculine môj/tvoj (môj dom), feminine moja/tvoja (moja kniha), neuter moje/tvoje (moje auto). In the plural they are moji/tvoji for male persons and moje/tvoje for everything else (moji bratia, moje knihy). Note the ô in môj (the same sound English speakers might write as 'uo'); Slovak never uses ů. So the question is always: what gender is the thing you own? — then pick môj, moja or moje accordingly.

Key rule

môj/tvoj agree with the possessed noun's gender: m. môj/tvoj, f. moja/tvoja, n. moje/tvoje (pl. moji/tvoji for male persons, moje/tvoje otherwise).

Examples

  • môj dom
    moja dom

    Dom is masculine, so the possessive is môj, not the feminine moja.

  • moja kniha
    môj kniha

    Kniha is feminine, so the possessive is moja.

  • moje auto
    môj auto

    Auto is neuter, so the possessive is moje.

Common mistakes

  • Matching the possessive to the owner instead of the object

    To je moja telefón.
    To je môj telefón.

    The possessive agrees with the possessed noun: telefón is masculine, so it must be môj.

  • Writing ů instead of the Slovak ô

    Toto je můj dom.
    Toto je môj dom.

    Slovak uses ô (môj); ů is a Czech letter that does not exist in Slovak.

A1Determiners

Possessives jeho / jej / ich (Invariable)

Privlastňovacie zámená jeho / jej / ich (nemenné)

Unlike môj and tvoj, the third-person possessives jeho 'his', jej 'her' and ich 'their' never change their form. They depend only on the owner, not on the thing owned: jeho auto, jeho kniha, jeho dom all stay jeho. The same goes for jej (her): jej auto, jej kniha, jej dom; and ich (their): ich auto, ich kniha, ich dom. So while English speakers must just pick the right owner-word, they should not try to add agreement endings to these three. They are fixed: jeho = his, jej = her, ich = their — no -á, -é, -i added.

Key rule

jeho (his), jej (her) and ich (their) are invariable — they never take agreement endings; choose by the possessor, not by the possessed noun.

Examples

  • jeho kniha
    jeha kniha

    Jeho is invariable; it does not change to match the feminine kniha.

  • jeho auto
    jehe auto

    Jeho stays the same before a neuter noun; no -e ending is added.

  • jej dom
    jejho dom

    The feminine-owner possessive is the fixed form jej, regardless of the masculine noun dom.

Common mistakes

  • Adding agreement endings to invariable possessives

    To je jeha kniha.
    To je jeho kniha.

    Jeho never changes form; it does not take a feminine ending to match kniha.

  • Confusing jeho (his) with jej (her)

    Mária a jeho brat.
    Mária a jej brat.

    The owner Mária is female, so the possessive is jej, not jeho.

A1Cases

Nominative (1st Case) — Subject and Naming

Nominatív (1. pád) — podmet a pomenovanie

The nominative (nominatív, 1. pád) is the dictionary form of a noun — the form you find in a dictionary and learn first. Its main job is the subject of the sentence: the person or thing doing or being something. Brat spí (The brother sleeps), Mama je doma (Mum is at home). You also use it to name or identify someone or something, especially after the verb byť (to be): Som študent (I am a student), To je kniha (That is a book). Unlike English, Slovak keeps the verb byť in the present (som, si, je, sme, ste, sú). The question words are Kto? (Who?) for people and animals and Čo? (What?) for things; the answer comes back in the nominative.

Key rule

Use the nominative for the subject of the sentence and for naming or identifying something, normally after the verb byť (som, je…).

Examples

  • To je môj brat.
    To je môjho brata.

    When naming after byť, the noun stays in the nominative, not the genitive/accusative.

  • Chlapec číta knihu.
    Chlapca číta knihu.

    The doer of the action (the subject) must be nominative chlapec.

  • Kto je to? — To je učiteľka.
    Kto je to? — To je učiteľku.

    The answer naming a person is nominative učiteľka.

Common mistakes

  • Using an object form for the subject

    Brata býva v Bratislave.
    Brat býva v Bratislave.

    The subject of the verb must be in the nominative (brat), not a genitive/accusative form.

  • Dropping the copula byť

    Ja študent.
    Som študent.

    Slovak keeps the present-tense byť; the sentence needs som before the nominative noun.

A1Cases

The Cases & Paradigm Classes — Overview

Pády a vzory — prehľad

Slovak nouns, adjectives and pronouns change their endings depending on their role in the sentence. This is called case (pád). Slovak has six working cases: nominatív (subject), genitív (of/from), datív (to/for), akuzatív (direct object), lokál (about/in, always with a preposition) and inštrumentál (with/by). The vocative is no longer alive, so we address people with the nominative (Peter!, mama!). The endings depend on the gender of the word and on its declension pattern, called a vzor (a model word). For example, masculine nouns follow chlap, dub or stroj; feminine nouns follow žena, ulica, dlaň or kosť; neuter nouns follow mesto, srdce, vysvedčenie or dievča. You don't memorise everything at once — you learn one case and one pattern at a time.

Key rule

Slovak has six working cases (nom., gen., dat., acc., loc., instr.); endings depend on gender and on the noun's declension model (vzor) — the vocative is dead, so address with the nominative.

Examples

  • To je brat. (nominatív)
    To je brata.

    The naming/subject case is the nominative brat.

  • kniha brata (genitív)
    kniha brat

    Possession 'brother's book' needs the genitive brata, not the nominative.

  • Dávam to bratovi. (datív)
    Dávam to brat.

    The recipient takes the dative bratovi.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving a noun in the nominative in every role

    Vidím brat.
    Vidím brata.

    A noun changes its ending by case; the direct object here needs the accusative brata.

  • Using a living vocative to address someone

    Petre, poď sem!
    Peter, poď sem!

    Standard Slovak has no living vocative; we address people in the nominative.

A1Cases

Accusative (4th Case) — Direct Object (Basic)

Akuzatív (4. pád) — priamy predmet (základy)

The accusative (akuzatív, 4. pád) marks the direct object — the person or thing directly affected by the action. It answers Koho? (whom?) for people and animals and Čo? (what?) for things: Mám knihu (I have a book), Vidím auto (I see a car). For most feminine nouns ending in -a, the accusative ends in -u: žena → ženu, kniha → knihu. Neuter nouns and inanimate masculine nouns usually look the same as the nominative: mám auto, vidím stôl. Animate masculine nouns (people and animals) are different — their accusative looks like the genitive: vidím brata, mám psa. Many common verbs take a direct object: mať (to have), vidieť (to see), čítať (to read), mať rád (to like).

Key rule

Use the accusative for the direct object: feminine -a → -u (knihu), neuter and inanimate masculine stay like the nominative (auto, stôl), but animate masculine looks like the genitive (brata, psa).

Examples

  • Mám knihu.
    Mám kniha.

    Feminine kniha takes the accusative ending -u: knihu.

  • Vidím auto.
    Vidím auta.

    Neuter auto keeps the nominative form in the accusative.

  • Vidím brata.
    Vidím brat.

    Animate masculine brat takes a genitive-like accusative: brata.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving a feminine object in the nominative

    Čítam kniha.
    Čítam knihu.

    A feminine -a noun as a direct object takes -u: knihu.

  • Not applying animacy to a masculine object

    Vidím brat.
    Vidím brata.

    Animate masculine nouns form the accusative like the genitive: brata.

A1Cases

Genitive (2nd Case) — Possession & 'of' (Basic)

Genitív (2. pád) — privlastňovanie a „od/z" (základy)

The genitive (genitív, 2. pád) shows possession and the idea of 'of', 'from' and 'without'. It answers Koho? (whose? of whom?) and Čoho? (of what?). To say 'the brother's book' Slovak puts the owner after the thing, in the genitive: kniha brata. The genitive is also used after the common prepositions z/zo (from, out of), od (from a person) and do (to, into): z mesta (from the city), od brata (from the brother), do školy (to school). Basic endings: masculine animate nouns add -a (brat → brata), many feminine nouns in -a change to -y (žena → ženy, škola → školy), neuter -o changes to -a (mesto → mesta). It also follows numbers from five up (päť kníh).

Key rule

Use the genitive for possession (kniha brata) and after z/zo, od, do, bez: masc. animate → -a (brata), fem. -a → -y (ženy), neuter -o → -a (mesta).

Examples

  • To je kniha brata.
    To je kniha brat.

    Possession 'the brother's book' needs the genitive brata.

  • Idem do školy.
    Idem do škola.

    After do the feminine noun takes the genitive -y: školy.

  • Som z mesta.
    Som z mesto.

    After z the neuter noun takes the genitive -a: mesta.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the possessor in the nominative

    To je kniha brat.
    To je kniha brata.

    The owner stands in the genitive after the noun: brata.

  • Wrong feminine ending after do

    Idem do škola.
    Idem do školy.

    After do the feminine -a noun becomes the genitive -y: školy.

A1Cases

Dative (3rd Case) — Indirect Object (Basic)

Datív (3. pád) — nepriamy predmet (základy)

The dative (datív, 3. pád) marks the indirect object — the person to whom or for whom something is given, said or done. It answers Komu? (to whom?) and Čomu? (to what?). Typical verbs are dávať (to give), povedať (to say to), pomáhať (to help), písať (to write to): Dávam darček mame (I give Mum a present), Pomáham bratovi (I help the brother). Basic endings: masculine animate adds -ovi (brat → bratovi, otec → otcovi), feminine -a changes to -e (mama → mame, sestra → sestre), neuter -o changes to -u (mesto → mestu). The dative pronouns mi (to me), ti (to you), mu (to him) are very common and stand in second position: Daj mi to (Give it to me).

Key rule

Use the dative for the recipient (Komu?): masc. animate → -ovi (bratovi), fem. -a → -e (mame), neuter -o → -u (mestu); short pronouns mi/ti/mu go in second position.

Examples

  • Dávam darček mame.
    Dávam darček mama.

    The recipient mama takes the dative -e: mame.

  • Pomáham bratovi.
    Pomáham brata.

    Pomáhať governs the dative bratovi, not the accusative.

  • Píšem list otcovi.
    Píšem list otec.

    The recipient otec takes the dative -ovi: otcovi.

Common mistakes

  • Using the accusative after a dative verb

    Pomáham brata.
    Pomáham bratovi.

    Pomáhať governs the dative; the recipient is bratovi.

  • Leaving the recipient in the nominative

    Dávam darček mama.
    Dávam darček mame.

    The recipient takes the dative -e: mame.

A1Cases

Locative (6th Case) — Location with v/na (Basic)

Lokál (6. pád) — miesto s v/na (základy)

The locative (lokál, 6. pád) is special: it never stands alone, it always follows a preposition. At A1 you meet it mainly to say where something is, after v (in) and na (on/at). You ask about it with kde? (where?): Kniha je na stole (The book is on the table), Som v škole (I am at school). Typical singular endings are -e or -i for masculine and neuter (na stole, v meste, v aute) and -e or -i for feminine (v škole, na stanici). Because the locative only appears with a preposition, hearing v or na is your signal that this case is coming.

Key rule

The locative never stands alone — it only follows a preposition; after v/na meaning 'where?' it marks static location (v škole, na stole).

Examples

  • Kniha je na stole.
    Kniha je na stôl.

    Static location after na takes the locative (na stole), not the nominative/accusative form.

  • Som v škole.
    Som v škola.

    The feminine noun škola goes to the locative škole after v meaning 'where'.

  • Bývame v Bratislave.
    Bývame v Bratislava.

    City names also take the locative for location: v Bratislave, not the nominative.

Common mistakes

  • Using the nominative form for location after v/na

    Som v škola.
    Som v škole.

    For static location v governs the locative, so the ending changes: škola → v škole.

  • Using the accusative (direction form) for static location

    Kniha je na stôl.
    Kniha je na stole.

    na + accusative means movement towards; for where something is you need na + locative (na stole).

A1Cases

Instrumental (7th Case) — Means & 'with' (Basic)

Inštrumentál (7. pád) — nástroj a „s“ (základy)

The instrumental (inštrumentál, 7. pád) answers kým? (by/with whom?) and čím? (with what / by what means?). It has two everyday A1 jobs. First, the bare instrumental (no preposition) names the tool or means: Píšem perom (I write with a pen), Idem autom (I go by car). Second, with the preposition s/so it means accompaniment, 'together with': Idem s priateľom (I go with a friend). Typical singular endings are -om for masculine and neuter (perom, autom) and -ou for feminine (rukou, sestrou). Do not use s for a tool — píšem perom, never s perom.

Key rule

The bare instrumental (-om / -ou) names the tool or means (píšem perom); s + instrumental means accompaniment 'with someone' (s priateľom) — never use s for a tool.

Examples

  • Píšem perom.
    Píšem s perom.

    A tool or means takes the bare instrumental; s is wrong for an instrument.

  • Idem do mesta autom.
    Idem do mesta s autom.

    Means of transport is the bare instrumental (autom), not s + noun.

  • Bývam s rodičmi.
    Bývam rodičmi.

    Accompaniment ('with my parents') needs the preposition s plus the instrumental.

Common mistakes

  • Adding s to a tool or means

    Píšem s perom.
    Píšem perom.

    In Slovak the instrument takes the bare instrumental; s is only for accompaniment, not tools.

  • Omitting s for accompaniment

    Idem priateľom.
    Idem s priateľom.

    Going 'with a friend' is accompaniment and requires the preposition s before the instrumental.

A1Cases

Direct Address — Use the Nominative

Oslovenie — používame nominatív

Unlike Russian, Polish or Latin, modern Slovak has no living vocative case. To call or address someone, you use the plain nominative — the dictionary form: Peter! Mama! Pán Novák! Pani učiteľka! You simply set the name off, usually with a comma in writing: Peter, poď sem! (Peter, come here!), Dobrý deň, pani Nováková! (Good day, Mrs Nováková!). This makes address easy: whatever the nominative form is, that is also the form you call out. A handful of frozen relics like bože! or otče! still exist, but they are exceptions you learn one by one, not a productive pattern.

Key rule

Slovak has no living vocative — address people with the plain nominative (Peter!, mama!, pán Novák!), set off by a comma.

Examples

  • Peter, poď sem!
    Petre, poď sem!

    Address uses the nominative Peter; Petre would be a non-Slovak (Czech-style) living vocative.

  • Mama, kde si?
    Mamo, kde si?

    Slovak addresses with the nominative mama; the -o vocative form is not standard Slovak.

  • Dobrý deň, pán Novák.
    Dobrý deň, pane Nováku.

    Titles and surnames stay in the nominative for address: pán Novák.

Common mistakes

  • Inventing a living vocative ending on a name

    Petre, poď sem!
    Peter, poď sem!

    Slovak has no living vocative; names are addressed in the nominative (Peter), unlike Czech.

  • Adding -o to a kinship term for address

    Mamo, počkaj!
    Mama, počkaj!

    Standard Slovak addresses with the nominative mama; the vocative mamo is not standard.

A1Cases

Accusative — Animate Masculine = Genitive

Akuzatív — životné mužské = genitív

Slovak masculine nouns split into animate (people and animals) and inanimate (things). This matters for the accusative — the direct-object case. For inanimate masculines the accusative looks like the nominative: Vidím dom (I see a/the house), dom = dom. But for animate masculines the accusative copies the genitive, taking an -a ending: Vidím chlapa (I see a man), Vidím psa (I see a dog). So you ask koho? (whom?) for people and animals and čo? (what?) for things. This animacy rule is one of the first real challenges of Slovak nouns, but it only affects masculine singular.

Key rule

For animate masculine nouns the accusative equals the genitive and adds -a (vidím chlapa, psa); inanimate masculines keep the nominative form (vidím dom).

Examples

  • Vidím chlapa.
    Vidím chlap.

    Animate masculine: the accusative copies the genitive and adds -a (chlapa).

  • Mám brata.
    Mám brat.

    Brat is animate, so the accusative takes the genitive-like -a ending: brata.

  • Vidím psa.
    Vidím pes.

    Animals are animate masculines; pes → accusative psa, not the nominative.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving an animate masculine object in the nominative

    Vidím chlap.
    Vidím chlapa.

    Animate masculines take the genitive-like accusative -a: chlap → chlapa.

  • Adding -a to an inanimate masculine object

    Vidím doma na ulici.
    Vidím dom na ulici.

    Inanimate masculines keep the nominative in the accusative; doma is not the accusative of dom.

A1Cases

Fossilised Vocative Relics (bože, otče)

Skamenený vokatív (bože, otče)

Standard Slovak addresses people with the nominative, but a few frozen vocative relics survive from older Slovak: bože! (God!), otče! (father!, mainly to a priest), priateľu! (friend!), chlapče! (boy!), and a handful of others such as synku! or pane! in set phrases. These are fixed expressions, often emotional or elevated, not a living pattern — you cannot make new ones. So you say Peter! (nominative), never *Petre, but you may hear Bože môj! or Počúvaj, priateľu. Treat these relics as vocabulary to recognise, while always using the nominative for normal address.

Key rule

A closed set of frozen vocative relics survives (bože!, otče!, priateľu!, chlapče!) in fixed/elevated use only — normal address still uses the nominative.

Examples

  • Bože môj, to je krása!
    Boh môj, to je krása!

    Bože is the fossilised vocative relic used in this fixed exclamation, not the nominative Boh.

  • Počúvaj, priateľu.
    Počúvaj, priateľ.

    Priateľu is the surviving vocative relic in this slightly elevated address.

  • Otče, prosím o radu.
    Otec, prosím o radu.

    Addressing a priest uses the relic otče; the nominative otec is the citation form.

Common mistakes

  • Extending the vocative relic pattern to ordinary names

    Petre, poď sem!
    Peter, poď sem!

    The vocative is not productive in Slovak; ordinary names are addressed in the nominative.

  • Using the nominative inside a fixed exclamation

    Boh môj!
    Bože môj!

    The set exclamation keeps the frozen vocative bože; the nominative Boh is wrong here.

A1Orthography

The Slovak Alphabet & Diacritics

Slovenská abeceda a diakritika

Slovak uses the Latin alphabet plus four diacritical marks. The dĺžeň (an acute accent, as in á, í, ú) marks a long vowel. The mäkčeň (a little hook, as in č, š, ž, ľ, ď) creates soft consonants. The vokáň (a circumflex) appears only on ô, and dve bodky (two dots) only on ä. These marks are not decoration — they change a letter's sound and often the meaning of a whole word, so you must always write them. Slovak spelling is largely phonetic: once you know the value of each letter you can read almost any word aloud. The alphabet has 46 letters and its own dictionary order.

Key rule

Slovak is the Latin alphabet plus the dĺžeň (long vowels), the mäkčeň (soft consonants), and the vokáň on ô and dve bodky on ä; each marked letter is its own letter and must always be written.

Examples

  • Abeceda sa začína: a, á, ä, b, c, č, d.
    Abeceda sa začína: a, a, a, b, c, c, d.

    á, ä and č are separate letters with their own marks; they cannot be written as plain a or c.

  • Píšem svoje meno: Žofia.
    Píšem svoje meno: Zofia.

    Ž and Z are different letters; dropping the mäkčeň changes both the sound and, here, the name itself.

  • Slovo čaj má na začiatku č.
    Slovo caj má na začiatku č.

    Without the mäkčeň the word is misspelled — diacritics are obligatory, not optional.

Common mistakes

  • Dropping diacritics entirely (typing without a Slovak keyboard)

    Dakujem, volam sa Juraj.
    Ďakujem, volám sa Juraj.

    Slovak words require their mäkčeň and dĺžeň marks; omitting them is a spelling error and can change meaning.

  • Treating č/š/ž as c/s/z

    Mam rad slovensky caj.
    Mám rád slovenský čaj.

    The mäkčeň forms separate letters with their own sounds; they are not stylistic variants of the plain consonants.

A1Orthography

Phonemic Vowel Length (á é í ó ú ý)

Dĺžka samohlások (á é í ó ú ý)

In Slovak every vowel can be short or long. A long vowel is written with the dĺžeň (acute accent): á, é, í, ó, ú, ý. Length is phonemic — it can change a word's meaning, so dráha (track) and draha (dear, fem.) are two different words. You must hold a long vowel about twice as long as a short one. Length is independent of stress: Slovak stresses the first syllable whether the vowel is short or long. The long counterparts of the syllabic consonants r and l also exist, written ŕ and ĺ. Marking length correctly is essential; a missing or added dĺžeň is a real spelling error.

Key rule

Long vowels are written with the dĺžeň (á é í ó ú ý) and contrast in meaning with short ones; length is phonemic, independent of first-syllable stress, and obligatory to write.

Examples

  • Vlak ide po dráhe.
    Vlak ide po drahe.

    dráha 'track' needs the long á; draha would mean 'dear (fem.)', a different word.

  • Idem na súd.
    Idem na sud.

    súd 'court' has a long ú; sud means 'barrel' — length alone distinguishes them.

  • Mám rád dobrý čaj.
    Mam rad dobry čaj.

    mám, rád and dobrý all carry a dĺžeň; dropping it misspells the words.

Common mistakes

  • Omitting the dĺžeň on long vowels

    Mam dobru naladu.
    Mám dobrú náladu.

    Long á and ú are obligatory; without the dĺžeň the words are misspelled.

  • Adding a dĺžeň where the vowel is short

    Móje meno je Eva.
    Moje meno je Eva.

    moje has a short o; an extra dĺžeň creates a non-word.

A1Orthography

The Digraph ch

Spoluhláska ch

In Slovak the two written letters c and h together, ch, form a single letter and a single sound. It is one consonant — a raspy sound made at the back of the mouth, as in chlieb (bread) or ucho (ear). Even though it is written with two symbols, you treat it as one letter: it is never split between syllables in the wrong place, and in the alphabet it has its own slot. That slot comes after h, so in a dictionary words beginning with ch are listed after all the h words, not among the c words. Learn ch as one unit from the start, both in sound and in alphabetical order.

Key rule

ch is a single Slovak letter and a single sound; it is alphabetised after h, and when capitalised only the first part is upper-case (Ch).

Examples

  • Ráno jem chlieb.
    Ráno jem clieb.

    The word begins with the single letter ch; writing only c misspells it and loses the sound.

  • Počujem ušami, mám dve uši.
    Počujem ušami, mám dve uchá.

    The anatomical plural of ucho 'ear' is uši; uchá means 'handles' — and the singular ucho still contains the digraph ch.

  • V slovníku je chlieb za slovom hudba.
    V slovníku je chlieb medzi slovami cena a čaj.

    ch is alphabetised after h, so chlieb follows the h words, not the c words.

Common mistakes

  • Writing c instead of the digraph ch

    Mám rád teplý clieb.
    Mám rád teplý chlieb.

    ch is one letter representing one sound; plain c is a different consonant and misspells the word.

  • Capitalising both parts as CH

    CHlapec ide do školy.
    Chlapec ide do školy.

    Only the first element of the digraph is capitalised: Ch.

A1Orthography

Basic Capitalization

Základné písanie veľkých písmen

Slovak uses a capital letter in two basic situations: at the start of every sentence, and on proper names. Proper names include people (Peter, Mária), cities and countries (Bratislava, Slovensko), and rivers or mountains. Unlike English, Slovak does NOT capitalise the names of days, months, languages, or nationalities (pondelok, jún, slovenčina, Slovák is a noun for a person but the adjective slovenský is small). The polite pronoun Vy can be capitalised in formal letters. Common nouns, even important ones, stay in lower case. Getting capitalisation right makes your writing look correct and helps the reader see where sentences and names begin.

Key rule

Capitalise the first word of a sentence and proper names (people, places, countries); do NOT capitalise days, months, languages, or nationality adjectives.

Examples

  • Volám sa Peter a bývam v Bratislave.
    Volám sa peter a bývam v bratislave.

    Peter and Bratislava are proper names and must begin with a capital letter.

  • Slovensko je krajina v strednej Európe.
    slovensko je krajina v strednej európe.

    The country Slovensko and the continent Európa are proper names; the sentence must also start with a capital.

  • V pondelok mám slovenčinu.
    V Pondelok mám Slovenčinu.

    Days of the week and language names are written in lower case in Slovak.

Common mistakes

  • Capitalising days and months (English transfer)

    Stretneme sa v Utorok v Júni.
    Stretneme sa v utorok v júni.

    Slovak writes days of the week and months in lower case.

  • Capitalising language names

    Učím sa Slovenčinu a Angličtinu.
    Učím sa slovenčinu a angličtinu.

    Names of languages are common nouns in Slovak and stay lower case.

A1Orthography

Word Stress on the First Syllable

Slovný prízvuk na prvej slabike

In Slovak the main stress always falls on the first syllable of a word. This is fixed and predictable — you never have to guess where the stress is, and it does not move when you add endings. Stress is completely separate from vowel length: a word can have a short stressed first syllable followed by a long unstressed one (as in žena, dievčatá). Short one-syllable words such as prepositions usually join the following word and 'pull' the stress onto themselves, so 'na stole' is stressed on na. Because stress is regular, learners should simply train the habit of hitting the first syllable, and never lengthen a vowel just because it is stressed.

Key rule

Slovak stress is fixed on the first syllable and never moves; it is independent of vowel length, so a stressed syllable need not be long, nor a long vowel stressed.

Examples

  • V slove žena je prízvuk na ŽE-.
    V slove žena je prízvuk na -NA.

    Slovak always stresses the first syllable, so žena is stressed on ŽE-, never on the ending.

  • Slovo dievčatá má prízvuk na prvej slabike, hoci dlhé á je na konci.
    Slovo dievčatá má prízvuk na dlhom á.

    Stress and length are separate; the long final á is unstressed, the short first syllable is stressed.

  • Hovorím o učiteľovi a prízvuk ostáva na u-.
    Hovorím o učiteľovi a prízvuk sa presunie na -ľo-.

    Stress is fixed and does not move when endings are added.

Common mistakes

  • Moving stress to a long vowel

    Učenec hovorí: prízvuk je na dlhom á v slove dievčatá.
    Prízvuk je na prvej slabike, dlhé á na konci je neprízvučné.

    Stress is always on the first syllable; vowel length is a separate property.

  • Shifting stress when adding endings

    Slovo učiteľovi vyslovujem s prízvukom na ľo.
    Slovo učiteľovi vyslovujem s prízvukom na u-.

    Slovak stress is fixed and never moves through the paradigm.

A1Orthography

Sentence Punctuation: . ? !

Interpunkcia na konci vety: . ? !

Slovak ends sentences with one of three marks. A full stop (bodka) closes a normal statement: Volám sa Peter. A question mark (otáznik) closes a question: Ako sa voláš? An exclamation mark (výkričník) closes a command or an emotional sentence: Poď sem! These marks come immediately after the last word, with no space before them and one space after. The next sentence then starts with a capital letter. Slovak punctuation looks like English punctuation here, so the main job is to pick the right mark for the sentence type and to remember to capitalise the first word of the sentence that follows.

Key rule

End a statement with a bodka (.), a question with an otáznik (?), and a command or exclamation with a výkričník (!); the mark hugs the last word and the next sentence starts with a capital.

Examples

  • Volám sa Peter.
    Volám sa Peter

    A declarative statement must end with a full stop (bodka).

  • Ako sa voláš?
    Ako sa voláš.

    A question takes an otáznik, not a full stop.

  • Poď sem!
    Poď sem?

    A command/exclamation takes a výkričník; a question mark would change the meaning.

Common mistakes

  • Forgetting the end mark altogether

    Volám sa Mária a mám psa
    Volám sa Mária a mám psa.

    Every Slovak sentence must close with an end mark; a statement needs a bodka.

  • Using a full stop for a question

    Kde bývaš.
    Kde bývaš?

    Questions, including wh-questions, are closed with an otáznik.

A1Orthography

The Vowel ä (Wide e)

Samohláska ä (široké e)

Slovak has a special vowel letter ä, called 'wide e' (široké e). It is written as a with two dots and appears in a small fixed set of native words such as mäso (meat), päť (five), deväť (nine) and väčší (bigger). In careful standard pronunciation it is an open front sound between a and e; in everyday speech many speakers simply say e, but you must still write ä. The letter occurs only after the labial consonants p, b, m, v (mäso, päta, bäk...). Czech has no ä at all, which is why Czech-L1 learners tend to write e or a instead. Learn the common ä words by heart and always keep the two dots.

Key rule

ä ('wide e') is written as a with two dots and occurs only after p, b, m, v in a fixed set of native words (mäso, päť, deväť, väčší); always write the dots even though most speakers pronounce it as e.

Examples

  • Na obed máme mäso.
    Na obed máme meso.

    mäso is written with ä; the plain-e spelling 'meso' is a misspelling even though it is pronounced that way.

  • Mám päť eur.
    Mám pet eur.

    päť 'five' contains ä after the labial p; 'pet' is wrong.

  • Je deväť hodín.
    Je devet hodín.

    deväť 'nine' is spelled with ä; without the dots it is misspelled.

Common mistakes

  • Writing plain e instead of ä (Czech transfer / pronunciation)

    Kúpila som meso a chlieb.
    Kúpila som mäso a chlieb.

    Czech has no ä and many speakers pronounce ä as e, but Slovak spelling requires the dots in mäso.

  • Writing plain a instead of ä

    Náš byt je vačší.
    Náš byt je väčší.

    väčší is spelled with ä, not a, after the labial v.

A1Orthography

Diphthongs ia / ie / iu

Dvojhlásky ia / ie / iu

Slovak has four diphthongs: ia, ie, iu and ô. Three of them are written with i plus a vowel: ia (in piaty, mesiac), ie (in viem, biely) and iu (in cudziu). A diphthong is a single sound glided from i to the next vowel, and it counts as ONE syllable. The important thing for a learner is that a diphthong is a LONG syllable, just like á or í. So you must never put a long mark over the vowels in a diphthong. The combination is already long. They appear very often in noun and adjective endings, so you meet them from your very first words.

Key rule

A diphthong (ia, ie, iu, ô) is one syllable and already counts as long — never add a length mark on its vowels.

Examples

  • Moja malá dcéra je ešte dievča.
    Moja malá dcéra je ešte dívča.

    The word is dievča: the diphthong ie, not a long í.

  • Ja viem, kde to je.
    Ja vím, kde to je.

    First person of vedieť is viem with the diphthong ie.

  • Mám rád biely chlieb.
    Mám rád bíely chleb.

    Both biely and chlieb keep the diphthong ie; you never write a long í there.

Common mistakes

  • Replacing the diphthong ie with a long í

    Já vím, kde bývaš.
    Ja viem, kde bývaš.

    Slovak uses the diphthong ie (viem), whereas the long í here is a Czech-style form.

  • Adding a length mark on a diphthong vowel

    Kúpila si bíely sveter.
    Kúpila si biely sveter.

    A diphthong is already long, so writing í inside it produces an impossible double length.

A1Orthography

Háčik Consonants č š ž dž ň ď ť ľ

Spoluhlásky s mäkčeňom č š ž dž ň ď ť ľ

The mark above a letter shaped like a small v is called mäkčeň (a caron). It turns a hard consonant into a soft one. You see it on č (as in čaj), š (škola), ž (žena), dž (džús), ň (kôň), ď (ďakujem), ť (ťava) and ľ (ľúbiť). Each is a single soft sound. With č, š, ž, dž and ľ the mark is always written. With ň, ď, ť the mark is sometimes written and sometimes only heard: before the soft vowels i, í, e, ia, ie, iu the consonant is soft even WITHOUT a printed mark (deti, ticho), and the printed ď, ť, ň appear before other vowels or at the end of a word.

Key rule

The mäkčeň makes a consonant soft; on č š ž dž ľ it is always written, but on ň ď ť it is left off before i, í, e, ia, ie, iu where the softness is automatic.

Examples

  • Náš učiteľ pije čaj.
    Náš učitel pije čaj.

    učiteľ needs a written ľ; without the mark it would be a hard l.

  • Ďakujem za pomoc.
    Dakujem za pomoc.

    ďakujem begins with a printed ď before the vowel a.

  • Malé deti sa hrajú.
    Malé ďeťi sa hrajú.

    Before i and e the softness is automatic, so you write deti, not ďeťi.

Common mistakes

  • Dropping a written soft mark on ľ or ť

    Náš učitel chce íst domov.
    Náš učiteľ chce ísť domov.

    ľ and word-final ť keep their mäkčeň; without it the consonants become hard l and t.

  • Over-marking ď, ť, ň before i and e

    Malé ďeťi sa hrajú.
    Malé deti sa hrajú.

    Before i, í, e and the soft diphthongs the softness is automatic and is not printed.

A1Orthography

The Digraphs dz and dž

Spoluhlásky dz a dž

Slovak has two consonants that are written with two letters but stand for ONE sound: dz and dž. The digraph dz is a voiced affricate (one smooth d-z), as in medzi (between) and hádzať (to throw). The digraph dž is its soft, hush version (like the j in English jam), as in džem (jam), džús (juice) and džavot. Because each is a single sound, you treat it as one consonant: it is one letter for counting syllables, and you never break the word between the d and the z. Do not confuse dz with a plain d followed by a separate z across a syllable or word boundary (pod-zemný), where the two letters belong to different parts and are pronounced separately.

Key rule

dz and dž are single sounds written with two letters — never split them, and keep them apart from a prefix-boundary d + z (pod-zemie) and from each other (dz voiced, dž soft).

Examples

  • Stojím medzi dvoma domami.
    Stojím medži dvoma domami.

    between is medzi with the voiced affricate dz, not the soft dž.

  • Deti rady hádžu loptu.
    Deti rady hádzu loptu.

    In hádžu the soft affricate dž appears in this verb form.

  • Na chlieb si dám džem.
    Na chlieb si dám dzem.

    jam is džem with the soft dž; plain dz would be the wrong sound.

Common mistakes

  • Writing the soft dž where the voiced dz is needed

    Sedím medži vami.
    Sedím medzi vami.

    medzi has the plain voiced affricate dz; dž is the soft, hush sound.

  • Writing dz where the soft dž belongs

    Na raňajky mám dzem.
    Na raňajky mám džem.

    jam is džem; the soft affricate dž is required, not dz.

A1Orthography

Syllabic r and l (krk, vlk, prst)

Slabičné r a l (krk, vlk, prst)

In Slovak the consonants r and l can form a syllable on their own, with NO vowel beside them. They become the centre of the syllable, just like a vowel would. You see this in krk (neck), vlk (wolf), prst (finger) and slza (tear). When the syllabic r or l is long, it is written ŕ or ĺ, as in vŕba (willow) and stĺp (pillar) — these long versions count as long syllables. Learners often want to squeeze in an extra vowel (krak, vluk), but you must not: the word really has no vowel there. Counting syllables, krk is one syllable, vlk is one, and prst is one.

Key rule

r and l can be the nucleus of a syllable with no vowel (krk, vlk, prst); when long they are written ŕ and ĺ (vŕba, stĺp) and count as long syllables.

Examples

  • Bolí ma krk.
    Bolí ma krak.

    neck is krk with a syllabic r; you must not insert a vowel.

  • V lese žije vlk.
    V lese žije vluk.

    wolf is vlk with a syllabic l, one syllable, no vowel added.

  • Pichol som si prst.
    Pichol som si perst.

    finger is prst with a syllabic r; perst with an extra e is wrong.

Common mistakes

  • Inserting a helper vowel into a syllabic-r word

    Bolí ma krak.
    Bolí ma krk.

    neck is krk; the r itself is the syllable, so no vowel is added.

  • Inserting a vowel into a syllabic-l word

    V lese žije vluk.
    V lese žije vlk.

    wolf is vlk, one syllable on a syllabic l, with no extra vowel.

A1Orthography

Hard, Soft and Neutral Consonants

Tvrdé, mäkké a obojaké spoluhlásky

Slovak sorts its consonants into three groups, and the group decides whether you write i/í or y/ý after the consonant. The HARD consonants are d, t, n, l and g, h, ch, k, r — after them you write y/ý (ty, ryba). The SOFT consonants are c, dz, č, š, ž, dž, j, ď, ť, ň, ľ — after them you write i/í (či, žil). The NEUTRAL (obojaké) consonants b, m, p, v, f, s, z can take either i or y, and you learn those cases word by word, especially the so-called vybrané slová. Knowing the group of the consonant is the first key to Slovak spelling of i versus y.

Key rule

After hard consonants (d t n l, g h ch k r) write y/ý; after soft consonants (c dz č š ž dž j ď ť ň ľ) write i/í; after neutral b m p v f s z the choice is fixed by the word (vybrané slová).

Examples

  • V rieke pláva ryba.
    V rieke pláva riba.

    After the hard r you write y: ryba.

  • Urobil som veľkú chybu.
    Urobil som veľkú chibu.

    After the hard ch you write y: chyba.

  • Ty si môj kamarát.
    Ti si môj kamarát.

    After the hard t the pronoun is ty with y.

Common mistakes

  • Writing i after a hard consonant

    V rieke pláva riba.
    V rieke pláva ryba.

    r is hard, so the spelling is ryba with y.

  • Writing y after a soft consonant

    Žyl tam starý muž.
    Žil tam starý muž.

    ž is soft, so it must be followed by i: žil.

A1Orthography

Voicing Assimilation — Introduction

Spodobovanie — úvod

In speech, neighbouring consonants often match each other in voicing: a voiced consonant can become voiceless, or a voiceless one becomes voiced, depending on what follows. This is called spodobovanie. For example, sneh is pronounced as if it ended in ch, and at the end of a word a voiced consonant becomes voiceless: dub sounds like dup, hrad like hrat. At a preposition, s bratom is said with a z sound ([z bratom]), and z poľa is said with an s sound. The crucial rule for writing is that the SPELLING does not change — you keep the original root letter (sneh, dub, hrad, s bratom). Spodobovanie is something you hear, not something you write.

Key rule

Consonants assimilate in voicing when spoken (sneh sounds like [sneχ], s bratom like [z bratom]), but the spelling always keeps the root letter unchanged.

Examples

  • Na dvore rastie starý dub.
    Na dvore rastie starý dup.

    dub is pronounced [dup] but always spelled with b; check the form duby.

  • Na kopci stojí hrad.
    Na kopci stojí hrat.

    hrad sounds like [hrat] but is spelled with d; compare hradu.

  • Vonku padá sneh.
    Vonku padá snech.

    sneh is pronounced like [sneχ] but written with h; compare snehu.

Common mistakes

  • Spelling a final voiced consonant as voiceless

    Na dvore rastie dup.
    Na dvore rastie dub.

    The root letter is b (duby), so the word is spelled dub even though it sounds like [dup].

  • Writing snech instead of sneh

    Vonku padá snech.
    Vonku padá sneh.

    The root has h (snehu), so the spelling stays sneh despite the [χ] sound.

A1Orthography

The Rhythmic Law — Introduction

Rytmický zákon — úvod

Slovak does not like two long syllables in a row inside one word. This is the rhythmic law (rytmický zákon). If a syllable is already long (it has á, é, í, ó, ú, ä, a diphthong, or a long ŕ/ĺ), the next syllable must be SHORT. So an ending that is normally long shortens after a long stem. You say krásny, not krásný, because krás- is already long. You say biela žena (the adjective shortens after the diphthong), and múdry, peknú but krásnu. This is the single biggest thing that makes Slovak spelling look different from Czech: where Czech keeps a long ending, Slovak shortens it.

Key rule

Two long syllables cannot stand next to each other in a word, so after a long stem the next (normally long) syllable shortens: krásny (not krásný), biela.

Examples

  • Bývam v krásnom meste.
    Bývam v krásným meste.

    The stem krás- is long, so the ending shortens: krásny/krásnom, never krásný.

  • Je to veľmi krásny deň.
    Je to veľmi krásný deň.

    After the long stem krás- the ending must be short -y, not -ý.

  • Na lúke kvitne biela kvetina.
    Na lúke kvitne bielá kvetina.

    The stem biel- already contains a long diphthong, so the ending stays short -a: biela, never the Czech-style bielá.

Common mistakes

  • Keeping a long ending after a long stem

    Bývam v krásným meste.
    Bývam v krásnom meste.

    After the long stem krás- the ending shortens; krásný is a Czech-style long ending.

  • Long adjective ending after a diphthong stem

    Na lúke kvitne bielá kvetina.
    Na lúke kvitne biela kvetina.

    The diphthong in biel- is long, so the feminine ending stays short -a.

A1Prepositions

v / na + Locative (location: in / on / at)

v / na + lokál (miesto: v / na)

To say where something or someone is, Slovak uses the prepositions v (in) and na (on/at) followed by the locative case. v means inside an enclosed space: v škole (at school), v meste (in town), v dome (in the house). na means on a surface or at certain places: na stole (on the table), na pošte (at the post office), na Slovensku (in Slovakia). The locative is the only case that always needs a preposition. The noun ending usually changes: dom becomes v dome, stôl becomes na stole. Both prepositions here answer the question kde? (where?), describing a fixed position, not movement.

Key rule

For a fixed position (kde?), use v (inside) or na (on/at a place) plus the locative case, e.g. v škole, na stole.

Examples

  • Som v škole.
    Som v škola.

    Location 'in school' takes the locative v škole; the nominative škola cannot follow v here.

  • Kniha je na stole.
    Kniha je na stôl.

    Position 'on the table' is locative na stole; na stôl (accusative) would mean direction onto the table.

  • Bývame v meste.
    Bývame v mesto.

    'We live in town' needs the locative v meste, not the nominative mesto.

Common mistakes

  • Using nominative instead of locative

    Som v škola.
    Som v škole.

    v and na for location govern the locative case; the noun must take its locative ending.

  • Using accusative for a static position

    Kniha je na stôl.
    Kniha je na stole.

    Position (kde?) is locative; the accusative na stôl signals direction (onto the table).

A1Prepositions

na / v + Accusative (direction: onto / into)

na / v + akuzatív (smer: na / do)

To say where you are going, Slovak uses na (and sometimes v) plus the accusative case, answering the question kam? (where to?). Use na for movement toward a place that normally takes na for location: idem na poštu (I'm going to the post office), idem na stanicu (to the station). The same preposition therefore appears in two cases: na pošte (location, locative) versus na poštu (direction, accusative). The noun ending changes between them. This is one of the most important contrasts in Slovak: position uses the locative, movement toward uses the accusative. Always keep the verb of motion, such as idem (I go) or cestujem (I travel), to make the direction clear.

Key rule

For movement toward a place (kam?), use na (or fixed v) plus the accusative, e.g. idem na poštu, contrasted with location na pošte.

Examples

  • Idem na poštu.
    Idem na pošte.

    Direction toward the post office needs the accusative na poštu; na pošte is location.

  • Cestujem na stanicu.
    Cestujem na stanica.

    'To the station' is accusative na stanicu; the nominative stanica is wrong.

  • Ideme na koncert.
    Ideme na koncerte.

    Going to a concert is direction (accusative) na koncert; na koncerte means being at one.

Common mistakes

  • Using locative after a motion verb

    Idem na pošte.
    Idem na poštu.

    After idem (direction, kam?) the place takes the accusative; na pošte is the static location.

  • Using nominative for the direction object

    Cestujem na stanica.
    Cestujem na stanicu.

    Feminine -a nouns take -u in the accusative: na stanicu.

A1Prepositions

do / z + Genitive (into / out of, to / from)

do / z + genitív (do / z)

The prepositions do (into, to) and z (out of, from) both take the genitive case and form a natural pair for movement into and out of a place. do shows direction into an enclosed space: idem do mesta (I'm going into town), do školy (to school), do obchodu (to the shop). z shows the opposite, coming out of or from: idem z práce (I'm coming from work), z mesta (out of town), zo školy (from school). do is the usual partner of places that take v for location, just as na pairs with the accusative for na-places. The genitive ending is often -a for masculine, -u for some masculine nouns, and -y or -e for feminine.

Key rule

Use do + genitive for movement into/to a place and z (zo) + genitive for movement out of/from it, e.g. do mesta, z práce.

Examples

  • Idem do mesta.
    Idem do mesto.

    do takes the genitive: do mesta; the nominative mesto is wrong.

  • Vraciam sa z práce.
    Vraciam sa z práca.

    z takes the genitive: z práce; práca is the nominative and cannot follow z.

  • Deti idú do školy.
    Deti idú do škola.

    'To school' is genitive do školy, not the nominative škola.

Common mistakes

  • Using nominative after do

    Idem do mesto.
    Idem do mesta.

    do governs the genitive; mesto must take the genitive ending -a.

  • Using nominative after z

    Vraciam sa z práca.
    Vraciam sa z práce.

    z governs the genitive; the feminine -a noun becomes -e (práce).

A1Prepositions

s / so + Instrumental (with — accompaniment)

s / so + inštrumentál (s — spolu)

To say you do something together with someone, Slovak uses s (with) plus the instrumental case: idem s priateľom (I'm going with a friend), hovorím s mamou (I'm talking with mum). Before words that begin with s, z, š, ž, or certain consonant clusters, s becomes so for easier pronunciation: so sestrou (with the sister), so mnou (with me). The instrumental endings are typically -om for masculine and neuter (s bratom, s autom) and -ou for feminine (s mamou, so sestrou). Be careful: this s means accompaniment, not the instrument you use; the bare instrumental without s expresses 'by means of', as in píšem perom (I write with a pen).

Key rule

Use s (so before s/z/š/ž clusters) + instrumental for accompaniment 'with someone', e.g. s priateľom, so sestrou — but no preposition for an instrument (perom).

Examples

  • Idem s priateľom.
    Idem s priateľ.

    s takes the instrumental priateľom; the nominative priateľ is wrong.

  • Bývam so sestrou.
    Bývam s sestrou.

    Before the cluster s-, the preposition vocalises to so: so sestrou.

  • Hovorím s mamou.
    Hovorím s mama.

    s + instrumental of mama is mamou, not the nominative.

Common mistakes

  • Using nominative after s

    Idem s priateľ.
    Idem s priateľom.

    s governs the instrumental; the noun must take -om.

  • Failing to vocalise s to so

    Bývam s sestrou.
    Bývam so sestrou.

    Before s/z/š/ž the preposition becomes so for pronounceability.

A1Prepositions

o + Locative (about, regarding)

o + lokál (o — o čom)

To say what you are talking, thinking, reading or writing about, Slovak uses o (about) plus the locative case: hovorím o knihe (I'm talking about a book), premýšľam o tebe (I'm thinking about you), čítam o histórii. It answers the question o čom? (about what?) or o kom? (about whom?). The locative endings are usually -e for masculine and neuter (o bratovi, o filme, o meste) and -e/-i for feminine (o knihe, o ceste, o stanici). Pronouns have special locative forms: o mne (about me), o tebe (about you), o ňom (about him), o nej (about her). Like other locative prepositions, o never appears with the nominative.

Key rule

Use o + locative to name the topic of speech or thought (about what/whom), e.g. hovorím o knihe, premýšľam o tebe.

Examples

  • Hovoríme o knihe.
    Hovoríme o kniha.

    o takes the locative knihe; the nominative kniha is wrong.

  • Premýšľam o tebe.
    Premýšľam o ty.

    The locative pronoun is tebe; the nominative ty cannot follow o.

  • Čítam o histórii.
    Čítam o história.

    o + locative of história is histórii, not the nominative.

Common mistakes

  • Using nominative after o

    Hovoríme o kniha.
    Hovoríme o knihe.

    o governs the locative; the noun must take its locative ending.

  • Using a nominative pronoun

    Premýšľam o ty.
    Premýšľam o tebe.

    Pronouns have special locative forms after o: o tebe, o mne, o ňom.

A1Prepositions

pre + Accusative / bez + Genitive (for / without)

pre + akuzatív / bez + genitív (pre / bez)

Two very useful prepositions are pre (for) and bez (without). pre takes the accusative and says who or what something is for: darček pre teba (a present for you), je to pre mamu (it's for mum). bez takes the genitive and means without: káva bez cukru (coffee without sugar), som bez peňazí (I'm without money). The accusative after pre uses forms like pre teba, pre brata, pre mamu, and the genitive after bez uses pre brata's mirror bez brata, bez cukru, bez peňazí. Keep them apart by meaning and case: pre means benefit or purpose for someone, bez means the absence of something.

Key rule

Use pre + accusative for a beneficiary ('for someone') and bez + genitive for absence ('without'), e.g. pre teba, bez peňazí.

Examples

  • Darček je pre teba.
    Darček je pre ty.

    pre takes the accusative pronoun teba; the nominative ty is wrong.

  • Je to pre mamu.
    Je to pre mama.

    pre + accusative of mama is mamu.

  • Káva bez cukru.
    Káva bez cukor.

    bez takes the genitive cukru; the nominative cukor is wrong.

Common mistakes

  • Using nominative pronoun after pre

    Je to pre ty.
    Je to pre teba.

    pre governs the accusative; the pronoun must be teba.

  • Using nominative after bez

    Káva bez cukor.
    Káva bez cukru.

    bez governs the genitive; cukor takes the genitive ending -u.

A1Prepositions

Vocalised Prepositions (vo, zo, so, ku, bezo)

Vokalizácia predložiek (vo, zo, so, ku, bezo)

Some Slovak prepositions add a vowel before words that begin with an awkward consonant cluster, so the phrase is easier to pronounce. v becomes vo (vo vode, vo februári), z becomes zo (zo školy, zo stanice), s becomes so (so sestrou, so mnou), k becomes ku (ku mne, ku komu), and bez becomes bezo (bezo mňa). The rule is mainly triggered when the next word starts with the same or a similar consonant (v before v-, z/s before s-, z-, š-, ž-) or before certain clusters and the pronouns mňa/mne. The case the preposition governs does not change — only its shape. Learning the common pairs (vo vode, zo školy, so mnou, ku mne) covers most A1 needs.

Key rule

Before awkward clusters (or mňa/mne), prepositions take an extra vowel — v→vo, z→zo, s→so, k→ku, bez→bezo — while the governed case stays the same.

Examples

  • Ryba je vo vode.
    Ryba je v vode.

    Before v-, the preposition vocalises to vo: vo vode.

  • Prichádzam zo školy.
    Prichádzam z školy.

    Before š-, z vocalises to zo: zo školy.

  • Idem so sestrou.
    Idem s sestrou.

    Before s-, s vocalises to so: so sestrou.

Common mistakes

  • Not vocalising v before v-/clusters

    Ryba je v vode.
    Ryba je vo vode.

    Before v- and similar clusters, v must become vo.

  • Not vocalising z before sibilant clusters

    Prichádzam z školy.
    Prichádzam zo školy.

    Before s/z/š/ž clusters, z must become zo.

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A1Pronouns

Subject Pronouns — Nominative

Osobné zámená v nominatíve

The Slovak subject pronouns are ja (I), ty (you, singular informal), on (he), ona (she), ono (it), my (we), vy (you, plural or polite), and oni / ony (they). The third-person plural has two forms: oni for groups that include at least one male person and ony for groups of things or only women. Slovak normally drops these pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person — you say Som doma, not Ja som doma. The pronoun is added back only for emphasis or contrast, for example Ja som doma, ale ty si v práci.

Key rule

The nominative subject pronouns are ja, ty, on/ona/ono, my, vy, oni/ony — usually dropped because the verb ending already marks the person.

Examples

  • Ja som lekár, on je študent.
    Ja som lekár, ono je študent.

    A male person takes on; ono is reserved for grammatically neuter nouns, not for men.

  • Oni sú doma.
    Ony sú doma.

    A group that includes a man takes oni; ony is only for things or for women only.

  • Vy ste pán učiteľ?
    Ty si pán učiteľ?

    Politely addressing one adult stranger uses vy with the plural verb ste, not the familiar ty.

Common mistakes

  • Using ono for a male or female person

    Ono je môj brat.
    On je môj brat.

    ono is the neuter pronoun for grammatically neuter nouns; a man is on and a woman is ona.

  • Mixing up oni and ony

    Chlapci? Ony sú vonku.
    Chlapci? Oni sú vonku.

    A group with at least one male animate person takes oni; ony is for things and women-only groups.

A1Pronouns

Interrogatives kto / čo

Opytovacie zámená kto / čo

Slovak has two basic question words for asking about identity: kto (who) asks about people, and čo (what) asks about things, animals or abstract ideas. They begin the question and the verb keeps its normal form: Kto je to? (Who is that?), Čo je to? (What is that?). With the verb byť the most common pattern is Kto je…? and Čo je…?, often followed by the demonstrative to: Kto je to? Čo to je? Both words can also act as the object of the sentence, and then they change their case form, but at A1 you mostly meet the nominative kto and čo at the start of a question.

Key rule

Use kto to ask about people and čo to ask about things; both open the question and kto always takes a masculine singular verb.

Examples

  • Kto je to?
    Čo je to? (o osobe)

    When asking about a person you must use kto; čo would ask about a thing.

  • Čo je to?
    Kto je to? (o veci)

    For a thing or object the question word is čo, not kto.

  • Kto prišiel?
    Kto prišli?

    kto always takes the masculine singular verb, even if several people came.

Common mistakes

  • Using čo for a person

    Čo je tvoj otec?
    Kto je tvoj otec?

    A father is a person, so the question word must be kto; čo asks only about things.

  • Plural verb after kto

    Kto sú tam?
    Kto je tam?

    kto always governs a masculine singular verb, so it is Kto je tam? even about a crowd.

A1Pronouns

Dropping Subject Pronouns (Pro-Drop)

Vynechávanie osobného zámena (pro-drop)

Slovak is a pro-drop language: the subject pronoun is normally left out because the verb ending already shows the person and number. You say Som tu (I am here), Bývam v Bratislave (I live in Bratislava), Robíš domácu úlohu? (Are you doing your homework?) — without ja or ty. The pronoun is added only when you want to emphasise or contrast: Ja som tu, ale ty si tam (I am here, but you are there). Keeping the pronoun everywhere sounds unnatural and over-heavy, like a beginner. The default in normal speech and writing is to drop it.

Key rule

Drop the subject pronoun by default because the verb ending shows the person; keep it only for emphasis or contrast.

Examples

  • Bývam v Bratislave.
    Ja bývam v Bratislave. (bez dôrazu)

    The ending -m already marks 'I', so ja is dropped in neutral speech.

  • Robíš domácu úlohu?
    Ty robíš domácu úlohu? (bez dôrazu)

    The ending -š marks 'you'; ty is unnecessary unless contrastive.

  • Ja varím a ty umývaš riad.
    Varím a umývaš riad.

    Here the pronouns ARE kept because two different subjects are contrasted.

Common mistakes

  • Keeping the pronoun in every clause (English interference)

    Ja som doma a ja čítam.
    Som doma a čítam.

    The endings already mark the person; repeating ja is heavy and non-native.

  • Adding the pronoun before a past-tense auxiliary

    Ja som videl film.
    Videl som film.

    The auxiliary clitic som already shows first person, so ja is dropped.

A1Pronouns

Personal Pronouns — Accusative (Basic)

Osobné zámená v akuzatíve (základy)

When a personal pronoun is the direct object (the person or thing the action happens to), it takes the accusative case. The short, unstressed forms are: ma (me), ťa (you), ho (him / it), ju (her), nás (us), vás (you, plural), ich (them). They are clitics: they cannot stand first and usually go in the second position of the clause — Vidím ťa (I see you), Poznám ho (I know him). After a preposition you use the long form with n-: pre teba (for you), na neho (at him), pre nás (for us). At A1 focus on the short object forms with everyday verbs like vidieť, poznať, mať, hľadať, volať.

Key rule

Direct-object pronouns use the accusative short forms ma, ťa, ho, ju, nás, vás, ich in second position; after a preposition switch to the long n-forms (pre teba, na neho).

Examples

  • Vidím ťa.
    Vidím ty.

    The direct object needs the accusative ťa, not the nominative ty.

  • Poznám ho.
    Poznám on.

    'Him' as object is ho; on is only the subject form.

  • Hľadám ju.
    Hľadám ona.

    'Her' as object is ju; ona is the subject form.

Common mistakes

  • Using the nominative for the object

    Vidím ona.
    Vidím ju.

    A direct object takes the accusative; 'her' is ju, not the subject form ona.

  • Using the short clitic after a preposition

    Je to pre ťa.
    Je to pre teba.

    After a preposition Slovak requires the stressed long form teba, never the clitic ťa.

A1Pronouns

Personal Pronouns — Dative (Basic)

Osobné zámená v datíve (základy)

When a personal pronoun is the recipient — the person to whom or for whom something is done — it takes the dative case. The short, unstressed forms are: mi (to me), ti (to you), mu (to him / it), jej (to her), nám (to us), vám (to you, plural), im (to them). They are clitics in the second position: Dám ti to (I'll give it to you), Pomôžem mu (I'll help him), Páči sa mi to (I like it). After a preposition or for emphasis you use the long forms: ku mne, k tebe, k nemu, k nej. The dative is also used with feeling expressions like Je mi zima (I'm cold) and Páči sa mi… (I like…).

Key rule

Recipient pronouns use the dative short forms mi, ti, mu, jej, nám, vám, im in second position; the dative precedes the accusative in a clitic cluster.

Examples

  • Dám ti to.
    Dám teba to.

    The recipient is the dative clitic ti; teba is the accusative long form.

  • Pomôžem mu.
    Pomôžem ho.

    pomôcť takes a dative recipient mu; ho is the accusative 'him'.

  • Páči sa mi to.
    Páči sa ma to.

    The 'liking' construction uses the dative mi, not the accusative ma.

Common mistakes

  • Using the accusative for the recipient

    Pomôžem ho.
    Pomôžem mu.

    pomôcť governs the dative; the recipient 'him' is mu, not the accusative ho.

  • Accusative in the 'liking' construction

    Páči sa ma to.
    Páči sa mi to.

    Páčiť sa needs the dative experiencer mi, not the accusative ma.

A1Pronouns

Reflexive Pronoun sa / si (No Nominative)

Zvratné zámeno sa / si (bez nominatívu)

The reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of the sentence, whoever it is. It has two clitic forms: sa is the accusative (the subject acts on itself — Umývam sa, I wash myself) and si is the dative (the subject does something for itself — Umývam si ruky, I wash my hands). Unlike the personal pronouns, the reflexive has no nominative form — there is no subject 'self'. sa and si sit in the second position of the clause and never change for person: Umývam sa, Umývaš sa, Umýva sa all use the same sa. Many common verbs simply require sa or si as a fixed part of the verb: volať sa (to be called), tešiť sa (to look forward), kúpiť si (to buy oneself).

Key rule

The reflexive sa (accusative) and si (dative) refer to the subject, have no nominative, never change for person, and sit in the second position before other object clitics.

Examples

  • Volám sa Peter.
    Volám ma Peter.

    The verb volať sa is inherently reflexive; it uses sa, never the personal ma.

  • Umývam si ruky.
    Umývam sa ruky.

    Washing a part 'for oneself' takes the dative si; sa would mean washing one's whole self.

  • Teším sa na víkend.
    Teším na víkend.

    tešiť sa requires the reflexive sa as a fixed part of the verb.

Common mistakes

  • Replacing the reflexive with a personal pronoun

    Volám ma Peter.
    Volám sa Peter.

    The reflexive sa, not ma, points back to the subject; volať sa is inherently reflexive.

  • Using sa where the dative si is needed

    Umývam sa ruky.
    Umývam si ruky.

    Washing a part of oneself takes the dative beneficiary si; sa means the whole self.

A1Syntax

Basic Negation with ne- on the Verb

Základný zápor s ne- pri slovese

In Slovak you make a verb negative by attaching the prefix ne- directly to the front of it: robím (I do) becomes nerobím (I don't do), mám becomes nemám, viem becomes neviem. The prefix is written together with the verb as one word. There is one important exception: the third-person form of byť, je (is), is negated as a separate two-word phrase, nie je (is not). The negative idea sits on the verb, not on a separate word like English 'not' or 'don't'. You do not need a helper verb the way English uses 'do'.

Key rule

Glue ne- onto an ordinary verb as one word (nerobím), but negate forms of byť with a separate nie (nie som, nie je).

Examples

  • Nemám čas.
    Mám nie čas.

    Negation attaches as ne- to the verb (nemám); there is no separate 'not' word next to an ordinary verb.

  • Dnes nepracujem.
    Dnes ne pracujem.

    ne- and the verb form a single written word: nepracujem, never two separate words.

  • To nie je môj dom.
    To neje môj dom.

    The third-person je is negated as the two-word nie je; it is not glued together as *neje.

Common mistakes

  • Writing ne- separately from the verb

    Ja ne viem.
    Ja neviem.

    With ordinary verbs the negative prefix ne- is always written joined to the verb as one word.

  • Adding an extra 'not' word beside a normal verb (English do-support)

    Ja nie robím nič.
    Ja nerobím nič.

    Ordinary verbs do not take a separate nie; the ne- prefix alone carries the negation.

A1Syntax

Answering Yes / No (áno, nie, hej)

Odpoveď áno / nie (áno, nie, hej)

To say 'yes' in Slovak you say áno; the colloquial, friendly version is hej (used in casual speech). To say 'no' you say nie. The very same word nie is also the negative particle, so context tells you whether it means the answer 'no' or 'not'. You can answer with áno or nie alone, or you can add a short verb to confirm: Áno, mám. (Yes, I have.) / Nie, nemám. (No, I don't.) When you deny, the verb that follows is still negated with ne-, because the 'no' answer and the negated verb work together.

Key rule

Say áno (or casual hej) for yes and nie for no; in a full negative answer keep the verb negated (Nie, nemám).

Examples

  • Áno, mám čas.
    Ano, mám čas.

    Slovak yes is áno with the long á, not the Czech short 'ano'.

  • Nie, nemám peniaze.
    Nie, mám peniaze.

    A negative answer keeps the verb negated: nie + nemám, not nie + the positive verb.

  • Hej, idem tiež.
    Jo, idem tiež.

    The casual Slovak yes is hej; 'jo' is Czech.

Common mistakes

  • Using Czech 'ano' without the long vowel

    Ano, prídem.
    Áno, prídem.

    Slovak spells and pronounces the affirmative as áno with long á.

  • Using Czech casual 'jo'

    Jo, súhlasím.
    Hej, súhlasím.

    The Slovak colloquial yes is hej; 'jo' is a Czech form.

A1Syntax

Basic Word Order (flexible SVO)

Základný slovosled (pružné SVO)

The neutral order in a Slovak sentence is subject – verb – object, just like English: Anna číta knihu (Anna reads a book). But because Slovak marks the object with case endings, the order is flexible: you can move words around for emphasis without losing meaning. Knihu číta Anna still means Anna reads the book, but it highlights the book. As a beginner, use plain SVO for clear, neutral sentences. The case endings keep the roles clear, so word order mainly changes what you stress, not who does what to whom.

Key rule

Use neutral subject–verb–object order; case endings let you reorder for emphasis without changing who does what.

Examples

  • Anna číta knihu.
    Anna knihu číta nie.

    Neutral SVO: subject Anna, verb číta, object knihu (accusative).

  • Otec varí obed.
    Otec obed varí je.

    Clear SVO with an accusative object; no stray extra verb is needed.

  • Knihu číta Anna.
    Kniha číta Anna.

    When the object is fronted for emphasis it still keeps its accusative ending knihu.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the object in the nominative when fronting it

    Kniha číta Anna.
    Knihu číta Anna.

    The object keeps its accusative ending (knihu) regardless of position; only then does the meaning stay 'Anna reads the book'.

  • Forcing a rigid English order when emphasis shifts

    Anna číta knihu (when stressing the book).
    Knihu číta Anna.

    To emphasise the object, Slovak fronts it; this is natural and the case ending keeps roles clear.

A1Syntax

Yes/No Questions by Intonation & Inversion

Zisťovacie otázky intonáciou a inverziou

To ask a yes/no question in Slovak you usually keep the statement words but use rising intonation and a question mark: Si doma? (Are you home?), Máš čas? (Do you have time?). There is no helper word like English 'do' and no required reordering. You can also move the verb to the front for a slightly more marked question (Máš čas? / Čas máš?). The verb byť is kept (Si tu?), and you simply raise your voice at the end in speech, or add ? in writing. Word order stays flexible, so the simplest reliable strategy is statement order plus rising intonation.

Key rule

Make a yes/no question with statement word order plus rising intonation (and ?); no helper 'do' and no obligatory inversion.

Examples

  • Si doma?
    Robíš ty si doma?

    Statement order plus rising intonation; the copula si is kept and no helper verb is added.

  • Máš čas?
    Či máš ty čas dnes?

    No question particle is needed; just intonation and the question mark.

  • Prídeš večer?
    Robíš prísť večer?

    Slovak has no do-support; the verb itself is questioned with intonation.

Common mistakes

  • Adding English-style do-support

    Robíš mať čas?
    Máš čas?

    Slovak has no auxiliary 'do'; the lexical verb itself becomes the question.

  • Forcing an unnecessary subject pronoun

    Ty máš auto?
    Máš auto?

    Slovak is pro-drop; the pronoun is only used to stress 'you'.

A1Syntax

Question Words (kto, čo, kde, kam, kedy, ako, prečo)

Opytovacie slová (kto, čo, kde, kam, kedy, ako, prečo)

Open questions begin with a question word: kto (who), čo (what), kde (where – location), kam (where to – direction), kedy (when), ako (how), prečo (why). The question word comes first and the verb follows: Kde bývaš? (Where do you live?), Kam ideš? (Where are you going?). A key Slovak split: kde asks where something IS (Kde si?), while kam asks where something is GOING (Kam ideš?). Like yes/no questions, there is no helper 'do' and the subject pronoun is usually dropped. Just put the question word at the front and let the verb follow.

Key rule

Front the wh-word then the verb; use kde for location (Kde si?) but kam for direction (Kam ideš?).

Examples

  • Kde bývaš?
    Kam bývaš?

    Bývať asks about a static location, so it takes kde, not the directional kam.

  • Kam ideš?
    Kde ideš?

    Ísť expresses movement toward a destination, so it takes kam, not kde.

  • Čo robíš?
    Čo ty robíš nie?

    The wh-word leads, the verb follows, and the subject pronoun is dropped.

Common mistakes

  • Using kde for direction

    Kde ideš?
    Kam ideš?

    Movement toward a destination requires kam; kde is only for static location.

  • Using kam for location

    Kam si?
    Kde si?

    A static 'where are you' uses kde; kam would mean 'where to'.

A1Syntax

Double Negation (Obligatory)

Dvojitý zápor (povinný)

Slovak requires double negation: when you use a negative word like nikto (nobody), nič (nothing), nikdy (never) or nikde (nowhere), the verb must ALSO be negated. So 'Nobody knows anything' is Nikto nič nevie – literally 'nobody nothing doesn't-know'. Every negative word in the clause stacks up and the verb still carries ne-. This feels strange to English speakers, where 'I don't know nothing' is wrong, but in Slovak the negatives agree and reinforce each other. The rule: a negative word in the sentence forces the verb to be negated too.

Key rule

A negative word (nikto, nič, nikdy, nikde) forces the verb to be negated too: Nikto nič nevie.

Examples

  • Nikto nič nevie.
    Nikto nič vie.

    Negative words require the verb to stay negated: nevie, not the positive vie.

  • Nikdy nechodím neskoro.
    Nikdy chodím neskoro.

    With nikdy the verb must also be negated: nechodím.

  • Nikde ho nevidím.
    Nikde ho vidím.

    nikde forces the negated verb nevidím; the clitic ho sits in second position.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the verb positive after a negative word (English single-negation)

    Nikto vie.
    Nikto nevie.

    Slovak has negative concord; a negative subject still requires the verb to be negated.

  • Using a positive indefinite instead of the negative one

    Nevidím niečo.
    Nevidím nič.

    Under negation Slovak uses the negative series (nič, nikto), not the positive niečo/niekto.

A1Connectors

Basic Coordination: a, i, ale, alebo

Základné priraďovanie: a, i, ale, alebo

Coordinating conjunctions join equal words or clauses: a (and), i (and/also, emphatic), ale (but), alebo (or). Use a to connect items neutrally: káva a čaj (coffee and tea). Use ale to contrast: malý, ale silný (small but strong). Use alebo to offer a choice: čaj alebo káva? (tea or coffee?). The word i is a stronger 'and/even/also' (i ja – me too). A simple comma rule: there is no comma before a or alebo when they simply link, but you DO put a comma before ale. These four words cover most everyday joining at A1 level.

Key rule

Join equals with a (and), i (emphatic and/also), alebo (or) and ale (but); put a comma before ale, none before a/alebo when simply linking.

Examples

  • Pijem kávu a čaj.
    Pijem kávu, a čaj.

    Simple a linking two objects takes no comma before it.

  • Je malý, ale silný.
    Je malý ale silný.

    A contrastive ale is preceded by a comma.

  • Dáš si čaj alebo kávu?
    Dáš si čaj, alebo kávu?

    A simple either/or alebo linking two items needs no comma.

Common mistakes

  • Comma before a simple linking a

    Mám psa, a mačku.
    Mám psa a mačku.

    A plain additive a between two items is not preceded by a comma.

  • No comma before ale

    Je pekný ale drahý.
    Je pekný, ale drahý.

    The contrastive conjunction ale always takes a comma before it.

A1Connectors

Basic Subordination: že, pretože, keď

Základné podraďovanie: že, pretože, keď

Subordinating conjunctions attach a dependent clause to a main one: že (that), pretože (because), keď (when/if). Use že to report or state: Viem, že prídeš (I know that you will come). Use pretože to give a reason: Neprišiel, pretože pršalo (He didn't come because it was raining). Use keď for time/condition: Keď prídeš, zavolaj (When you come, call me). The big rule: in Slovak you ALWAYS put a comma before these subordinators – unlike English, where 'that' can be left out, in Slovak že is kept and the comma is obligatory.

Key rule

Attach clauses with že (that), pretože (because), keď (when); always put a comma before the subordinator and never drop že.

Examples

  • Viem, že prídeš.
    Viem že prídeš.

    A comma is obligatory before the subordinator že.

  • Myslím, že máš pravdu.
    Myslím máš pravdu.

    že cannot be dropped the way English 'that' can; it must be present.

  • Ostal doma, pretože bol chorý.
    Ostal doma pretože bol chorý.

    pretože introduces the reason clause and takes a comma before it.

Common mistakes

  • Omitting the comma before že

    Dúfam že prídeš.
    Dúfam, že prídeš.

    Slovak always sets off the subordinate clause with a comma before že.

  • Dropping že (English 'that'-deletion)

    Myslím máš pravdu.
    Myslím, že máš pravdu.

    Unlike English, Slovak keeps že; it cannot be omitted.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — byť (to be), Copula Kept

Prítomný čas — byť (kopula sa zachováva)

Slovak 'byť' (to be) is irregular: som (I am), si (you are), je (he/she/it is), sme (we are), ste (you are/you formal), sú (they are). Unlike Russian, Slovak keeps the present-tense copula on the surface, so you must say it out loud: 'Som študent' (I am a student), 'Ona je doktorka' (She is a doctor). You cannot drop 'je' the way Russian drops 'есть'. Because Slovak is a pro-drop language, the subject pronoun is usually left out — 'Som unavený' already means 'I am tired'. Use byť to give your name, profession, nationality, location and to describe people and things.

Key rule

Keep the present-tense copula overt — say som/si/je/sme/ste/sú; never drop it the way Russian does.

Examples

  • Som študent.
    Som študentka.

    A male speaker uses the masculine predicate noun 'študent'; 'študentka' is feminine, so it contradicts a male subject.

  • Ona je doktorka.
    Ona doktorka.

    The copula 'je' must appear on the surface in the present tense; dropping it is a Russian-style error.

  • Sme z Bratislavy.
    Sme z Bratislava.

    'Byť z' takes the genitive of origin, so the city name shifts to 'Bratislavy'.

Common mistakes

  • Dropping the present-tense copula (Russian interference)

    On môj brat.
    On je môj brat.

    Russian omits 'to be' in the present, but Slovak keeps it; 'je' must be pronounced.

  • Using singular 'je' with a plural subject

    Moji kamaráti je tu.
    Moji kamaráti sú tu.

    A plural subject requires the third-person plural form 'sú'.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — mať (to have)

Prítomný čas — mať

'Mať' (to have) is one of the most useful early verbs. Its present forms are mám (I have), máš (you have), má (he/she/it has), máme (we have), máte (you have/formal), majú (they have). Notice the long á in the first five forms and the third-person plural 'majú'. The thing you possess goes into the accusative case: 'Mám brata' (I have a brother), 'Máme psa' (We have a dog). Slovak uses mať for possession, for stating age ('Mám dvadsať rokov'), for family relations, and in many fixed phrases such as 'mať čas' (to have time) and 'mať rád' (to like).

Key rule

Mať takes its object in the accusative; conjugate mám/máš/má/máme/máte/majú and negate as one word (nemám).

Examples

  • Mám brata.
    Mám brat.

    The object of mať is in the accusative; for a masculine animate noun that is 'brata', not the nominative 'brat'.

  • Máme nový dom.
    Máme nového domu.

    'Dom' is masculine inanimate, so its accusative equals the nominative 'nový dom', not the genitive.

  • Koľko máš rokov?
    Koľko si rokov?

    Age is expressed with mať ('máš rokov'), not with byť, so 'si' is wrong here.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the object in the nominative instead of accusative

    Mám pes.
    Mám psa.

    Mať governs the accusative; for a masculine animate noun the accusative is 'psa'.

  • Expressing age with byť instead of mať

    Som dvadsať rokov.
    Mám dvadsať rokov.

    Slovak states age with mať: 'mám ... rokov', literally 'I have ... years'.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — -á- Class (robiť, volať)

Prítomný čas — trieda -á- (robiť, volať)

The -á- class is the most regular and predictable present-tense pattern in Slovak. Verbs like volať (to call) and čakať (to wait) take the endings -ám, -áš, -á, -áme, -áte, -ajú: volám, voláš, volá, voláme, voláte, volajú. Just drop the infinitive ending -ť and add the personal ending. Notice the long á in the first five forms and the third-person plural ending -ajú. Many everyday verbs follow this class, including čakať (to wait), pýtať sa (to ask), počúvať (to listen), spievať (to sing) and hľadať (to look for). Because the pattern almost never changes the stem, it is the easiest conjugation to learn first.

Key rule

Add -ám, -áš, -á, -áme, -áte, -ajú to the stem; shorten the ending vowel after a long syllable (spievam).

Examples

  • Volám mame.
    Volám mama.

    'Volať' in the sense of phoning takes the dative ('mame'), so the nominative 'mama' is wrong.

  • Čakáme na autobus.
    Čakáme na autobuse.

    'Čakať na' takes the accusative ('na autobus'); the locative 'na autobuse' would mean 'on the bus'.

  • Deti spievajú peknú pieseň.
    Deti spievaju peknú pieseň.

    The third-person plural ending is -ajú with long jú, so it is 'spievajú', not 'spievaju'.

Common mistakes

  • Using -aju instead of -ajú in the third-person plural

    Oni čakaju vonku.
    Oni čakajú vonku.

    The -á- class third-person plural ends in -ajú with a long 'jú'.

  • Ignoring the rhythmic law after a long syllable

    Ja spievám každý deň.
    Ja spievam každý deň.

    The diphthong 'ie' is long, so the rhythmic law shortens the following ending to 'spievam'.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — -uje- Class (pracovať)

Prítomný čas — trieda -uje- (pracovať)

Many Slovak verbs end in -ovať in the infinitive, but in the present tense the -ova- changes to -uje-. So 'pracovať' (to work) becomes pracujem, pracuješ, pracuje, pracujeme, pracujete, pracujú. The endings are -em, -eš, -e, -eme, -ete, -ú added to the -uj- stem. This class is very common because most verbs borrowed from other languages join it: telefonovať, študovať, nakupovať, cestovať, opakovať, organizovať. The key step is to swap -ovať for -uj- and then add the present endings. Notice the third-person plural is simply -ujú (pracujú).

Key rule

Replace infinitive -ova- with -uj- and add -em/-eš/-e/-eme/-ete/-ú (pracovať → pracujem ... pracujú).

Examples

  • Pracujem v nemocnici.
    Pracovám v nemocnici.

    In the present the -ova- becomes -uj-: 'pracujem'; 'pracovám' wrongly keeps the infinitive suffix.

  • Študuješ na univerzite?
    Študuš na univerzite?

    The stem is 'študuj-', so the second-person singular is 'študuješ', not 'študuš'.

  • Cestujeme do Talianska.
    Cestujeme do Taliansko.

    'Do' takes the genitive of destination, so the country name is 'Talianska'.

Common mistakes

  • Keeping the infinitive -ova- in the present

    Ja pracovám v škole.
    Ja pracujem v škole.

    The present stem of -ovať verbs is -uj-, so it is 'pracujem'.

  • Using -uju instead of -ujú in the third-person plural

    Oni študuju medicínu.
    Oni študujú medicínu.

    The third-person plural ends in -ujú with a long 'jú'.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — -í- Class (hovoriť, prosiť)

Prítomný čas — trieda -í- (hovoriť, prosiť)

Verbs whose infinitive ends in -iť usually follow the -í- class. They take the endings -ím, -íš, -í, -íme, -íte, -ia: hovoriť → hovorím, hovoríš, hovorí, hovoríme, hovoríte, hovoria; prosiť → prosím, prosíš, prosí, prosíme, prosíte, prosia. Notice the long í in the first five forms and the special third-person plural ending -ia (hovoria, prosia). The third-person plural is always -ia for every verb in this class: robia, prosia, učia, sedia, vrátia, chvália. The rhythmic law touches only the long í of the singular and the -íme/-íte forms: after a long stem syllable that í shortens to i, so 'chváliť' gives chválim, chválime (not chválím, chválíme), while the diphthong -ia is kept unchanged (chvália). Common verbs in this class include robiť, učiť (sa), myslieť, sedieť and vidieť. 'Prosím' is also the polite 'please'.

Key rule

Add -ím/-íš/-í/-íme/-íte/-ia; the rhythmic law shortens the long ending after a long stem syllable.

Examples

  • Hovorím po slovensky.
    Hovoríim po slovensky.

    The first-person singular ending is a single long -ím: 'hovorím', not a doubled vowel.

  • Deti sa učia doma.
    Deti sa učaju doma.

    The third-person plural of this class is -ia: 'učia'; '-aju' belongs to a different class.

  • Prosím vás, kde je stanica?
    Prosíme vás, kde je stanica?

    A single speaker uses 'prosím'; 'prosíme' is first-person plural and implies several askers.

Common mistakes

  • Using -aju/-ajú instead of -ia in the third-person plural

    Oni hovoraju potichu.
    Oni hovoria potichu.

    The -í- class third-person plural ends in -ia: 'hovoria'.

  • Shortening the stem vowel in the singular

    Ja myslim, že áno.
    Ja myslím, že áno.

    The first-person singular has a long í: 'myslím'.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — -e- Class (písať, niesť)

Prítomný čas — trieda -e- (písať, niesť)

A large group of Slovak verbs takes the present-tense endings -em, -eš, -e, -eme, -ete, -ú. These are the -e- class verbs, for example písať (to write) → píšem, píšeš, píše, píšeme, píšete, píšu, and niesť (to carry) → nesiem, nesieš, nesie, nesieme, nesiete, nesú. The key difficulty is that the present stem is often different from the infinitive: písať loses the -sa- and softens to píš-, niesť becomes nes-. You cannot guess the stem from the infinitive alone, so each verb is learned together with its present form. Once you know the stem, the endings are fully regular and the same for every verb in the class.

Key rule

The -e- class takes -em/-eš/-e/-eme/-ete/-ú, but the present stem (píš-, nes-) usually differs from the infinitive and must be learned with the verb.

Examples

  • Píšem list svojej mame.
    Písam list svojej mame.

    písať uses the present stem píš- with -e- endings (píšem), not the -a- ending *písam.

  • Čo píšeš do zošita?
    Čo písáš do zošita?

    The 2nd-person singular is píšeš; the stem is píš- and the ending is -eš.

  • Otec nesie ťažkú tašku.
    Otec nese ťažkú tašku.

    niesť has the diphthong ie in the 3rd-person singular: nesie, not *nese.

Common mistakes

  • Applying -a- class endings to an -e- class verb

    Ja písam každý deň.
    Ja píšem každý deň.

    písať looks like an -a- verb in the infinitive, but its present stem is píš- and it takes -e- endings: píšem.

  • Using the infinitive stem in the present

    On nesť ťažký kufor.
    On nesie ťažký kufor.

    The infinitive niesť cannot stand as a present-tense form; the conjugated stem is nes-/nesie-.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — -ie- Class (rozumieť, vedieť)

Prítomný čas — trieda -ie- (rozumieť, vedieť)

A smaller group of verbs takes the present endings -iem, -ieš, -ie, -ieme, -iete, -ejú. These are the -ie- class verbs, mostly verbs of state, perception and understanding, such as rozumieť (to understand) → rozumiem, rozumieš, rozumie, rozumieme, rozumiete, rozumejú, and vedieť (to know) → viem, vieš, vie, vieme, viete, vedia. Notice that the 3rd-person plural ending is -ejú or -ia, not -ú. vedieť is slightly irregular (viem, not *vediem). These verbs describe lasting states rather than single actions, so you will often use them to talk about what you know, understand or feel.

Key rule

The -ie- class takes -iem/-ieš/-ie/-ieme/-iete/-ejú with the diphthong ie; vedieť is irregular (viem, vieš, vie, vieme, viete, vedia).

Examples

  • Rozumiem ti veľmi dobre.
    Rozumím ti veľmi dobre.

    The 1st-person singular keeps the diphthong ie: rozumiem, not the monophthong *rozumím.

  • Rozumieš tejto úlohe?
    Rozumieš tuto úlohu?

    rozumieť governs the dative (tejto úlohe), not the accusative; the verb form rozumieš is correct.

  • Viem, kde býva.
    Vediem, kde býva.

    vedieť is irregular: the 1st-person singular is viem, not the regular-looking *vediem.

Common mistakes

  • Conjugating vedieť as a regular -ie- verb

    Ja vediem odpoveď.
    Ja viem odpoveď.

    vedieť is irregular in the singular: viem, vieš, vie. The full stem vedie- appears only in the infinitive and 3rd plural (vedia).

  • Replacing the diphthong ie with a long í

    Nerozumím, čo hovoríš.
    Nerozumiem, čo hovoríš.

    The -ie- class keeps the diphthong: rozumiem. A long í here is a Czech-style monophthong and is wrong in Slovak.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — ísť (to go on foot)

Prítomný čas — ísť (kráčať pešo)

ísť means to go, usually on foot or in one direction right now. Its present tense is irregular and must be memorised: idem, ideš, ide, ideme, idete, idú. Notice the stem id-, which has nothing left of the infinitive ísť. You use ísť for movement happening at this moment toward a destination (Idem domov — I'm going home; Ideme do školy — We're going to school) and for going to an event (Ide do kina). For repeated or habitual going you use a different verb, chodiť. ísť is one of the most common verbs in Slovak, so its forms are worth learning by heart.

Key rule

ísť has the irregular present idem, ideš, ide, ideme, idete, idú (stem id-) and is used for one-direction going now; habitual going uses chodiť.

Examples

  • Idem domov.
    Jdem domov.

    The Slovak 1st-person singular is idem; the Czech-style *jdem with j- is wrong in Slovak.

  • Kam ideš tak skoro ráno?
    Kam jdeš tak skoro ráno?

    The form is ideš, not the Czech *jdeš.

  • Ona ide do obchodu.
    Ona ísť do obchodu.

    The infinitive ísť cannot serve as a present-tense form; the conjugated 3rd-person singular is ide.

Common mistakes

  • Adding a Czech-style j- to the stem

    Jdem na zastávku.
    Idem na zastávku.

    Slovak has no *jdem; the stem is id- throughout: idem, ideš, ide. The j-forms are Czech interference.

  • Using the infinitive as a finite verb

    My ísť do kina.
    My ideme do kina.

    ísť is the infinitive; a present-tense sentence needs the conjugated ideme.

A1Verb tenses

Past Tense — l-Participle + Auxiliary som/si

Minulý čas — l-príčastie + pomocné som/si

The Slovak past tense is built from two parts: the l-participle of the main verb plus the present-tense auxiliary byť in the 1st and 2nd persons. The l-participle is formed from the verb stem plus -l for masculine (robil), -la for feminine (robila), -lo for neuter, -li for plural. So 'I worked' is robil som / robila som, 'you worked' is robil si / robila si, 'we worked' is robili sme. The auxiliary som, si, sme, ste is an unstressed clitic that likes to sit in the second position of the clause, so it does not come first: Včera som robil, not *Som robil včera at the start in normal speech.

Key rule

Past = l-participle (robil/robila/robilo/robili) + the clitic auxiliary som/si/sme/ste in 1st/2nd person, with the auxiliary in second position.

Examples

  • Včera som bol doma.
    Včera bol som doma.

    The clitic auxiliary som sits in second position, right after the first element: Včera som bol, not *Včera bol som.

  • Robila som domácu úlohu.
    Som robila domácu úlohu.

    The auxiliary som is a clitic and does not normally begin the clause; it follows the first stressed word (robila som).

  • Kde si bol v lete?
    Kde bol si v lete?

    The clitic si comes in second position after the question word: Kde si bol, not *Kde bol si.

Common mistakes

  • Placing the clitic auxiliary first in the clause

    Som videl ten film.
    Videl som ten film.

    som is an unstressed clitic and cannot open the clause; it must follow the first stressed element (Videl som…).

  • Using the Czech auxiliary forms jsem/jsi/jsme

    Včera jsem pracoval.
    Včera som pracoval.

    Slovak auxiliaries are som, si, sme, ste; the j-forms jsem/jsi/jsme are Czech and never appear in Slovak.

A1Verb tenses

Past Tense — 3rd Person Has No Auxiliary

Minulý čas — 3. osoba bez pomocného slovesa

In the Slovak past tense, the 1st and 2nd persons use an auxiliary (som, si, sme, ste), but the 3rd person uses NONE. 'He worked' is simply robil, 'she worked' is robila, 'they worked' is robili — there is no auxiliary word. So you must never say *je robil or *sú robili; the participle alone carries the meaning. This is different from the present tense, where byť is kept (on je doma). It is also different from the 1st/2nd person past, where the auxiliary is obligatory (robil som). The 3rd-person participle still agrees with the subject in gender and number: robil, robila, robilo, robili.

Key rule

The 3rd-person past has NO auxiliary — robil/robila/robilo/robili stand alone; never add je or sú.

Examples

  • Peter robil v záhrade celý deň.
    Peter je robil v záhrade celý deň.

    The 3rd-person past is the bare participle robil; there is no auxiliary, so *je robil is wrong.

  • Mária včera varila obed.
    Mária včera je varila obed.

    No auxiliary in the 3rd person; the feminine participle varila stands alone.

  • Deti sa hrali na dvore.
    Deti sú hrali sa na dvore.

    The 3rd-person plural past has no auxiliary (*sú is wrong); the reflexive sa attaches after the first element: Deti sa hrali.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the present copula je to the 3rd-person past

    On je pracoval celý deň.
    On pracoval celý deň.

    The 3rd-person past has no auxiliary; je belongs to the present tense, not to the past participle.

  • Adding sú to a 3rd-person plural past

    Oni sú prišli neskoro.
    Oni prišli neskoro.

    The plural participle prišli is complete; there is no auxiliary in the 3rd person, so *sú prišli is wrong.

A1Verb usage

byť — Uses (identity, state, location)

byť — použitie (totožnosť, stav, miesto)

The verb byť (to be) is the everyday workhorse of Slovak. It tells who or what someone is (Som lekár — I am a doctor), how someone feels or what state they are in (Som unavený — I am tired), and where someone or something is (Som doma — I am at home). Unlike Russian, Slovak keeps byť in the present tense: you say Som študent, never just *Študent. The present forms are som, si, je, sme, ste, sú. The subject pronoun is usually dropped because the verb ending already shows the person.

Key rule

Slovak keeps byť in the present (som, si, je, sme, ste, sú) for identity, state, and location — never drop it.

Examples

  • Som učiteľ.
    Učiteľ.

    Identity: the copula byť must appear in the present; you cannot leave it out as in Russian.

  • Si unavený?
    Si unavena?

    State with an agreeing adjective; addressing a man, the form is unavený (a woman would be unavená).

  • Sme doma.
    My doma.

    Location: the verb form sme is required, and the pronoun my is normally dropped.

Common mistakes

  • Dropping the copula (Russian interference)

    Ja študent.
    Som študent.

    Russian omits the present-tense 'to be', but Slovak always keeps byť: som, si, je, sme, ste, sú.

  • Negating byť with the prefix ne-

    Ja nesom doma.
    Nie som doma.

    Byť is negated with the separate word nie placed before the verb, not by attaching ne- to it.

A1Verb usage

to je / to sú — Demonstrative Existential

to je / to sú — ukazovacia existencia

To je and to sú are the Slovak way of pointing things out and presenting them: To je môj brat (This is my brother), To sú moje knihy (These are my books). The little word to means 'this/that/it' and stays the same no matter the gender of what follows; only the verb changes — je for one thing, sú for several. The noun after it stands in the nominative. This pattern is also how you answer Kto je to? (Who is it?) and Čo je to? (What is it?).

Key rule

Present and point out things with the frozen to plus je (one) or sú (more than one); the noun follows in the nominative.

Examples

  • To je môj brat.
    To je môj bratr.

    Presentational to je with a singular noun; Slovak has brat, not the Czech bratr.

  • To sú moje knihy.
    To je moje knihy.

    Several items require the plural verb sú, not je.

  • Čo je to?
    Čo to?

    The question 'What is it?' still needs the verb je.

Common mistakes

  • Using je for several items

    To je moje knihy.
    To sú moje knihy.

    When the presented noun is plural, the verb must be plural sú.

  • Making to agree in gender

    Tá je moja sestra.
    To je moja sestra.

    In the presentational pattern to is frozen and never agrees; tá is only the demonstrative before a noun.

A1Verb usage

volať sa — Introducing & Naming Oneself

volať sa — predstavenie a pomenovanie

To say your name in Slovak you use the reflexive verb volať sa, literally 'to call oneself': Volám sa Anna (My name is Anna). The little word sa belongs to the verb and must always be there. The forms follow the regular -á- pattern: volám sa, voláš sa, volá sa, voláme sa, voláte sa, volajú sa. To ask someone's name you say Ako sa voláš? (informal) or Ako sa voláte? (polite). The name itself stays in the nominative, the dictionary form.

Key rule

Give your name with volať sa (Volám sa…); the reflexive sa is obligatory and the name stays in the nominative.

Examples

  • Volám sa Anna.
    Volám Anna.

    The reflexive sa is part of the verb and must not be dropped.

  • Ako sa voláš?
    Ako voláš sa?

    When a word opens the clause, sa takes the second position right after ako.

  • Ako sa voláte?
    Ako sa volíte?

    Polite plural form is voláte (the -á- class), not volíte.

Common mistakes

  • Dropping the reflexive sa

    Volám Martin.
    Volám sa Martin.

    Without sa the verb volať means 'to call/phone someone', not 'to be named'.

  • Wrong clitic position after a fronted word

    Ako voláš sa?
    Ako sa voláš?

    When ako opens the clause, the clitic sa moves to second position right after it.

A1Verb usage

mať — Possession, Age & Obligation

mať — vlastníctvo, vek a povinnosť

The verb mať (to have) does several jobs. It expresses possession: Mám psa (I have a dog) — and the thing owned goes into the accusative. It states age: Mám dvadsať rokov (I am twenty), literally 'I have twenty years'. And with an infinitive it can express a soft obligation or expectation: Mám robiť (I am supposed to work). Its present forms are mám, máš, má, máme, máte, majú. To say you do NOT have something, just add ne- and keep the accusative: Nemám čas, Nemám peniaze.

Key rule

mať takes the accusative for possession (Mám psa), 'years' for age (Mám dvadsať rokov), and an infinitive for soft obligation (Mám robiť).

Examples

  • Mám psa.
    Mám pes.

    The owned thing is in the accusative; the animate masculine pes becomes psa.

  • Koľko máš rokov?
    Koľko si rokov?

    Age is expressed with mať ('to have years'), not with byť.

  • Mám dvadsať rokov.
    Som dvadsať rokov.

    Slovak says 'I have twenty years', using mať, never byť.

Common mistakes

  • Using byť for age (English/Russian interference)

    Som dvadsať rokov.
    Mám dvadsať rokov.

    Slovak expresses age as 'having years' with mať, never with byť.

  • Leaving the possessed noun in the nominative

    Mám pes.
    Mám psa.

    Mať governs the accusative; an animate masculine noun like pes has the accusative psa.

A1Verb usage

chcieť (to want) — Forms + Infinitive / Accusative

chcieť — tvary + neurčitok / akuzatív

The verb chcieť means 'to want'. It can be followed by another verb in the infinitive — Chcem jesť (I want to eat) — or by a direct object in the accusative — Chcem kávu (I want a coffee). Its present forms are slightly irregular: chcem, chceš, chce, chceme, chcete, chcú. To make a polite request, Slovaks often switch to the conditional Chcel by som (I would like), which is gentler than the plain Chcem.

Key rule

chcieť (chcem, chceš, chce…) takes either an infinitive (Chcem jesť) or an accusative object (Chcem kávu); for polite requests use Chcel/Chcela by som.

Examples

  • Chcem jesť.
    Chcem jem.

    After chcieť the second verb is in the infinitive (jesť), not conjugated.

  • Chcem kávu.
    Chcem káva.

    A wanted thing stands in the accusative; the feminine káva becomes kávu.

  • Chceš ísť domov?
    Chceš ist domov?

    The infinitive is ísť (with long í), the Slovak verb of motion.

Common mistakes

  • Conjugating the second verb instead of using the infinitive

    Chcem idem domov.
    Chcem ísť domov.

    After chcieť the dependent verb stays in the infinitive form ísť.

  • Leaving the object in the nominative

    Chcem voda.
    Chcem vodu.

    Chcieť governs the accusative, so feminine voda becomes vodu.

A1Verb usage

musieť (must) — Forms + Infinitive

musieť — tvary + neurčitok

The verb musieť means 'must, to have to'. It is always followed by another verb in the infinitive: Musím ísť (I must go), Musíš pracovať (You have to work). Its present forms are musím, musíš, musí, musíme, musíte, musia. Be careful with the negative: nemusieť does NOT mean 'must not' — it means 'don't have to'. To express a prohibition ('must not'), Slovak uses nesmieť instead: Nesmieš fajčiť (You must not smoke).

Key rule

musieť + infinitive expresses obligation (Musím ísť); nemusieť means 'don't have to', while a prohibition uses nesmieť.

Examples

  • Musím ísť.
    Musím idem.

    Musieť is always followed by an infinitive (ísť), never a conjugated verb.

  • Musíš pracovať.
    Musíš prácovať.

    The infinitive is pracovať; only the noun práca has the long á.

  • Nemusíš ísť.
    Nesmieš ísť, ak nechceš.

    'You don't have to go' removes the obligation, so nemusíš is right; nesmieš would forbid it.

Common mistakes

  • Confusing 'don't have to' with 'must not'

    Nemusíš fajčiť. (intended: smoking is forbidden)
    Nesmieš fajčiť.

    Nemusieť only removes an obligation; a prohibition requires nesmieť.

  • Conjugating the dependent verb

    Musím pracujem.
    Musím pracovať.

    After musieť the second verb stays in the infinitive.

A1Verb usage

môcť (can) — Forms + Infinitive

môcť — tvary + neurčitok

The verb môcť means 'can, to be able to, to be allowed to'. It is followed by another verb in the infinitive: Môžem prísť (I can come), Môžeš ísť domov (You can go home). Its present forms change the stem from ô to ô/ô-ž: môžem, môžeš, môže, môžeme, môžete, môžu. Note the typically Slovak ô in môcť/môžem. Use it both for ability (Môžem plávať) and for permission (Môžem ísť von? — Can/May I go out?).

Key rule

môcť + infinitive expresses ability or permission (Môžem prísť, Môžem ísť von?); keep the Slovak ô (môžem, not *mužem) and the c→ž stem change.

Examples

  • Môžem prísť.
    Mužem prísť.

    Slovak uses ô in môžem; there is no ů, and the vowel is not plain u.

  • Môžeš ísť domov.
    Môžeš ideš domov.

    After môcť the second verb is the infinitive ísť, not a conjugated form.

  • Môžem ísť von?
    Možem ísť von?

    Permission question; the stressed vowel is the diphthong ô (môžem).

Common mistakes

  • Writing u instead of ô

    Mužem ti pomôcť.
    Môžem ti pomôcť.

    Slovak spells the modal with ô (môžem); the plain u form is wrong.

  • Conjugating the dependent verb

    Môžeš idéš s nami?
    Môžeš ísť s nami?

    After môcť the second verb is an infinitive (ísť).

A1Verb usage

Verbs of Preference (mať rád, páčiť sa)

Slovesá obľuby (mať rád, páčiť sa)

Slovak has two main ways to say you like something. Mať rád expresses a lasting liking for a thing or person, with the liked thing in the accusative: Mám rád kávu (I like coffee). The word rád agrees with the subject: a man says mám rád, a woman mám rada, a group máme radi. The other verb, páčiť sa, expresses that something appeals to you, and the person who likes it goes into the dative: Páči sa mi (I like it / it appeals to me). Páčiť sa often describes a first impression or appearance.

Key rule

mať rád takes an accusative object with rád/rada/radi agreeing with the subject; páčiť sa takes a dative experiencer (Páči sa mi).

Examples

  • Mám rád kávu.
    Mám rád káva.

    The liked thing is in the accusative; káva becomes kávu.

  • Mám rada svoju prácu.
    Mám rád svoju prácu. (žena hovorí)

    A female speaker uses rada, agreeing with herself as the subject.

  • Páči sa mi tá kniha.
    Páčim sa tú knihu.

    With páčiť sa the book is the subject and the liker stands in the dative mi.

Common mistakes

  • Not making rád agree with the subject

    Anna má rád hudbu.
    Anna má rada hudbu.

    Rád/rada/radi agrees with the subject; a female subject takes rada.

  • Using the accusative with páčiť sa

    Páči sa mi tú pesničku.
    Páči sa mi tá pesnička.

    With páčiť sa the pleasing thing is the SUBJECT (nominative), not the object.

A1Verb usage

Reflexive Verbs with sa / si (Basic)

Zvratné slovesá so sa / si (základy)

Many common Slovak verbs carry a little word — sa or si — as a built-in part of the verb: učiť sa (to study), hrať sa (to play), umyť si (ruky) (to wash one's hands). The form sa is the accusative reflexive ('oneself'), and si is the dative reflexive ('to/for oneself'). These particles are clitics: in a plain statement they follow the verb (Učím sa), but when another word starts the clause, they jump to second position (Každý deň sa učím). They stay the same in every person — only the verb changes.

Key rule

Reflexive verbs carry sa (accusative) or si (dative) as a fixed part of the verb; the clitic is unchanging and sits in second position.

Examples

  • Učím sa po slovensky.
    Učím po slovensky.

    Učiť sa ('to study') needs its reflexive sa; without it učiť means 'to teach'.

  • Každý deň sa učím.
    Každý deň učím sa.

    When another word opens the clause, sa moves to second position.

  • Umývam si ruky.
    Umývam sa ruky.

    Washing one's own hands takes the dative si; sa would mean washing oneself entirely.

Common mistakes

  • Dropping the reflexive particle

    Učím po slovensky.
    Učím sa po slovensky.

    Without sa the verb učiť means 'to teach (someone)', not 'to study'.

  • Confusing sa and si

    Umývam sa ruky.
    Umývam si ruky.

    Washing one's hands uses the dative si; sa alone would mean washing one's whole self.

A1Vocabulary usage

Recognising International Cognates

Rozpoznávanie medzinárodných slov

Slovak has borrowed many international words that look almost the same as in English and other languages: telefón, internet, hotel, taxík, banka, autobus, káva, problém, doktor. You can usually guess what they mean. But there are three traps. First, Slovak adapts the spelling to its own sound system — telephone becomes telefón, with -f- and a long ó at the end. Second, every borrowed noun gets a grammatical gender and is declined like a native word (telefón is masculine, banka is feminine). Third, the stress always falls on the first syllable, never where English puts it. So recognise the word, but always adapt its form to Slovak.

Key rule

Recognise international words for their meaning, but always adapt them to Slovak: phonetic spelling, a Slovak gender and declension, and first-syllable stress.

Examples

  • Mám nový telefón.
    Mám nový telephone.

    The international word is respelled the Slovak way as telefón (with f and a long ó), not kept in its English form.

  • Bývam v hoteli pri stanici.
    Bývam v hotel pri stanici.

    Hotel is a masculine loanword and must be declined: in the locative after v it takes the ending -i (v hoteli).

  • Idem do banky.
    Idem do banka.

    Banka is a feminine loanword declined like žena, so the genitive after do is banky, not the bare nominative.

Common mistakes

  • Keeping the foreign spelling instead of the Slovak one

    Potrebujem telephone.
    Potrebujem telefón.

    Slovak respells loanwords phonetically: 'ph' becomes f and the final vowel is written long, giving telefón.

  • Leaving a loanword undeclined after a preposition

    Idem do hotel.
    Idem do hotela.

    Loanwords take Slovak case endings; hotel is masculine, so the genitive after do is hotela.

A1Numbers dates time

Cardinal Numbers 1–20

Základné číslovky 1 – 20

The cardinal numbers from one to twenty are: jeden, dva, tri, štyri, päť, šesť, sedem, osem, deväť, desať, jedenásť, dvanásť, trinásť, štrnásť, pätnásť, šestnásť, sedemnásť, osemnásť, devätnásť, dvadsať. Notice the native Slovak spellings: štyri (not Czech čtyři), päť and deväť with the letter ä, and šesť, deväť, desať. The teens are built by adding -násť to the unit (jeden + násť → jedenásť, pätnásť, devätnásť). The number 'one' agrees with its noun in gender (jeden chlap, jedna žena, jedno mesto), and 'two' has a feminine/neuter form dve (dve ženy, dve mestá). The rest just stay the same.

Key rule

Count jeden–dvadsať with native spellings (štyri, päť, deväť, desať); build the teens by adding -násť to the unit; only jeden and dva/dve/dvaja change for gender.

Examples

  • Mám päť eur.
    Mám pět eur.

    Slovak writes 'five' as päť with the wide vowel ä, not the Czech pět with ě.

  • Sú tu štyri stoličky.
    Sú tu čtyri stoličky.

    The Slovak word for 'four' is štyri; the Czech čtyři with its consonant cluster is wrong.

  • Je deväť hodín.
    Je devět hodín.

    'Nine' is deväť in Slovak, again with ä, not the Czech devět.

Common mistakes

  • Using the Czech spelling of 'four'

    Kúpil som čtyri lístky.
    Kúpil som štyri lístky.

    The Slovak word for 'four' is štyri; čtyři is Czech and never used in Slovak.

  • Writing päť/deväť with plain e

    Mám pet rokov.
    Mám päť rokov.

    'Five' is spelled päť with the wide vowel ä, a sound and letter Slovak keeps distinct.

A1Numbers dates time

Days, Months and Seasons

Dni, mesiace a ročné obdobia

The days of the week are pondelok, utorok, streda, štvrtok, piatok, sobota, nedeľa. The months are január, február, marec, apríl, máj, jún, júl, august, september, október, november, december. The seasons are jar, leto, jeseň, zima. Two key points. First, unlike English, Slovak writes days, months and seasons with a small letter — pondelok, not Pondelok. Second, to say 'on Monday' or 'in March' you change the form: v pondelok (accusative), v marci (locative), na jar, v lete. Learn the native spellings: štvrtok 'Thursday', not the Czech čtvrtek, and nedeľa with the soft ľ.

Key rule

Write days, months and seasons with a small letter; use v + accusative for days (v pondelok), v + locative for months (v marci) and na jar / v lete / na jeseň / v zime for seasons.

Examples

  • Vo štvrtok mám voľno.
    Ve čtvrtek mám voľno.

    Slovak 'Thursday' is štvrtok and the preposition vocalises to vo; the Czech čtvrtek is wrong.

  • Narodila som sa v marci.
    Narodila som sa v Marci.

    Month names are common nouns written with a small letter, so it is marci, not Marci.

  • V nedeľu chodíme do kostola.
    V nedeľa chodíme do kostola.

    After v for a day, the noun is in the accusative: nedeľa → nedeľu.

Common mistakes

  • Capitalising days or months as in English

    Vidíme sa v Pondelok.
    Vidíme sa v pondelok.

    In Slovak days and months are common nouns, written with a small initial letter.

  • Using the Czech form of Thursday

    Ve čtvrtek mám test.
    Vo štvrtok mám test.

    Slovak says štvrtok, and the preposition v vocalises to vo before the cluster.

A1Numbers dates time

Telling Time — Basic (Koľko je hodín?)

Určovanie času — základy (Koľko je hodín?)

To ask the time you say Koľko je hodín? To answer with a full hour you use the copula plus a number plus 'hodina'. The form of 'hodina' follows the number: Je jedna hodina (one), Sú dve / tri / štyri hodiny (2–4, nominative plural), Je päť hodín (5+, genitive plural). Notice that one o'clock uses je but two to four use sú, because the number is plural. To say at what time something happens you use o + the locative: o jednej, o druhej, o piatej, o ôsmej — these are ordinal-style forms. The copula byť is always present and is never dropped.

Key rule

Say the hour with byť + number + hodina (Je jedna hodina; Sú dve/tri/štyri hodiny; Je päť hodín), and give 'at what time' with o + locative (o piatej, o ôsmej).

Examples

  • Koľko je hodín?
    Koľko je hodina?

    The fixed question uses the genitive plural hodín: Koľko je hodín?

  • Je jedna hodina.
    Sú jedna hodina.

    'One o'clock' is singular, so the copula is je, not the plural sú.

  • Sú tri hodiny.
    Je tri hodiny.

    Two to four take a plural subject, so the copula is sú and hodina is the nominative plural hodiny.

Common mistakes

  • Using the wrong copula number with one o'clock

    Sú jedna hodina.
    Je jedna hodina.

    One o'clock is singular, so the copula must be je.

  • Keeping je with the numbers two to four

    Je štyri hodiny.
    Sú štyri hodiny.

    Two to four take a plural subject, so the copula is sú.

A1Numbers dates time

Numbers + Noun — Case Pattern (Introduction)

Číslovka + podstatné meno — pádový vzor (úvod)

When a number counts a noun in Slovak, the number decides the case of the noun. There are two basic patterns for A1. With two, three and four, the noun is in the nominative plural, just as if there were no number: dva domy, tri knihy, štyri autá. With five and every higher number, the noun jumps into the genitive plural: päť domov, päť kníh, päť áut, desať eur. This genitive plural after big numbers surprises English speakers, who expect a simple plural. One is different again: it agrees in gender like an adjective (jeden dom, jedna kniha). Learn the split at five: up to four → nominative plural, from five → genitive plural.

Key rule

Two to four take the nominative plural (tri knihy), but five and every higher number take the genitive plural (päť kníh); one agrees like an adjective.

Examples

  • Mám tri knihy.
    Mám tri kníh.

    Two to four take the nominative plural, so it is tri knihy, not the genitive plural kníh.

  • Mám päť kníh.
    Mám päť knihy.

    From five upward the numeral governs the genitive plural, so it is päť kníh.

  • Na ulici sú štyri autá.
    Na ulici sú štyri áut.

    Four takes the nominative plural autá; the genitive plural áut belongs only after five and up.

Common mistakes

  • Using the genitive plural after two, three or four

    Vidím štyri domov.
    Vidím štyri domy.

    Two to four take the nominative plural, so it is štyri domy.

  • Using the nominative plural after five and up

    Mám sedem knihy.
    Mám sedem kníh.

    From five upward the numeral governs the genitive plural kníh.

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