These articles were published in the Spectacular Slovakia travel guide, published annually by The Slovak Spectator since 1996. The latest editions can be obtained from our online shop.
A Slovak language guide
Language
Slovak is one branch in the Slavic language tree, though Slovaks will insist (we agree) that their language is the cleanest of them all. Regardless, it’s a tough language, laced with conjugations and myriad endings, depending on the case being used. Take heart, though, more and more Slovaks speak English, German or both, and if not, the little phrase you pucker out will impress them mightily. We’ve included a little guide for those hardy souls who want to wrestle with the language.
Pronunciation
Assume a British accent, if you don’t already have one, for the following examples.
Vowels
The vowels a, e, i, o, u are pure sounds, as in Spanish or Italian, rather than English. Vowels can be either short (a, ä, e, i, o, u, y) or long (á, é, í, ó, ú, ý). Long vowels are simply prolonged versions of their short counterparts, preserving the same color.
| a | short -a- as in the “aaah” you say to your dentist, e.g. mapa /ma-pa/ map |
| á | long -a- as in a prolonged “aaah” to your dentist, e.g. dáma /dhaaa-ma/ lady |
| ä | -e- as in bed, e.g. mäso /mae-so/ meat |
| e | close to the -e- in bet, e.g. teraz /te-raz/ now |
| é | prolonged -e- as in there, e.g. prvé /pr-vhe-e/ first |
| i | short -i- as in graffiti, e.g. pivo /pi-vo/ beer |
| í | long -i- as in need, e.g. víno /veeee-no/ wine |
| o | -o- as in log, e.g. okno /ok-no/ window |
| ó | prolonged -o-, like the -a- in talk, e.g. móda /moh-da/ fashion |
| ô | the diphthong -uo-, like “whoa!” to a horse, e.g. môžem /mwhoa-zhem/ I can |
| u | -u- as in shoot, e.g. ruka /ru-ka/ hand |
| ú | prolonged -oo- as in school, e.g. údolie /oooo-do-lye/ valley |
| y, ý | the same as i, í |
Consonants
The consonants b, d, f, g, l, m, n, s, v, and z are pronounced approximately as in English. Meanwhile, k, p, and t are like in English, but without aspiration. The carrot “ v “ over some consonants softens them. Example: čo, pronounced /choh/, which means what. To complicate things, d, n, and t are usually softened when followed by e or i, becoming equivalent to ď, ň or ť. Examples: deti /dye-tyee/ children, neviem /nye-vyem/ I don’t know, držte /drzh-tye/ hold on, hold this.
| c | -ts- as in oats, e.g. ocot /otsot/ vinegar |
| č | -ch- as in child, e.g. človek /chlo-vek/ man, human being |
| ď | -dy- as in duty, e.g. ďakujem /dyak-oo-yem/ thank you |
| dz | like -ds- in heads, e.g. medzi /me-tsi/ between |
| dž | like our -j- in jam, e.g. džús /juice/ juice (they gave our word a phonetic spelling!) |
| ch | -ch- as in the Scottish loch, e.g. chata /kha-tah/ cottage |
| j | -y- as in you, e.g. kraj /krai/ region |
| ľ | -ly- as in lurid, e.g. ľad /lyad/ ice |
| ĺ | long l (no English equivalent) e.g. stĺp /stlllp/ pole |
| ň | -ny- as in news, e.g. deň /dyeny/ day |
| r | rolled (like a Scottish r), e.g. ryba /rrri-ba/ fish |
| ŕ | prolonged, rolled r, e.g. mŕtvy /mrrrrrrrtvee/ dead |
| š | -sh- as in she, e.g. šesť /shesty/ six |
| ť | -t- in tune, like spitting through your front teeth, e.g. dosť /dost/ enough |
| w | becomes -v- as in van (found only in foreign words), e.g. WC /ve-tse/ WC |
| ž | like -s- in pleasure, e.g. žena /zhe-na/ woman |
Select Glossary
Numbers
| 0 | nula |
| 1 | jeden |
| 2 | dva |
| 3 | tri |
| 4 | štyri |
| 5 | päť |
| 6 | šesť |
| 7 | sedem |
| 8 | osem |
| 9 | deväť |
| 10 | desať |
| 11 | jedenásť |
| 12 | dvanásť |
| 20 | dvadsať |
| 30 | tridsať |
| 100 | sto |
| 1000 | tisíc |
| 2000 | dvetisíc |
199 is said as one hundred ninety-nine, sto deväťdesiat deväť, but without “and.”
The year 2001 is two thousand one, dve tisíc jedna.
Basic phrases
| Please | Prosím |
| Thank you | Ďakujem Vám (Ti) |
| Good morning | Dobré ráno! |
| Good day/hello | Dobrý deň |
| Good night | Dobrú noc! |
| Hi | Ahoj, Čau (familiar) |
| Goodbye | Dovidenia, čau (familiar) |
| Cheers! | Na zdravie! |
| Yes/No | Áno/Nie |
| Excuse me!/I’m sorry | Prepáčte! |
| Bon appetite! | Dobrú chuť! |
| You’re welcome | Prosím |
| Not at all! | Niet za čo! |
| Welcome! | Vitajte! |
| Excuse me, do you speak English? | Prepáčte, hovoríte po anglicky? |
| Do you understand? | Rozumiete? |
| I don’t understand. | Nerozumiem. |
| I don’t understand Slovak | Nerozumiem po slovensky. |
| Please write it down for me. | Napíšte mi to prosím. |
| I beg your pardon? | Prosím? |
| Where is...? | Kde je...? |
| Could you help me? | Mohli by ste mi pomôcť? |
| What does....mean? | Čo znamená....? |
| How much is it? | Koľko to stojí? |
| What is your name? | Ako sa voláte? |
| My name is XX. | Volám sa XX |
| Nice to meet you | Teší ma |
| How are you? | Ako sa máte? (máš) |
| Take care! | Majte sa dobre! |
| Is there a phone box near here? | Je tu niekde telefónna búdka? |
| Where is the bathroom? | Kde je toaleta (WC)? |
| What time is it? | Koľko je hodín? |
| Do you have any vacancies? | Máte voľné izby? |
| Where is my luggage? | Kde je moja batožina? |
| Would you call a taxi for me, please? | Zavoláte mi prosím taxík? |
| How far is it to ..........? | Ako ďaleko je to do..........? |
| Can you tell us when to get off? | Môžete nám povedať, kde máme vystúpiť? |
| What is the fare? | Koľko stojí lístok? |
Useful phrases at a restaurant
| Do you have an English menu? | Máte jedálny lístok aj v angličtine? |
| The bill, please. | Prosím, zaplatím! |
| Is this table reserved? | Je tento stôl rezervovaný? |
| May we have ............ | Môžeme poprosiť........... |
| A bottle of red wine. | Jednu fľašu červeného vína |
| A beer. | Jedno pivo |
| Another beer. | Ešte jedno pivo. |
| Ponáhľame sa. | We are in a hurry. |
Days of the Week
| Monday | pondelok |
| Tuesday | utorok |
| Wednesday | streda |
| Thursday | štvrtok |
| Friday | piatok |
| Saturday | sobota |
| Sunday | nedeľa |
| Weekend | víkend |
Months
| January | január |
| February | február |
| March | marec |
| April | apríl |
| May | máj |
| June | jún |
| July | júl |
| August | august |
| September | september |
| October | október |
| November | november |
| December | december |
Food and Drink
| Nápoje | Drinks |
| pivo | beer |
| červené víno | red wine |
| biele víno | white wine |
| minerálna voda | mineral water |
| čistá voda | tap water |
| jablkový džús | apple juice |
| pomarančový džús | orange juice |
| káva | coffee |
| čaj | tea |
| Jedálny lístok | Menu |
| Predjedlo | Appetizers |
| Polievka: | Soups: |
| zemiaková | potato |
| šošovicová | lentil |
| hovädzia | beef |
| hrachová | pea |
| slepačia | chicken |
| paradajková | tomato |
| zeleninová | vegetable |
| Hlavné jedlo | Main course |
| Mäso | Meat |
| šunka | ham |
| čevabčiči | spiced meat balls |
| hovädzie | beef |
| pečienka | liver |
| kačica | duck |
| klobásy | sausages |
| kuracie | chicken |
| salám | salami |
| slanina | bacon |
| teľacie | veal |
| bravčové | pork |
| morčacie | turkey |
| Ryby | Fish |
| kapor | carp |
| makrela | mackerel |
| pstruh | trout |
| treska | cod |
| Zelenina | Vegetables |
| zemiaky | potatoes |
| cibuľa | onion |
| cesnak | garlic |
| huby, šampiňóny | mushrooms |
| hrach | pea |
| karfiol | cauliflower |
| paradajka | tomato |
| špenát | spinach |
| kapusta | cabbage |
| paprika | pepper |
| šalát | salad |
| Ovocie | Fruits |
| banán | banana |
| broskyňa | peach |
| citrón | lemon |
| hrozno | grapes |
| hruška | pear |
| jablko | apple |
| marhuľa | apricot |
| pomaranč | orange |
| čerešne | cherry |
| Iné | Extras |
| ryza | rice |
| opekané zemiaky | roasted potatoes |
| varené zemiaky | boiled potatoes |
| hranolky chips (British) | french fries (American) |
| chlieb | bread |
| pečivo | bread roll |
| maslo | butter |
| syr | cheese |
| džem | jam |
| vajíčko | egg |
| niva | soft blue cheese |
| oštiepok | smoked curd |
| tvaroh | curd cheese |
| soľ | salt |
| korenenie | pepper (spice) |
| hruška | pear |
| jablko | apple |
| marhuľa | apricot |
| pomaranč | orange |
| čerešne | cherry |
By Soňa Bellušová and Matthew Evans
These articles and related information were published in Spectacular Slovakia 2002.
See also:
- Slovakia: Land of 12,000 sayings (Spectacular Slovakia 2001)
- Top 10 Slovak words (Spectacular Slovakia 2001)
- Culture shock: A few tips (Spectacular Slovakia 2001)
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