Slovak Language Lessons for Beginners - Lesson 11

[Lesson Overview] [Personal Website]

[Lesson 1] [Lesson 2] [Lesson 3] [Lesson 4] [Lesson 5] [Lesson 6] [Lesson 7] [Lesson 8] [Lesson 9] [Lesson 10]

[Lesson 11] [Lesson 12] [Lesson 13] [Lesson 14] [Lesson 15] [Lesson 16] [Lesson 17] [Lesson 18] [Lesson 19] [Lesson 20]

[Lesson 21] [Lesson 22] [Lesson 23]

Smiem prosiť? = literally: 'May I ask?' - used when asking for a dance at formal occasions

našťastie = fortunately, thankfully

nanešťastie, bohužiaľ or žiaľbohu = unfortunately

Mám chuť na obed, ale bohužiaľ nemám peniaze. = I feel like having lunch, but unfortunately I don't have any money.

Nemám peňaženku, ale našťastie mám kreditnú kartu. = I don't have a wallet, but fortunately I have a credit card.

Let us demonstrate how to conjugate verbs using the verb robiť ('to do') as an example. The patterns you'll see, however, can easily be generalized, and we will do so using the verbs čítať ('to read') and písať ('to write'). Note that the infinitives of Slovak verbs always end in -ť.

To conjugate verbs in the present tense, you first have to know the 'stem' of the verb. The stems can differ, and there is no easy way to derive them from at the verb's infinitive. You should therefore try to memorize both the infinitive and the stem of the verb. For the verb robiť, the stem is robí-.

Depending on the subject (or grammatical person), you then have to attach the underlined suffixes to this stem. As an example, let's conjugate robiť:

ja robím (I am doing) my robíme (we are doing)

ty robíš (you are doing) vy robíte (you are doing)

on/ona/ono robí (he/she/it is doing) oni/ony robia (they are doing)

Note: In the third person of the plural (oni/ony = they), the verb form is sui generis - each verb has its own form and there is no simple rule that governs these forms: For the verbs čítať and písať, for instance, the corresponding form would be oni/ony čítajú and oni/ony píšu, respectively. You may have to memorize these forms separately for each verb as well. In this course, I have decided - for the sake of simplicity - to largely ignore this third person plural form.

To negate, you can - as usual - use the prefix ne-:

ja nerobím (I am not doing) my nerobíme (we are not doing)

ty nerobíš (you are not doing) vy nerobíte (you are not doing)

on/ona/ono nerobí (he/she/it is not doing) oni/ony nerobia (they are not doing)

Let us now conjugate the verbs čítať and písať. The stems of these verbs are číta- and píše-, respectively.

čítať (stem: číta-) = to read: ja čítam, ty čítaš, on/ona/ono číta, my čítame, vy čítate, oni/ony čítajú

písať (stem: píše-) = to write: ja píšem, ty píšeš, on/ona/ono píše, my píšeme, vy píšete, oni/ony píšu

Čo robíš dnes večer? = What are you doing tonight?

Ja teraz čítam knihu, ale vy píšete list. = I am reading a book now, but you are writing a letter.

In the future tense, you can conjugate verbs the same way you conjugated the verb mať ('to have') in [Lesson 10].

In particular, you can do so by using the future tense of the verb byť ('to be') followed by the infinitive of the verb you are conjugating. Let's do this for the verb robiť:

ja budem robiť (I will be doing) my budeme robiť (we will be doing)

ty budeš robiť (you will be doing) vy budete robiť (you will be doing)

on/ona/ono bude robiť (he/she/it will be doing) oni/ony budú robiť (they will be doing)

Again, you can negate by attaching the ne- prefix to the future tense form of byť:

ja nebudem robiť (I will not be doing) my nebudeme robiť (we will not be doing)

ty nebudeš robiť (you will not be doing) vy nebudete robiť (you will not be doing)

on/ona/ono nebude robiť (he/she/it will not be doing) oni/ony nebudú robiť (they will not be doing)

Viete, čo budete robiť zajtra a v pondelok? = Do you know what you will be doing tomorrow and on Monday?

Zajtra budem číťať časopis, ale v pondelok budeme ja a moja kolegyňa písať článok. = Tomorrow I'll be reading a mazagine, but on Monday I and my female colleague will be writing an article.

In the past tense, the conjugation is, again, similar to that we have already seen with the the verb mať ('to have') in [Lesson 10].

To conjugate a Slovak verb in the past tense, follow these steps:

1.) Look at the infinitive.

2.) Remove the final -ť.

3.) Attach the corresponding suffix, as underlined below.

Let us now conjugate robiť in the past tense. First, we remove the final -ť from the infinitive, and are left with robi-. We then attach suffixes (endings) as follows:

ja som robil (I was doing - speaker is male)

ja som robila (I was doing - speaker is female) my sme robili (we were doing)

ty si robil (you were doing - you are male)

ty si robila (you were doing - you are female) vy ste robili (you were doing)

on robil (he was doing)

ona robila (she was doing) oni robili (they were doing - mixed group, or a group of males)

ono robilo (it was doing; for neuter - rare) ony robili (they were doing - group of females)

Use ne- to negate:

ja som nerobil (I was not doing - speaker is male)

ja som nerobila (I was not doing - speaker is female) my sme nerobili (we were not doing)

ty si nerobil (you were not doing - you are male)

ty si nerobila (you were not doing - you are female) vy ste nerobili (you were not doing)

on nerobil (he was not doing)

ona nerobila (she was not doing) oni nerobili (they were not doing - mixed group, or a group of males)

ono nerobilo (it was not doing; for neuter - rare) ony nerobili (they were not doing - group of females)

Let's conjugate čítať and písať in the past tense:

čítať (stem: číta-) = to read: ja som čítal, ja som čítala, ty si čítal, ty si čítala, on čítal, ona čítala, ono čítalo, my sme čítali, vy ste čítali, oni/ony čítali

písať (stem: píše-) = to write: ja som písal, ja som písala, ty si písal, ty si písala, on písal, ona písala, ono písalo, my sme písali, vy ste písali, oni/ony písali

Minulý týždeň sme písali správu pre parlament. = Last week, we were writing a report for the parliament.

Ty vôbec nevieš, čo si včera robil! Bol si opitý? = You don't know what you were doing yesterday at all! Were you drunk?

Čítal som príbeh o hrade a rozprávku o drakovi. = I was reading a story about a castle and a fairy tale about a dragon.

mesto = city

dedina = village

ulica = street

námestie = (town) square

most = bridge

budova = building

cesta = road

chodník = sidewalk

prechod pre chodcov (or simply prechod) = crosswalk

semafór = traffic lights

križovatka = crossroads, intersection

podchod = underpass (for pedestrians)

pešia zóna = pedestrian zone

parkovisko = parking lot

stanica = station

autobusová stanica = bus station

železničná stanica = railroad station, train station

hlavná stanica = main station

autobusová zastávka = bus stop

letisko = airport

prístav = port, harbor

metro = metro, subway, underground

banka = bank

poisťovňa = insurance company (they often have their own buildings in Slovakia)

bankomat = ATM

(novinový) stánok = newsstand

obchod = shop, shore

obchodný dom = department store, shopping center, shopping mall

potraviny = grocery store

drogéria = 'pharmacy' (store with toothpaste, shampoo, detergent; but without medicine)

hotel = hotel

ubytovňa (or penzión) = accommodation house (like a hotel, but less fancy)

reštaurácia = restaurant

bar = bar

krčma (or hostinec) = pub

úrad = office

úradná budova = office building

mestský úrad = city office (where city government services are)

radnica = townhall

kino = movie theater

divadlo = theater

dom kultúry (or kultúrny dom) = literally: 'a house of culture' - a building with performance venues

plaváreň = building with a swimming pool

kúpalisko = outdoor area with swimming ppols

nemocnica (or poliklinika) = hospital

lekáreň = pharmacy (where you buy medicine)

škola = school

univerzita (or vysoká škola) = university

pomník = monument

socha = statue

kostol = church

cintorín = cemetery

hrob = grave

hrad = castle

zámok = manor house (similar to a castle, except smaller and does not have grand towers)

park = park

fontána = fountain

Below are some sample music videos that should give you a general sense of contemporary Slovak music. The first examples come from a band called Elán [website], a very well-known soft rock band that has, since the 1970s, made dozens of songs that everyone in Slovakia knows. These include pieces such as Kráľovná bielych tenisiek ('The Queen of White Tennis Shoes') [video], Neviem byť sám ('I Don't Know How To Be Alone') [video], Stužková ('High School Prom') [video], Tanečnice z Lúčnice ('Dancers from Lúčnica') [video], Zaľúbil sa chlapec ('A Boy Has Fallen In Love') [video], Voda, čo ma drží nad vodou ('The Water That Keeps Me Above Water') [video], Nie sme zlí ('We Are Not Bad') [video] or Ak nie si moja ('If You Are Not Mine') [video]. The video below for one of the more recent songs, Láska moja ('My Love'):

Richard Müller [website], who has a characteristically melancholic tone of voice and is known for very complex song lyrics, has been producing popular songs for more than twenty years. Examples include Cigaretka na dva ťahy ('A Cigarette for Two Draws') [video], Milovanie v daždi ('Making Love in the Rain') [video], Naša láska letí ('Our Love Flies') [video], Spočítaj ma ('Count Me Up') [video], Nebude to také ľahké ('It Won't Be So Easy') [video], Tlaková níž ('Area of Low Air Pressure ') [video], Holubí kráľ ('The King of Pigeons') [video], Nočná optika ('Night Optics') [video] or Nahý II. ('Naked II.') [video]. In recent years, Müller has also been successful with songs in the Czech language, such as Srdce jako kníže Rohan ('Heart Like Earl Rohan') [video] or Baroko ('Barocco') [video]. Below is his breakout hit, Po Schodoch ('Up the Stairs'), which remains his best-known songs although it does not quite do justice to his vocal range:

Miro 'Meky' Žbirka [website], with a signature nasal singing voice, has had a lot of hits since the 1980s: Biely kvet ('A White Flower') [video], Dr. Jekyll a Mr. Hyde ('Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde') [video], Atlantída ('Atlantis') [video], Oh me oh my (with Jana Kirschner(ová)) [video], and others. Another of his well-known songs is 22 dní ('22 Days'), which used to be popular with men who used to have to do compulsory military service and were counting down days until their return home:

Below, please find a list of other Slovak singers and bands, along with examples of their songs:

Peter Nagy [website] - soft rock, pop: Korálky od Natálky ('Beads from Little Natalie') [video], Profesor Indigo [video], Krásny zadok ('A Beautiful Ass') [video], Waikiki [video], Poďme sa zachrániť ('Let's Go Save Ourselves') [video], Zuzka [video], Sme svoji ('We Are Our Own') [video], Kristínka [video], Aj tak sme stále frajeri ('We Are Still Ballers Anyway') [video], Láska je tu s vami ('Love Is Here With You') [video], Psy sa bránia útokom ('Dogs Defend Themselves By Attacking') [video], S nohami na stole ('With My Feet Up on the Table') [video]

Iné Kafe [website] - punk(?), pop: Čumil [video], Ružová záhrada ('Rose Garden') [video], Ráno ('Morning') [video], Ďakujeme vám ('Thank You') [video], Vianoce ('Christmas') [video], Spomienky na budúcnosť ('Memories of the Future') [video], Úspešne zapojení ('Successfully Connected') [video]

No Name [website] - soft rock: Žily ('Veins') [video], Ty a tvoja sestra ('You and Your Sister') [video], Počkám si na zázrak ('I Will Wait for a Miracle') [video], Nie alebo áno ('No or Yes') [video], Ďakujem, že si ('Thank You for Being') [video]

IMT Smile [website] - soft rock: Veselá pesnička ('A Happy Song') [video], Ľudia nie sú zlí ('People Are Not Bad') [video], Opri sa o mňa ('Lean Against Me') [video], Kým stúpa dym ('While the Smoke Is Rising') [video]

Jana Kirschner(ová) [website] - pop: Modrá ('Blue') [video], Líška ('A Fox') [video], V cudzom meste ('In a Foreign City') [video], Žienka domáca ('A Stay-at-Home Woman') [video]

Desmod [website] - soft rock, pop: Vyrobená pre mňa ('Made For Me') [video], Zhorí všetko, čo mám ('Everything That I Have Will Burn') [video], Stroj ('Machine') [video], Na tebe závislý ('Addicted to You') [video], Mráz do žíl ('Frost into the Veins') [video]

Horkýže slíže [website] - grunge/punk: Brďokoky [video], Kožky, perie ('Skins, feathers') [video], Shanghai Cola [video], Atómový kryt ('Atomic Shelter') [video]

Polemic [website] - ska: Komplikovaná ('Complicated') [video], Ona je taká ('She Is Like That') [video], Škandál ('Scandal') [video]

Pavol Habera a Team [website] - soft rock - Kým ťa mám ('While I Have You') [video], Reklama na ticho ('Advertisement for Silence') [video], Preč, preč ('Away, away') [video], Je to vo hviezdach ('It's in the Stars') [video], Láska, necestuj tým vlakom ('Love, Don't Travel on That Train') [video], Držím ti miesto ('I Am Holding This Spot for You') [video], Krátke lásky ('Short Loves') [video]

Robo Grigorov - pop: Modlitba lásky ('A Prayer of Love') [video], Ona je Madona ('She Is Madonna') [video], Všetci sa zídeme raz v jednej posteli ('We Will All Meet One Day in the Same Bed') [video]

Kontrafakt - rap, hip-hop: Život je boj ('Life Is A Fight') [video], Pravda bolí ('The Truth Hurts') [video], ERA [video], Dáva mi ('It Is Giving Me') [video]

Gladiátor - rock: Pesnička o Medulienke ('A Song about Medulienka') [video], Kúpim si pekný deň ('I Will Buy a Nice Day') [video]

Rytmus - rap, hip-hop, pop: Príbeh ('Story') [video], Zlatokopky ('Golddiggers') [video], Verejný nepriateľ ('Public Enemy') [video], Jebe ('F--ed Up') [video], Technotronic Flow [video]

Pavol Hammel - pop: ZRPŠ ('Parent-Teacher Association') [video], Učiteľka tanca ('Dance Teacher') [video]