Slovak Language Lessons for Beginners - Lesson 9

[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]

Ja nič, ja muzikant. = Literally: 'I [am] nothing, I [am] a musician.'; means something like: 'Don't blame me.' / 'Stop looking at me.' / 'It's not my fault.' / 'Leave me alone.'

Som hladný. / Mám hlad. = I am hungry. / 'I have hunger.'

Som smädný. / Mám smäd. = I am thirsty. / 'I have thirst.'

Koľko máš rokov? = How old are you? (informal 'you'; literally: 'How many years do you have?')

Koľko máte rokov? = How old are you? (formal 'you')

Mám ... = I am ...

... jeden rok. = one year old.

... dva/tri/štyri roky. = two, three, four years old.

... päť/šesť/sedem rokov. = five, six, seven years old.

Moja sestra je veľmi mladá. Má len sedemnásť rokov. = My sister is very young. She is only seventeen years old.

ovocie = fruit

jablko = apple

hruška = pear

pomaranč = orange

mandarínka = clementine

marhuľa = apricot

broskyňa = peach

jahoda = strawberry

malina = raspberry

čerešňa = cherry

višňa = black cherry

slivka = plum

banán = banana

ananás = pineapple

citrón = lemon

hrozno = grapes

zelenina = vegetables

paradajka = tomato

paprika = pepper

mrkva = carrot

šalát = lettuce (also: salad)

zemiak = potato

cibuľa = onion

cesnak = garlic

ryža = rice

fazuľa = beans

hrach = peas

orech = nut

tekvica = pumpkin

baklažán = eggplant

kapusta = cabbage

petržlen = parsley

brokolica = broccoli

kaleráb = kohlrabi

špenát = spinach

kel = kale

Mám rád _______. = I like ... (if the speaker is male)

Mám rada _______. = I like ... (if the speaker is female)

Môj brat Jozef má rád kávu, ale ja mám rád čaj. = My brother Jozef likes coffee, but I like tea.

nápoj = drink, beverage

nealkoholický nápoj (or nealko, for short) = non-alcoholic beverage

voda = water

čaj = tea

káva = coffee

kakao = hot chocolate

minerálka = mineral water

kola = cola

malinovka = any kind of soft drink other than cola

džús = juice

alkoholický nápoj = alcoholic beverage

alkohol = alcohol

pivo = beer

víno = wine

vodka = vodka

slivovica = plum brandy

rum = rum

šampanské = champaigne

If you walk into a store, or sit down in a restaurant, the shop assistant or waitress will most likely ask you the following question:

Čo si prajete? = What would you like? (literally: 'What do you wish for?')

You should answer.

Prosím si _______. = I would like a ....

Please note that the noun after Prosím si should be in the accusative case, as it is the direct object in the sentence.

Dobrý deň, pán Novák. Čo si prajete? = Hello, Mr. Novák. What would you like?

Prosím si šalát a kávu. Dnes nie som veľmi hladný. = I would like a salad and coffee. I am not very hungry today.

The Slovak national dish is called bryndzové halušky. It is fantastic. It consists of small boiled potato pieces (halušky = spaetzle) - similar, in shape, to the Italian gnocchi. These are mixed with bryndza, a traditional sheep milk cheese that is quite difficult to find outside of Slovakia. Just thinking about bryndzové halušky makes me hungry. Here's a picture (from wikipedia [link]):

Another popular dish with halušky is called strapačky: This meal consists of the same potato pieces, but - instead of bryndza - they are mixed with sauerkraut (kyslá kapusta). A restaurant classic is fried cheese (vyprážaný syr) with French fries (hranolky). Around Trnava - where much of my family comes from - lokše are a popular meal: These are very similar to crêpes (palacinky), but are not sweet and are often filled with poppy seeds (mak). To find out more about Slovak cuisine, please visit my friend Ľuboš's website about Slovak cooking [here].