Welcome to the Slovak language course page. Here you can learn to speak Slovak, the official language of Slovakia, from free online language lessons. Slovak is a Slavic language very similar to Czech, and also quite similar to Polish. It is written in the same Roman script as English, but the characters are extended with few diacritic accent marks. Before you get started, please see my few words on Slovak alphabet and the pronunciation practice.
The lessons revolve around an American traveler as he makes his way around the country. I start off each lesson with a common dialog that you may encounter on your own visit to Slovakia. Slovak is quite easy to read, but like all Slavic languages, has a complicated grammar. Hence I supplement the dialogs with grammar lessons. These will come in handy if you really want to learn the intricacies of the language. Each lesson also contains additional vocabulary with pronunciation. This is where I post little exercises for you to practice with.
Don’t forget to leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions. This is a great way to share your thoughts with others also interested in learning Slovak. Feel free to email me if there is a particular phrase you want to know how to say in Slovak that is not listed (yet) in the lessons.
Wow, you had an eventful day! You introduced yourself to new friends, went to a restaurant, and even managed to ask how much something costs. It’s time to head back to your hotel room and relax with some good ol’ Slovak TV. Luckily, STV2 (Slovak Television Channel 2) is showing music video clips from the 80s, and you turn the TV on just as Miro Žbirka’s song Biely Kvet (White Flower) comes on. Miro Žbirka was one of the most popular Slovak musicians in the 80s. He was the Slovak version of John Lennon; his mom was even British.
So what is this song about? Here are the lyrics with as close to literal translation as I could muster. And don’t forget to sing along. I believe that songs are one of the best ways to learn a foreign language. Especially catchy ones like this one.
(VERSE 1) biely kvet – darujem ti biely kvet white flower – (I) gift you white flower biely kvet – môžu ti ho závidieť white flower – (they) may you it be-jealous-of biely kvet – od šatnárky v kine Sen white flower – from (the lady) attendant at cinema Dream studený biely kvet ti na rozlúčku prinesiem cold white flower (for) you for a farewall (I) bring
(CHORUS) biely kvet – darujem ti biely kvet white flower – (I) gift you white flower biely kvet – posledný je, viac ich niet, niet white flower – the last-one it-is, more of-it is-not, is-not biely kvet – dlhá ryha smútku v ňom white flower – long crease of sadness in it studený biely kvet ti dávam navždy s úsmevom cold white flower you (I) give forever with a smile
(VERSE 2) Tak sa priprav na život s ním, priprav na život s ním So get ready for the life with him, get ready for the life with him Prežiješ s ním možno pár zím, možno pár dlhých zím (You may) live-through with him maybe few winters, maybe couple long winters Na svetlo vždy vyjdeš s tmou, nechám ti v ňom smútok slov To the light you will come-out with darkness, (I’ll) leave for-you in it sadness of words Tak sa priprav na život s ním – priprav na život s ním So get ready for the life with him, get ready for the life with him
(CHORUS)
(VERSE 2)
(CHORUS)
Do you like this song? Find out more about popular Slovak songs from the 80s in the blog section of this website…
In lesson 3 dialog, you learned how to ask how much something costs. The grammar section has bit of background info on the grammar involved when using numbers in Slovak. Now let’s actually learn the numbers. Zero through 10 [Audio clip: view full post to listen] nula (0) jeden (1) dva (2) tri (3) štyri (4) päť (5) šesť (6) sedem (7) osem (8) deväť (9) desať (10) Eleven through nineteen [Audio clip: view full post to listen] jedenásť (11) dvanásť (12) trinásť (13) štrnásť (14) pätnásť (15) šesťnásť (16) sedemnásť (17) osemnásť (18) deväťnásť (19) Twenty through ninety-nine [Audio Read the Rest…
Let’s learn numbers in Slovak. After all, it’s not much good asking how much something costs, if you don’t know what the answer means. You will find the full list (with audio) of Slovak numbers in the vocabulary section. But here are few of them: jeden (1) dva (2) tri (3) štyri (4) päť (5) päťnásť (15) dvadsať (20) Let’s use these in some sentences. Let’s go back to the sentence from the dialog, koľko stojí káva? (how much for coffee?): You: Koľko stojí káva? Cheap restaurant: Káva stojí jedno euro Less cheap restaurant: Káva stojí dve eurá Not a Read the Rest…
We are still at the restaurant, where you ordered bryndzové halušky and beer. You are still enjoying your meal, when Mišo notices his friend Juraj (George). Juraj passes by. After a short introduction, he asks if we shall have coffee. Mišo: Juraj, nazdar! Juraj: Hej Mišo, nazdar! Čo je nové? Mišo: Nič moc. Tu je môj známy, Michael. Juraj: Michael? Vy ste Angličan? You: Nie, ja som Američan. A vy, vy ste Slovák? Juraj: Áno, som. Dáme si kávu? You, Mišo: Dobrý nápad! Mišo flags down the waiter and asks how much is coffee. Mišo: Pán čašník, koľko stojí káva? Read the Rest…
Let’s practice ordering food and describing things! New vocabulary words will teach you basic adjectives useful in describing your meal and your friends. You will also learn few basic phrases, such as prosím si (I would like). These two words will surely come in handy on your next visit to a Slovak restaurant or a pub. For the background info, please see the lesson 2 dialog and the grammar section. New Adjectives [Audio clip: view full post to listen] hungry: hladný (masc.), hladná (fem.), hladné (neut.) thirsty: smädný (M), smädná (F), smädné (N) pretty: pekný, pekná, pekné ugly: škaredý, škaredá, Read the Rest…
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