slovak

An excerpt from user instructions for a machining device: What this seems to be saying is that, when programming the device (for the process in question), you have to allow an extra 20 mm of length, in order to account for a portion that is cut off at the end of the process. But I don't fully...

One of the criteria from a training checklist: "Quality [...] - Has been familiarized with the quality requirements [??]" I'm not sure what "proces" refers to here – possibly the industrial process of the plant that these instructions pertain to. Partly because of this uncertainty, I'm also...

Dobré ráno, ako sa povie po slovensky: 1/ Vzala som si polovicu Aspirinu. 2/ Vzala som si pol Aspirinu 3/ ináč? Ďakujem. Enco.

Hi all, One side of my family is Slovak, and my grandma always says 'moja zlata dzetsko' which she says means 'my sweet child'. She is sick and I'd like to write it for her in a card but to change it to 'my sweet grandma' or 'our sweet grandma' (for me and my sibling). She told my once it was...

There is a fable in my coursebook, “korytnačka a zajac”. An excerpt: “ …ale keď videl, ako ďaleko zostala korytnačka, nechal cieľ cieľom, natiahol sa do trávy a zaspal” Cieľ = finish (line) cieľom = (in order) to, with the purpose of So my machine-like translation of the 2nd part is like “…...

Dobré ráno, narazil som na tento článok. Zaujala ma veta: "už tu mnohí učitelia slovenčiny nevyslovujú mäkké de, te, ne, le...". Je to opravdu pravda, že napr. dnes sa vyslovuje [dnes] a nie [dněs]??? Ďakujem. Enco.

First I heard “gdo” in a Hungarian village by a local who spoke Slovak. I thought it was just a rare dialectic form of “kto”. But since then I was hearing it a lot of times and start to feel that it is a general phenomenon. As a sideinfo I know that in Slovak there is the assimilation rule of...

Zdravím, napadlo ma slovo "teplá" ako synonymum pre horúčavu. V krátkom Slovníku slovenského jazyka som nič nenašiel, ale vo veľkom áno, čiže asi výraz "teplá" zrejme existuje, potom som našil na webu dva odkazy, vety. Moja otázka: je správne v hovorovej slovenčine povedať niečo ako: Radšej...

It just happened today that I found that some Slovak may pronounce the past singular form of verbs changing the “l” to “u” to create a diphtong. It is a bit similar to pronounce -ov like -ou, it seems that the Slovak like the diphtongs. ;-) Originally I found only ležal and behal converted to...

A small mistake of my printed dictionary raised this question, since it does not include the word “oblok” just “oblokový”. Are “oblok” and “okno” interchangeable or is there anything to remember when using them. I also checked the former threads, but found no more about it than this one Balkan...

First I just observed that my Slovak-Hungarian dictionary classified “telefonovať” as an imperfective/perfective verb. I thought that it was a mistake, but checked the online dictionaries, too. Althought the majority simply said it to be only imperfective (sometimes “zatelefonovať” was...

Months ago I promised I would be back definitely with some questions regarding the perfective and imperfective verbs. As a sort of backtest of my understanding regarding this field let me refer to a dialogue. “Veselý dialóg - Fero, dal si koňom žrať? - Dal. - Dal si im dosť? - Dal som im dosť...

Certainly I know that the former is an adverb + noun in plural G, while the latter is an adjective + noun in plural N. But is there any tiny difference in meaning, even if it is just a shade? Or even if there is none, is there anything to remember about when I can use this or that?

Is ‘ Naproti čomu stojí strom?´ a valid question in Slovak? Or just ‘Kde stojí strom?´? I have to create a question where the answer will be ‘Strom stojí naproti domu.’

I remember I already asked once about word orders as regards Slovak, but it was not a structured question. This time let’s consider the sentence: ‘Čášník teraz nesie kávu tomu pánovi’. And the question is: ’Komu nesie …?’. Could the other 3 words be put at any place after ‘nesie’? Fyki let...

Sometimes I hear and see forms of Slovak words from Slovak natives, which forms seem to be incorrect at first glance. But after a long inspection I typically figure it out that they are simply forms of some dialects. Like ‘hovado’ is not incorrect, it is just a Western Slovak dialect form of...

There is a joke in my book. - Úradník zaspal na stole. Príde vedúci a hovorí: - Vy tu spíte? And the punchline is: - Ale sa mi snívalo o práci. Without knowing anything about the usage of stredný rod / neuter in case of verbs, it became quite clear for me during my checks in online dictionaries...

Hello again, this is another question about an official form I'm filling out in Slovak. However, I see the form rules say only one question per thread, so I thought I'd post it separately. If I want to say a (female) relative left Slovakia in x year, is it correct to write 'odišla v ...'...

Dobrý deň! I'm in the process of filling out a form in Slovak and am hoping someone can confirm whether the term N/A will be understood in Slovak. If not, what do you write for a question that is not applicable to your situation? I checked various dictionaries and translation sites and can't...

I could not figure out the meaning of this proverb. The second part of sentence is related to be dancing? Or to being twisted? I also found a special meaning of “vykrúčať sa” as the imperfect form of “vkrútiť sa”, which is to be beat around/about the bush. My best bet is that Who has no...

Hello again. The original sentence is “Večer sa pozerám televízny program”. Which questions are correct? A) or B) or both? A) “Čo pozeráš večer?” B) “Na čo pozeráš večer?” Thanks

In the meantime I checked all of the resources that mic.iom.sk proposes. I didnt like them, e-slovak was the one which was the closest to my need. I realized I just simply need a pure Slovak grammar book, which explains Slovak grammar and grammar-wise phenomena in details. Preferably written...

So far I thought I already understand this area of Slovak. But today I faced “zacvičiť si”. The sentence was “Zacvičím si podľa rádia”. Wow, no explicit object at all? In this case there is some sort of hidden object and it is why we dont use “sa”, but “si”. If so are there many reflexive...

A new lesson means new questions: “Idem sa do kuchyne raňajkovať: i checked both my dictionaries and some of my web resources and I concluded that “isť sa” as a verb does not exist and this construction is just about the magnetic field :) of the second word, so even if “sa” got closer to “idem”...

Let me ask whether one is obliged to use “sa” as many times as the number of reflexive verbs is in a list. Options: A) Tu sa oholím, osprchujem sa, poutieram sa a učesem sa. B) Tu sa oholím, osprchujem sa, poutieram a učesem sa. C) Tu sa oholím, osprchujem, poutieram a učesem sa. D) Tu sa...

The term “vstávať do ….” can be found in my language book. Although the typical form would be “vstávať and isť do …” I can imagine that this shorter form is correct, too. And the interweb says it is used. My question is whether an educated Slovak person will use it or not?

Looking for a translation of the English idiom "in for a penny, in for a pound", that is, having started something, you must go all the way. Or the equivalent "may as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb" -- if you're going to do something wrong, it might as well be for something major rather...

Mastné jedlo and tučné mäso seem to be correct. They are in my book exactly in these forms, moreover also my dictionary contain them. What about tučné jedlo and mastné mäso? Based on searching internet both seem to be correct, too. But the number of hits were not high enough for me to conclude...

The more thoroughly I am checking my language book the more places I spot where something I don’t like. Of course, it does not mean I am right, I just do not want to jump these instances over. Otázka: To sú tie tvoje diétne raňajky? Odpoveď: Áno, zjem niekoľko diétnych suchárov a ….. For me...

Čím poslúžim? It is written this way in my book as part of a conversation “U holiča”. I just wonder whether it is really used in real life as an informal, shortened form of Čím môžem poslúžiť?

Hello, I found another example in my Slovak book which seems to be a mistake, but I am not sure about it. My book says ‘bez jednej’. Having read it I found it strange and tried to to check the internet. My conclusion is that “bez jedného” is the correct form (due to jedno), and “bez jednej”...

It is a hádanka. But from where does ‘sa je’ come? Normally I’d say it is reflexive version of either byť or jesť in 3rd person of singular. But I could not find either byť sa or jesť sa in the dictionaries, not even here Pravopis - Slovnik.sk. My best bet is: What kind of man eats himself...

Hello, in my Slovak language book I saw both versions 1. Koľko máš rokov? Akú by si mala mať výšku podľa …? 2. Koľko stupňov Celzia je vonku? Aký deň je dnes? Are there any rules related to this like “what is it one would like to stress” or is it completeley free to choose any of these two...

Hello, It makes me mad that I cant decide whether both are correct or just one of them. I checked the web and both forms are used even in Slovak lessons organized by Slovak people. Is anyone around who can confirm that not just both are used by Slovak people, but both are grammatically...

There is one difficult line in Darina's song. Možno s chybami rátam Som zlý súper (Darina Rolincova, Čo o mne vieš?) It was translated as 1) Maybe I’m taking a calculated risk, I'm super bad 2) Maybe I accept mistakes, I'm bad opponent Which variant is correct?

What does mean Poď von? Get out? Do všetkých lavíc píšeš tak ako básnik, Že si sa do mňa práve trochu zbláznil Do schránky nápad tajne dáš Poď von! (Darina Rolincova, Čo o mne vieš?)

V niektorych slovanskych jazykoch sa vyskytuje zapor pri otazke typu : ''Nevedeli by ste mi povedat, prosim ?'', alebo '' Nesiel by si tam so mnou ? '', alebo ''Neurobili by ste to, prosim za nas ? '' Je to zvlastne a rad by som vedel odkial tento zaporny zvrat pochadza (ci to je prirodzene v...

Hello everyone, I'd like to know if it would be possible to have an accurate pronunciation of the surname "Warhola", as in the late artist's surname "Andrew Warhola". I'd also like to know if that word ("Warhola") actually means something in Slovakian or has a meaning that is closely related to...

I have noticed that there is a number of towns/villages in Slovakia including the letter <g> and sound [g] which is supposedly absent from native Slovak phonology (having evolved into [ɦ] written as <h>). Some examples: Galanta, Gelnica, Gabčíkovo, Gbely, Graltovce Any reason/explanation how...

it is correct to translate the different meanings like this: A PICTURE OF MY MOTHER matkin obraz; obraz/ potrèt mojej matky malba od mojej matky obraz patriaci moje matke does matkin obraz suggest more possession or podoba matky? A PICTURE OF MY MOTHER'S jeden z mojej matky obrazov

Hi, is there a specific word in Slovak to refer to a noun derived from a verb, like arrival from to arrive i.e. varenie from varit, citanie from citat etc.?

Could anyone please help translate the two phrases marked in bold from the poem below? 1) A váń listkov bozkáva ho, Je mu blízky, 2) Vej, vetríček: viej si lipu uctiť Slavín, “Boleslavínovi Vrchovskému.” Kto sa pod tou, pod košatou, Lipou modlí, Lipou modlí, Lipou modlí? A kto na ńu upiera...

Zdravím, ako sa nazývajú rezne (bravčové či kuracie) pripravené bez strúhanky? Našiel som len slovo: strapaté rezne. Ale zaujímalo by ma, čo Slováci používajú, rôzne regionálne varianty by boli úžasné. Vďaka, Encolpius

Zdravím, ako sa vyslovuje v slovenčine Don Quijote? Wikipédia uvádza: kichote. Je to pravda? Ďakujem.

Bratislava. [...] She fell in love with a Russian and they are married. Her name is now Sokolov. (The Tattooist of Auschwitz; Heather Morris) If she were Russian (or Ukrainian for that matter), her name would be Sokolova. It looks though that Slovakian surnames also differ according to gender...

In Slovak, what is the difference in meaning achieved through the reversal of the subject and the verb in sentences like "Je to lacné" as opposed to "To je lacné"? Is it a matter of focusing, or do they actually mean different things?

Hi, according to the Slovak dictionary this is show of good-will I suppose it is understood ...bol problem , meaning to je maličkosť Is that correct? and what would be a correct translation: " no problem" "that's all right" or the more slangy "ain't no biggie, pal!" Can you write a whole...

Hey guys, I am not sure what this sentence exactly means and the reason for it assuming it's a good construction. It talks about my sister but when do I use it? The usage of 'tá' is confusing here. I would think 'to je moja sestra.' would mean 'It's my sister' or 'ona je moja sestra.' to mean...

Hey guys, I am not sure of the pattern of the change of the numbers when answering the above question with 'I have..' ie. in the accusative case. Does it change like an adjective change of form? Eg1. I have two sisters. The correct version is 'mám dve sestry'. I have three sisters. The correct...

Hey guys, I am not sure what is the difference between the above 2 words and their usage when they are used to say 'This <noun> ...' For Eg. This photograph is... Would it be Tento fotografii... or Tejto fotografii...? I am assuming the noun 'fotografii' is masculine, if it's feminine, it will...