Introduction to Slovak Verbs for English Speakers

Understanding Slovak Verbs: A Beginner's Guide

Slovak verbs are an essential part of the language, expressing actions, states, and occurrences. For English speakers learning Slovak, understanding how verbs work is crucial to forming correct sentences and communicating effectively.

Verb Conjugation in Slovak

Unlike English, Slovak verbs change their form based on person, number, tense, and sometimes mood. This process is called conjugation. Slovak verbs are divided into several conjugation classes, each with its own pattern.

The main persons in Slovak verb conjugation are:

• First person singular (I) - ja
• Second person singular (you) - ty
• Third person singular (he/she/it) - on/ona/ono
• First person plural (we) - my
• Second person plural (you all) - vy
• Third person plural (they) - oni/ony

Present Tense Conjugation Example

Let's look at the verb robiť (to do) in the present tense:

• ja robím (I do)
• ty robíš (you do)
• on/ona/ono robí (he/she/it does)
• my robíme (we do)
• vy robíte (you all do)
• oni robia (they do)

Past Tense Formation

The past tense in Slovak is formed using the past participle, which agrees in gender and number with the subject. For example, the verb robiť in the past tense for a male speaker:

• ja som robil (I did - male)
• ty si robil (you did - male)
• on robil (he did)
• my sme robili (we did)
• vy ste robili (you all did)
• oni robili (they did)

For a female speaker, the ending changes to -la (e.g., robila instead of robil).

Imperative Mood: Giving Commands

The imperative mood is used to give commands or requests. For the verb robiť, the imperative forms are:

• (ty) rob! (do!)
• (vy) robte! (do! - plural or formal)

Common Slovak Verbs to Know