Slovak declension

The Slovak language, like most Slavic languages and Latin, is an inflected language, meaning that the endings (and sometimes also the stems) of most words (nouns, adjectives, pronouns and numerals) change depending on the given combination of the grammatical gender, the grammatical number and the grammatical case of the particular word in the particular sentence:

a) Gender: There are four grammatical genders in Slovak language: animate masculine, inanimate masculine, feminine and neuter. In popular description, the first two genders are often covered under common masculine gender. Almost all Slovak nouns and adjectives, as well as some pronouns and numerals can be categorized into one of these genders. Exceptions are pluralia tantum (Vianoce - Christmas) and words that are drifting into other gender and are currently in the neuter (knieža - Fürst), and masculine animals that are animate in singular and mostly inanimate in plural.

b) Number: Like in English, Slovak has singular and plural nouns. Morphological traces of the ancient Indo-European dual number remain, but are not a separate grammar category anymore. A particular case is associated with three distinct groups of numerals associated with nouns:

c) Morphological cases:

There is also a different form of morphological vocative emerging in spoken language, used with some familiar forms of personal names (Paľo - Pali, Jano, Jana - Jani, Zuza - Zuzi) and familiar forms of kinship words, such as mama - mami (mum, mother), oco - oci (dad, father), tata, tato - tati (dad, daddy), baba, babka - babi (gran, granny, grandmother). This usage is very similar to the "new Russian vocative" (Маш', Петь', мам'), but it is not accepted into standardised codified language. This could have developed out of proper names that were formed using the Hungarian diminutive suffix -i and that are used in spoken Slovak, and therefore is often homonymous with nominative (semi-)diminutive forms of the names. Other possibility is influence of Czech (from common bllingual TV during Czechoslovakia) where Jani/Zuzi as well as mami/tati/babi is part of Common Czech.

Legend

Nouns

For each gender, there are four basic declension paradigms (that is declension models).

Note that many nouns (especially those following the paradigm chlap) have different endings than those of the paradigms in one or several grammatical cases. They are neither defined, nor listed in the following. The complete number of different paradigms for nouns is somewhere about 200.

A very small number of foreign nouns are not declined (that is the stem and ending never change).

The Masculine Gender

  animate and ends in anything except -a animate and ends in -a inanimate and ends in a hard or neutral consonant inanimate and ends in a soft consonant
  sg. pl. sg. pl. sg. pl. sg. pl.
N chlap chlapi hrdina hrdinovia dub duby stroj stroje
G chlap-a chlap-ov hrdin-u hrdin-ov dub-a dub-ov stroj-a stroj-ov
D chlapovi chlapom hrdinovi hrdinom dubu dubom stroju strojom
A chlapa chlapov hrdinu hrdinov dub duby stroj stroje
L chlapovi chlapoch hrdinovi hrdinoch dube duboch stroji strojoch
I chlapom chlapmi hrdinom hrdinami dubom dubmi strojom strojmi

There is also a 5th paradigm for foreign nouns ending in .-i, -y, -e, -í, -é, -ě, -ä (for example pony, kuli, Tököli, Goethe, Krejčí, abbé, Poupě) and foreign personal names ending in -ü, -ö (for example Jenö), which goes as follows:

Masculine animal nouns are declined like chlap in the singular, but in plural usually like dub (if they end in a hard or neutral consonant) or like stroj (otherwise)

Notes on chlap:

Notes on hrdina: -

Notes on dub:

Notes on stroj:

The Feminine Gender

  ends in -hard or neutral consonant + a ends in -soft consonant + a (or in -ia / -ya) ends in a consonant other than for kosť (next column). ends in -c /s / p / v / sť
  sg. pl. sg. pl. sg. pl. sg. pl.
N žena ženy ulica ulice dlaň dlane kosť kosti
G ženy žien ulice ulíc dlane dlaní kosti kostí
D žene ženám ulici uliciam dlani dlaniam kosti kostiam
A ženu ženy ulicu ulice dlaň dlane kosť kosti
L žene ženách ulici uliciach dlani dlaniach kosti kostiach
I ženou ženami ulicou ulicami dlaňou dlaňami kosťou kosťami

There is also a 5th paradigm for feminine nouns ending in -ná or -ovná (for example princezná), where the singular and N pl and A pl are like pekná (see under adjectives) and the remaining plural is like žena. In the G pl, there are changes in the stem: if the noun ends in -vowel + ná, then this vowel receives an acute (for example švagriná - švagrín), but otherwise an -ie- is inserted (for example princezná - princezien).

There is also a 6th paradigm for the feminine nouns ending in -ea (idea, Kórea), which goes like žena, except that D sg and Lsg are idei, and G pl is ideí without change in the stem.

Notes on žena:

Notes on ulica:

Notes on dlaň:

Notes on kosť:

The Neuter Gender

  ends in - o ends in - e (except -ie) ends in - ie ends in - a or -ä
  sg. pl. sg. pl. sg. pl. sg. pl.
N mesto mestá srdce srdcia vysvedčenie vysvedčenia dievča dievčatá /
dievčence
G mesta miest srdca sŕdc vysvedčenia vysvedčení dievčaťa dievčiat/
dievčeniec
D mestu mestám srdcu srdciam vysvedčeniu vysvedčeniam dievčaťu dievčatám/
dievčencom
A mesto mestá srdce srdcia vysvedčenie vysvedčenia dievča dievčatá/
dievčence
L meste mestách srdci srdciach vysvedčení vysvedčeniach dievčati dievčatách /
dievčencoch
I mestom mestami srdcom srdcami vysvedčením vysvedčeniami dievčaťom dievčatami /
dievčencami

For (any) neuter nouns ending in -vowel+um/on (for example štúdium, ganglion) there is actually a 5th paradigm (štúdium), which is declined like mesto except that the -um- / -on- is omitted in all cases except N sg and A sg., L sg ends in -u (štúdiu), and G pl in -í (štúdií).

Notes on mesto:

Notes on srdce:

Notes on vysvedčenie: -

Notes on dievča:

Adjectives

Paradigms

Pekný

This paradigm is used for adjectives ending in -a hard or neutral consonant + ý [in the masculine gender]

  masculine neuter feminine plural
N pekný pekné pekná pekné
(masc. animate: pekní)
G pekného pekného peknej pekných
D peknému peknému peknej pekným
A pekný
(animate: pekného)
pekné peknú pekné
(masc. animate: pekných)
L peknom peknom peknej pekných
I pekným pekným peknou peknými

Cudzí

This paradigm is used for adjectives ending in -a soft consonant + í [in the masculine gender] (including the comparative and superlative, see below )

Forms: They are like with pekný, but within the endings (that is in what follows after pekn-) always replace ý by í, é by ie, á by ia, and ú by iu., e.g.: pekný - cudzí, pekné(ho) - cudzie(ho), pekný(m) - cudzí(m), pekná - cudzia, peknú - cudziu.

Otcov

This paradigm is used for adjectives ending in -ov / -in, for example otcov ("father's"), matkin ("mother's"). All of them are possessive adjectives (adjectives in -ov for masculine persons, adjectives in -in for feminine persons).

  masculine neuter feminine plural
N otcov otcovo otcova otcove
(masc. animate: otcovi)
G otcovho otcovho otcovej otcových
D otcovmu otcovmu otcovej otcovým
A otcov
(animate: otcovho)
otcovo otcovu otcove
(masc. animate: otcových)
L otcovom otcovom otcovej otcových
I otcovým otcovým otcovou otcovými

The Comparative and Superlative

The comparative is formed by replacing the adjective ending -ý/y/i/í by -ejší or -ší. There are exact rules for the choice between these two endings and there are several irregular comparatives. Examples:

Regular: hrozný - hroznejší, bohatý - bohatší …
Irregular: veľký - väčší, malý - menší, dobrý - lepší, zlý - horší, pekný - krajší, čierny - černejší, blízky-bližší, ďaleký - ďalší, hlboký - hlbší …

The comparative forms are declined like cudzí

The superlative (that is biggest, most difficult etc. )is formed as follows: naj+comparative . Examples: pekný - krajší - najkrajší, hrozný- hroznejší - najhroznejší …

The comparative and superlative of adverbs (which by the way end in -o, -e or -y in the basic form)is formed by simply replacing the -(ej)ší from the adjective by -(ej)šie (for example pekne - krajšie - najkrajšie, hrozne - hroznejšie - najhroznejšie, teplo - teplejšie - najteplejšie, pomaly - pomalšie - najpomalšie)

Pronouns

Personal pronouns

  I you (sg) he she it we you (pl. or polite form) they (masculine animate, or mixed genders) they (otherwise)
N ja ty on ona ono my vy oni ony
G ma (mňa) ťa (teba) ho (jeho, neho,-ňho, -ň) jej (nej) ho (jeho, neho, -ňho, -ň) nás vás ich (nich) ich (nich)
D mne (mi) tebe (ti) mu (jemu, nemu,-ňmu) jej (nej) mu (jemu, nemu,-ňmu) nám vám im (nim) im (nim)
A ma (mňa) ťa (teba) ho (jeho, neho, -ňho, -ň, -eň) ju (ňu) ho (-ň, -eň) nás vás ich (nich) ich (ne)
L mne tebe ňom nej ňom nás vás nich nich
I mnou tebou ním ňou ním nami vami nimi nimi

There is also the reflexive pronoun sa, which is declined as follows: N: -, G: seba, D: sebe /si, A: seba/sa, L: sebe, I: sebou

Notes:

Demonstrative Pronouns

  masculine neuter feminine plural
N ten to tie
(masc. animate: tí)
G toho toho tej tých
D tomu tomu tej tým
A ten
(masc. animate: toho)
to tie
(masc. animate: tých)
L tom tom tej tých
I tým tým tou tými

like ten (that, the) are declined: tamten (that one), henten (that one), tento (this one), tenže (the same)…

like adjectives are declined: for example istý (certain, same), každý (each), iný (other), taký / onaký (such), všetok (all), sám (-self), onen (that one), and žiaden = žiadny (no one) …

Interrogative (and Relative) and Indefinite pronouns

who: N: kto - G:koho -D:komu - A:koho - L:kom - I:kým [always masculine animate]
what: N: čo - G:čoho - D:čomu - A: čo - L: čom -I:čím [always neuter]

like kto/čo are declined: nikto (nobody), niekto/dakto (someone), niečo/dačo (something), hocikto (who ever), nič (nothing), ktosi (someone), čosi (something) …

like adjectives are declined: čí (whose), niečí /dačí / hocičí (someone's), ničí (noone's), ktorý (which), aký (what, which), nejaký / dajaký / (some), nijaký / niktorý (no), čísi (someone's), číkoľvek (whose ever). akýsi (some), ktorýsi (some), ktorýkoľvek (which ever)…

Possessive pronouns

  masculine neuter feminine plural
N môj moje moja moje
(masc. animate: moji)
G môjho môjho mojej mojich
D môjmu môjmu mojej mojim
A môj
(animate: môjho)
moje moju moje
(masc. animate: mojich)
L mojom mojom mojej mojich
I mojím mojím mojou mojimi

like môj (my) are declined:

not declined are:

Numerals

Cardinal Numerals

Paradigms

jeden (one): is declined like the adjective pekný

dva (two): N: dvaja (masc. animate); dva (masc. inanimate); dve (otherwise) - G: dvoch - D: dvom - A: dvoch (masc. animate); dva (masc. inanimate); dve (otherwise) - L: dvoch - I: dvoma

N: dvaja/dva (masc. animate); dva (otherwise)
A: dvoch /dva (masc. animate); dva (otherwise)

tri (three): N: traja (masc. animate); tri (otherwise) - G: troch - D: trom - A: troch (masc. animate); tri (otherwise) - L: troch - I: troma / tromi

N: traja/tri (masc. animate); tri (otherwise)
A: troch/tri (masc. animate); tri (otherwise)

päť (five): N: piati / päť (masc. animate); päť (otherwise) - G: piatich - D: piatim - A: piatich / päť (masc. animate); päť (otherwise) - L: piatich - I: piatimi

100, 200, 300, … 900; 1000, 2000, 3000, … 9000: not declined, but 1000 can be declined like päť

Compound Numerals

Ordinal Numerals

They are declined like adjectives (paradigms pekný and cudzí)

Note: Ordinal numerals are formed by adding adjective endings to the (slightly modified) cardinal numbers, for example

5: päť - 5th: piaty,
20: dvadsať - 20th: dvadsiaty

External links

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