I can say what I eat, look for, and like: jem rybu, hľadám šéfa, mám rád pizzu — and say what tastes good to me: Chutí mi syr.
Whom? What? The accusative: tašku, kamaráta
Whom? What? The accusative: tašku, kamaráta
Why: to say what you eat, look for, cook, and like. After jesť, variť, hľadať, mať, vidieť, potrebovať the noun answers “whom? what?”: it's in the accusative (akuzatív). Unlike English, the object changes: čítam knihu.
Not much changes. Fem. in -a: -a → -u: taška → tašku. Fem. in a consonant, neuter nouns, and masculine nouns for things don't change: posteľ, auto, stôl. Masculine nouns for people and animals add -a: kamarát → kamaráta. Kolega takes -u: kolegu. A feminine adjective ends in -ú: novú tašku. The table is next to this text.
“I like something”: mám rád / mám rada + the accusative (rád follows the speaker, as in module 3): Mám rád kávu. “It tastes good to me”: chutí mi + the dictionary form; not good: nechutí mi. Eva je vegánka: mäso neje.
Food words: polievka — soup, zemiaky — potatoes, korenie — spices, párky — hot dogs (not “parks”); chutiť is “to taste good”, “to want” is chcieť.
Common mistakes:
• ×Nemám času → Nemám čas (with ne- the case stays the same)
• ×Mám rád polievka → Mám rád polievku
• ×Vidím kamarát → Vidím kamaráta
• ×Chutí mi pizzu → Chutí mi pizza
The accusative: whom? what?
Only feminine nouns in -a, nouns for men and animals, and the feminine adjective change.
| Which word | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| fem. in -a | taška | tašku |
| fem. in a consonant | posteľ | posteľ |
| neut. | auto | auto |
| masc., thing | stôl | stôl |
| masc., person or animal | kamarát | kamaráta |
| masc. in -a, person | kolega | kolegu |
| fem. adjective | nová | novú |
I like ↔ it tastes good
After mám rád — the accusative; with chutí mi — the dictionary form.
| How to say it | Form of the thing you like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mám rád / rada | accusative | mám rád hudbu |
| nemám rád / rada | accusative | nemám rada maslo |
| chutí mi | dictionary form | chutí mi džem |
| nechutí mi | dictionary form | nechutí mi rožok |
Lesson notes
Whom? What? The accusative: tašku, kamaráta
Why: to say what you eat, look for, cook, and like. After jesť, variť, hľadať, mať, vidieť, potrebovať the noun answers “whom? what?”: it's in the accusative (akuzatív). Unlike English, the object changes: čítam knihu.
Not much changes. Fem. in -a: -a → -u: taška → tašku. Fem. in a consonant, neuter nouns, and masculine nouns for things don't change: posteľ, auto, stôl. Masculine nouns for people and animals add -a: kamarát → kamaráta. Kolega takes -u: kolegu. A feminine adjective ends in -ú: novú tašku. The table is next to this text.
“I like something”: mám rád / mám rada + the accusative (rád follows the speaker, as in module 3): Mám rád kávu. “It tastes good to me”: chutí mi + the dictionary form; not good: nechutí mi. Eva je vegánka: mäso neje.
Food words: polievka — soup, zemiaky — potatoes, korenie — spices, párky — hot dogs (not “parks”); chutiť is “to taste good”, “to want” is chcieť.
Common mistakes:
• ×Nemám času → Nemám čas (with ne- the case stays the same)
• ×Mám rád polievka → Mám rád polievku
• ×Vidím kamarát → Vidím kamaráta
• ×Chutí mi pizzu → Chutí mi pizza