I can say where I am and where things are in town — v meste, na námestí, pri rieke — and choose v or na correctly.
Kde? V meste, na pošte: the locative
Kde? V meste, na pošte: the locative
Why: to say WHERE you are or where something is (kde?). After v, na, pri the noun changes its ending, unlike in English: this is the locative (lokál). You already know “Bývam v Bratislave”: here is the rule.
The ending depends on how the word ends (see the table): -e for most words (mesto → v meste); -u for masculine and neuter after k, g, h, ch (park → v parku, Slovensko → na Slovensku); feminine words in -ka, -ha take -e, not -u (rieka → pri rieke); -i for soft words and for hotel (ulica → na ulici, hotel → v hoteli); -í for words in -ie (námestie → na námestí). Two special ones: centrum → v centre (-um drops), stôl → na stole (ô → o).
Prepositions: v means inside, and before v- and f- it is vo (vo Viedni); na means on a surface or in an open place (na stole, na ulici), and with words you learn by heart: na pošte, na univerzite, na fakulte, na internáte. Slovensko takes na (na Slovensku), but Rusko and Česko take v (v Rusku, v Česku). pri means near, by (pri rieke).
Adjectives and jeden: masculine and neuter -om (v novom hoteli, v jednom meste), feminine -ej (na peknej ulici, v jednej škole).
Common mistakes:
• דIvan býva v Slovensku” → na Slovensku (English “in Slovakia”)
• דv park” → v parku (always add the ending)
• דv centrume” → v centre
• דv univerzite” → na univerzite
Where? Locative endings
The ending depends on how the word ends. The long -í in námestí isn't stressed.
| Ending | When | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -e | most words | mesto → v meste; pošta → na pošte; dom → v dome |
| -u | masc. and neut. after k, g, h, ch; feminine in -ka, -ha — still -e | park → v parku; Slovensko → na Slovensku; rieka → pri rieke |
| -i | soft endings (-ca, -ia, -ľ, -ň) and hotel | ulica → na ulici; kancelária → v kancelárii; hotel → v hoteli |
| -í | words in -ie | námestie → na námestí |
| -om / -ej | adjectives and jeden: masc. and neut. -om, fem. -ej | v peknom parku; na veľkej ulici |
V, na, or pri
With some words, na has to be learned together with the word.
| Preposition | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| v / vo | inside; vo before v- and f- | v hoteli, v Bratislave, vo Viedni |
| na | on a surface, an open place; learn it with the word | na stole, na námestí, na pošte, na univerzite, na Slovensku |
| pri | near, by | pri parku |
Lesson notes
Kde? V meste, na pošte: the locative
Why: to say WHERE you are or where something is (kde?). After v, na, pri the noun changes its ending, unlike in English: this is the locative (lokál). You already know “Bývam v Bratislave”: here is the rule.
The ending depends on how the word ends (see the table): -e for most words (mesto → v meste); -u for masculine and neuter after k, g, h, ch (park → v parku, Slovensko → na Slovensku); feminine words in -ka, -ha take -e, not -u (rieka → pri rieke); -i for soft words and for hotel (ulica → na ulici, hotel → v hoteli); -í for words in -ie (námestie → na námestí). Two special ones: centrum → v centre (-um drops), stôl → na stole (ô → o).
Prepositions: v means inside, and before v- and f- it is vo (vo Viedni); na means on a surface or in an open place (na stole, na ulici), and with words you learn by heart: na pošte, na univerzite, na fakulte, na internáte. Slovensko takes na (na Slovensku), but Rusko and Česko take v (v Rusku, v Česku). pri means near, by (pri rieke).
Adjectives and jeden: masculine and neuter -om (v novom hoteli, v jednom meste), feminine -ej (na peknej ulici, v jednej škole).
Common mistakes:
• דIvan býva v Slovensku” → na Slovensku (English “in Slovakia”)
• דv park” → v parku (always add the ending)
• דv centrume” → v centre
• דv univerzite” → na univerzite