I can describe a thing — its color, its size, new or old — and make the adjective agree with the gender: nový mobil, nová taška, nové auto.
Aký, aká, aké: the adjective follows the gender
Aký, aká, aké: the adjective follows the gender
Why: to describe a thing and say what it's like. The question changes with the gender: aký? (masc.), aká? (fem.), aké? (neut.).
Unlike English “new”, a Slovak adjective follows the gender of its noun: -ý (nový zošit), -á (nová ceruzka), -é (nové číslo).
The adjective goes before the noun or after je: To je nový zošit. — Zošit je nový. As in English, je is needed in both.
After a long syllable the ending is short: krásny, čierny, biely (not “krásný”). Spell it as the dictionary does.
veľmi means “very”: veľmi malý, veľmi stará.
How? and what kind? differ only by the dĺžeň: how? — pekne, dobre, zle (nicely, well, badly); what kind? — pekné číslo, dobré pero, zlé auto. They are different words, but the checker doesn't see the dĺžeň, so you'll tell them apart by choosing.
zlý means “bad”: zlý mobil is a bad phone.
Common mistakes:
• × nový ceruzka → nová ceruzka (ceruzka is feminine)
• × Zošit nový. → Zošit je nový.
• × To je pekne auto. → To je pekné auto.
Aký? Aká? Aké? — the ending follows the gender
After a long syllable the ending is short: biely — biela — biele.
| Question | Gender | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| aký? | masc. | starý kľúč, veľký zošit |
| aká? | fem. | malá ceruzka, stará kniha |
| aké? | neut. | malé číslo, veľké pero |
Farba — color
A color is an adjective: its ending follows the gender, like nový.
| In Slovak | In English |
|---|---|
| farba | color |
| biely | white |
| čierny | black |
| zelený | green |
| modrý | blue |
| červený | red |
| žltý | yellow |
| hnedý | brown |
| sivý | gray |
Lesson notes
Aký, aká, aké: the adjective follows the gender
Why: to describe a thing and say what it's like. The question changes with the gender: aký? (masc.), aká? (fem.), aké? (neut.).
Unlike English “new”, a Slovak adjective follows the gender of its noun: -ý (nový zošit), -á (nová ceruzka), -é (nové číslo).
The adjective goes before the noun or after je: To je nový zošit. — Zošit je nový. As in English, je is needed in both.
After a long syllable the ending is short: krásny, čierny, biely (not “krásný”). Spell it as the dictionary does.
veľmi means “very”: veľmi malý, veľmi stará.
How? and what kind? differ only by the dĺžeň: how? — pekne, dobre, zle (nicely, well, badly); what kind? — pekné číslo, dobré pero, zlé auto. They are different words, but the checker doesn't see the dĺžeň, so you'll tell them apart by choosing.
zlý means “bad”: zlý mobil is a bad phone.
Common mistakes:
• × nový ceruzka → nová ceruzka (ceruzka is feminine)
• × Zošit nový. → Zošit je nový.
• × To je pekne auto. → To je pekné auto.