Episode 16: All About School
As the new school year begins in Slovakia, we explore essential classroom words and show you how Slovak adjectives change depending on gender. You’ll learn how to say “škola” (school), “trieda” (classroom), and phrases like “školský rok” (school year), “školská taška” (school bag), and “školské pero” (school pen) — along with a handy grammar tip on how adjectives agree with masculine, feminine, and neutral nouns.
Vocabulary
škola = school
škôlka = nursery school
školský rok = school year
školská taška = school bag
školské pero = pen
trieda = classroom
triedny učiteľ = head teacher (male)
triedna učiteľka = head teacher (female)
žiak = pupil (boy)
žiačka = pupil (girl)
Bonuses
rok = year
prázdniny = holidays
Dnes začína školský rok. = Today the school year starts.
Note 1: In Slovak, adjectives related to specific things are often derived directly from nouns. For example: “škola” (school) → “školský” (school-related), “trieda” (classroom) → “triedny” (class-related). This makes it easier to expand your vocabulary once you know the base noun.
Note 2: Adjectives in Slovak must agree with the gender of the noun they describe. Slovak has three grammatical genders: masculine (ten), feminine (tá), and neutral (to). Their endings usually follow a clear pattern: masculine –ý (“školský rok” – school year), feminine –á (“školská taška” – school bag), neutral –é (“školské pero” – school pen).
Note 3: Female professions and nationalities in Slovak usually take the ending –ka to mark that they are feminine. For example: “učiteľ” (male teacher) → “učiteľka” (female teacher). Of course, there are also some exceptions and small adjustments, such as “žiak” (boy pupil) → “žiačka” (girl pupil).
Note 4: Slovak has a special character: the letter ô, sometimes called “o with a hat.” It represents a unique diphthong sound written as a single letter, and you’ll notice it in several common words (diminutives mainly), e.g. “škôlka” (nursery school).
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