Veronika and Lubna tune their ears to the music of Slovak pronunciation — exploring the sounds that shape every word. From short and long vowels to the curious letters with hats, dots, and accent marks, this episode breaks down how Slovaks write as they hear — “píš ako počuješ!” Perfect for learners who want to sound more Slovak and understand what those little marks above the letters really do. Learn how small diacritical marks like “dĺžeň” (the long mark) change pronunciation and meaning, discover the difference between a and ä, and get to know Slovak’s unique diphthongs like ô, ia, ie, and iu.
Vocabulary
píš ako počuješ = write as you hear
latinka = Latin alphabet
dĺžeň = long mark / acute accent (´)
mäkčeň = soft sign / caron (ˇ)
Note 1: The Slovak pronunciation rule “píš ako počuješ” means that words are usually pronounced as they are written. Slovak uses the Latin alphabet with added diacritics (accent marks) — such as dots (ä), long marks (á, é, í, ó, ú, ý), and carons (č, š, ž, ď, ť, ľ, ň).
Note 2: Slovak vowels are divided into two groups — short and long. Short vowels (a, e, i, o, u, y) are pronounced briefly. Long vowels, marked with a “dĺžeň” (á, é, í, ó, ú, ý), are pronounced longer. There’s also one special vowel — ä (a written with two dots). It’s pronounced somewhere between a and e and appears mostly after p, b, m, v.
Short vowel examples:
taška = bag
obed = lunch
cukor = sugar
Long vowel examples:
káva = coffee
vozík = trolley
fúka = it blows
“A with two dots” examples:
päť = five
deväť = nine
Note 3: Slovak also has four diphthongs. Three of them are vowel clusters formed with i + a / e / u, and the fourth is ô (o with a hat). The ô sound is common in diminutives, but also everyday words. It’s pronounced like a combination of u + o, and it’s unique to Slovak — it doesn’t exist in Czech.
Diphthong examples:
počasie = weather
piatok = Friday
škôlka = nursery school
stôl = table
Note 4: The vowels i, e, and the diphthong ie can soften the consonant before them — making it sound “softer,” similar to adding a “mäkčeň” (caron).
Examples of softening with i, e, and ie:
dieťa = child
nedeľa = Sunday
rodina = family
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