Source:Canva
Ahoj, komunita!
Learning any new language comes with its fair share of mistakes, and Slovak is no exception! Whether it’s tricky pronunciation or complicated grammatical structures, many learners find themselves repeating certain errors. In today’s session, we’ll explore 3 most common mistakes people make when learning Slovak—and how you can avoid them.
Pronunciation of Diacritics (Accents): Mispronouncing accented letters like "č" (as in čo, meaning "what") or "š" (as in štyri, meaning "four") is common. For example, saying sto (100) instead of štyri (4) can confuse numbers entirely. What you can do to avoid this mistake is to practice by listening to native speakers and repeating tricky words aloud.
Confusing Cases: Slovak’s seven cases often cause confusion. For example, learners might say Vidím pes (I see a dog), which is incorrect because pes needs to be in the accusative case, so it should be Vidím psa. To practise this, you can focus on practicing with short sentences that highlight different case endings.
Formal vs. Informal Speech: Using "ty" (informal) with someone you don’t know well can come across as disrespectful. For instance, saying Ty si učiteľka? (Are you a teacher?) to a stranger instead of Vy ste učiteľka? is a mistake. Keep in mind that you need to pay attention to the relationship and choose the right form based on context.
Have you perhaps made similar mistakes while learning slovak? Feel free to also share your experiences in the discussion below and help others learn from them!
Erik, OLS Slovak Community Manager