Essential Slovak Phrases for Your Holiday in Slovakia
Are you planning to go on vacation to Slovakia with your family or friends? Thanks to open borders, you can explore our beautiful Slovak country :). However, without basic knowledge of Slovak, it's more difficult. Enhance your adventure and learn a few useful Slovak phrases that will help you on your travels.
Greetings in Slovak
Greetings are automatic and common. No one really thinks about them, but they are the foundation for everyday Slovak conversation.Hello/Hi – Ahoj [ahoy]
Good morning – Dobré ráno [dob-re ra-no]
Good day– Dobrý deň [doh-bree dyeň] - you can use this all day long.
Good evening – Dobrý večer [do-bree ve-cher]
Good night – Dobrú noc [do-broo nots]
How are you?/How is it going? - Ako sa máš? [ah-ko sah mah-sh] – This question is commonly used after a greeting, and you should answer it. A simple "dobre" (means OK) will suffice.
OK, and you? - Dobre, a ty? [doh-bre, ah tee]
At the Airport / Bus station
When you arrive in Slovakia, the first place you will encounter Slovak is likely the airport/ bus station."I would like" is a phrase that politely expresses your desire or need. You can use it in many situations, such as:
I (he/she) would like some water. – Dal/ Dala by som si vodu [dahl/dahla bee sohm see vo-doo].
I (he/she) would like to eat something. – Niečo by som zjedol/ zjedla [nye-cho bee sohm zye-dohl/ zye-dhla].
Other useful phrases at the airport:
Where is the check-in counter? - Kde je check-in? [gdye ye check-in (re-gis-tra-tsi-ya pod-pa-loob-nay ba-toh-zhi-nee)]
Can I get a window seat? - Môžem dostať miesto pri okne? [mo-zhem dos-taht myes-to pree ok-nye]?
What time is my flight? – Kedy mám let? [ke-dee maam let]?
Is my flight on time? - Je môj let načas? [ye moy let na-chas]?
Where is my gate? – Kde je môj terminál? [gdye ye moy ter-mee-nal]?
Where is the restroom/toilet? – Kde je toaleta? [gdye ye to-a-le-ta]?
Can I see your passport, please? - Môžem vidieť váš pas, prosím? [mo-zhem vee-dyech vash pas, pro-seem]?
Where can I find baggage claim? - Kde nájdem výdaj batožiny? [gdye na-jdem vee-dye ba-toh-zhi-nee]?
Read more about:
Colours in Slovak languages
Days of the week in Slovak
Arriving at Your Destination
Do you have a map? – Máte mapu? [ma-te ma-poo]?Where is the bus stop? – Kde je autobusová zastávka? [gdye ye au-to-bu-so-va zas-tav-ka]?
Can I buy a ticket here? - Môžem si tu kúpiť lístok? [mo-zhem see too koo-pich lees-tok]?
What time does the bus/train leave? - Kedy odchádza autobus/vlak? [ke-dee od-kha-dza au-to-bus/vlak]?
Where can I find a taxi? – Kde môžem nájsť taxík? [gdye mo-zhem na-yst ta-seek]?
I (he/she) would like to go to ... – Rád/Rada by som išiel / išla ... [rahd bee sohm ee-shyel/ ee-shla ...] (address).
How do I get to the city center? - Ako sa dostanem do centra mesta? [ah-ko sah dos-ta-nem do tsen-tra mes-ta]?
I don’t understand. – Nerozumiem [ne-ro-zoo-myehm].
This last phrase is among the most useful. It lets people around you know that you are not a native Slovak speaker. You can also alert them directly by saying I: "Nerozumiem po slovensky.[ne-ro-zoo-myehm po slo-ven-skee]" or ask them to speak more slowly: "Hovorte pomalšie, prosím. [ho-vor-te po-mal-shye, pro-seem] - Please speak slowly."
At the Hotel
I have a reservation. - Mám rezerváciu [maam re-zer-va-tsi-yu].Does the room have a bathroom? – Má izba kúpeľňu? [ma iz-ba koo-pyel-nyu]?
How many beds are in the room? – Koľko postelí je v izbe? [kol-ko pos-te-lee ye v iz-be]?
I need a single/double room. - Potrebujem jednolôžkovú/dvojlôžkovú izbu [po-tre-bu-yem ye-dno-lozh-ko-voo/dvoy-lozh-ko-voo iz-boo].
Is breakfast included? - Sú raňajky zahrnuté v cene? [soo ra-nyai-kee za-hr-noo-te v tse-ne]?
When are the breakfasts? – Kedy sú raňajky? [ke-dee soo ra-nyai-kee]?
What floor am I on? – Na akom som poschodí? [na ah-kom sohm pos-kho-dee]?
Where is the elevator? – Kde je výťah? [gdye ye vee-tyah]?
Could you give me the password for the WiFi? – Mohli by ste mi dať heslo na WiFi? [mo-hlee bee ste mi daht hes-lo na WiFi]?
My room needs towels/bed sheets/toilet paper. – Potrebujem uteráky/posteľnú bielizeň/toaletný papier [po-tre-bu-yem u-te-ra-kee/pos-te-lyu bje-lee-zen/to-a-let-nee pa-peer].
Can I have a wake-up call? - Môžem mať budenie telefónom? [mo-zhem maht boo-de-nye te-le-fon-om]?
In the City
Where can I find a grocery store/a restaurant? – Kde nájdem potraviny/reštauráciu? [gdye na-jdem po-tra-vee-nee/resh-tau-ra-tsi-yu]?Where is the hospital? – Kde je nemocnica? [gdye ye ne-mots-ni-tsa]?
Where is the bank? – Kde je banka? [gdye ye ban-ka]?
How do I get to ...? – Ako sa dostanem do ...? [ah-ko sah dos-ta-nem do ...]?
It’s to the right/to the left. – Je to vpravo/ vľavo [ye to vpra-vo / vlya-vo].
Go straight ahead. – Choď rovno [khod' rov-no].
In the Slovak Restaurant
A table for two/three/four, please. – Stôl pre dvoch/troch/štyroch, prosím [stohl pre dvohkh/trohkh/shti-rohkh, pro-seem].Can I see the menu, please? - Môžem vidieť jedálny lístok/menu, prosím? [mo-zhem vee-dyech ye-dal-nee lees-tok/menu, pro-seem]?
I would like to drink water/beer/wine. – Na pitie si prosím vodu/pivo/víno [na pee-tye si pro-seem vo-doo/pee-vo/vee-no].
I (he/she) would like to order... - Chcel/Chcela by som si objednať... [khtsel / khtsela bee sohm see ob-yed-natch...]
I (he/she) would like to order soup/a salad/chicken. – Rád / Rada by som si objednal polievku/šalát/kura [rahd / ra-da bee sohm si ob-yed-nal po-lyev-koo/sha-laht/koo-ra].
What do you recommend? - Čo odporúčate? [cho od-po-roo-cha-te]?
May I have the bill? – Môžem dostať účet? [mo-zhem dos-taht oo-chet]?
Thank you. – Ďakujem [dya-koo-yem].
Emergency Situations
We hope you won’t need to use any of the following Slovak phrases, but just in case, you should remember them.Help! – Pomoc! [po-mots!]
Someone stole my wallet. – Niekto mi ukradol peňaženku [nye-kto mi oo-kra-dohl pe-nya-zhen-koo].
Could you call the police? – Môžete zavolať políciu? [mo-zhe-te za-vo-lat po-lee-tsi-yu]?
I (he/she) have lost my passport. – Stratil/ Stratila som pas [stra-til / stra-tila sohm pas].
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