Counting in Slovak
Language overview
The Slovak language (slovenčina, slovenský jazyk) is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages group. Official language in Slovekia and in Vojvodina, a province of Serbia, it is spoken by about 5 million people.
Slovak numbers list
- 1 – jeden
- 2 – dva
- 3 – tri
- 4 – štyri
- 5 – päť
- 6 – šesť
- 7 – sedem
- 8 – osem
- 9 – deväť
- 10 – desať
- 11 – jedenásť
- 12 – dvanásť
- 13 – trinásť
- 14 – štrnásť
- 15 – pätnásť
- 16 – šestnásť
- 17 – sedemnásť
- 18 – osemnásť
- 19 – devätnásť
- 20 – dvadsať
- 30 – tridsať
- 40 – štyridsať
- 50 – päťdesiat
- 60 – šesťdesiat
- 70 – sedemdesiat
- 80 – osemdesiat
- 90 – deväťdesiat
- 100 – sto
- 1,000 – tisíc
- one million – milión
- one billion – miliarda
Slovak numbering rules
Now that you’ve had a gist of the most useful numbers, let’s move to the writing rules for the tens, the compound numbers, and why not the hundreds, the thousands and beyond (if possible).
- Digits are specific words, namely nula [0], jeden [1], dva [2], tri [3], štyri [4], päť [5], šesť [6], sedem [7], osem [8], and deväť [9]. The digits one and two are gendered forms: jeden/jedno/jedna (masculine/neuter/feminine) and dva/dve/dve (masculine/neuter/feminine).
- From eleven to nineteen, numbers are suffixed by -násť (-teen): jedenásť [11], dvanásť [12], trinásť [13], štrnásť [14], pätnásť [15], šestnásť [16], sedemnásť [17], osemnásť [18], and devätnásť [19].
- Tens are formed by adding ten (dsať/desiat) to the end of the multiplier digit root, with the obvious exception of ten itself: desať [10], dvadsať [20], tridsať [30], štyridsať [40], päťdesiat [50], šesťdesiat [60], sedemdesiat [70], osemdesiat [80], and deväťdesiat [90].
- For numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine, the unit comes directly after the ten, with no space (e.g.:dvadsaťjeden [21], tridsaťjeden [31]).
- Hundreds are formed the same way as the tens, i.e. by adding the suffix hundred (sto) to the multiplier digit, except for 100 (e.g.: sto [100], dvesto [200], tristo [300]). Sto being neuter, two hundred is dvesto, and not dvasto.
- Thousands follow the same rule, with the word tisíc, except fo 1,000 (e.g.:tisíc [1,000], dvetisíc [2,000], tritisíc [3,000]). Tisíc being neuter, two thousand is dvetisíc, and not dvatisíc.
Write a number in full in Slovak
Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Slovak. Will you guess how to write a number in full? Enter a number and try to write it down in your head, or maybe on a piece of paper, before displaying the result.
Books
Gramática de eslovaco para eslavistas
by Salustio Alvarado Del Campo, editors Editorial Complutense (2003)
[ Amazon.com]
Parlons slovaque : une langue slave
by Etienne Boisserie, Diana Jamborova, Vlasta Kreckova, editors L’Harmattan (2009)
[ Amazon.com, Kindle - Amazon.com]
Le slovaque de poche
by Etienne Boisserie, Diana Jamborova, Vlasta Kreckova, editors Assimil (2006)
[ Amazon.com]
West Slavic languages
Czech, Lower Sorbian, Polish, Slovak, and Upper Sorbian.
Other supported languages
As the other currently supported languages are too numerous to list extensively here, please select a language from the full list of supported languages.