The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia

Since I learned Slovak “on the fly”, so to speak, I often learned phrases and expressions even without knowing their literal translation. Sometimes I knew what phrase to say based simply on a feeling or a situation.

Here are a couple of the phrases that I hear the most often:
(Note: For a guide on pronunciation of Slovak accent marks, see Reading and Pronouncing Slovak Diacritics

Nevadí
For years I didn’t know what this translates to but to me it always meant “It doesn’t matter”.

You order a small beer, but the waiter brings you a large one. “Nevadí”, you tell the waiter.

To je jedno
This one means to me “It’s all the same”

Some one offers you a choice of two items and you don’t care what you get. “To je jedno,” you say.

Čo ja viem
This is a slang term meaning “I don’t know”. It’s used in situations where you can’t make up your mind and your answer that follows is most likely just a guess. This expression can also be used sarcastically, in such a case it is not followed by an answer or a guess.

Two roommates are making a pizza. One asks if the dough needs more salt. “Čo ja viem,”, the other says. “Maybe a dash more.”

Ježišmária!
I don’t know about you, but when I grew up, if I ever would have uttered the phrase “Jesus Christ!” in my mom’s hearing, I would have gotten my mouth washed out with a bar of soap. Therefore, I was more than just a bit taken aback when I moved to Slovakia and heard Slovaks (everyone and their grandmother) use this expression so offhandedly.

Of course this one translates to “Jesus Mary!” but is used similarly as in English when you want to show shocked surprise at something. It’s just used much more casually.

Example follows ty kokso

Ty kokso/ ty brdo
Heaven knows what these two phrases translate to. I just know when to use them: It’s an expression of awed surprise. You hear younger people use these more often, such as in the following situation:

A bunch of kids are skateboarding, learning new stunts. One skateboarder lands a complicated jump and the others exclaim, “kokso!”, as in “cool” or “awesome”. Meanwhile that kid’s grandmother just rounds the corner on her way from the grocery store, sees he grandson doing this dangerous stunt and says, “ježišmária!“

Čo že?!
This is another slang term used like “whaat?!” or “I can’t believe it.”

Two physics students meet and one of them excitedly says “Scientics at CERN were able to create a black hole using LHC.” The other student’s jaw drops and says, “Čo že?!“

Fakt? – alternative to Čo že?!

Your classmate tells you he was kicked out of class for cheating. “Fakt?” You say.

Fakt!
This expression means something like “really!” or “It’s true!”.

Your mom tells you that the kid down the block that you used to play street hockey with has just been drafted by the Detroit Red Wings. You say “No way”. Mom confirms, “Fakt!”.

Do prdele!
“Do” doesn’t really translate to anything in this case, but is often used as a preposition for curses. “Prdel” is one of many ways to say butt. This curse expression is “grandma friendly” and can heard quite often.

You are running to catch a bus, but when you get to the stop you realized that it has already left. You say: “Do prdele!“

TEST
So are you ready for a short test to check your understanding?
Choose A through H for the phrase that best fits this situation (more than one answer may be appropriate). Answers are at the bottom.
A. Nevadí
B. To je jedno
C. Čo ja viem
D. Ježišmária!
E. Ty kokso/ ty brdo
F. Čo že?!
G. Fakt
H. Do prdele!

1) You leave your car running while you run back in the house to get something you forgot. When you come back out your car is gone. “—-—-?!”, you say.

2) Your friend is a huge Star Trek fan and for his birthday you managed to get him a phaser pistol from the original series. He opens the box and exclaims, “—-—-!”

3) Someone asks you where you want to meet up later and you have no preference. “—-—-”, you say.

4) You are driving down a street and you can see a green light in front of you. As you approach it, it suddenly changes to red and you have to brake hard. You say: “—-—-.”

5) You’re chatting with one of your neighbors who tells you that the old man who lives across the street is the nephew of Vladimir Lenin. “—-—-?” you ask, incredulously. “—-—-,” he answers.

6) Your roommate asks you to pick up milk on your way home. You buy 2% but she really wanted skim milk. “—-—-”, she tells you. “It’s no big deal.”

7) You’ve been super busy the past few weeks and your flat is a mess. Your mom comes over unannounced and says, “—-—-! When was the last time you cleaned around here?”

8) You’re at the pub with your friends who are debating non stop the question “What came first. The chicken or the egg?”. You’re tired of the discussion and want to move on to something else. When your friend asks you what you think came first you say, “—-—-”. And if you don’t change the subject I’m going home and sticking you with my beer tab.”

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