Hard and soft consonants

Since the last letter of a word often determines gender and division of declension, it is important to distinguish between hard and soft consonants:

hard consonants: d, g, h, ch, k, n, r, t
soft consonants: c, dz, č, ď, j, ň, š, ť, ž, v

💬 Have a look at these examples and practice saying them.

tri [tri] ‒ three
ťažký[ˈʧaʒ.ki] ‒ heavy
cukor [ˈʦu.kɔr] ‒ sugar
cvičenie [ˈʦvi.ʧɛ.njɛ] ‒ exercise
dzíp [dzip] ‒ zipper
ďakujem [ɟa.ku.jem] ‒ thank you
ďaleko [ˈɟa.lɛ.kɔ] ‒ far
ňufák [ɲu.faːk] ‒ snout

Consonant clusters

Slovakian is known for its consonant clusters, where multiple consonants appear together in a word.
These clusters can be challenging for beginners, but when you break it down and start to practise the common clusters you will master them for accurate pronunciation.

💬 Practice common clusters like "tr," "pr," and "kr" to improve your fluency.

ravda [ˈprav.da] ‒ truth
príklad [ˈpriːk.lat] ‒ example
trh [tr̩x] ‒ market
zmrzlina [ˈzmr̩z.li.na] ‒ ice cream
strhnúť [str̩xnʊc̟] ‒ to tear off
vzpružiť [vzpruʒɪc̟] ‒ to stiffen
vtáčník [ˈvtaːtʃ.ɲiːk] ‒ birdwatcher
vtákopysk [ˈvtaː.kɔ.pɪsk] ‒ beak of a bird
prststrčprst [pr̩sts̩tr̩tʃpr̩st] ‒ thumb

Stress patterns in Slovak pronunciation

The Slovak and English language differ significantly in relation to the position and functioning of stress in words.
Also, Slovakian words have specific stress patterns that can change the meaning of a word.
💡 A stress is usually placed on the first syllable of a word. There are exceptions.
Learning these stress patterns will help you speak Slovakian naturally and fluently.

➠ Types of accents

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Hard and soft consonants

Consonant clusters

Stress patterns in Slovak pronunciation

Slovak grammar

Introduction

Nouns

Adjectives & Adverbs

Verbs

Pronouns

Useful information

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