Contents · A1
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The locative is the case of place after the prepositions v and na, of nearness after pri, of the topic after o, and of time after po. It is never used without a preposition. In English the noun does not change after in, at, near and about; in Slovak the noun, the adjective and the pronoun take an ending.
The locative singular of nouns: v Bratislave, v parku, v kuchyni, na námestí#
Formation
The locative singular is formed with -e, -u, -i, -í or -ovi:
| Ending | Nouns | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -e | feminine in -a after a hard consonant, including -ka; masculine things in a hard consonant; neuter in -o | v škole, v banke, v Bratislave; v obchode, na stole; v meste |
| -u | masculine things in -k, -g, -h, -ch; neuter in -ko, -ho, -cho; neuter in -um | v parku, vo vlaku, na trhu; v Nemecku; v múzeu |
| -i | feminine in -ca, -ňa, -ia; feminine in a consonant; masculine things in a soft consonant, and hotel | na ulici, v kuchyni, v reštaurácii; v posteli, v noci; v počítači, v hoteli |
| -í | neuter in -ie | na námestí |
| -ovi | masculine persons | o bratovi, o Petrovi |
In stôl the ô becomes o (na stole), and nouns in -eň lose their e (kaviareň, v kaviarni). A woman’s name in -a takes -e: o Hane. V becomes vo before a word that begins with v or f: vo vlaku, vo Francúzsku.
Use
The locative follows the prepositions v, na, pri, o and po, whose uses are explained in Prepositions with the locative: v or na, pri, o, po. The ending is learnt with the type of the noun: banka, v banke, but park, v parku.
- Bývam v Poprade, ale pracujem v Trenčíne.I live in Poprad, but I work in Trenčín.
- Hana je ešte v kancelárii.Hana is still at the office.
- Deti sa hrajú v parku.The children are playing in the park.
- Kľúče sú na stole v kuchyni.The keys are on the table in the kitchen.
- Dnes spíme v hoteli v Levoči.Tonight we’re sleeping in a hotel in Levoča.
- Moja sestra býva v Nemecku.My sister lives in Germany.
Difference from English
In English in Trnava the name of the town does not change; in Slovak it takes the locative: v Trnave.
Common mistakes
v parke→ v parkuA masculine noun in -k takes -u.v banku→ v bankeA feminine noun in -ka takes -e.v kuchyne→ v kuchyniA feminine noun in -ňa takes -i.Bývam v Trnava.→ Bývam v Trnave.After v, the noun is in the locative.
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Prepositions with the locative: v or na, pri, o, po#
Formation
Five prepositions are followed by the locative: v (“in”), na (“on”, “at”), pri (“near”, “by”), o (“about”) and po (“after”). The question words in the locative are kom and čom: O kom hovoríš? O čom je ten film?
Use
V is used for a place with an inside: a building, a room, a town, most countries (v banke, v izbe, v Žiline, v Nemecku). Na is used for a surface (na stole), for institutions and services (na pošte, na univerzite, na stanici, na zastávke), for events (na koncerte, na párty, na dovolenke), for open places (na ulici, na námestí, na pláži) and for Slovensko: na Slovensku. The choice is learnt with the noun. Pri means “near” or “beside”: pri okne, pri stanici. O after a verb of speaking, reading or writing means “about”: hovoriť o práci. Po with a time noun means “after”: po obede, po škole.
- Mama pracuje na pošte a otec v nemocnici.Mum works at the post office and Dad at the hospital.
- Bývame na Slovensku, v Žiline.We live in Slovakia, in Žilina.
- Mobil je na stole pri okne.The phone is on the table by the window.
- O čom je tá kniha? — O láske.What’s the book about? — About love.
- Po obede ideme do parku.After lunch we’re going to the park.
Difference from English
English in and at do not match v and na: “at the post office” is na pošte, “at the bank” v banke, and “in Slovakia” na Slovensku.
Common mistakes
Som v pošte.→ Som na pošte.Pošta takes na.Bývam v Slovensku.→ Bývam na Slovensku.Slovensko takes na.Hovoríme o škola.→ Hovoríme o škole.After o, the noun is in the locative.
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Pronouns, adjectives, ten and jeden in the locative: o mne, v novom dome, v tej škole#
Formation
The pronouns of the first and second persons have the locative forms mne, tebe, nás, vás: o mne, o tebe, o nás, o vás. An adjective takes -om with a masculine or neuter noun and -ej with a feminine noun; ten, jeden and the possessives take the same endings:
| Masculine and neuter | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| nový | v novom dome | v novej škole |
| cudzí | v cudzom meste | v cudzej krajine |
| ten | v tom meste | v tej škole |
| jeden | v jednom obchode | v jednej reštaurácii |
| môj, náš | v mojom, našom byte | v mojej, našej izbe |
Use
Vás is also the polite form for one person: Hovoríme o vás, pán Baláž. The adjective takes the case of its noun after every preposition with the locative: v starom dome, pri tej stanici, o novej práci.
- Hovoríte o mne?Are you talking about me?
- Bývame v starom dome pri rieke.We live in an old house by the river.
- Pracujem v tej veľkej banke.I work in that big bank.
- Moja sestra býva v jednom malom meste.My sister lives in a small town.
Difference from English
English me and new do not change after about and in; Slovak mne and novom take the locative: o mne, v novom dome.
Common mistakes
o ja→ o mneThe locative of ja is mne.v nový dom→ v novom domeThe adjective and the noun both take the locative.v tá škola→ v tej školeTá becomes tej.
In short
| Point | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hard nouns | -e | v škole, v obchode, v meste |
| after k, h, ch; -um | -u | v parku, v Nemecku, v múzeu |
| soft nouns | -i | v kuchyni, v posteli, v hoteli |
| neuter in -ie | -í | na námestí |
| persons | -ovi; women -e | o bratovi, o Hane |
| v or na | inside: v; services, events, open places: na | na pošte, v banke |
| pri, o, po | near, about, after | pri okne, o láske, po obede |
| pronouns | mne, tebe, nás, vás | o mne |
| adjectives, ten, jeden | -om, -ej; tom, tej; jednom, jednej | v tej veľkej banke |
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