Slovak is written as it sounds, and isn't as difficult as it looks. It may help to remember that Slovak makes use of only four diacritical marks, which are basically the same ones as in Czech except that the tongue-twisting "?" (pronounced like an "rzh") and ?. The most common are: _L, which lengthens a vowel (''does not'' imply stress), and ?, which softens a consonant. The palatisation is occasionally used in Czech, but is more widely used in Slovak
Like Czech, stress in Slovak usually falls on the first syllable, but try not to exaggerate it as it would be in English or in German.
;a : like 'a' in "amigo" ;a : like 'a' in "fat" ;e : like 'e' in "bet" ;i : like 'i' in "igloo" ;o : like 'o' in "sport" ;u : like 'u' in "book" ;y : like 'y' in "city"
; a : like 'a' in "far" ( long a sound ) ; e : like 'e' in "fiance" ( long e sound ) ; i : like 'ee' in "see" ( long i sound ) ; o : like 'oo' in "door" ( long o sound ) ; u : like 'u' in "full" ( long u sound ) ; y : like 'ee' in "weep" ( long y sound )
; b : like 'b' in "baby" ; c : like 'ts' in "bets" ; ? : like 'ch' in "church" ; d : like 'd' in "day" ; ? : like 'du' in "during" ; DZ: like 'ds' in "roads" ; D?: like 'j' in "juice" ; f : like 'f' in "fine" ; g : like 'g' in "game" ( hard g sound ) ; h : like 'h' in "hot", regardless of its position in the word ; CH: hard aspirated sound like the 'ch' in "loch" ; j : like 'y' in "yes" ; k : like 'k' in "kick" ; l : like 'l' in "luck" ; ? : ( hold this l a little longer ); seldom used ; ? : like the 'lu' in "lure" ; m : like 'm' in "moon" ; n : like 'n' in "nine" ; ? : like 'nu' in "nude" ; o : like 'wa' in "want" ; p : like 'p' in "paper" ; q : like 'q' in "quest" ; r : like spanish 'r' in "rico" ( slightly trilled ) ; ? : like spanish 'rr' in "carro" ( longer trilled ) ; s : like 's' in "son" ; ? : like 'sh' in "fish" ; t : like 't' in "hot" ; ? : like 'tu' in "tune" ; v : like 'v' in "van" ; w : like 'w' in "wasp" ; x : like 'ks' in "bricks" ; z : like 'z' in "zero" ; ? : like 'su' in "pleasure"
; ia : like 'i' in "lit" and 'a' in "above" ; ie : like 'i' in "bit" and 'e' in "energy" ; iu : like 'i' in "it" and 'oo' in "took" ; o : like 'wo' in "won"
; Go away! : Zmizni! (ZMIZ-nee) ; I'll call the police. : Zavolam policiu. (ZAH-voh-laam POH-leeet-syiuh) ; Help! : Pomoc! (POH-mohts) ; Thief! : Zlodej! (ZLOH-dehj) ; Call the police. : Zavolajte policiu. (zah-VOH-lahj-teh POH-leeet-syiuh) ; It's an emergency. : Treba pomoc. (TREH-bah POH-mohts) ; Can you help me, please? : Mo?ete mi pros?m pomoct? (mwoh-ZHEH-teh mi PROH-seeem POH-mwohtst) ; I'm lost. : Nevyznam sa tu. (neh-VIZ-naam sah too) ; Could I please use the telephone? : Mo?em pros?m pou?i? telefon? (MWOH-zhem PROH-seeem PWOH-zhee-tuh teh-LEH-fawn) ; Where are the toilets? : Kde su tu zachody? (deh soo too zaa-KOH-dee)
; 0 : nula (''NOO-lah'') ; 1 : jeden (''YEH-dehn'') ; 2 : dva (''DUH-vah'') ; 3 : tri (''trih'') ; 4 : ?tyri (''SHTIH-rih'') ; 5 : pa? (''PEH-tu'') ; 6 : ?es? (''SHEHS-tu'') ; 7 : sedem (''SEH-dyehm'') ; 8 : osem (''OH-sehm'') ; 9 : deva? (''DYEH-vetu'') ; 10 : desa? (''DYEH-sahtu'')
; In the morning. : Dopoludnia. (''DOH-po-lood-nyah'') ; In the afternoon. : Popoludni. (''POH-po-lood-neee'') ; In the evening. : Ve?er. (''VEH-chehr'')
; What date is it today? : Ko?keho je dnes? (''KOH-ehl-keh-hoh yeh dhehs'') ; What time is it? : Ko?ko je hodin? (''KOHL-koh yeh HOH-deeen'') ; It's_____o'clock. : Je______hodina. (''yeh HOH-dee-nah'')
; I'm going to stay for... : Zostanem tu... (''ZOHS-tah-nehm too'') ; one day. : jeden de?. (''Yeh-dehn dehn'') ; two days. : dva dni. (''dvah dnee'') ; one week. : jeden ty?de?. (''YEH-dehn TEEZH-den'')
; today : dnes (''dnehs'') ; tonight : dnes ve?er (''dnehs VEH-chehr'') ; yesterday : v?era (''VCHEH-rah'') ; week : ty?de? (''TEEZH-dehn'') ; tomorrow : zajtra (''ZAY-trah'') ; Monday : pondelok (''POHN-deh-lok'') ; Tuesday : utorok (''OO-to-rohk'') ; Wednesday : streda (''STREH-dah'') ; Thursday : ?tvrtok (''SHTVR-tohk'') ; Friday : piatok (''PYAH-tok'') ; Saturday : sobota (''SOH-buh-tah'') ; Sunday : nede?a (''NEH-deh-lyah'')
; January : januar (''YAH-nwaahr'') ; February : februar (''FEH-brwaahr'') ; March : marec (''MAH-rehts'') ; April : april (''AH-preeel'') ; May : maj (''MAAH_ee'') ; June : jun (''yoon'') ; July : jul (''yool'') ; August : august (''OW-goost'') ; September : september (''sehp-TEHM-behr'') ; October : oktober (''ohk-TOHH-behr'') ; November : november (''noh-VEHM-behr'') ; December : december (''deht-ZEHM-behr'')
; summer : leto (''LEH-toh'') ; autumn : jese? (''YEH-seh-nyuh'') ; winter : zima (''ZEE-mah'') ; spring : jar (''yahr'')
; black : ?ierna (''CHEE_ehr-nah'') ; blue : balasa (''BAH-lah-saa'') ; brown : hneda (''HNEH-daa'') ; green : zelena (''ZEH-leh-naa'') ; orange : oran?ova (''OHRAHN-zhoh-vaa'') ; pink : ru?ova (''ROO-zhoh-vaa'') ; purple : nachova (''NAH-koh-vaa'') ; red : ?ervena (''CHEHR-veh-naa'') ; white : biela (''BEE_eh-lah'') ; yellow : ?lta (''ZHUL-taa'')
; car : auto (''OW-toh'') ; bus : autobus (''ow-TOH-boos'') ; taxi : taxi (''TAHK-see'') ; airplane : lietadlo (''lee-EH-tah-dloh'') ; train : vlak (''vlahk'') ; ship : lod (''lohd'')
; Where is the bus stop? : Kde je tu zastavka autobusu? (''kdeh yeh too zahs-TAAV-kah OW-toh-boo-soo'') ; Where is the tram stop : Kde je tu zastavka elektri?ky? (''kdeh yeh too zahs-TAAV-kah eh-lehk-TREECH-kee'') ; Which line takes me to...? : Ktorou linkou sa dostanem do...? (''ktoh-ROW leen-KOW sah dohs-TAH-nehm doh...?'') ; Which bus go to...? : Ktorym autobusom sa dostanem do...? (''KTOH-reem ow-TOO-boo-soom sah dohs-TAH-nehm doh...?'')
; Where's...? : Kde je...? (''kdeh yeh'') ; How do I get to...? : Ako sa dostanem do...? (''ahko sah dohs-TAH-nehm doh...?'') ; Is it far? / closeby? : Je to odtia?to ?aleko? / blizko? (''yeh toh ohd-TEE-ah-ehl-toh dew-AH-leh-koh / BLEEZ-koh'') ; Can I walk there? : Da sa tam is? pe?i? (''daa sah tahm eestoo PEH-shee'')
; Can you take me to...? : Mo?ete ma zavies? do...? (''mwoh-ZHEH-teh mah zah-VEE-ehs-too doh...?'') ; Please take me to... : Zaveste ma prosim do... (''zah-VEHS-teh mah PROH-seeem doh...'') ; How much does it cost to go to...? : Ko?ko to bude sta? do...? (''KOH-helh-koh toh BOO-deh staa-too doh'') ; The next corner, please. : A? po najbli??i roh, prosim. (''ahzh poh nahj-BLEEZH-sheee roh, PROH-seeem'') ; Stop here, please. : Zastavte tu, prosim. (''zahs-TAHV-teh too, PROH-seeem'')
; Where's a....hotel? : Kde je....hotel? (''kdeh yeh HOH-tehl?'') ; cheap : lacny (''LAHTS-nee'') ; clean : ?isty (''CHEES-tee'') ; good : dobry (''DOH-bree'') ; nearby : nablizku (''NAH-bleees-koo'') ; Do you have any rooms available? : Mate vo?ne izby? (''MAA-teh voh-EHL-nehh eez-bee?'')
; money : peniaze (''peh-NYAH-zeh'') ; coins : mince (''MEEN-tseh'') ; credit card : kreditna karta (''kreh-DEET-naa KAHR-tah'') ; bankdraft : bankova zmenka (''bahn-KOH-vaa ZMEHN-kah'') ; banknotes : bankovky (''bahn-KOH-vih'')
; I want to exchange some money/ travelers checks. : Chcem vymeni? peniaze / cestovne ?eky. (''KEHT-sehm vee-MEH-nee-tee peh-NYAH-zeh / tsehs-TOHV-nehh SHEH-kih'') ; What's the exchange rate? : Aky je vymenny kurz? (''AH-kee yeh vee-MEHN-nee koorz?'')