The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's Slovak
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent Slovak. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 65 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/8
First words
| What you want to say | Slovak | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | Dobrý deň | DOH-bree dyen |
| Hello (informal) | Ahoj | AH-hoy |
| Goodbye | Dovidenia | doh-vee-DEN-yah |
| Thank you | Ďakujem | DYA-koo-yem |
| Please | Prosím | PRO-seem |
| Yes | Áno | AH-noh |
| No | Nie | NYEH |
| Sorry | Prepáčte | preh-PAH-che-teh |
| I don't understand | Nerozumiem | neh-roh-ZOO-myem |
| Do you speak English? | Hovoríte po anglicky? | hoh-voh-REE-teh poh AHN-glits-kee |
Phrasebook · 2/8
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | Slovak | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Dobré ráno | DOH-breh RA-noh |
| Good evening | Dobrý večer | DOH-bree VE-cher |
| How are you? | Ako sa máš? | AH-ko sah MASH |
| My name is… | Volám sa… | VO-lahm sah… |
| Nice to meet you | Teší ma | TYE-shee mah |
| I am from Israel | Som z Izraela | SOHM z IZ-rah-lah |
| See you | Dovidenia | DOH-vee-DEN-yah |
Phrasebook · 3/8
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | Slovak | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | Kde je brána? | KDEH yeh BRAH-nah |
| Is the flight delayed? | Je let oneskorený? | YEH let oh-nes-ko-REH-nee |
| Boarding pass | Palubný lístok | PA-loob-nee LEES-tok |
| My suitcase did not arrive | Moja batožina nedorazila | MOH-yah bah-TOH-zhee-nah neh-doh-rah-ZEE-lah |
| I have a connecting flight | Mám prípoj | MAHM PREE-poy |
| Window/aisle seat | Sedadlo pri okne/chodbe | SEH-dahd-loh PREE OH-kneh/KHOD-beh |
| Where is passport control? | Kde je pasová kontrola? | KDEH yeh PAH-soh-vah KON-troh-lah |
Phrasebook · 4/8
Transport & directions
| What you want to say | Slovak | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| To this address, please. | Na túto adresu, prosím. | na TOO-toh a-DREH-soo, PRO-seem |
| How much to the center? | Koľko stojí do centra? | KOL-ko STO-yee doh TSEN-trah |
| One ticket to… | Jeden lístok do… | YE-den LEES-tok doh… |
| Which platform? | Ktoré nástupište? | KTO-reh NAH-stoo-peesh-teh |
| Where is the bus station? | Kde je autobusová stanica? | KDEH yeh OW-toh-boo-soh-vah STAH-nee-tsah |
| Stop here, please. | Zastavte tu, prosím. | ZAH-stav-teh TOO, PRO-seem |
| Is it far? | Je to ďaleko? | YEH toh DYA-leh-koh |
| Turn left/right. | Zahnite doľava/doprava. | ZAH-khnee-teh doh-LAH-vah/doh-PRAH-vah |
| Straight. | Rovno. | ROV-noh |
Phrasebook · 5/8
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | Slovak | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation | Mám rezerváciu | MAHM re-zer-BAH-tsi-yu |
| Check-in | Registrácia | re-gis-tra-TSYA |
| Check-out | Odhlásenie | od-HLAH-se-nye |
| Is breakfast included? | Je zahrnutá raňajka? | ye zah-rnu-TAH rah-NYA-yka |
| Room key | Kľúč od izby | kloots od IZ-bi |
| Wi-Fi password | Heslo na Wi-Fi | HES-lo nah VEE-fai |
| Can I leave my luggage? | Môžem nechať batožinu? | MO-zhem ne-KHAT' bah-TOH-zhi-nu |
| The air conditioner doesn't work | Klimatizácia nefunguje | kli-ma-ti-ZA-tsi-ya ne-fun-GU-ye |
Phrasebook · 6/8
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | Slovak | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| A table for two | Stôl pre dvoch | STOL preh DVOH |
| The menu, please | Menu, prosím | ME-nu PRO-sim |
| What do you recommend? | Čo odporúčate? | CHO od-po-RU-cha-teh |
| The bill, please | Účet, prosím | U-chet PRO-sim |
| Tap water | Voda z kohútika | VO-da z ko-HU-ti-ka |
| I have a nut allergy | Mám alergiu na orechy | MAM a-LER-gi-yu na o-RE-chi |
| Without meat | Bez mäsa | BEZ MYA-sa |
| It was excellent | Bolo to výborné | BO-lo to VEE-bor-neh |
| Can I pay by card? | Môžem platiť kartou? | MO-zhem PLA-tit KAR-tou |
Phrasebook · 7/8
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | Slovak | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Koľko to stojí? | KOL-ko TO STO-yee? |
| It's too expensive. | Je to príliš drahé. | YEH TO PREE-leesh DRA-heh. |
| Do you accept cards? | Beriere karty? | BE-ree-yeh-reh KAR-tee? |
| I'm just looking. | Len sa pozerám. | LEN sah PO-ze-rahm. |
| Can I get a receipt? | Môžem dostať bloček? | MO-zhem DOS-tat' BLO-chek? |
| Where is an ATM? | Kde je bankomat? | KDYEH YEH BAN-ko-mat? |
| A smaller size. | Menšia veľkosť. | MEN-shee-ya VEL-kost'. |
Phrasebook · 8/8
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | Slovak | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Pomoc! | PO-mots |
| Call a doctor | Zavolajte lekára | za-vo-LAI-te le-KA-ra |
| Call the police | Zavolajte políciu | za-vo-LAI-te po-LI-tsi-yu |
| Where is a pharmacy? | Kde je lekáreň? | kde YE le-KA-ren |
| I don't feel well | Necítim sa dobre | NE-tsi-tim sa DO-bre |
| I'm lost | Stratil som sa | STRA-til som sa |
| I need a hospital | Potrebujem nemocnicu | po-TRE-bu-yem ne-MOT-sni-tsu |
| It hurts here | Bolí ma tu | BO-li ma tu |
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in Slovak?
"Ďakujem" (DYA-koo-yem). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much Slovak do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where Slovak is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have Slovak as an official language?
Slovak is a main language in 1 countries: Slovakia.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"Hovoríte po anglicky?" (hoh-voh-REE-teh poh AHN-glits-kee) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data