Bedeutung
A school building with a long history.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Slovakia, being 'stará škola' is often associated with the 'First Republic' (1918-1938) or the Austro-Hungarian era, seen as times of high culture and manners. The phrase is a common cultural bridge across the Visegrad countries (Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Hungary), reflecting shared educational history. Traditional crafts like woodcarving and lace-making are often marketed as 'stará škola' to guarantee authenticity to tourists. Younger generations use the term to describe their parents' strictness, but usually with a sense of pride in their upbringing.
Use it as a compliment
If you want to impress an older Slovak person, tell them they are 'zo starej školy' when they do something kind. It shows you value their manners.
Gender Agreement
Never say 'starý škola'. It's a common mistake for English speakers. Always keep it feminine!
Bedeutung
A school building with a long history.
Use it as a compliment
If you want to impress an older Slovak person, tell them they are 'zo starej školy' when they do something kind. It shows you value their manners.
Gender Agreement
Never say 'starý škola'. It's a common mistake for English speakers. Always keep it feminine!
The 'Zo' variation
Using 'On je zo starej školy' sounds slightly more natural and native than just 'On je stará škola'.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of the adjective 'starý'.
Môj starý otec je ______ škola.
Even though 'otec' is masculine, 'škola' is feminine, so the adjective must be 'stará'.
Which sentence is the most natural way to praise someone's manners?
How would you describe a man who always opens doors for others?
'Zo starej školy' is the idiomatic way to describe someone with traditional manners.
Complete the dialogue with the correct phrase.
A: 'Ten stolár nepoužíva žiadne stroje, všetko robí ručne.' B: 'Áno, on je ______.'
The context of manual work and traditional methods perfectly fits 'stará škola'.
Match the situation to the meaning of 'stará škola'.
Situation: A tourist is looking at a 200-year-old building that used to be a gymnasium.
In this context, it refers to the actual physical building.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Stará Škola vs. Moderná Doba
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenMôj starý otec je ______ škola.
Even though 'otec' is masculine, 'škola' is feminine, so the adjective must be 'stará'.
How would you describe a man who always opens doors for others?
'Zo starej školy' is the idiomatic way to describe someone with traditional manners.
A: 'Ten stolár nepoužíva žiadne stroje, všetko robí ručne.' B: 'Áno, on je ______.'
The context of manual work and traditional methods perfectly fits 'stará škola'.
Situation: A tourist is looking at a 200-year-old building that used to be a gymnasium.
In this context, it refers to the actual physical building.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenAlmost never. In Slovak, it usually implies respect for tradition, manners, or quality. However, tone of voice matters!
Yes! 'Ona je stará škola' is perfectly correct.
Yes! 'On je stará škola' is also correct. The noun 'škola' doesn't change gender.
You say 'Som stará škola' or 'Som zo starej školy'.
The opposite is 'moderný človek' or 'nová škola', though 'nová škola' is less common.
Yes, to describe a reliable, no-nonsense business partner.
No, it can refer to buildings, methods, music, or even food.
Because 'zo' requires the genitive case, and 'starej' is the genitive feminine form of 'stará'.
No, it is standard Slovak, though it's very common in casual speech.
Only if the car is a classic and you are praising its build quality. If it's just old, use 'staré auto'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
Starosvetský
similarOld-world / old-fashioned
Klasika
similarA classic
Nová škola
contrastNew school
Stará garda
specialized formThe old guard
Zo starej školy
builds onFrom the old school
