Demonstrative Pronouns: This and That (Ten, tá, to)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'ten', 'tá', or 'to' to point at things based on the gender of the noun you are describing.
- Use 'ten' for masculine nouns: 'ten stôl' (that table).
- Use 'tá' for feminine nouns: 'tá kniha' (that book).
- Use 'to' for neuter nouns: 'to auto' (that car).
Basic Demonstrative Pronouns (Nominative)
| Gender | Pronoun | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Masculine
|
ten
|
ten pes
|
that dog
|
|
Feminine
|
tá
|
tá mačka
|
that cat
|
|
Neuter
|
to
|
to auto
|
that car
|
|
Plural (Masc. Animate)
|
tí
|
tí muži
|
those men
|
|
Plural (Others)
|
tie
|
tie ženy/autá
|
those women/cars
|
Meanings
Demonstrative pronouns are used to identify specific items in space or discourse, acting as 'this' or 'that' depending on context.
Physical proximity
Pointing to an object near or far.
“Ten dom je veľký.”
“Tá žena je učiteľka.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Ten/Tá/To + Noun
|
Ten dom je môj.
|
|
Negative
|
To nie je + Noun
|
To nie je môj dom.
|
|
Question
|
Je to + Noun?
|
Je to tvoj dom?
|
|
Plural
|
Tí/Tie + Noun
|
Tí ľudia sú tu.
|
|
Emphasis
|
Tento/Táto/Toto + Noun
|
Tento dom je pekný.
|
|
Distant
|
Tamten/Tamtá/Tamto + Noun
|
Tamten dom je ďaleko.
|
Espectro de formalidad
Toto je môj priateľ. (Introducing someone)
To je môj kamarát. (Introducing someone)
To je môj kamoš. (Introducing someone)
To je môj parťák. (Introducing someone)
Gender Matching Map
Masculine
- ten that (m)
Feminine
- tá that (f)
Neuter
- to that (n)
Ejemplos por nivel
Ten pes je malý.
That dog is small.
Tá kniha je dobrá.
That book is good.
To auto je rýchle.
That car is fast.
To je môj dom.
That is my house.
Kúpil som ten stôl.
I bought that table.
Táto žena je moja mama.
This woman is my mom.
To dieťa plače.
That child is crying.
Vidíš tú lampu?
Do you see that lamp?
Ten film, ktorý sme videli, bol nudný.
The movie that we saw was boring.
O tej knihe som veľa počul.
I heard a lot about that book.
To je presne to, čo som chcel.
That is exactly what I wanted.
Tí ľudia sú veľmi milí.
Those people are very nice.
Tento problém vyžaduje okamžité riešenie.
This problem requires an immediate solution.
Táto situácia je komplikovanejšia, než sa zdá.
This situation is more complicated than it seems.
To, že nepríde, je isté.
The fact that he won't come is certain.
Týchto študentov poznám osobne.
I know these students personally.
To, čo nazývate úspechom, je len začiatok.
What you call success is only the beginning.
Tieto argumenty sú v rozpore s faktami.
These arguments are in contradiction with the facts.
Ten istý človek mi to povedal včera.
The same person told me that yesterday.
Týmto rozhodnutím sme zmenili všetko.
With this decision, we changed everything.
To, akým spôsobom to podal, bolo urážlivé.
The way he presented it was offensive.
Tieto nuansy jazyka sú fascinujúce.
These nuances of the language are fascinating.
Ten, kto hľadá, nájde.
He who seeks, finds.
Týmto sa naša spolupráca končí.
With this, our cooperation ends.
Fácil de confundir
Learners often confuse the simple 'ten' with the emphatic 'tento' (this).
Learners often use 'je' where they should use 'to'.
Assuming all nouns ending in -a are feminine.
Errores comunes
ten kniha
tá kniha
tá pes
ten pes
ten auto
to auto
to žena
tá žena
tento kniha
táto kniha
ten domy
tie domy
to muži
tí muži
vidím ten dom
vidím ten dom (correct, but watch for cases)
o ten knihe
o tej knihe
s ten priateľom
s tým priateľom
ten, čo som videl
ten, ktorého som videl
tá, kto prišla
tá, ktorá prišla
to, čo som chcel
to, čo som chcel (correct)
tí, čo prišli
tí, ktorí prišli
Patrones de oraciones
To je ___.
Ten ___ je môj.
Tá ___ je pekná.
To ___ je nové.
Real World Usage
To je super!
To je on?
Tento projekt bol náročný.
Chcem toto.
Kde je tá stanica?
To je moja objednávka.
Learn nouns with their gender
Don't guess gender
Use 'to' as a safety net
Be direct
Smart Tips
Check the dictionary for the nominative singular form.
Use 'tento' for things close to you.
Ensure your demonstratives match the case of the noun.
Focus on the gender of the noun, not the distance.
Pronunciación
Vowel length
The 'á' in 'tá' is long. Hold it for twice the duration of a short 'a'.
Consonant 't'
The 't' is dental. Place your tongue against the back of your upper teeth.
Declarative
Ten dom je pekný ↘
Falling intonation for statements.
Interrogative
Je to dom? ↗
Rising intonation for yes/no questions.
Memorízalo
Mnemotecnia
Ten is for Men, Tá is for T-ladies, To is for Things.
Asociación visual
Imagine a man (Ten) holding a table, a woman (Tá) holding a book, and a neutral robot (To) holding an apple.
Rhyme
Ten for men, Tá for ladies, To for things, that's how it fades.
Story
Peter (Ten) points at his dog. Maria (Tá) points at her cat. The robot (To) points at its battery. They all learn Slovak together.
Word Web
Desafío
Point at 5 objects in your room and say the correct Slovak pronoun for each.
Notas culturales
Slovaks are direct. Using 'ten/tá/to' is standard and not considered rude.
In some dialects, the demonstrative might be shortened or combined with particles.
Eastern dialects often use different demonstrative particles for emphasis.
These pronouns derive from Proto-Slavic demonstrative roots.
Inicios de conversación
Čo je to?
Kto je ten muž?
Ktorá kniha je tvoja?
Čo si myslíš o tom filme?
Temas para diario
Errores comunes
Test Yourself
___ pes je veľký.
___ kniha je moja.
Find and fix the mistake:
Ten žena je milá.
je / to / auto / moje
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
What is the plural of 'ten pes'?
To je dom.
___ študenti sú veľmi šikovní.
Score: /8
Ejercicios de practica
8 exercises___ pes je veľký.
___ kniha je moja.
Find and fix the mistake:
Ten žena je milá.
je / to / auto / moje
Match: pes, mačka, auto
What is the plural of 'ten pes'?
To je dom.
___ študenti sú veľmi šikovní.
Score: /8
Preguntas frecuentes (8)
Look at the ending: -a is usually feminine, -o/-e is neuter, consonants are usually masculine.
In very casual speech, yes, but it is better to be accurate.
Use 'tí' for masculine animate and 'tie' for everything else.
'Tento' is more specific, like 'this one right here'.
Slovak has cases. The pronoun must match the case of the noun.
They are neutral and used in all registers.
People will understand you, but it will sound unnatural.
Yes, some nouns ending in -a are masculine (e.g., 'dedo').
Scaffolded Practice
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3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
este/esta/esto
Spanish distinguishes distance more explicitly than Slovak.
der/die/das
German articles are more frequent than Slovak demonstratives.
ce/cette/cet
Slovak has a complex case system that changes the pronoun form.
kore/sore/are
Japanese is distance-based, not gender-based.
hadha/hadhihi
Arabic does not have a neuter gender in the same way.
zhè/nà
Chinese lacks the grammatical gender system entirely.
