A1 Case System 1 min read Easy

Accusative Singular: Masculine Animate

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

When a masculine animate noun is the object of a sentence, add -a to the end.

  • If the noun ends in a consonant (e.g., pes), add -a: Vidím ps-a.
  • If the noun ends in -o or -a (like names), it changes to -u or -u.
  • This only applies to living things (people, animals) in the accusative case.
Subject + Verb + Noun-a

Accusative Animate Formation

Nominative Accusative Meaning
pes
psa
dog
brat
brata
brother
muž
muža
man
učiteľ
učiteľa
teacher
kocúr
kocúra
tomcat
lekár
lekára
doctor

Meanings

The accusative case marks the direct object of a verb. For masculine animate nouns, the form changes to show it is receiving the action.

1

Direct Object

Used when a person or animal is the object of a transitive verb.

“Vidím otca.”

“Mám psa.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Accusative Singular: Masculine Animate
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subj + Verb + Obj-a
Vidím psa.
Negative
Subj + ne-Verb + Obj-a
Nevidím psa.
Question
Verb + Subj + Obj-a?
Vidíš psa?
Plural
Subj + Verb + Obj-ov
Vidím psov.

Formality Spectrum

Formal
Vidím pána.

Vidím pána. (Describing someone seen.)

Neutral
Vidím muža.

Vidím muža. (Describing someone seen.)

Informal
Vidím chlapa.

Vidím chlapa. (Describing someone seen.)

Slang
Vidím týpka.

Vidím týpka. (Describing someone seen.)

Accusative Animate Map

Accusative Animate

People

  • brat brother

Animals

  • pes dog

Examples by Level

1

Mám psa.

I have a dog.

2

Vidím otca.

I see father.

3

Ľúbim syna.

I love my son.

4

Poznám Petra.

I know Peter.

1

Hľadám brata.

I am looking for my brother.

2

Vidíš toho muža?

Do you see that man?

3

Máš kocúra?

Do you have a tomcat?

4

Čakám na učiteľa.

I am waiting for the teacher.

1

Videl som známeho hokejistu.

I saw a famous hockey player.

2

Pozval som na večeru kamaráta.

I invited a friend to dinner.

3

Kúpil som otcovi darček.

I bought a gift for father.

4

Nenašiel som lekára.

I didn't find the doctor.

1

Zavolal som svojho právnika.

I called my lawyer.

2

Stretol som v meste suseda.

I met my neighbor in the city.

3

Pýtal som sa na šéfa.

I asked about the boss.

4

Videli sme v lese vlka.

We saw a wolf in the forest.

1

Identifikoval som podozrivého muža.

I identified the suspicious man.

2

Zazrel som v diaľke jazdca.

I spotted a rider in the distance.

3

Prijali sme nového kolegu.

We accepted a new colleague.

4

Hľadáme skúseného odborníka.

We are looking for an experienced expert.

1

Zaznamenali sme pohyb neznámeho návštevníka.

We recorded the movement of an unknown visitor.

2

Autor vykreslil hrdinu ako tragickú postavu.

The author portrayed the hero as a tragic figure.

3

Oslovil som váženého profesora.

I addressed the respected professor.

4

Videl som kráľa v sprievode.

I saw the king in the procession.

Easily Confused

Accusative Singular: Masculine Animate vs Genitive vs Accusative

They often look the same for animate nouns.

Common Mistakes

✗

Vidím pes.

✓

Vidím psa.

Forgot to add the accusative suffix.
✗

Mám stôla.

✓

Mám stôl.

Applied animate rule to inanimate object.
✗

Vidím otc.

✓

Vidím otca.

Missing the vowel.
✗

Vidím brat.

✓

Vidím brata.

Forgot the suffix.
✗

Vidím muži.

✓

Vidím muža.

Used wrong case ending.
✗

Vidím hokejist.

✓

Vidím hokejistu.

Incorrect stem modification.
✗

Mám psa.

✓

Mám psa.

Correct.
✗

Poznám lekáry.

✓

Poznám lekárov.

Confused plural with singular.
✗

Vidím šéfa.

✓

Vidím šéfa.

Correct.
✗

Hľadám právnika.

✓

Hľadám právnika.

Correct.
✗

Vidím kráľ.

✓

Vidím kráľa.

Forgot suffix in formal context.
✗

Vidím hrdinu.

✓

Vidím hrdinu.

Correct.
✗

Vidím odborníka.

✓

Vidím odborníka.

Correct.

Sentence Patterns

Vidím ___.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Mám najlepšieho kamaráta.

Texting constant

Vidíme sa?

Job Interview common

Poznám tohto manažéra.

Travel common

Hľadám sprievodcu.

Food Delivery occasional

Čakám kuriéra.

Family Dinner constant

Ľúbim otca.

💡

Check for life

Always ask: is it alive? If yes, use -a.
⚠️

Inanimate nouns

Don't add -a to tables or chairs!
🎯

Names

Names like Peter become Petra.
💬

Politeness

Using the correct case shows respect.

Smart Tips

Always add -a.

Vidím brat. → Vidím brata.

Animals are animate!

Mám pes. → Mám psa.

Names follow the same rule.

Vidím Peter. → Vidím Petra.

Titles are animate.

Vidím lekár. → Vidím lekára.

Pronunciation

/a/

Suffix -a

The 'a' is short and clear.

Statement

Vidím psa. ↘

Falling intonation for facts.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Animate is alive, so give it an 'a' for 'alive'.

Visual Association

Imagine a dog (pes) wearing a big letter 'A' on its collar.

Rhyme

If it's a boy or a dog you see, add an 'a' at the end for me.

Story

Peter (Petr-a) walks his dog (ps-a). He sees his brother (brat-a). Everyone gets an 'a'!

Word Web

pesbratmužučiteľlekárkocúr

Challenge

Write 5 sentences about people you know using the accusative case.

Cultural Notes

Slovaks are very precise with cases; using the wrong one is immediately noticeable.

Inherited from Proto-Slavic.

Conversation Starters

“

Koho vidíš?

Journal Prompts

Write about your family members.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct form.

Vidím ___ (pes).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: psa
Animate accusative.
Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Vidím brata.
Correct suffix.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Vidím muž.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Vidím muža.
Animate accusative.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja vidím psa.
Standard order.
Translate to Slovak. Translation

I see the doctor.

Answer starts with: Vid...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Vidím lekára.
Animate accusative.
Match the noun to its accusative form. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: brata
Correct suffix.
Conjugate the noun. Conjugation Drill

kocúr -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kocúra
Correct suffix.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Koho vidíš? B: Vidím ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: otca
Animate accusative.

Score: /8

Practice Exercises

8 exercises
Fill in the correct form.

Vidím ___ (pes).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: psa
Animate accusative.
Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Vidím brata.
Correct suffix.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Vidím muž.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Vidím muža.
Animate accusative.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

psa / vidím / ja

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja vidím psa.
Standard order.
Translate to Slovak. Translation

I see the doctor.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Vidím lekára.
Animate accusative.
Match the noun to its accusative form. Match Pairs

brat -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: brata
Correct suffix.
Conjugate the noun. Conjugation Drill

kocúr -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kocúra
Correct suffix.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Koho vidíš? B: Vidím ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: otca
Animate accusative.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

It marks the direct object for living masculine nouns.

No, feminine nouns have different rules.

They don't change in the accusative.

No, plural uses -ov.

Yes, names like Peter become Petra.

Extremely common in daily speech.

People will understand, but it sounds incorrect.

Some nouns have irregular stems.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish partial

Personal 'a'

Slovak changes the noun suffix, Spanish adds a preposition.

French low

Direct object pronouns

Slovak uses inflection.

German partial

Accusative case

Slovak changes the noun itself.

Japanese low

Particle 'o'

Slovak uses inflection.

Arabic moderate

Case endings

Slovak system is simpler.

Chinese none

Word order

Slovak is synthetic.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Accusative Singular: Masculine Inanimate

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Accusative Singular: Feminine Nouns
A1

Accusative Singular: Masculine Inanimate
A2

Genitive Singular Endings
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