Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The Genitive case shows possession or origin and is triggered by specific prepositions and negation.
- Masculine nouns ending in a consonant add -a (pes -> psa).
- Feminine nouns ending in -a change to -y (žena -> ženy).
- Neuter nouns ending in -o change to -a (auto -> auta).
Meanings
The Genitive case is primarily used to indicate possession, origin, or the absence of something.
Possession
Indicating who owns an object.
“Auto môjho brata.”
“Dom mojej mamy.”
Prepositions
Used after specific prepositions like 'bez', 'od', 'do', 'z'.
“Idem do školy.”
“Som bez peňazí.”
Quantification
Used when expressing a quantity of something.
“Pohár vody.”
“Kilo chleba.”
Genitive Singular Endings
| Gender | Nominative | Genitive | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine Animate | pes | psa | Vidím psa |
| Masculine Inanimate | hrad | hradu | Okolo hradu |
| Feminine | žena | ženy | Dom ženy |
| Neuter | auto | auta | Kľúč od auta |
| Feminine (consonant) | noc | noci | Počas noci |
| Neuter (-ie) | pole | poľa | Koniec poľa |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Noun + Genitive Ending | Auto otca |
| Negative | Verb + Genitive | Nemám času |
| Question | Preposition + Genitive? | Kde je kľúč od auta? |
| Possession | Noun + Noun(Gen) | Kniha mamy |
| Quantity | Number + Noun(Gen) | Dve kilá chleba |
| Prepositional | Preposition + Genitive | Idem do školy |
フォーマル度スペクトル
Idem do obchodu. (Daily life)
Idem do obchodu. (Daily life)
Idem do obchodu. (Daily life)
Valím do obchodu. (Daily life)
Genitive Case Map
Prepositions
- do into
- od from
- bez without
Possession
- auto otca father's car
Quantity
- pohár vody glass of water
レベル別の例文
Idem do školy.
I am going to school.
To je auto otca.
That is father's car.
Pohár vody, prosím.
A glass of water, please.
Som bez peňazí.
I am without money.
List od kamaráta.
A letter from a friend.
Kúpil som kilo jabĺk.
I bought a kilo of apples.
Nemám veľa času.
I don't have much time.
Kľúč od dverí.
The key to the door.
Počas dňa pracujem.
During the day I work.
Okolo domu je záhrada.
Around the house is a garden.
Nechcem viac kávy.
I don't want more coffee.
Výsledok zápasu bol dobrý.
The result of the match was good.
Nedostatok informácií je problém.
A lack of information is a problem.
Väčšina ľudí súhlasí.
Most people agree.
Z hľadiska ekonomiky je to zlé.
From an economic perspective, it is bad.
Bojím sa tmy.
I am afraid of the dark.
Dosiahnutie cieľa si vyžaduje úsilie.
Achieving the goal requires effort.
V rámci projektu sme uspeli.
Within the project, we succeeded.
Niet pochýb o jeho úspechu.
There is no doubt about his success.
Z dôvodu meškania sme nestihli vlak.
Due to the delay, we missed the train.
Vzhľadom na okolnosti je to prijateľné.
Given the circumstances, it is acceptable.
Z hĺbky duše ho nenávidí.
From the depth of his soul, he hates him.
Nedostatok odvahy ho zastavil.
A lack of courage stopped him.
Z hľadiska lingvistiky je to zaujímavé.
From a linguistic perspective, it is interesting.
間違えやすい
Both can end in -a for masculine nouns.
Both involve prepositions.
Beginners often forget to change the ending.
よくある間違い
Idem do škola
Idem do školy
Auto mama
Auto mamy
Pohár voda
Pohár vody
Bez pes
Bez psa
Od brat
Od brata
Kilo jablká
Kilo jabĺk
Nemám čas
Nemám času
Počas deň
Počas dňa
Okolo dom
Okolo domu
Výsledok zápas
Výsledok zápasu
Z dôvod meškania
Z dôvodu meškania
Nedostatok odvaha
Nedostatok odvahy
Väčšina človek
Väčšina ľudí
Bojím sa tma
Bojím sa tmy
文型パターン
Idem do ___.
To je auto ___.
Som bez ___.
Pohár ___.
Real World Usage
Prosím si pohár vína.
Idem do mesta.
Z hľadiska mojich skúseností...
Cesta do Bratislavy.
Fotka môjho psa.
Objednávka od reštaurácie.
Focus on prepositions
Don't forget the ending
Group by gender
Listen to native speakers
Smart Tips
Immediately think 'Genitive case'.
Use the Genitive case for the owner.
Use the Genitive case for the item being measured.
Check if the object should be in the Genitive.
発音
Vowel lengthening
Sometimes the Genitive ending causes the preceding vowel to lengthen.
Statement
Idem do školy. ↘
Falling intonation for declarative sentences.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Genitive is the 'Giver'—it gives an -a or -y to the noun to show it belongs to someone else.
視覚的連想
Imagine a giant letter 'A' or 'Y' being glued onto the end of every object you touch to show it belongs to your father or mother.
Rhyme
Masculine takes an -a, feminine takes an -y, that's the Genitive way!
Story
I went to the store (do obchodu) without money (bez peňazí). I bought a bottle of water (fľašu vody) for my father (pre otca - wait, that's Accusative, but the Genitive is for the bottle of water!).
Word Web
チャレンジ
Write 5 sentences about things in your room using the structure 'X is of Y' (e.g., 'Kniha stola' - wait, 'Kniha na stole' is Locative, try 'Noha stola' - leg of the table).
文化メモ
Slovaks are very precise with their cases. Using the wrong case can sound like a child speaking.
The Genitive is a shared feature of Slavic languages, making it easier to learn if you know Polish or Czech.
In texting, people might drop the case ending, but it is considered poor grammar.
The Genitive case comes from Proto-Slavic and has been preserved in Slovak to indicate relationships between nouns.
会話のきっかけ
Kam ideš?
Čie je to auto?
Máš dosť času?
Bojíš sa niečoho?
日記のテーマ
Test Yourself
Idem do ___ (škola).
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Som bez peniaze.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
A glass of water.
Answer starts with: Poh...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
mama
A: Kam ideš? B: Idem do ___.
Score: /8
練習問題
8 exercisesIdem do ___ (škola).
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Som bez peniaze.
otca / auto / to / je
A glass of water.
do
mama
A: Kam ideš? B: Idem do ___.
Score: /8
よくある質問 (8)
The ending changes to show the relationship between words in a sentence.
No, only for possession, origin, and specific prepositions.
You have to memorize them, but 'do', 'od', 'bez', and 'z' are the most common.
People will understand you, but it will sound incorrect.
Yes, the Genitive case is very similar in Czech and Slovak.
Yes, it is essential for formal writing.
Yes, some nouns have irregular Genitive forms.
Use the sentence patterns provided and write your own sentences.
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Genitiv
Slovak uses Genitive for movement (do), while German uses Accusative.
de + noun
French is analytical (prepositions), Slovak is synthetic (endings).
de + noun
Spanish does not change noun endings for cases.
no-particle
Japanese is agglutinative, Slovak is inflected.
Idafa construction
Arabic uses word order, Slovak uses case endings.
de-particle
Chinese is an isolating language with no case system.
