The fastest way to learn Slovak is to spend most of your study time on Slovak you can mostly understand. That kind of Slovak is called comprehensible input. What you read and listen to should change as you improve, so the plan below shows what to do at each level and how to split an hour of study.
What to Do at Each Level
Find the level that sounds like you. Its bar shows how to spend an hour of study.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Read and listen 35 min. Review 15 min. Speak 10 min.
Watch the stories on Learn Slovak with Stories, where the teacher speaks slowly and draws what she describes, and play each one twice. Follow Katherine in Slovakia, Comenius University's free video series for beginners, and say a few lines out loud.
- Level 2
I can handle simple exchanges.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 10 min. Speak 10 min.
Hide the translation and look up only the words that stop you. Watch the slow everyday dialogues on Joyful Slovak, and start short talks with a tutor or a friend.
- Level 3
I follow conversations on familiar topics.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 5 min. Speak 15 min.
Listen to news stories retold in easy Slovak on the Comprehensible Slovak podcast, first without the transcript and then with it. Add the slow, simple stories on Learn Slovak Through Stories with Robert, and talk about what you heard for longer.
- Level 4
I understand most content but miss some nuance.
Read and watch 45 min. Review 5 min. Speak 10 min.
Read the news on Správy STVR, where many reports come with a video or a radio version, and listen to Slovensko dnes, Radio Slovakia International's weekday magazine. Watch a show you already know dubbed into Slovak, one episode a week.
- Level 5
I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Watch Slovak films and the STVR news without subtitles, and listen to Slovak radio and podcasts on AUDIO STVR. Look up only the words that block the story.
- Level 6
I read at near-native level.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Read Slovak novels and newspapers, and talk about them, for their own sake. When a word puzzles you, look it up in the Slovak Academy of Sciences dictionary portal.
Move up a level when your lessons start to feel easy, and move back down if you lose the thread by the third line.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Slovak?
Slovak takes 1,012 class hours, or about 44 weeks of full-time study, to reach professional fluency, according to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute. That puts Slovak in the third of its four groups for English speakers, with Czech, Polish and Russian.
| Language | FSI group | Full-time weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | Category I | 30 |
| German | Category II | 36 |
| Slovak, Czech | Category III | 44 |
| Japanese | Category IV | 88 |
The Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU) teaches beginners up to B1 in a course of 640 hours of class, and up to B2 in a course of 1,000. Each of those hours is 45 minutes long, so the courses have 480 and 750 full hours of class. Here is how long those take at different amounts of study a week:
| Study per week | STU beginner to B1 (480 hours) | STU beginner to B2 (750 hours) | FSI professional fluency (1,012 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3½ hours | About 2⅔ years | About 4 years | About 5½ years |
| 7 hours | About 16 months | About 2 years | About 2¾ years |
| 14 hours | About 8 months | About 12 months | About 17 months |
| 28 hours | About 4 months | About 6 months | About 8 months |
These are class hours, so treat them as a rough guide. Time you spend understanding Slovak on your own counts too.
What Slows Learners Down
- Case Tables AloneSlovak nouns change their endings across six cases, and endings learned from a table are easy to forget until you meet them in sentences.
- Mixing in Czech Too EarlyCzech is very close to Slovak, and Czech shows and books are easy to find. Their small differences can mix you up at first, so add Czech once Slovak feels comfortable.
- Content Far Too HardA Slovak film where you know one word in five teaches you very little.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Slovak app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Slovak, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Slovak app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Can I learn Slovak in three months?
You can learn enough Slovak to order food and introduce yourself. At 14 hours a week, three months is about 180 hours, which is less than half of the 480 full hours of class the Slovak University of Technology gives beginners to reach B1.
How much should I study Slovak each week?
Aim for three to five hours a week of Slovak you understand, in sessions of at least 15 to 30 minutes. A longer session lets you get lost in a story, which teaches more than five minutes a day, and steady time each week matters more than a daily streak. Our post on deep sessions over daily streaks explains why.
Is Slovak hard for English speakers?
Yes, by the Foreign Service Institute's measure: Slovak is in its third group of four, so it takes longer than Spanish or German and half as long as Japanese. One part is easy, because Slovak always stresses the first syllable of a word. Most of the time goes into the words and the six cases, which you pick up fastest from Slovak you understand.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Institute of Lifelong Learning, Language Centre: Study Information (640 hours for A1–B1, 1,000 hours for A1–B2; one class takes 45 minutes)
- Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Institute of Lifelong Learning: applications for intensive preparatory Slovak courses, academic year 2026/2027
- Wikipedia: Slovak language (six cases; very high mutual intelligibility with Czech)
- Wikipedia: Slovak phonology (stress on the first syllable)
