-ský / -ový / -ný

Adjectives That Link to a Noun

Level 5

-ský / -cký, -ový and -ný make adjectives that link something to a noun: mesto → mestský (urban, city), škola → školský (school), jablko → jablkový (apple), les → lesný (forest), drevo → drevený (wooden).

How It Works

Noun + noun becomes adjective + noun. Slovak does not simply place two nouns side by side the way English does. It turns the describing noun into an adjective that agrees with the main noun: čokoládová torta (chocolate cake), mestská doprava (city transport).

The main suffixes.

  • -ský: mesto → mestský, škola → školský, dieťa → detský (children's), človek → ľudský (human), Bratislava → bratislavský, Slovensko → slovenský
  • -cký after a stem in k or c: Nemec → nemecký (German), Amerika → americký, technika → technický
  • -ový: jablko → jablkový, káva → kávový (coffee), čokoláda → čokoládový, zelenina → zeleninový (vegetable)
  • -ný: les → lesný, večer → večerný (evening), zima → zimný (winter), leto → letný (summer)
  • material, often -ený / -ný: drevo → drevený (wooden), sklo → sklenený (glass), kameň → kamenný (stone), zlato → zlatý (golden)

Watch the rhythmic law. After a long syllable, the ending -ný becomes short, following the rhythmic law: mlieko → mliečny (dairy), vláda → vládny (government).

How they behave. They sort things into types, so they are usually not compared and not used with veľmi in their basic meaning (see comparing adjectives). Adjectives from place and country names are written with a small letter: bratislavské kaviarne, slovenský jazyk. Possessive adjectives from personal names, such as Petrov, are written with a capital letter (see possessive adjectives). Animal adjectives such as vtáčí form their own páví type.

Examples (6)

  1. Školský rok sa začína v septembri.

    The school year starts in September.

    Word by Word: School year itself begins in September.

  2. Mestská doprava je v Bratislave dosť lacná.

    Public transport in Bratislava is fairly cheap.

    Word by Word: City transport is in Bratislava quite cheap.

  3. Babka upiekla jablkový koláč.

    Grandma baked an apple cake.

    Word by Word: Grandma baked apple(adj) cake.

  4. Kúpili sme drevený stôl do kuchyne.

    We bought a wooden table for the kitchen.

    Word by Word: We-bought wooden table into kitchen.

  5. Máte aj nemecké noviny?

    Do you also have German newspapers?

    Word by Word: You-have also German newspapers?

  6. Mliečne výrobky sú v treťom rade.

    Dairy products are in the third aisle.

    Word by Word: Milk(adj) products are in third row.

    Mliečny has a short -y because of the long ie before it.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting two nouns side by side as in English.

    Dám si kúsok čokoláda torty.
    Dám si kúsok čokoládovej torty.

    Slovak turns the describing noun into an adjective that agrees with the main noun: čokoládová torta, in the genitive čokoládovej torty.

  • Writing an adjective from a place name with a capital letter.

    Páčia sa mi Bratislavské kaviarne.
    Páčia sa mi bratislavské kaviarne.

    Adjectives in -ský from place and country names are written with a small letter: bratislavský, slovenský, nemecký.

  • Keeping a long ending after a long syllable.

    Mliečné výrobky sú v treťom rade.
    Mliečne výrobky sú v treťom rade.

    After the long syllable mlieč-, the rhythmic law shortens the ending: mliečny, mliečne.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-ský / -ový / -nýLevel 5Adjectives That Link to a Noun

Learn This First

Before Adjectives That Link to a Noun, learn Hard Adjectives Like pekný. -ský, -ový and -ný adjectives follow pekný.

Words in This Pattern

-ský-cký-ový-ný