aj / tiež / ani

Also, Too and Not Even

Level 2

Aj ja. / Ja tiež. = Me too. Ani ja. = Me neither. Nepovedal ani slovo. (He didn't say a single word.)

How It Works

aj: before the word it adds

  • Aj ja. Me too.
  • Mám rád aj čaj. I like tea too.
  • Without a negative, aj can also mean even: Aj dieťa to vie. (Even a child knows that.)

tiež: after the subject or the verb

  • Ja tiež. Me too.
  • Peter tiež hrá na gitare. Peter plays the guitar too.

ani: in negative sentences

Ani means not either or not even. It stands before the word it adds, and the verb keeps its negative ne-. Slovak is happy with this double negative.

  • Ani ja. Me neither.
  • Ani ja to neviem. I don't know either.
  • Nepovedal ani slovo. He didn't say a single word.
  • Ani to nevieš? You don't even know that?

In casual speech you will also hear Ja tiež nie for me neither, but Ani ja is the usual short answer.

Pairs. aj ... aj means both ... and: aj mama, aj otec. For neither ... nor, see Neither ... Nor. Words like nikto and nič follow the same double-negative rule: see Nobody, Nothing and Never.

Examples (6)

  1. Aj ja.

    Me too.

  2. Ja tiež.

    Me too.

    tiež comes after the word it adds.

  3. Ani ja.

    Me neither.

    The short answer to a negative sentence such as Nemám čas.

  4. Peter tiež hrá na gitare.

    Peter plays the guitar too.

  5. Nepovedal ani slovo.

    He didn't say a single word.

    ani means not even; the verb stays negated.

  6. Aj dieťa to vie.

    Even a child knows that.

    In a positive sentence aj can mean even.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping ne- from the verb after ani.

    Ani ja rozumiem.
    Ani ja nerozumiem.

    Ani needs a negated verb. Slovak negates both words: ani and nerozumiem.

  • Putting aj after the word it adds.

    Ja aj.
    Aj ja.

    Aj always comes before the word it adds. If you want to put the word first, use tiež: Ja tiež.

How It Connects

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

aj / tiež / aniLevel 2Also, Too and Not Even

Learn This First

Before Also, Too and Not Even, learn Negating Verbs With ne-. ani goes with a negated verb.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

tiež