sotva

Barely: Sotva

Level 6

Sotva means barely or hardly: Sotva som stihol autobus (I barely caught the bus). As a short answer it means probably not. At the start of a time clause it means as soon as, just after: Sotva prišiel domov, začalo pršať (He had barely got home when it started raining).

How It Works

1. Barely, hardly. Sotva says that something happens only just, with difficulty or to a very small degree: Od únavy sotva stojím na nohách (I am so tired I can barely stand), Sotva ho poznám (I hardly know him). With numbers it means barely, not even more than: Mala sotva dvadsať rokov (She was barely twenty).

2. Probably not. Sotva can express doubt, close to asi nie: Sotva ťa počúvne (He is unlikely to listen to you). It also works as a one-word answer: Prídeš zajtra? – Sotva. (Will you come tomorrow? – Hardly.) Compare the softer guesses in asi, možno and hádam.

3. No sooner ... than. At the start of a clause, sotva is a time conjunction meaning as soon as or just after, like len čo. The sotva clause comes first, then a comma, then the main clause: Sotva sme vyšli z domu, začalo pršať (We had barely left the house when it started raining). The expressive form sotvaže means the same. Sotva can also stay a plain adverb in the first clause, with a keď clause after it, just like English hardly ... when: Sotva sme vyšli z domu, keď začalo pršať. Both patterns are correct.

No ne- on the verb. Sotva already carries the idea of almost not, so the verb stays positive. Unlike nikto and nič in negative sentences, sotva does not need a negated verb, and adding one changes the meaning.

Examples (6)

  1. Od únavy sotva stojím na nohách.

    I'm so tired I can barely stand.

    Word by Word: From tiredness barely I-stand on feet.

  2. Sotva som stihol autobus.

    I barely caught the bus.

    Word by Word: Barely I-have caught bus.

  3. Sotva ho poznám, videl som ho iba raz.

    I hardly know him; I've only seen him once.

    Word by Word: Barely him I-know, seen I-have him only once.

  4. Prídeš zajtra? – Sotva, mám veľa práce.

    Will you come tomorrow? – Probably not, I have a lot of work.

    Word by Word: You-will-come tomorrow? – Hardly, I-have much of-work.

    As an answer, sotva expresses doubt: probably not.

  5. Sotva prišiel domov, začalo pršať.

    He had barely got home when it started raining.

    Word by Word: Barely he-came home, it-started to-rain.

    Here sotva opens a time clause, like len čo.

  6. Mala sotva dvadsať rokov.

    She was barely twenty.

    Word by Word: She-had barely twenty years.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding ne- to the verb after sotva.

    Od únavy sotva nevidím.
    Od únavy sotva vidím.

    The intended meaning is I can barely see. Sotva is not a negative word, so the verb stays positive. With ne-, the sentence no longer says that the speaker can barely see.

  • Leaving out the comma after the sotva clause.

    Sotva prišiel domov začalo pršať.
    Sotva prišiel domov, začalo pršať.

    When sotva opens a time clause, that clause is subordinate, so a comma separates it from the main clause: Sotva prišiel domov, začalo pršať.

How It Connects

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

sotvaLevel 6Barely: Sotva

Learn This First

Before Barely: sotva, learn As Soon As. sotva at the start of a clause means no sooner than, like len čo.

Words in This Pattern

sotva