súc

Being: Súc

Level 6

Súc means being. It opens a short phrase that describes the subject of the main clause, usually giving a reason: Súc chorá, nemohla prísť (Being ill, she could not come).

How It Works

One form that never changes. The transgressive of byť is súc. It never changes, but the adjective that follows agrees with the subject:

  • Súc unavený, ľahol si. (he)
  • Súc unavená, ľahla si. (she)
  • Súc unavení, ľahli si. (they)

The same subject. A transgressive phrase describes the subject of the main clause. In Súc chorá, nemohla prísť, the person who is ill is the person who could not come. If the two subjects are different, use an ordinary clause instead.

What it expresses. Most often a reason, sometimes a contrast:

  • reason: Súc si vedomý rizika, zmluvu nepodpísal. (Being aware of the risk, he did not sign the contract.)
  • contrast: Súc bohatý, žil skromne. (Though he was rich, he lived modestly.)

The academic Slovak morphology notes that súc is often simply left out before an adjective: Unavený, ľahol si. means the same.

Style. Súc belongs to literary and very formal writing. In ordinary speech use keďže or lebo for a reason and hoci for a contrast: Keďže bol unavený, ľahol si. A comma separates the súc phrase from the rest of the sentence.

Examples (5)

  1. Súc unavený, ľahol si.

    Being tired, he lay down.

    Word by Word: Being tired, he-lay self.

  2. Súc chorá, nemohla prísť na svadbu.

    Being ill, she could not come to the wedding.

    Word by Word: Being ill, she-could-not come to wedding.

    Súc stays the same; chorá agrees with the female subject.

  3. Súc si vedomý rizika, zmluvu nepodpísal.

    Being aware of the risk, he did not sign the contract.

    Word by Word: Being self aware of-risk, contract he-did-not-sign.

  4. Súc bohatý, žil skromne.

    Though he was rich, he lived modestly.

    Word by Word: Being rich, he-lived modestly.

  5. Súc presvedčení o svojej pravde, nechceli ustúpiť.

    Convinced that they were right, they refused to back down.

    Word by Word: Being convinced about own truth, they-did-not-want to-yield.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding gender or number endings to súc.

    Súca unavená, ľahla si.
    Súc unavená, ľahla si.

    Súc never changes. Only the adjective after it agrees with the subject.

  • Using súc when the main clause has a different subject.

    Súc chorý, lekár ho poslal domov.
    Keďže bol chorý, lekár ho poslal domov.

    The súc phrase must describe the subject of the main clause, which here is lekár (the doctor). The sick person is someone else, so use a keďže clause.

How It Connects

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

súcLevel 6Being: Súc

Learn This First

Before Being: súc, learn The Transgressive. súc is a frozen transgressive of byť.

Words in This Pattern