oba / obe / obaja

Both

Level 4

Choose the form of "both" exactly as you choose the form of "two": oba stoly (like dva stoly), obe ruky and obe deti (like dve), obaja bratia (like dvaja).

How It Works

The nominative.

  • oba / obidva: masculine things and animals: oba stoly, oba psy
  • obe / obidve: feminine and neuter nouns: obe ruky, obe sestry, obe deti, obe autá
  • obaja / obidvaja: men, and groups of a man and a woman: obaja bratia, obaja rodičia

This is the same split as dva / dve and dvaja, and the noun is in the nominative plural.

Other cases.

  • Accusative: like the nominative, except for men: oba stoly, obe ruky, but oboch bratov
  • Genitive and locative: oboch (obidvoch): z oboch strán, na oboch stranách
  • Dative: obom (obidvom): obom deťom
  • Instrumental: oboma / obomi (obidvoma / obidvomi): oboma rukami

These endings are the same as those of dva: dvoch, dvom, dvoma. See Numbers in Cases.

The verb. Both takes a plural verb, and with men the past form ends in -li: Obaja prišli neskoro. Obe sestry bývajú v Nitre.

Oboje. When "both" stands for two different things or a whole situation, Slovak says oboje: Čaj alebo kávu? – Oboje, prosím. (Tea or coffee? Both, please.) For "neither", say ani jeden.

Examples (6)

  1. Oba stoly sú obsadené.

    Both tables are taken.

    Word by Word: Both tables are occupied.

  2. Umy si obe ruky.

    Wash both hands.

    Word by Word: Wash yourself both hands.

  3. Obaja bratia bývajú v Košiciach.

    Both brothers live in Košice.

    Word by Word: Both brothers live in Košice.

  4. Poznám oboch tvojich rodičov.

    I know both of your parents.

    Word by Word: I-know both your parents.

    Men in the accusative: oboch.

  5. Na oboch stranách cesty rastú stromy.

    Trees grow on both sides of the road.

    Word by Word: On both sides of-road grow trees.

  6. Čaj alebo kávu? – Oboje, prosím.

    Tea or coffee? – Both, please.

    Word by Word: Tea or coffee? – Both, please.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the men's form with things.

    Obaja stoly sú voľné.
    Oba stoly sú voľné.

    Obaja is only for men. Stôl is a masculine thing, so it takes oba, like dva stoly.

  • Using oba with men.

    Oba bratia prišli.
    Obaja bratia prišli.

    Brat is a masculine noun for a man, so it takes obaja, like dvaja bratia.

  • Keeping the nominative form for men as objects.

    Poznám obaja bratov.
    Poznám oboch bratov.

    For men the accusative is the same as the genitive: oboch bratov, like dvoch bratov.

How It Connects

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

oba / obe / obajaLevel 4Both

Learn This First

Before Both, learn Two by Gender. oba and obe follow the gender split of dva and dve.

Words in This Pattern

obaobidva