na- / vy- + sa

Doing Something Enough

Level 5

jesť → najesť sa (eat one’s fill), piť → napiť sa (have a drink), chodiť → nachodiť sa (walk a lot), spať → vyspať sa (get a good sleep), plakať → vyplakať sa (have a good cry).

How It Works

Na- + sa: plenty of it. With na- and sa, the verb says you did something to your fill or so much that you feel it:

  • najesť sa: to eat one’s fill: Najedol som sa dosýta.
  • napiť sa: to have a drink: Napi sa vody. (with the partitive genitive)
  • nachodiť sa, nabehať sa, narobiť sa: to have walked, run or worked a lot: Dnes som sa nachodil!

Vy- + sa: a need fully met.

  • vyspať sa: to get a good sleep
  • vyplakať sa: to have a good cry
  • vyšantiť sa: to play to one’s heart’s content
  • vyrozprávať sa: to talk everything through

Grammar notes. All these verbs are perfective, so their present form refers to the future (Cez víkend sa vyspím.) and they cannot follow budem. The sa is obligatory, even though the base verbs jesť, spať, chodiť have none. Compare the other prefix-plus-reflexive patterns: roz- + sa for bursting into an action and po- and za- for doing something for a while.

Examples (6)

  1. Najedol som sa dosýta.

    I have eaten my fill.

    Word by Word: I-ate-my-fill have self to-full.

  2. Napi sa, určite máš smäd.

    Have a drink, you must be thirsty.

    Word by Word: Drink self, surely you-have thirst.

  3. Cez víkend sa konečne vyspím.

    At the weekend I will finally get a good sleep.

    Word by Word: Over weekend self finally I-will-sleep-enough.

    Vyspím is perfective, so the present form refers to the future.

  4. Dnes som sa nachodil, bolia ma nohy.

    I have walked so much today, my feet hurt.

    Word by Word: Today I-have self walked-a-lot, hurt me legs.

  5. Vyplač sa, uľaví sa ti.

    Have a good cry, you will feel better.

    Word by Word: Cry-out self, will-relieve self to-you.

  6. Deti sa na ihrisku poriadne vyšantili.

    The children played to their hearts’ content at the playground.

    Word by Word: Children self at playground properly played-out.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out sa.

    Najedol som.
    Najedol som sa.

    Najesť cannot be used without sa in this meaning. The reflexive sa is part of the verb.

  • Adding sa to the plain verb instead of using the prefix.

    Včera som sa dobre spal.
    Včera som sa dobre vyspal. / Včera som dobre spal.

    Spať has no sa. Either say dobre som spal, or use the perfective vyspať sa for a satisfying night’s sleep.

  • Using budem with these perfective verbs.

    V sobotu sa budem vyspať.
    V sobotu sa vyspím.

    Vyspať sa is perfective, so its future is simply vyspím sa.

How It Connects

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

na- / vy- + saLevel 5Doing Something Enough

Learn This First

Before Doing Something Enough, learn Verb Prefixes and Meaning and Reflexive Verbs With sa. na- and vy- are prefixes with specific meanings. These verbs use reflexive sa.

Words in This Pattern

na-vy-