práve

Exactly and Just: Práve

Level 3

Práve has two main jobs: it pins an action to this very moment (right now, just), or it points at exactly this person or thing (the very one).

How It Works

1. Right now. With a present verb, práve says the action is happening at this moment: Práve jem. (I'm eating right now.) Práve teraz makes it even stronger.

2. Just. With a perfective past verb, práve says the action has just finished: Vlak práve odišiel. (The train has just left.) Práve som dopísal list. (I've just finished the letter.)

3. Was just. With an imperfective past verb, práve says you were in the middle of something: Práve som varila, keď zazvonil telefón. (I was just cooking when the phone rang.) With chcieť, it means about to: Práve som ti chcel zavolať. (I was just about to call you.) The difference between 2 and 3 is aspect in the past.

4. Exactly, the very one. Before a word, práve points at it and nothing else: Práve on mi pomohol. (He's the very one who helped me.) Common phrases: práve preto (that's exactly why), práve naopak (quite the opposite), práve včas (just in time).

Not the same as len. English just can also mean only. For that meaning, Slovak uses len or iba, never práve.

Examples (6)

  1. Práve jem, zavolám ti neskôr.

    I'm eating right now; I'll call you later.

    Word by Word: Right-now I-eat, I-will-call you later.

  2. Vlak práve odišiel.

    The train has just left.

    Word by Word: Train just left.

    A perfective past verb: the action has just finished.

  3. Práve som varila, keď zazvonil telefón.

    I was just cooking when the phone rang.

    Word by Word: Just I-was cooking, when rang phone.

    An imperfective past verb: she was in the middle of cooking.

  4. Práve on mi pomohol.

    He's the very one who helped me.

    Word by Word: Exactly he me helped.

  5. Práve preto sa učím po slovensky.

    That's exactly why I'm learning Slovak.

    Word by Word: Exactly therefore I-learn in Slovak.

  6. Práve som ti chcel zavolať.

    I was just about to call you.

    Word by Word: Just I-was wanting you to-call.

Common Mistakes

  • Using an imperfective verb for something just finished.

    Práve som písal list, môžem ti ho ukázať.
    Práve som napísal list, môžem ti ho ukázať.

    To say the letter is done, use the perfective napísal. Práve som písal means I was just writing, so the letter is not finished yet.

  • Translating just as only with práve.

    Mám práve jednu otázku.
    Mám len jednu otázku.

    When just means only, Slovak uses len or iba. Práve jednu otázku would mean exactly one question.

How It Connects

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

práveLevel 3Exactly and Just: Práve

Learn This First

Before Exactly and Just: práve, learn Already, Still and Yet. práve is often used with the same time adverbs as už and ešte.

Words in This Pattern

práve