mať + Passive Participle

Finished Results with Mať

Level 4

Mať with a passive participle says that you have something done and ready: Mám napísanú úlohu (I have my homework written).

How It Works

A result you now have. Slovak can say that an action is finished and its result is ready by combining mať with a passive participle: Mám napísanú úlohu. (My homework is written.) The plain past Napísal som úlohu reports the action; the mať form stresses the ready result.

Agreement with the object. The participle agrees with the object, which is in the accusative:

  • Mám napísaný list. (masculine)
  • Mám napísanú úlohu. (feminine, -ú)
  • Máme kúpené lístky. (plural, -é)

No object: -é. Without an object, the participle takes the neuter ending -é: Mám uvarené. (I've finished cooking.) Máte zaplatené? (Have you paid?) Shops often say Máme otvorené (We're open).

Tenses. Mať can be in any tense: Mal som všetko pripravené. (I had everything ready.) Zajtra to budem mať hotové. (I'll have it done tomorrow.)

Aspect. Because it describes a finished result, the participle normally comes from a perfective verb: napísanú, not písanú. This pattern is very common in conversation and less common in formal writing.

Examples (6)

  1. Mám napísanú úlohu.

    I have my homework written.

    Word by Word: I-have written(fem. acc.) homework.

    Úlohu is feminine accusative, so the participle ends in -ú.

  2. Máte už zaplatené?

    Have you already paid?

    Word by Word: You-have already paid?

    No object, so the neuter -é.

  3. Mám uvarené, poďte jesť!

    I've finished cooking; come and eat!

    Word by Word: I-have cooked, come to-eat!

  4. Lístky už máme kúpené.

    We already have the tickets.

    Word by Word: Tickets already we-have bought.

  5. Máme otvorené od ôsmej do piatej.

    We're open from eight to five.

    Word by Word: We-have opened from eighth to fifth.

  6. Mal som všetko pripravené.

    I had everything ready.

    Word by Word: I-had everything prepared.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the participle agree with the subject instead of the object.

    Mama má uvarená polievku.
    Mama má uvarenú polievku.

    The participle describes the soup, which is the object in the accusative: uvarenú polievku, not the subject mama.

  • Using the wrong plural ending.

    Lístky už máme kúpený.
    Lístky už máme kúpené.

    Lístky is plural, so the participle takes the plural -é.

How It Connects

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mať + Passive ParticipleLevel 4Finished Results with Mať

Learn This First

Before Finished Results With mať, learn Passive Participles and Present Tense of mať. mať is combined with a passive participle. It uses the forms of mať.

Words in This Pattern