Neuter Nouns
Neuter nouns end in -o, -e or -ie, and nouns for young beings end in -a or -ä. Words that go with them take neuter forms, like to and nové.
How It Works
Slovak has four main kinds of neuter noun. Each one follows its own model word:
- -o, like mesto (town): auto (car), okno (window), mlieko (milk), Slovensko (Slovakia).
- -e, like srdce (heart): more (sea), pole (field), vajce (egg).
- -ie, like vysvedčenie (school report): námestie (square), stretnutie (meeting).
- -a / -ä for young beings, like dievča (girl): dieťa (child), mláďa (young animal), zviera (animal), kura (chicken), žriebä (foal). In these nouns, ä is written instead of a after p, b, m or v.
Some borrowed words ending in -um are neuter too, like múzeum (museum).
Grammar gender and real-life gender are separate things. Dievča means girl, but the word is neuter, so we say to dievča (that girl), not tá dievča. The words that go with a neuter noun take neuter forms: to (that), moje (my), nové (new).
Be careful with -o. A few words for men end in -o, like dedo (grandpa) and strýko (uncle). They name men, so they are masculine: môj dedo, not moje dedo.
In the plural, the four types look like this: mestá (towns), srdcia (hearts), vysvedčenia (school reports) and dievčatá or dievčence (girls). The word dieťa (child) has a special plural: deti (children).
Examples (6)
- Bratislava je pekné mesto.
Bratislava is a nice city.
Mesto ends in -o, so the adjective takes the neuter ending -é.
- Srdce mi bije rýchlo.
My heart is beating fast.
Srdce is a neuter noun in -e.
- Na stole leží vysvedčenie.
A school report is lying on the table.
Vysvedčenie is a neuter noun in -ie.
- To dievča je moja sestra.
That girl is my sister.
Dievča is neuter, so it takes to, even though it means a girl.
- Mláďa spí v hniezde.
The baby bird is sleeping in the nest.
Mláďa means any young animal and is neuter.
- Žriebä je ešte malé.
The foal is still small.
Žriebä ends in -ä after b, and the adjective malé is neuter.
Common Mistakes
Using feminine words with dievča because it means a girl.
Tá dievča je milá.To dievča je milé.Dievča is a neuter noun. The words that go with it must be neuter too: to and milé.
Treating every noun in -o as neuter.
Moje dedo je staré.Môj dedo je starý.Dedo means grandpa. It names a man, so it is masculine and takes môj and starý.
Using the masculine adjective form with a neuter noun.
Máme nový auto.Máme nové auto.Auto is neuter, so the adjective ends in -é.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Neuter Nouns, learn Noun Gender. Neuter is one of the three noun genders.
Related Patterns
- Masculine Nouns
Masculine nouns, including the few for men that end in -o.
Level 1 - Feminine Nouns
Feminine nouns, which also often end in -a.
Level 1 - Adjective Agreement
Neuter nouns take adjectives ending in -é or -e.
Level 1 - ten / tá / toThat One by Gender
To is the neuter form of that, as in to dievča.
Level 1 - Neuter Nouns Like dievča
The full case forms of nouns for young beings like dievča.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice Neuter Nouns in Bubblegum
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