Relative kde / kam / keď

Relative Where and When

Level 4

Kde, kam, odkiaľ and keď link a place or time to a clause: to je mesto, kde som sa narodil (that is the town where I was born); deň, keď sme sa stretli (the day we met).

How It Works

Place and time clauses. After a noun that names a place or a time, a relative clause can start with a question-type word instead of ktorý. The relative clause is set off by commas.

Choose by the verb. Use the same word you would use in a question:

  • kde (where, location): mesto, kde som sa narodil (the town where I was born) = mesto, v ktorom som sa narodil
  • kam (where to, direction): mesto, kam sa sťahujeme (the city we are moving to) = mesto, do ktorého sa sťahujeme
  • odkiaľ (where from): dedina, odkiaľ pochádza (the village she comes from) = dedina, z ktorej pochádza
  • keď (when): deň, keď sme sa stretli (the day we met)

Verbs of going, such as ísť, chodiť and sťahovať sa, need kam. Verbs like pochádzať (to come from) need odkiaľ. This is the same split as in tu / sem and doma / domov.

Keď, not kedy. In a question, "when" is kedy. After a noun of time, standard Slovak uses keď: v ten deň, keď odišiel. Kedy in this position is common in speech but is not standard.

Without a noun. These words can also refer to tam, tu or vtedy, or to nothing at all: Polož knihu tam, kam patrí. (Put the book back where it belongs.) Zostaň, kde si. (Stay where you are.)

Examples (6)

  1. To je mesto, kde som sa narodil.

    That's the town where I was born.

    Word by Word: That is town, where I-was self born.

  2. Nikdy nezabudnem na deň, keď sme sa stretli.

    I'll never forget the day we met.

    Word by Word: Never not-I-will-forget on day, when we-have self met.

  3. Bratislava je mesto, kam sa sťahujeme.

    Bratislava is the city we're moving to.

    Word by Word: Bratislava is city, where-to self we-move.

  4. Poznáš dedinu, odkiaľ pochádza jeho mama?

    Do you know the village his mother comes from?

    Word by Word: You-know village, where-from comes his mum?

  5. Polož knihu tam, kam patrí.

    Put the book back where it belongs.

    Word by Word: Put book there, where-to it-belongs.

  6. V lete, keď je teplo, chodíme k jazeru.

    In summer, when it's warm, we go to the lake.

    Word by Word: In summer, when is warm, we-go to lake.

Common Mistakes

  • Using kde with a verb of going.

    To je obchod, kde často chodím.
    To je obchod, kam často chodím.

    Chodiť is a verb of going, so it needs kam (where to), not kde (where).

  • Using kedy after a noun of time.

    Pamätám si deň, kedy sme sa stretli.
    Pamätám si deň, keď sme sa stretli.

    After a noun such as deň or čas, standard Slovak uses keď. Kedy is for questions.

  • Using kde with a verb of coming from.

    Krajina, kde pochádzam, je ďaleko.
    Krajina, odkiaľ pochádzam, je ďaleko.

    Pochádzať means "to come from", so it needs odkiaľ (where from).

How It Connects

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

Relative kde / kam / keďLevel 4Relative Where and When

Learn This First

Before Relative Where and When, learn Relative Pronoun ktorý and Where, When, How and Why. Relative kde, kam and keď work like the relative pronoun ktorý. They reuse the question words.

Words in This Pattern

kamkeď