vraj / údajne
Reportedly: Vraj
Add vraj to a sentence to show that you are passing on what you heard: Vraj bol chorý (I heard he was ill). Údajne means the same but sounds formal, as in the news: Údajne ide o chybu v systéme (It is reportedly a system error).
How It Works
Vraj: "they say", "I heard". Vraj is the everyday word. It often comes first, or right after the first word or phrase: Vraj príde zajtra. or Príde vraj zajtra. (He is supposedly coming tomorrow.) It is not an unstressed word, so it can start a sentence.
- Passing on news: Vraj si sa zasnúbila! (I hear you got engaged!)
- Doubt: Vraj nemá čas. (He says he has no time. I am not so sure.)
- A short answer: Vraj áno. (So they say.)
In speech, vraj is also added inside reported speech to stress that it is someone else's claim: Povedal, že vraj príde neskôr.
Údajne: "reportedly", "allegedly". Údajne belongs to news, reports and formal writing: Vodič údajne išiel príliš rýchlo. (The driver was reportedly going too fast.) Before a noun use the adjective údajný: údajný páchateľ (the alleged perpetrator).
Not the same as maybe. Vraj says where the information comes from. It does not show your own guess. For that, use asi or možno: Vonku asi prší. (It is probably raining outside.)
Other ways to pass on information. For what people in general say, use hovorí sa, že. In formal style, má byť can also mean "is said to be". To report exactly what someone said, use Reported Speech.
Examples (6)
- Vraj príde zajtra.
He is supposedly coming tomorrow.
Word by Word: Reportedly he-will-come tomorrow.
- Peter bol vraj včera chorý.
Peter was supposedly ill yesterday.
Word by Word: Peter was reportedly yesterday ill.
- Vraj si sa zasnúbila! Gratulujem!
I hear you got engaged! Congratulations!
Word by Word: Reportedly you-are yourself engaged! I-congratulate!
- Vraj nemá čas. Tomu neverím.
He says he has no time. I don't believe that.
Word by Word: Reportedly not-has time. That I-don't-believe.
Vraj can show that the speaker doubts the claim.
- Údajne ide o chybu v systéme.
It is reportedly a system error.
Word by Word: Reportedly it-goes about error in system.
- Vodič údajne išiel príliš rýchlo.
The driver was reportedly going too fast.
Word by Word: Driver reportedly went too fast.
Údajne is typical of news reports.
Common Mistakes
Using vraj for your own guess.
Pozri na tie mraky, vraj bude pršať.Pozri na tie mraky, asi bude pršať.Here you see the clouds yourself and are guessing, but vraj says that someone told you. For your own guess, use asi or možno.
Treating vraj like a verb of saying.
Vraj je, že príde zajtra.Vraj príde zajtra.Vraj is a small word added to an ordinary sentence. It needs no je and no že. If you want a verb, say Hovorí sa, že príde zajtra.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Reportedly: vraj, learn Reported Speech. vraj reports what someone else said.
Related Patterns
- hovorí sa, žePeople Say That
Another way to report what people say, with a whole clause instead of one small word.
Level 4 - asi / možno / hádamProbably and Maybe
These words show the speaker's own guess, while vraj shows that someone else said it.
Level 3 - má byť / má + InfinitiveSupposed to and Said to Be
Má byť can also mean "is said to be", a more formal way of passing on a claim.
Level 5 - žeSaying That: Že
In speech, vraj often appears inside a že clause: Povedal, že vraj príde.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice vraj / údajne in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Slovak lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
