The Accusative Case for Objects

Level 1

The accusative marks the direct object of most verbs, like mať (have), vidieť (see) and piť (drink). It answers koho? (whom?) or čo? (what?).

How It Works

The accusative (akuzatív) marks the direct object, the person or thing the action goes to. It answers koho? (whom?) or čo? (what?). Verbs like mať (have), vidieť (see), piť (drink), čítať (read) and hľadať (look for) take it.

In the singular, the forms follow a simple pattern:

  • Masculine things: no change. Mám dom. (I have a house.)
  • Neuter nouns: no change. Vidím mesto. (I see the town.) Pijem pivo. (I am drinking beer.)
  • Feminine nouns in -a: -a becomes -u. Čítam knihu. (I am reading a book.)
  • Feminine nouns ending in a consonant: no change. Máme novú loď. (We have a new boat.)
  • Masculine people and animals: add -a. Poznám Petra. (I know Peter.) Masculine nouns in -a, like kolega, take -u instead: kolegu.

Adjectives follow the noun: nový dom, but novú knihu and nového kamaráta.

A negative verb still takes the accusative in everyday Slovak: Nemám auto. (I do not have a car.)

Not every verb takes the accusative. Some take other cases, like pomáhať (to help), which takes the dative. Learn these verbs as you meet them.

Examples (6)

  1. Mám dom.

    I have a house.

    Dom is a masculine thing, so it does not change.

  2. Vidím mesto.

    I see the town.

    Neuter nouns look the same in the accusative.

  3. Pijem pivo.

    I am drinking beer.

    Pivo is neuter, so it does not change.

  4. Čítam knihu.

    I am reading a book.

    Feminine kniha becomes knihu.

  5. Poznám Petra.

    I know Peter.

    Peter is a person, so he becomes Petra.

  6. Deti majú novú loď.

    The children have a new boat.

    Loď is feminine but ends in a consonant, so it does not change. The adjective still becomes novú.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving a feminine noun in -a unchanged as an object.

    Čítam kniha.
    Čítam knihu.

    Feminine nouns in -a change to -u when they are the object.

  • Leaving a masculine person unchanged as an object.

    Poznám Peter.
    Poznám Petra.

    Masculine nouns for people take -a in the accusative.

  • Changing a neuter noun that should stay the same.

    Vidím mesta.
    Vidím mesto.

    Neuter nouns look the same in the nominative and accusative singular.

How It Connects

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

The Accusative Case for ObjectsLevel 1

Learn This First

Before The Accusative Case for Objects, learn The Nominative Case for Subjects. The accusative object is contrasted with the nominative subject.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 4 more in the full list.