Do you want to learn languages similar to Slovak? If yes, then there are a few languages that are closely related to Slovak. Knowing them will be good for your learning process.
If you have an interest in learning languages similar to Slovak, here are some options for you! They will help you get more with little effort.
Languages Similar To Slovak – 10 Languages For You!
Slovakia is a Central European country with a population of over 5 million people. The official language of Slovakia is Slovak.
Slovak is part of the Slavic language family. Some others include Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages.
Due to family similarities, languages in the Slavic language family share many features. For example, all Slavic languages use the Cyrillic alphabet.
Also, some other languages share some common points with Slovak. So, if you want to learn a language close to Slovak, we have a good list for you.
Slovak is like Polish and Ukrainian. There are many other options on the way. Let’s find out more about them.
1. Czech:
Czech is the language of the Czech Republic. It is one of the closest languages to Slovak.
Some people think Czech and Slovak are two dialects of the same language. In fact, a lot of people believe that if you know one, you can easily learn the other.
They are both parts of the West Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages.
So, the two languages share many similarities in grammar. For instance, grammar rules around prepositions, word order, and verb conjugation are similar.
For instance, in Czech, prepositions always go after the noun they modify, just like in Slovak.
Czech and Slovak also share a lot of vocabulary. About 65% of all Czech words are identical to Slovak ones.
For example, the Czech word for “thank you” is “děkuji”, while the Slovak word is “ďakujem”.
Also, both languages use have similar pronunciations.
The languages are so similar that even native speakers can understand them without a problem.
2. Polish:
Polish is another Slavic language that is close to Slovak. Like Czech, Polish has many identical or similar words to Slovak ones.
For example, the Polish word for “thank you” is “dziękuję,” which is almost identical to the Slovak word “ďakujem”.
Also, both languages use the Latin alphabet and have similar pronunciations. For instance, the Polish word for “yes” is “tak”, which sounds very like the Slovak word “tak”.
Slovak and Polish are similar because both have a rich literary tradition. Also, they are very “poetic” in nature.
That’s why, if you want to learn languages similar to Slovak, Polish might be a good option.
Finally, it is important to note that it is hard for English speakers to learn them as they are different.
3. Bulgarian:
Bulgarian is another Slavic language that shares many similarities with Slovak. Both languages have similar grammar and use the Cyrillic alphabet.
For example, these languages have a grammatical case system. They use the genitive case to express possession.
In addition, both have complicated ways of declining nouns, adjectives, and pronouns.
For instance, if you want to say “the big house,” you would have to say “of the big house.”
Moreover, many words in Bulgarian are identical to Slovak words. Such as the word for “hello” in Bulgarian is “здравей”, which is identical to the Slovak word “Ahoj”.
So, if you know Slovak, learning Bulgarian should be a breeze!
4. Ukrainian:
Ukrainian is another Slavic language that is very like Slovak. Therefore, people who want to learn languages similar to Slovak should consider Ukrainian.
A similarity between these languages is that they both use the Cyrillic alphabet.
In addition, both languages have many words that are cognates. Or words that have the same meaning and linguistic origins.
For instance, the word for “bread” in Ukrainian is “хліб”, which sounds very like the Slovak word for “chlieb”.
Another similar point is that both languages use the same grammatical cases.
If you know how to decline a word in Slovak, you can often figure out how to decline the same word in Ukrainian.
So, if you are looking for languages like Slovak, check out Ukrainian!
5. Russian:
Regarding languages similar to Slovak, Russian is often one of the first that comes to mind.
This is because both languages use the Cyrillic alphabet. And this style uses a different set of characters than the Latin alphabet that English uses.
Another similarity between Slovak and Russian is that they are both Slavic languages. This means they share many common grammar rules and vocabulary words.
For example, in Russian, people say “Да” (da) for “yes” and “Нет” (nyet) for “no”. This is very similar to how Slovak speakers say “Áno” (yes) and “Nie” (no).
Another similarity includes the fact that both languages have six cases. Cases are the different ways that nouns can be set in a sentence.
In addition, there are many loanwords between the two languages. It makes them quite close.
Such as the Russian word for “television,” which is “телевизор” (televizor). And the Slovak word for “television” is “televízia”.
Thus, learning Slovak can be a bit easier for Russian speakers.
6. Slovenian:
Slovenian is a language of the Slavic languages and is very similar to Slovak.
In fact, the two languages are mutually intelligible. This means that speakers of one language can easily understand speakers of the other.
Both languages use the Latin alphabet and have a rich history dating back to the 9th century. So, like Slovak, Slovenian is spoken in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria.
Some words that are the same between Slovak and Slovenian are “dobro” (good), “dan” (day), “čas” (time), “mesto” (city), “dom” (house), etc.
Grammar-wise, both are similar for conjugation ( verb tenses indicate when an event happened).
The same goes for declension (changing a word’s form to show its function in a sentence).
For instance, the word “je” in Slovak translates to “he/she/it is” and changes form to “som” (I am), “si” (you are), je” (he/she/it is), depending on who the subject is.
Similarly, the Slovenian word for “he/she/it is”, “je” also means “I am”, “you are”, and so on. If you’re interested in learning a Slavic language, Slovenian is a great option!
7. Croatian:
Another similar language in the Slavic family is Croatian. Estimation is about two-thirds of Croats can also understand Slovak, and vice versa.
This is because both languages use similar grammar rules. Too, they have a lot of cognates (words that are similar in both languages).
Some common words that are cognates between Slovak and Croatian are “svet” (world), “človek” (man), “žena” (woman), “more” (sea), and “hora” (mountain).
Moreover, both languages have Slavic roots, and they use the Latin alphabet.
Besides common words, both languages also share many common sayings, proverbs, and idioms.
One example of a similar saying in both languages is “Nemoj se ljutiti, život Je kratak”. This means, “Don’t be angry; life is short.”
Therefore, if you know Slovak, learning Croatian can be a relatively easy task!
8. Bosnian:
Have you ever considered learning a Slavic language? If so, consider Bosnian. It is a very similar language to Slovak, Croatia, and Serbian.
If you know any of those languages, learning Bosnian will be a breeze!
A common similarity between Slovak and Bosnian is that they use the Latin alphabet.
They also have many cognates, words with a common etymological origin.
For example, the word for “mother” in Bosnian is “majka,” which is very like the Slovak word for “mother,” which is “matka.”
In addition to similarities in vocabulary, Bosnian and Slovak have similarities in grammar. For instance, both languages use the same word order for subject-verb-object sentences.
They also have similar conjugation patterns for verbs. As, the Slovak verb “jest” (to eat) is conjugated as “jam,” “we,” and “je” in the first, second, and third person singular, respectively.
The Bosnian verb “jesti” (to eat) is conjugated as “jam,” “ješ,” and “je” in the first, second, and third person singular, respectively.
As you can see, the conjugation patterns for these two verbs are very similar. So, knowing one helps in learning the other.
9. Kashubian:
Kashubian is a language spoken by the Kashubs, an ethnic group in North-Central Poland.
While it is not as widely spoken as Polish or Slovak languages, it has a significant number of speakers.
Kashubian is also similar to Slovak in grammar and word order. For instance, both languages use the same word order for subject-verb-object sentences.
Suppose the sentence “I see a Kashub” would be “Ja widzõ Kashuba” in Kashubian and “Vidím Kashuba” in Slovak. Here order is the same.
Furthermore, some words that are similar between the two languages include:
– Widzã (Kashubian) / Vidím (Slovak) – to see
– Chcã (Kashubian) / Chcem (Slovak) – to want
– Dzecko (Kashubian) / Dieťa (Slovak) – child
Although not as closely related as the Slavic languages, Kashubian shares similarities. So if you’re interested in languages similar to Slovak, Kashubian is an option!
10. Sorbian languages:
The Sorbian languages, also known as Wendish languages. These are two languages spoken by the Sorbs, a Slavic minority in parts of eastern Germany.
Upper Sorbian exists in and around the city of Bautzen in Saxony. In contrast, Lower Sorbian exists in and around Cottbus in Brandenburg.
Upper and Lower Sorbian are close to Slovak. They also share many features with other Slavic languages.
For example, all three languages use the Cyrillic alphabet (А Б В Г Д Ђ Е..). Moreover, all three languages have stress placed on the first syllable of words.
In addition, in Sorbian languages, there is a rule called “agglutination.” This rule means that words are often created by adding suffixes to others. The same applies to Slovak.
For example, the word “hospodárstvo” means “economy.” However, the word “hospodársky” (which comes from the same root word) can become “economic.”
This is because the suffix “-sky” changes the word from a noun to an adjective. When you learn a second language, these minor details help a lot.
Conclusion:
Learning a second language is easier when you know languages like your target one.
This is because languages that are closely related share common features.
For example, Slavic languages are all very similar to each other. So, knowing a language will help you. It will give you a good foundation for learning another Slavic language.
In the same way, if you know Slovak, Croatian, Russian, Bulgarian, etc. will be easier for you. We have discussed some of the closely related languages here.
Thus, if you are searching for languages similar to Slovak, this article will help you!
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