Today’s lesson is knowing how to read date and time in Slovak! Be prepared for an in-depth learning experience as we will walk you through the best keywords and expressions to use so native speakers will understand you better.
After all, time is one of the most important aspects to learn when traveling to a new and possibly unfamiliar country because you surely don’t want to miss your train, plane, bus, or an important meeting. Are you ready? Let’s go!
What Are The Time Zones In Slovakia
Slovakia uses standard time and is located in the Central European Time time zone. In Slovakia, they observe daylight savings, which means the clocks are switched back and forward once a year. On the last Sunday in March, the clocks are switched back one hour to GMT +2. Then, on the last Sunday in October, the clocks are moved one hour ahead to GMT +3.
This can be confusing, so you’ll see this indicated with Central European Summer Time (CEST) and Central European Winter Time (CEWT) to help you differentiate so you don’t mix up dates or times in Slovakia.
The Slovak Calendar
The calendar used in Slovakia is the Georgian calendar, which is the calendar used in most parts of the world, including Europe. This means the year and dates will be the same. Nothing to worry about here or memorize!
All About Date And Time In Slovak
Here we go! We’re going to dive into everything you need to know about telling the time and date in Slovak.
Days Of The Week In Slovak
Here is your first lesson on the days of the week in Slovak. In Slovakia, the first day of the week is Monday. Knowing the days of the week is typically one of the first things you would have learned at school, just like yes and no!
Months Of The Year In Slovak
Here is how to say the read and say the 12 months of the year in Slovak to help you read the date or talk about your birthday. If you’re into history, have a look at the original names for the months of the year in archaic Slovak.
| English | Slovak | Pronunciation |
| Monday | pondelok | |
| Tuesday | utorok | |
| Wednesday | streda | |
| Thursday | štvrtok | |
| Friday | piatok | |
| Saturday | sobota | |
| Sunday | nedeľa |
Months Of The Year In Slovak
Here is how to say the read and say the 12 months of the year in Slovak to help you read the date or talk about your birthday. If you’re into history, have a look at the original names for the months of the year in archaic Slovak.
| English | Slovak | Pronunciation |
| January | január | |
| February | február | |
| March | marec | |
| April | apríl | |
| May | máj | |
| June | jún | |
| July | júl | |
| August | august | |
| September | september | |
| October | október | |
| November | november | |
| December | december |
Here are ways to talk about birthdays:
Seasons In Slovak
You may enter into a conversation about the seasons, so here is the Slovak vocabulary to talk about the seasons:
Days Of The Month In Slovak
To discuss and say the date in Slovak properly, you must know how to say the ordinal numbers:
How To Read The Year In Slovak
The years in Slovak are read just like regular numbers. So rather than split the year into halves, such as 2020 would be read in the west as 20/20 (twenty-twenty.) Rather in Slovak, the years are read like this:
- 1989 or one thousand nine hundred eighty-nine = tisíc deväťsto osemdesiat deväť
- 1997 or one thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven =jedna tisíc deväťsto deväťdesiatsedem
- 2010 or two thousand and ten = dve tisíc desať
- 2022 or two thousand and twenty-two = dve tisíc dvadsaťdva
Reading The Date In Slovak
Unlike some countries around the world, in Slovakia, the date is read as day, month, or year. For example, it would be shown as 14/3/2022 and translate as:
štrnásty pochod dve tisíc dvadsaťdva (14th of March, 2022)
Times Of The Day
Being able to talk about the times of the day is important if you are planning a meeting for work meeting up with a friend. Here are the words to discuss times of day in Slovak:
| English | Slovak | Pronunciation |
| Morning | ráno | |
| Lunchtime | obed | |
| Afternoon | popoludnie | |
| Evening | večer | |
| Dusk | súmraku | |
| Sunrise | svitanie | |
| Sunset | západ slnka | |
| Nighttime | nočný čas |
How To Tell Time In Slovak
How Do You Differentiate Between AM And PM In Slovak?
Well, it’s a bit confusing. There are different ways to express hours depending on the time. 1 o’clock has its own special denotation, as does any times between 2-4. Between 5-12 is another notation of time.
Here are some examples:
- 1 o’clock – 1 hodina
- 2, 3, 4 o’clock – 3 hodiny
- 5 – 12 o’clock – 7 hodin
Do Slovaks Use The 12-Hour Or 24-Hour Clock?
Thankfully (depending on your preference), Slovakia uses the 12-hour clock. However, they do not denote mornings and afternoons using am or pm. Instead, they may use the terms above to denote times of day but more commonly differentiate using a different form of the word ‘hour.’
How To Say Half-past, Quarter To, And Quarter Past In Slovak
Here are the terms related to quarters and halfs of time. When used with time, they change.
Half past is relatively easy to recall. Simply say pol and then the hour. Quarter past is the same as you’d expect, meaning 15 minutes past the hour. Quarter to also operates as it should with it, translating to 15 minutes to the next hour.
Here are some examples of what these look like in the Slovak language:
- Quarter past 2 = štvrť minulé dva
- Quarter past 7 = štvrť minulé sedem
- Half past 8 = pol osem
- Half past 1 = pol jeden
- Quarter to 10 = tri štvrte na desať
- Quarter to 4 = tri štvrte na štyri
A Quick Guide To Reading And Telling Time In Slovak
Here are some other time-related words in Slovak that are useful to know:
| English | Slovak | Pronunciation |
| second | druhý | |
| seconds | sekúnd | |
| minute | minútu | |
| minutes | minút | |
| hour | hodina | |
| hours | hodiny | |
| day | deň | |
| days | dni | |
| week | týždeň | |
| weeks | týždňov | |
| month | mesiac | |
| months | mesiacov | |
| year | rok | |
| years | rokov |
Talking About Time In Slovak
Asking And Answering Questions About Time
Here’s how you would ask about the date:
- What date is it today? = Aký je dnes deň?
- It’s the twenty-second of January, two thousand ten. = Dnes je dvadsiaty druhý január dvetisícdesať.
- What’s the date today? = Koľkého je dnes?
- It’s the twenty-second of January, two thousand ten. = Dnes je dvadsiateho druhého januára dvetisícdesať.
Adverbs Of Time In Slovak
These are invaluable words to learn in Slovak so you can carry on daily conversations:
Learn Time And Dates In Slovak With Ling!
That doesn’t mean you stop learning, though! Imagine how much more you can confidently communicate if you knew even a little more Slovak?
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With Ling, you’ll learn how to pronounce the rather difficult Slovak words and phrases. You can also learn by conversing with our AI chatbot, using SRS flashcards, and tracing alphabets or scripts on your phone! However, you will be surprised to know that the app offers many more incredible features. Presently, it has over 10 million downloads, and the reason for such a great number is that you’ll experience all the skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking within the app.
Head over to Google Play or the Apple Store to check it out and learn even more Slovak language skills in just 10-15 minutes a day. Download Ling today and start speaking confidently in Slovak!
