Question Formation & Interrogative Words in Slovak
Question Formation and Interrogatives (Otázky a opytovacie zámená: kto, čo, kde, kedy, ako, prečo)
Yes/no questions use rising intonation or optional particle či; wh-questions use interrogative words: kto (who), čo (what), kde (where), kam (whither), kedy (when), prečo (why), ako (how), koľko (how much).
In Slovak syntax, *Question Formation (Tvorenie otázok)* is straightforward and flexible, dividing into polar yes/no questions and information wh-questions:
*1. Yes/No Polar Questions (Zisťovacie otázky): - Primarily created through rising intonation (stúpavá intonácia) while keeping standard word order: - Hovoríte po slovensky? (Do you speak Slovak?) - Peter je doma? (Is Peter at home?) - In indirect or formal queries, the introductory particle či (whether / if) is used: Neviem, či Peter príde.* (I don't know whether Peter will come).
*2. Core Interrogative Words (Opytovacie zámená): - Kto? (Who?) / Čo? (What?): Inflect through all 6 cases (koho, komu, kým...). - Kde? (Where - static location): Kde bývate? (Where do you live?). - Kam? (Where to / Whither - destination/direction): Kam cestujete? (Where are you traveling to?). - Kedy? (When?): Kedy začína prednáška? (When does the lecture begin?). - Prečo? (Why?): Answered with pretože / lebo (because): Prečo sa učíte slovenčinu? - Ako? (How?): Ako sa máte? (How are you?), Ako sa voláte? (What is your name?). - Koľko? (How much / how many?): Governs genitive plural: Koľko to stojí?, Koľko máte rokov? - Aký? / Aká? / Aké? (What kind of?): Asks for qualitative description. - Ktorý? / Ktorá? / Ktoré?* (Which one?): Asks for selection among specific options.
Examples
Kde sa nachádza najbližšia lekáreň a kedy sa otvára pre verejnosť?
Where is the nearest pharmacy located and when does it open to the public?
Prečo sa učíte slovenský jazyk a ako dlho už bývate v Bratislave?
Why are you learning the Slovak language and how long have you already been living in Bratislava?
Kam cestujete počas tohto víkendu a koľko lístkov na vlak potrebujete?
Where are you traveling during this weekend and how many train tickets do you need?
Ktorú knihu z tejto modernej univerzitnej knižnice si chcete požičať?
Which book from this modern university library do you want to borrow?
Related terms
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