AboutSam Expertise I can answer questions about the country`s history, culture, politics, economy, geography. I speak fluent Slovak. If you are planning a visit, I can recommend the places to see - especially the nature in Slovakia is worth it.
Experience I am a Slovak which makes me an expert in the language and culture. I am also a traveller so I know Slovakia quite well. I will do anything to find out the answer to your question.
Question I'm moving to Slovakia. IS it a mistake to take a Czech language course and not a Slovak course? how similar are the languages? thanks
Answer Hi Mary,
I guess it depends on how long you are moving in for, and how far you will have got with your Czech by the time you get to Slovakia.
The languages really are quite similar; the word roots are the same in perhaps 95% of cases. What's different are the word endings and the way you "inflect" them.
Generally speaking, a Czech speaker is better off in Slovakia than vice versa. The Slovaks understand the Czech language; the Czechs acknowledge they have lost their comprehension of Slovak. (I am now living in Prague and I have had to switch to Czech; a step unimaginable 10 years ago.) In this respect, it is OK to learn Czech when going to Slovakia.
Should you get far in your Czech (prior to your arrival here), I think you can be a Czech speaker in Slovakia all right. However, if you think you will only get through the basics, living in Slovakia is likely to breed your Czech into some mixture of Czech & Slovak anyway, or turn it into Slovak completely.
I would say - if you have the opportunity, take Slovak. If not, Czech is perfectly fine. In bigger cities your English will do in most cases (only with the young, of course), but the Slovaks are patriots and they will be impressed by your willingness to master the language. (You might not impress them so much with Czech; just as you might or might not impress a Ukrainian by speaking Russian, or a Dane by speaking Swedish...)
OK, I hope this helps you decide. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
