Slovak Proverbs & Sayings
Phonetical Spellings
| a á as in Father | ia as in yo in yonder |
| e é as in bed, let | iu as in you or ew in pew |
| i y as in hill | ou as in ow in know |
| í ý as in police, meet | ie as in ye in yes |
| o as in bore, more short o sound | ô as in wo in wonder |
| u as in put | ú as in too, moon |
| c as the ts in cats, never as c in cut | r rolled more than in English |
| č as ch in chin, change | š as sh in shut |
| d’ much like the d in duty, mildew | ž as the s in treasure |
| j as y in yet, never as j in juice | dz as ds in pads |
| ľ much like the double ll in million | ň as the ny in canyon, the n in knew |
| dž as j in jaw, John | ch rougher than h, like the Bach |
| h as in hoop |
There are no silent letters in Slovak. If the consonant is alone, slide it into the next word and pronounce it, because it is a preposition; example: s means with; ským means with you.
Proverbs and Sayings
|
Slovak |
English |
Phonetical |
| Nie ten majster, ktorý začne, ale ktorý dokoná | Not he who begins but he who finishes is the master. | Knee-eh tehn my-stehr, k-tho-ree zah-chneh, ah-leh k-tho-ree doh-koh-nah. |
| Horšia dlžoba ako chudoba. | Debt is worse than poverty. | Hohr-sheh dl-shoh-bah ah-koh chuh-doh-bah. |
| Silný si utiera čelo, chytrý ústa. | The strong wipe their brows, the crafty their lips. | Sill-knee sea u-tie-rah cheh-loh-, chy-tree u-stah. |
| Svoje veci nechváľ, a cudzie nehaň. | Don’t praise what is yours; don’t belittle what is another’s. | Svoy-eh veh-cih neh-kvahl, a cud zieh neh-hahn. |
| S pravdou najd’alej zajdeš. | With truth you can travel the farthest. | S pr hv-dohu neye-dah-lay zeye-desh |
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| Ked Pán boh nechce, môže človek robiť , čo chece. | If God be unwilling, man can do nothing. | Ked Pahn Boh neh-tseh mo-ze (as in treasure) chlo- vehk roh-bith, cho tseh. |
| Človeka pri pijatyke a pri hre poznáš | You learn to know a man when you play or drink with him. | Chlo-veh-kah pree pee-yah-teh-keh ah pree hreh pohz(as in treasure)nahsh. |
| Čoho sa kto bojí, o tom sa mu najskôr sníva | The thing we fear, we soon dream about. | Cho-hoh sah ktoh boyee, oh tohm sah muh nahy-score snee-vah. |
| Ženu a plátno nedobre kupovať pri svieci. | Cloth or a wife should never be selected by candlelight. | Zeh (as in treasure)nuh ah plaht-noh neh doh-breh ku-poh-vaht pree syet-si. |
| Lepšie chudé pokonanie, ako tučný proces. | Better a lean settlement than a fat litigation. | Leh-shie who-deh poh-koh-nah-nie, ah-koh tuch-nee proh ces. |
| I veľký dub bol kedysi len žalud´om. | Even a giant oak was once an acorn. | Ee vehl-kee duhb bohl keh-dee-see lehn zah (z as is treasure) luh-dohm. |
| Nič nepovažuj za svoje, čo môžeš ztratiť. | Do not regard as your own anything you may lose. | Nich neh-poh-vah-zuee (z as in treasure) zah svoy-eh, cho mo (ô as in wonder)-zesh (z as in treasure) ztrah-tith. |
| Keby nebolo hriechu, nebolo by pekla. | If there was no sin, there would be no hell. | Keh-bee neh-boh-loh hreh-who, neh-boh-loh bee pehk-lah. |
| Jednaj ako cigáň, ale plať ako pán. | Barter like a gypsy, but pay like a gentleman | Yehd- neye ah-koh cih-ganh, ah-leh plath- a-koh pawn. |
| Iskra najkrajšie vtedy zasvieti, ked’ hasne. | A spark produces its brightest glow just before it dies out. | Eh-skrah neye-krah-shie vteh-dee zaj-svee-eh, ked kah-sneh. |
| Silená modlitba nejde do neba. | Compulsory prayers never reach heaven. | Sih-leh-nah mod-leth-bah nehy-deh doh neh-bah. |
| Pán Boh nie náhlivý, ale pamätlivý. | God is not impatient but mindful. | Pahn Boh knee-eh nah-lee-vee, ah-leh pah-met-lee-vee. |
| Natiahni si uši a počúvaj! | Tighten your eardrums and give heed! (pay attention) | Nah-tee-ah-knee see uh-she ah poh-chuh v-eye. |
| Len sa mi tak na jazyku pletie. | It keeps floating about on my tongue (attempt at recollection). | Lehn sah me thak nah yah-zee-kuh pleh-tee-ah. |
| Krúti hlavou ako neveriaci Tomáš. | He shakes his head like a doubting Thomas. | Kruh-tee hlah-vohu ah-ko neh-veh-ree-ah-see Toh-mash |
| Pravda výjde na vrch ako olej na vodu. | The truth rises to the surface like oil on water. | Prahv-dah vee-deh nah vrch (roll them all together) ah-koh oh-lay nah voh-du. |
| Čnosť a peknosť je milá spoločnosť | Virtue and beauty are a blessed association. | Chno-st ah pehk-nost jeh (ye) mil (as in ill)-ah spoh (o short as in or)-loch nohst. |
| Dobrá práca sama sa chváli. | Fine work is its own flattery. | Doh-bra (roll the r) prah-tsah sah-mah sah chvah-lee (ch as in Bach). |
| Dobré svedomie je mäkkíá poduška | A good conscience makes a soft pillow. | Dob-reh sveh-doh-myeh jeh mehk-kah poh-du-shkah. |
| Spravedlivá práca ako modlitba. | Honest labor is a form of prayer. | Sprah-vehd-lee-vah prah-tsah ah-ko mohd (o as in or)-liht-bah. |
| Láska nepotrebuje zákona. | Love need no laws | Lah-skah neh-poh-treh-buj-eh zah-koh-nah. |
| Na zajtra je len hnev dobre odkladať. | Anger is the only thing to put off until tomorrow. | Nah zeye-trah jeh lehn hnev doh-breh od-klah-dahth. |
| Kto si málo neváži, viacej nezaslúži. | Who is not grateful for a little does not deserve more. | Ktoh see mah-loh neh-vah-dzee (as in jaw), vee-aht-say neh zah sluh dzee. |
| Čo máme, o to nedbáme a za iným sa zháňame. | We disregard what we’ve got, always chasing what we’ve not. | Cho mah-meh, oh toh nehd-bah-meh ah zah ihnyem sah shah-nah meh. |
| Bieda nejlepši majster. | Want is the most resourceful master. | Bee-eh-dah nigh-lehp-sheh my stehr. |
| Ani nevidí, ani nepočuje od radost. | He can neither see nor hear from joy. | Ah-knee, neh-vee-dee. Ah-knee neh-poh chuh-yeh ohd rah-dohst. |
| Teši sa, len tak mladne. | So pleased. He keeps getting younger. | Teh-she sah, lehn tahk mlahd-neh. |
| Dobrý ako leto. | (As pleasant) a person as a summer day. | Doh-bree ah-koh leh-toh. |
| Tvár – duše obraz. | The face – the picture of the soul. | Tvahr duh-seh ohb-raz . |
| Do domu, kde láska byva, slniečko sa rado diva. | The sun loves to peer into the home where love is. | Doh doh-muh, kdeh lah-skah bee-vah, sl-nih ech-ko sah rah-doh dih-vah. |
| Okuliare na nos! | Spectacles on the nose! (pay attention). | Oh-kuh-liah-reh nah nohs! |
| Dobré slovo lepšie od peňazí. | A kind word is better than cash. | Doh-reh sloh-voh lep-she-eh ohd peh-nah- zee. |
| Lepšia hrsť priateľstva, ako voz dukátov. | A handful of friendship is better than a wagon load of gold. | Lep-she-eh hrst (roll the r) pree-ah-tehl-stvah, ah koh-vohz duh-kah-tohv. |
| Každý je sám svojho šťastia kováč. | Each of us is the forger of his own happiness. | Kah-zdee jeh sah-mah svoh-hoh shtah-stee-ah koh-ach. |
| Človek na tvár, ale Boh na srdce hľadi. | Others read your face, God your heart. | Cloh-vehk nah tvahr, Boh nah scd-ceh hlah-dee. |
| Čas a trpelivosť ruže donáša. | Time and patience bring roses. | Chahs ah tr-peh-lih-vost ruh-zeh doh-nah-sha. |
| Vd’vačnosť a pšenica iba v dobrej zemi rastú. | Gratitude and wheat grow only in good soil . | V dvah chnost ah pshe-nih-sah ih-bah v doh-breh zeh-mee rah-stuh |
| Kto nemá v hlave, má v pätách. | If you don’t use your head you have to use your feet. | Ktoh neh-mah v hlah-veh, mah v peth-tahch |
| Horši strach, než sama bieda. | Fear is worse than misfortune itself. | Hohr-sheh stahr-ch, neh z sah-mah bee-eh-dah |
| Ani Pán Boh všetkým ľud’om nevyhovie. | Even God does not satisfy all people. | Ah-knee Pahn Boh vsheh-kim luh-dohm neh-vee-ho-vee-eh |
| Dobrý počiatok, polovica práce. | A good beginning is half the job | Doh-bree poh-chee-ah-, poh-loh-vih-tscah prah-tse |
| Nešťastie ťa nauči modliť sa. | Misfortune teaches us to pray. | Neh-shtah-tee-eh tah nah-uh-chee mohd-lit sah. |
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