A WORD changed my life a few weeks ago. That may sound dramatic, but I am speaking practically. I was mid-sentence in conversation with a friend when she stopped me and asked if I wanted to learn to say something sophisticated. I swallowed my pride and opened my ears to the word ohľadne. Of course, I thought this had something to do with being hungry (hladný). Very sophisticated. In fact, this word means "in respect to" or "as to". This may not seem very revolutionary but, in Bratislava terms, learning this word was like finding a private, direct bus between your panelák apartment building and the office. In other words, after learning of ohľadne and its cousin, v súvislosti s (in regards to), I no longer need to struggle through a mess of clumsy words to tell someone why I am talking about something.

Let me introduce some of my other favourite Slovak words. One is aby. It is used as a conditional (that is, with the past tense) to say "so that". For example: "Put on your pants so we can go fishing" - "Obleč si nohavice, aby sme mohli ísť rybárčiť". Just in case my example is not clear, this word is amazingly useful when you want to explain why something should be done. One nice thing about aby is that it does not require a lot of mental acrobatics, even though it is a conditional. A good way to get around the formality and the complications of the woulds and coulds is nechceš (don't you want). If you would like to politely and simply offer someone a cup of coffee, try "Nechceš kávu?" In a more formal situation, do not forget to vykať, exchanging the -š for a -te. Or give this one a try if you want to suggest a plan to your friends without being overbearing: "Nechcete ísť tancovať?" - "Don't you [guys] want to go dancing?" This use of want in the negative does not really work the same way in English, and Slovak speakers of English often use it when "would you like" is what they really mean.

On the fanciful side of language there are the similar-sounding words duša, which means soul, and dúšok, which means a sip. My clumsy ears, which easily confuse the ends of words, hear poetry between these two, between the spiritual and the delicately mundane. The happy confusion is not just my own. I came to these when a friend brewed a cup of materina dúška (thyme) tea for her cough. Materina means "mother's" and dúška means, well, people cannot seem to agree. Some think it means little soul, citing a legend that a daughter found the herb growing on her mother's grave. Others think it means "little sip", for practical reasons. I am sure that there are historians of language who have informed opinions on the matter, but I prefer to leave this etymology to the imagination for now.

Then there is the classic "nech sa páči". This is a long-time favourite of most visiting foreigners as it is so often heard on the street and in stores and restaurants. I propose "let it please you" as a literal translation. The phrase is used in situations where English speakers might say, "You're welcome," "Here you are," and "Come see what I have for sale". In my opinion, though, the statement is also an affirmation of existence. Its repeated use in pedestrian situations dulls its actual meaning, which is not unlike "let it be", but with a wish that fate be enjoyed instead of merely accepted.

By Eric Smillie,

The Slovak Spectator