Slovak is the official language of Slovakia and is the primary language used in Bratislava. It is related to Czech and the two languages are mutually intelligible to a certain extent, leading some foreigners to assume incorrectly that they are dialects of each other. Czech and Slovaks have historically been able to understand each other without the need of a translator, although young people in both countries have less exposure to each other's language nowadays and hence their understanding may no longer always be perfect. Russian is also understood quite well by the older generations, but few Slovaks will be pleased to be addressed in Russian. You will do better trying to speak English or German among the younger population, or in fact with almost anyone. However, learning to say some Slovak words (even if it's just a few phrases) will surely endear yourself to the locals.
Try "Dobrý Deň (DOH-bree dyen)," literally "good day" which is the universal greeting.
To ask for something say "Prosím si... (pro-seem see)" or to say Please, simply "Prosím" (pro-seem). Thank you is "Ďakujem" (DYA-koo-yem), or "Diki (dee-kee)" for short.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Bratislava
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Bratislava - updated May 2024
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Bratislava Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
