Word-of-the-Day Wednesday: Good Morning & Good Night

Each Wednesday, we’ll try to post a word or phrase in one of our new languages (Slovak and Romani) that will give you a glimpse into the place we’re going.

Today’s phrase:

SLOVAK:

Dobré ráno [DOH-breh RAH-noh]  (Good morning)
Dobrú noc [DOH-broo NOHts]  (Good night) – this is similar to our word “knots,” but with a long “o” sound.

MEANING: Much like the phrases we use, “Good Morning” in Slovak is used before lunchtime, and “Good Night” is used when you’re saying goodbye before bedtime.

If you compare these phrases with the phrase we learned last week for “Good Day” (Dobrý deň) you’ll see a pattern – the word “dobry” is the adjective “good.”  The ending will change depending on the word it modifies.  If you’ve learned Spanish, you know that in some languages words have a “gender.”  It’s the same in Slovak.

“deň” (day) is masculine.

“ráno” (morning) is neuter.

“noc” (night) is feminine.

There are really no rules for determining the gender of a word… you just have to learn them!