Grammar reference

Cases overview

pády

Six active cases change word endings according to their role.

Core rule

What changes

Cases change noun endings according to the noun's role in a sentence.

Begin by recognizing subjects in nominative and direct objects in accusative. Add other cases through common phrases.

Case map

Learn the nominative first. Use the remaining rows as a map of common roles, then open each case for examples.

Nominative Subject

Kto? Čo? · Who? What?
Names the person, thing, or idea doing the action. In Peter číta knihu, Peter is nominative.
Genitive Possession or source

Koho? Čoho? · Whose? Of what?
Marks possession, amounts, absence, and phrases after z, od, do, or bez.
Dative Recipient

Komu? Čomu? · To whom? To what?
Marks the person or thing receiving or benefiting from an action.
Accusative Direct object

Koho? Čo? · Whom? What?
Marks the person or thing directly affected by an action.
Locative Location or topic

O kom? O čom? · About whom? About what?
Appears after selected prepositions for location and topics, such as v, na, and o.
Instrumental Company or tool

S kým? S čím? · With whom? With what?
Marks company, tools, and means, especially after s or so.

Source

Full attribution on References.