retired_jabda

After just being in Poland, and already due to be in Slovakia and Slovenia again for a few days each next spring, I have decided I would like to learn a Slavic language, at least to a decent standard allowing me to order things, know numbers etc. in that language and understand a bit in the other Slavic languages.

People often say Russian is the best basis, but I only seem to go to the Central Slavic and Balkan countries, not eastwards. Slovakian is meant to be a good bridge language, but not many people speak that.

If I spoke basic Slovakian, would I understand fairly basic Polish or Serbian? What language would be best to learn instead of Slovakian in that sense?

Thank you to the 4 people who will give sensible replies :thup:

retired_kaila4337

bit ambitious with the 4 sensible people point

retired_jabda

If you don't start with high hopes, you will get nowhere

retired_jenna8697

my friend speaks serbian which seems to be pretty interchangeable with most of the other baltic languages. does that help?

retired_roxy

You'd definitely be able to understand Polish if you could speak Slovak, I've seen Slovaks and Poles chatting to each other in their different tongues before and understanding pretty much everything each other said.

retired_jabda

Serbian interchangeable with Latvian? I think you mean Balkan languages.

Yeah, Serbian = Croatian ~ Bulgarian = Macedonian, but I don't know if Serbian is close enough to Czech/Slovak/Polish.

retired_Craven

I'm learning Czech just now on exchange in Prague and I know that czech and slovakian are almost indentical. According to a couple slovenians czech is similar to slovenian but closer to croatian and other balkan languages. Polish is somewhat similar but most czech people deny that they could have a proper conversation with them. But from my experience the poles, russians and slovenian find learning czech very very easy.

retired_jabda

How hard is Czech, compared to German/French/anything else you learned?

retired_Craven

Its ok i've had 5 90 minute classes now and i know the basic introductions, being polite, asking for things, what people do, numbers up to 1000+. Just starting to do verbs now. They seem alot harder as there are so many suffixes.

I've only done french at school, so it doesnt compare as i was forced to do it. I quite enjoy Czech, it helps that any where I go most folk speak czech though.

retired_Craven

I suppose compared to french and german there are alot more forms of the word.