Czech and Slovenian: 40 words that are the same
Among the two thousand words each language uses most, these are written identically and carry the same meaning in both. If you have one of the two, this is the part you do not have to learn.
A shared word is not proof of a shared root. Two languages can land on the same spelling by borrowing from a third — that is all tren and bomba are — and a word that looks the same can still be said quite differently. What this list is good for is the head start.
| Word | In English | Czech | Slovenian |
|---|---|---|---|
| necs [ˈnɛ]sl /nɛ́/ | not | #13 | #2 |
| zacs [ˈza]sl /za/ | behind | #32 | #12 |
| kdocs [ˈɡdo]sl /ɡdòː/ | who | #64 | #54 |
| oncs [ˈon]sl /ɔ́n/ | he | #121 | #92 |
| dvacs [ˈdva]sl /dʋáː/ | two | #153 | #136 |
| onacs [ˈona]sl /ɔ̀ːna/ | she | #209 | #135 |
| čascs [ˈt͡ʃas]sl /t͡ʃás/ | time | #232 | #101 |
| zlatocs [ˈzlato]sl /zlatóː/ | gold | #313 | #541 |
| onics [ˈoɲɪ]sl /ɔ̀ːni/ | they | #384 | #246 |
| nadcs [ˈnat]sl /nat/ | over, above | #452 | #240 |
| koneccs [ˈkonɛt͡s]sl /kɔ̀ːnət͡s/ | end | #499 | #166 |
| smrtics /ˈsmr̩ci/sl /ˈsmərti/ | death | #540 | #259 |
| očics [ˈot͡ʃɪ]sl /ˈoːtʃi/ | eye | #554 | #179 |
| smrtcs [ˈsmr̩t]sl /smə́rt/ | death | #633 | #251 |
| šestcs [ˈʃɛst]sl /ʃéːst/ | six | #638 | #292 |
| onocs [ˈono]sl /ɔ̀ːnɔ/ | it | #640 | #1,524 |
| desetcs [ˈdɛsɛt]sl /dɛséːt/ | ten | #669 | #308 |
| možnostcs [ˈmoʒnost]sl /mòːʒnɔst/ | possibility | #716 | #324 |
| sestracs [ˈsɛstra]sl /sɛ̀ːstra/ | sister | #753 | #270 |
| cestacs [ˈt͡sɛsta]sl /t͡sèːsta/ | road | #854 | #1,028 |
| ulicics [ˈulɪt͡sɪ]sl /ˈulit͡si/ | street | #947 | #425 |
| pivocs [ˈpɪvo]sl /pìːʋɔ/ | beer | #1,045 | #417 |
| pescs [ˈpɛs]sl /pə́s/ | dog | #1,116 | #362 |
| vodacs [ˈvoda]sl /ʋɔ̀ːda/ | water | #1,122 | #445 |
| radostcs [ˈradost]sl /ràːdɔst/ | joy | #1,149 | #1,758 |
| pozornostcs [ˈpozornost]sl /pɔzòːrnɔst/ | attention | #1,184 | #592 |
| čajcs [ˈt͡ʃaj]sl /t͡ʃáːj/ | tea | #1,272 | #514 |
| ulicecs [ˈulɪt͡sɛ]sl /ˈulit͡sɛ/ | street | #1,500 | #618 |
| tlakcs [ˈtlak]sl /tláːk/ | pressure | #1,514 | #1,186 |
| stocs [ˈsto]sl /stóː/ | hundred | #1,562 | #461 |
| zločincs [ˈzlot͡ʃɪn]sl /zlɔt͡ʃíːn/ | crime | #1,609 | #609 |
| skupinacs [ˈskupɪna]sl /skupìːna/ | group | #1,622 | #539 |
| vlakcs [ˈvlak]sl /ʋláːk/ | train | #1,640 | #534 |
| okocs [ˈoko]sl /ɔkóː/ | eye | #1,686 | #575 |
| bombacs [ˈbomba]sl /bóːmba/ | bomb | #1,722 | #653 |
| strojcs [ˈstroj]sl /strɔ́j/ | machine | #1,749 | #606 |
| mečcs [ˈmɛt͡ʃ]sl /mɛ́t͡ʃ/ | sword | #1,779 | #596 |
| loscs [ˈlos]sl /lóːs/ | elk, moose | #1,879 | #667 |
| oknocs [ˈokno]sl /ɔ̀ːknɔ/ | window | #1,898 | #456 |
| cenacs [ˈt͡sɛna]sl /t͡sèːna/ | price | #1,962 | #759 |
The speaker plays the voice the LangX app uses for that language — synthesised, not a native speaker, so treat it as a guide. Voices for Slovenian (artur (sl_SI), CC BY 4.0).
The overlap is the easy part.
The rest comes from using it with someone who speaks it.