čierny
/t͡ʃɪ̯erni/
The English word black is čierny in Slovak.
The term is used as an adjective to describe something that is absorbing all light. There is also a common idiom, Čierny ako smola, which translates to "black as pitch" in English.
Meaning: absorbing all light (adj)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes its form depending on the gender of the noun it describes. Use čierny for masculine animate nouns, čierna for feminine nouns and čierne for neuter nouns. Additionally, the related noun čierna can be used to refer to the color black itself.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʃɪ̯erni/
Did you know?
- In Slovak folk traditions, čierny can be associated with the 'black soil' čierna zem of the fertile lowlands, symbolizing wealth and agricultural productivity.
- The word čierny shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'chernobyl' or 'chernobog', which refers to a 'black god' in Slavic mythology.
- The idiom Čierny ako smola uses 'smola' (pitch/tar), but in a different context, 'smola' can also mean 'bad luck' in Slovak.
Examples in context
- Píšeš modrým alebo čiernym perom?Do you write with a blue or a black pen?This sentence shows how to use the adjective čierny when describing a pen.Tatoeba #9934919 by Dominika7, translation #9934909 by ddnktr
- Dnes som si kúpil fľašu sirupa z čiernych ríbezlí.I bought a bottle of black currant syrup today.This sentence demonstrates the use of čierny in the context of black currants.Tatoeba #8978978 by Dominika7, translation #6582760 by Eccles17
- Dvaja zajačikovia, biely a čierny, žili vo veľkom lese.Two small rabbits, a white rabbit and a black rabbit, lived in a large forest.This sentence illustrates the use of čierny to describe a rabbit.Tatoeba #12701097 by Dominika7, translation #3560962 by Hybrid
- Tá šatka je čierna.That scarf is black.
- Radšej si vyberiem čierny oblek.I'll rather choose a black suit.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kateřina and Marek are looking at clothes in a store.
- KateřinaPáči sa ti tento čierny sveter?Do you like this black sweater?
- MarekÁno, je veľmi pekný.Yes, it is very nice.
- KateřinaKúpim si ho pre teba, Marku.I will buy it for you, Marek.
- MarekĎakujem, Kateřina, veľmi si za to vďačný.Thank you, Kateřina, I am very grateful for that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “black” translations and entries čierny, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries čierny, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
