Reaction video: 10 Strange things about Slovakia | Let's get to know more about Slovakia (VLOG) 2021

Reaction video: 10 Strange things about Slovakia | Let's get to know more about Slovakia (VLOG) 2021
Hello everyone! This is my 3rd Video for 2021 and I am trying something different.
Recently, I saw this video in KZbin about 10 Strange things about Slovakia by Kult America and it was a very interesting video for me so I decided I share it with you guys and plus my personal opinions about the things I find weird or strange about Slovakia.
I hope you guys will like it.
In case you want to check out Kult America's Channel, here is the link
• 10 Strange things abou...
Kult America got some cool stuff about Slovakia so check him out as well 😉
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[@ChasingKimberly]

My First ever reaction video! What you guys think about his video? Do you share the same opinion as me? Let me know! :)

[@leonardkarolcico3925]

You should react to PPPeter the most funny and popular Slovak youtuber. He has a series about his travel around the world where he speakes english.

[@ChasingKimberly]

@@leonardkarolcico3925 I dont know if it will be interesting video Leonard, I think the video will be just me laughing the whole time and singing PPPP Peter after 😂😂

[@miarozvadska3962]

To say, you say quite wrong in Slovak... All words in Slovakia have an accent on the first sylable. So you A-hoj, FI-lipínka, ŽI-júca na SLO-vensku

[@miarozvadska3962]

But don't worry, (some)Chezch people are speaking horribly wrong in Slovak.

[@miarozvadska3962]

To say, people living on south are saying some words bad too... as example we say lypa (hard) but it should be lipa(soft)

[@leal6765]

Concept of Jezisko bringing gifts is in no way stranger than an old hairy dude going down the chimney ;)

[@mmmgi6763]

It's a myth like any other and kids who it's for don't really question things like that. We also have st Nicolaus day. The "old hairy guy" puts presents into shined booths of good children - bad children get coal. It's celebrated in earlier December.

[@lexisdrafts]

Však hej, ale tak my máme aspoň nejaký príbeh ku tomu nášmu Ježiškovi but hey, but we have at least some story about our Jesus

[@slavguy9324]

We do understand little polish, and when I say little I mean it, we can understand czech perfectly though.

[@petracobrdova5389]

Pretože všetci sme ako deti pozerali české rozprávky lol

[@simonaholotova717]

I will just add information that we understand the point of what we talk to each other between slovak and polish but cannot translate every single word. Just get content of what was conversation about. East slovak language is closer to polish than west thats important too.

[@samuelmatys7294]

Keď si z východu tak v pohode sa dorozumies z poliakom😃

[@simonaholotova717]

@Barbora Balážová áno tiež som si to myslela, kým som nezačala plynule rozprávať chorvátsky. Majú veľa, nazvem to homonym, rovnako znejú ale znamenajú buď opak alebo niečo iné. Takže sa chorvátom dosť darí baviť sa na nás keď si myslíme, že si s nimi rozumieme...so srbštinou je to dosť podobné...ale v podstate korene jazyka sú naozaj rovnaké, to je pravda...

[@luciavrabelova3356]

We can understand SOME Polish(unless you actively learn) at least a point of what they say but its tricky as well because some words are same/similiar with completely different meaning 😂

[@aeliar]

Ako rodený slovák som ešte nikdy v živote nevidel na stole koreničku so škoricou. To by som aj ja ostal prekvapený.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Presne 😉

[@lexisdrafts]

Ani ja, na čo? Počula som soliť, koreniť, ale ako keď mám škoricu, tak čo ako, idem teraz škoricovať? 😂

[@peterkolesik]

if the Polish people speaks slowly, Slovaks can understand enough..

[@ninabendulova3755]

You talk about Slovakia in such a nice way! It's so nice to listen to you as a Slovak❤

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you Nina :)

[@vratkosarovecky9640]

I am from Slovakia and I would like to thank you so much for positive presentation for our country.I love watch for your videos here in youtube.Dont stop please. I am your big fan. Vrato.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hello Vrato :) Thank you so much for your wonderful words about my videos. Ia m glad you are loving them. I hope you will keep watching more of my videos about Slovakia in the future :)

[@vratkosarovecky9640]

@@ChasingKimberly I am sure for follow you :) I like your clean English :)

[@Zralock79]

OK, let me explain some of these informations: 1.) speeding cars - that is true... yeah, we have some cars to go over a limit but have you ever been to Poland? No? Try it! In Poland there are everybody speeding. During our trip we was trying not to go over a limit. And it looks like we are an obstacle on the road for all. Driving in winter is another thing and it is only about your skill. If you are driving on the snow every day, you know how to drive and you have no problem to go "a little bit faster" than a driver who is stressed from the snow on the ground. 2.) non commercial city center - Yes, I love it. And probably the reason is because all fashion stores are located in shopping centers (Bratislava has a lot of them). 3.) We can understand a little bit of polish languange... but only a little... some words or the context. It also depends where do you live... whether you live at north of the country or south. Because people living relatively close to the borders are commonly using a slang that is using some words from the language behind the borders. The same like people on the south understand some words from hungarian language or people on the east from russian language. People were mixing around the borders over the centuries and that is where these slangs originated. 4.) castles - this territory was for a centuries a buffer zone especially for huns and turks. And people have to protect somehow. And we have an advantage from the natural obejcts like hills and mountains. So these castles were primary defending structures. Another thing is the density. If one castle gets attaced, they set the fire on one particular tower so the other castle could see it and so they were able to send troops for support. The close distance between the castles was their defending strategy. On the other side for example in China they've build for the same reason the chinese wall. 5.) shaker with cinnamon - No, this is not common anywhere in Slovakia. BTW. this is quite new and cinnamon is served on the table in the shaker only if you are in a special COFFEE restaurant. Because you can put some cinnamon on the top of your delicious creamy drink. (I have never seen a cinnamon shaker in the restaurant too) 6.) Using "Hej" is quite common. Using "Jou"... never. Yes, it was probably the czech word "Jo" as "Yes". And maybe he had mistaken it with "No", because we are commonly using the slovak word "No" not as a negative answer (negative answer is always "Nie") but as a word of uncertainty. Like "I am not sure". 7.) About the "nameday" - this is quite common it many european countries. Nameday (meniny) are in calendar in Czechia, Poland, Hungary and even in Austria. And I am sure that also in other countries and cultures. BTW you have "meniny" too. And somehow it is on my birthday on 11th October. :D You can check this site (in Slovak language) for other foreign namedays: www.mojslovnik.sk/krstne-mena/ And sometimes the same name has different day in each country. 8.) And the "Ježiško" thing is really weird. But it is because we are on the crossroads of so many cultural influences so that we always choose someting from each and put it together... and sometimes this kind of weird thing arise in the end. :D

[@ChasingKimberly]

You are awesome! You covered all the points so well. Thanks for this, and yes, I found when is my name day 😁 Výborne!

[@tulenik71]

Huns? Not at all. Huns were gone at the end of 5th century and they had nothing with Magyar tribes (Hungarians, but with that term I have some problems too). The functions of castles depend on its position and age, but in general, they were built after dissolution of Moravia and in western part if Slovakia they were border fortresses with the Czech Kingdom. Smaller ones were stations guarding some trade routes through Carpathians (Ostrý kameň on Czech route). During Ottoman wars (Ottomans = Turks), castle system was long time in decline and inefficient. Leopoldov, Komárno and similar fortifications are better examples of the state-of-the-art at those times. However, at the same time some castles were - ocassionally - still in use during "minor" conflicts between local nobles (anti-habsburg insurgences, especially in Hungary - they often side with Ottomans because as Lutherans they have more freedom under sultan in comparison with catholic Habsburgs)

[@vladimiramatejova1796]

speeding: in my experience the once speeding are in 90% cars wit BA BL signs of Bratislava. cinamon: no never. why even? jo and no: jo is czech for yes. slovaks especially close to czech borders use a lot of czech words or preposition and they don even know. no doesnt have to mean uncertainty. it can also be short for ano. you can often see slovaks saying no and moving their heads with agreement baby jesus: weird i agree. i heard the explanation that it is some metafor fo jesus being the gift himself and also a different explanations saying the gifts are from the adult jesus and the baby jesus is just born on 25 . i dont know. but as a kid i didnt have a problem with that. was only wondering how he gets inside the house. and we have Mikulas on 6 december bringing sweets who is basically santa claus

[@Zralock79]

@@vladimiramatejova1796 Well... about the speeding... yeah... maybe the most of the speeding cars have the plate with BA, BL (that means the origin is in the Bratislava), but they are mostly driven by people from all around the Slovakia who is just working in Bratislava and that are returning to their families every weekend. But have you ever been in Poland? :D You can be sure that would be an experience for you and you will never say again that Slovaks are speeding. ;)

[@vladimiramatejova1796]

@@Zralock79 Of course I ve been in Poland, but I never drove a car there - I went by bus or when i was younger with my parents. I am sure there are ppl driving much more crazy in other countries ...Italy...omg. They intentionally go when there is red on the traffic lights. As per BA cars -never ever anyone honked on me in other parts of slovakia, just in bratislava . for things like not moving fast enough when I wasnt fully sure about the route and was watching my surroundings and traffic signs so that I could know which turning is mine. And it is not that I was moving too slowly. Just not the full speed. they even honked on my father literally just because he has a plate with different letters than Ba/BL and local PEDESTRIANS were screaming on him when he was leaving parking just because of that. They are the most agressive and the most entitled drivers in SVK. I hate their local patriotism so much.When I am at home I see foreign plates cars going slower or suddenly changing their mind, but I never honk on them. I understand that they are looking for something and I can wait for 3 more seconds that is not something that will kill you. But sure also Easterners with BA plates can be agreesive especially at highways. But as per the agressivity in the city, local BA drivers are the worst

[@martinanderko9893]

Dear Kim, You should teach slovak people about positivity, smile and how to enjoy life. I am grateful, that you are...

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks Martin, I hope with my videos, I am able to impart that positivity to other Slovaks and that they should appreciate their country more because its beautiful!

[@ondrej7279]

9:50 Hej is comonly used in eastern Slovakia and jo is from Czech language (which all slovaks usnderstand and speak fluently) and both of them mean yes

[@jerrykrajnak6396]

Filipicanka - I never heard that before, where that word came from??? Ok, now! Filipincanka is not the right word !!!! But Filipina or Filipinka is the very best and right word !!! With Love 💚🌹* Jerry.🗽

[@ChasingKimberly]

yes, Filipinka sounds a lot better to me 🤣🤣

[@juliastachova1349]

We can understand polish, not every single word, but most of them and it is not problem to Slovak and Poland people to talk to each other , without switching to another languages

[@annaenenajor2748]

Hi Kim, I lived in Vienna for 4 years and in Bratislava for 10 years. I would always pick Bratislava, because of its size (easy to walk around), beautiful, small stores, cafes, and, of course, the accessible prices of goods and services! Polish and Slovak Languages belong to the group of the West-Slavic languages, so they have a lot in common (sound system, roots of words, sentence structure, etc.); therefore, most Slavic people would understand each other. As for the castles, Jan Kolesar answered it well; the Ottoman Empire is the main reason. I would also like to add that considering the fact that Slovaks were under (and oppressed by) many different nations, for centuries, their identity survived and continues to thrive. I am so proud of my ancestors! Thank you, Kim, for your videos!

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hello Anna! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, learn so much about Slovakia's history from you guys who comments on my video 😉 I am glad you are liking my video, i hope you will keep watching more in the future ☺️

[@annaenenajor2748]

@@ChasingKimberly My best wishes to you!

[@katarina7846]

I'm Slovak - we can understand polish people, as it is a Slavic language, not all, but the majority we do understand. I've never seen cinnamon shakes anywhere in restaurants, where did this guy go? Hej is a slang version of yes, like yeah, Jo is also yes, but it's more Czech. Recently a lot of English names have been added to the calendar, as there became a trend for families to give their children English names like Jessica, or Sarah, so maybe Kimberley will be added one day? Yes, we have St. Nicholas, or Mikulas who comes in the evening on the 6th December, and fills children's boots with sweets, which are left by the window, and if the child is naughty, they get coal for Christmas. Regarding open spaces, Have you been to Slovensky Raj national park (Slovakian paradise) or Tatry? They are very beautiful!

[@martinfranek7747]

Also, the castles and nobles mansions have such high density here, because this land was a central part of Nitrianske kniežatstvo, later a northern border of Hungarian kingdom when turks came in 12 century, then last remnant of said kingdom when ottomans came (these are periods from which he fortified structures came) and even later, these parts were used as sort of retreat areas for nobility, so they built mansions in the villages and valleys Namedays are a common thing in mostly Catholic countries, because a nameday is a day when a Saint of said name has (or had in tho old church calendar which was reformed in 60') his/hers feast day, (usually a day of their death), On Saint Nicholas Es feast St Nicholas (Mikuláš in Slovak) gives gifts, on Christmas christ came as a gift to humanity, so we give gifts as a reminder of him and his generosity Also I have seen some people here in comments say, that he was born in spring or even summer. That is incorrect, jesus was half a year younger than Jhon the Baptist, who was born on 24 of June (three days after summer solstice),therefore Jesus ' birthday is 3 days after winter solstice, night between 24 and 25 of dec

[@RichardHorcik3220]

Castles- in 1241 Mongolians invaded this area, Jablunkovsky priesmyk was the farthest point where Mongolian troops got in their history. They were very well trained horse riders and warriors with their special longbows. Local people were not able to fight them, even German Teutonic Knights who were called for help were defeated by them. In 1242 they left, because their ruler died. Damage was terrible, local population was decimated, sources looted and depleted. So local kings and rulers decided to protect and strenghten area for future attacks. In next 300 years were built great numbers of castles and manors, many of them with hidden tunnels and escape ways. Castles were also used as winter shelter for servants and villeins. Later Slovakia became very important region in gold, silver and copper mining, and when Turkish invasion started, those castles proved to be very effective in fight against Turkish troops. Many of castles were unders siege, but never defeated-due to secret tunnels and supplying lines. Later on in 17th and 18th century castles became too expensive to maintain and run, so they became abandoned and slowly started to fall apart. Which is a great pity. Now many voluntary groups and organisations are trying to repair them into original beauty.

[@patrickck8185]

where did you read or learn this nonsense?

[@cdgncgn]

@@patrickck8185 very little when it comes to incorrect claims, general narrative is correct though.

[@peterjobovic3406]

@@patrickck8185 Nonsense is your comment. Richard H wrote it correctly. There is no information here that many of the castle was destroyed or deliberately demolished during the anti-Habsburg revolts.

[@kajo-sr1dl]

I'm a Slovak living in Canada, moved here more than 3 decades ago when I was 7 years old. Growing up here, most of my friends (~70%) were Polish throughout my school years (large Polish community in the city where I grew up). While in high school, on average I say I would understand about 65% of Polish when they spoke with each other, which would then shoot up to about 85% after a few drinks when everyone's speech started to slur.

[@dp00197]

Hiii Kim, I totally agree with all facts u said. Im a Slovak girl, and im proud of to be a Slovak. The best strange fact u mentioned was about smiling on people around you, for me its really strange and funny, im not used to smile at unknown people, if someone i dont know smile at me I just think about if that person is a crazy or have any mouth tic😂🤷🏼‍♀️ i dont know why but for me its really weird😂. keep going, your videos are really interesting and I like watching u talking about my country and finding out what do we slovaks look like in eyes of foreigners😂🤷🏼‍♀️😄

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hahaha I like that Mouth tic, now that I look about, I wonder if all the Slovaks I smiled at thought of me the same! Specially all the Babicka 😂 Anyways, I am glad you liked my videos, I appreciate your support so much 🧡

[@mmmgi6763]

@@ChasingKimberly when I talked about this with older ppl in my family (40+) ppl who smile without reason to are either insincere, scammers or stupid. I think younger ppl or ppl more exposed to worl outside Slovak borders don't think like that anymore. At least not that strongly.

[@koffiya9184]

I plan to move to Slovakia to live with my Slovak partner in 6 months, I just subscribed to your channel, your content really is informative !

[@ChasingKimberly]

thank you! Im wishing you the best of luck moving to Slovakia, I hope you will like it as much as I do :)

[@Stenly17]

About the castle question, we were a battlefield between many nations. We had raids by Mongolians, Tatars, Turks, Magyars, and so on. We had a lot of natural resources like gold and silver, so the nobles built a lot of fortifications everywhere....

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hello Stanislav, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, I knew it has something to do about the history of Slovakia :)

[@rikoalamalz1103]

I found you like 2 days ago and i literally love you,it's so good to hear you speaking a lot of people say Slovakia language is one of the hardest languages.

[@Adam-pc8eb]

Vôbec není ťažký 😂😂😂

[@rikoalamalz1103]

@@Adam-pc8eb Pre ľudí zo zahraničia je 😅 najviac problémov im robí skloňovanie

[@Adam-pc8eb]

@@rikoalamalz1103 asi tak 😂😂😂 Ale učil si sa japonsky??? To je peklo😂

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hello Riko, thanks for watching my videos. I am happy to hear that you are loving them. I know Slovak language is one of the hardest in the world but I am having fun learning it. I also learn more from people who are commenting in my videos and giving me tips about the Slovak language :)

[@RENEDU2]

omg you're so bubbly being Philipina, I enjoy this video, I'm french canadian who lived in Banska Bystrica and totally understand the mistery of the people and the country. I miss the people, food and the nature and history!.. I am nostalgic Sometimes I think I became a little Slovak going out with a woman there too

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you so much! I haven't been to Banska Bystrica but it's on my list 😎

[@RichardHorcik3220]

Slovak and Polish. I am a language teacher, i also teach foreigners slovak language. Once i was teaching a Polish woman, she was a linguist. After some time we discovered that Polish and Slovak languages were almost identical in around 700-800 AD. After that they started to differenciate. But i used to live in the USA for many years and lived and worked with Polish people- it takes 2 to 3 weeks to start speaking Polish for Slovaks. Nothing difficult. Northern territories of Slovakia have even very similar vocabulary.

[@rebekasojka8646]

Great idea! I was so curious what you’ll say. And yes.. it always bugged me that people here tend to be so .. cold or too formal sometimes. And not just to foreginers but to everyone. Hope that changes over time. Love your videos. Waiting for more ;)

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks Rebeka! I'm glad you liked my videos ☺️☺️

[@jerseyforhawks]

Excellent take, great epi.

[@miroslavdrabik6495]

Castle was the centre of land unit and also seat of the landlord. Basicly everything important happened there in the middleage. During many invasions castles served as fortress. Thats why there are so many. Great video...

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you 🙏

[@nnsteven]

Being an Australian of Slovak origin and having visited your country - Phillipines, I am suitably impressed at your sharp and down to earth truthful analysis of Slovakia, which I am visiting as frequently as possible. Yes, it is a wonderful corner of the world. Compliments for your effort to present it to the rest of the world. You have done it as a professional...well done!

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you so much, I appreciate a lot! 💚

[@peterbartek-cestykuzdraviu9189]

“Hej” topic ... you’re absolutely right Kimberly 👍

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks Peter :)

[@xcoool]

Castle question: Slovakia is where all major invasions of Europe stopped. 1241 Mongol invasion of Europe, 1285/1286 Second Mongol invasion of Hungary ,1366-1526 Ottoman-Hungarian wars and the Ottoman-Habsburg wars 1526-1791. Geography and natural resources had something to do with it as well.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Wow, you know Slovakia's history very well! Thanks for sharing :)

[@gamesak1]

wow, you speak very nice Slovak, vyborne! You are right, we are reserved to strangers, but when we get to better know you, you are in family. Family here means a lot more then in some other countries, in fact it is far above country, laws etc. take care and have a nice day

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you 💚💚

[@annitablane7156]

Im finally in Slovakia and yoooh im excited coz im your biggest fan and being here is just lovely

[@mariabajcicakova9008]

Hey Kim! I have to confess that I really, really enjoy your videos! 😊 You talk about our country in such a positive way and it really warms my heart up! Maybe you’ve noticed that we see ourselves quite negative, especially because of our politics.. 😅 (we also compare Slovakia a lot with Western European countries, how great life there is and what we’re still missing in Slovakia..) But you really highlight positive things that we are forgetting about. And I really appreciate that you highlight this and reminding us to appreciate what we have. ❤️I also admire you to learn Slovak and that you worked so hard to accommodate in our country. I can imagine it’s really hard 😅. To the castles.. I am not a specialist, but I think it has a lot to do with the Hungarian-Habsburg empire. In the past, Slovakia was northern part of today’s Austria-Hungary and lords from there were rich they were building these castles. They weren’t something like kings or so, but they were lords who were kind of administrative people controlling particular units and taking money from the farmers. Maybe there’s more competent viewer of your videos and he/she will explain it more in detail. 😁 Anyway, I love your videos and keep doing them!!! 😍🌸🌷

[@ChasingKimberly]

Ahoj Maria! I am happy you enjoy and appreciate the videos I am doing here in my channel. Thank you so much 💚

[@aika7911]

I saw the video , and I agree with most of the things he said there . Btw.. tvoja slovenčina je fakt dobrá 💖^^ pokračuj tak ako ideš 💖💕

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks Aika for watching my video. 😎

[@desskrasnanova2672]

You’re a very professional woman ❤️

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you 💜

[@BronkaKollarova]

The reason why Slovakia has so many castles is mostly because of its mountanious character. The most fortresses (or later castles) were build during Tatar invasions in 13. century and when you defend a place, it's better to do it from above the enemy :) but some "castle towns" were built because of the high amount of precious materials (gold, silver, copper, banské mestá ako Kremnica, Banská Bystrica, Banská Štiavnica,... ) and this treaure had to be protected well too. Lastly, Slovakia was (and still is) located in the centre. In the medieval times, it was f.ex. in the centre of the Great Moravia. I think it was the city of Bratislava and Nitra from where the monarch ruled or at least it was an important place for the aristocracy. In Nitra I think, they even kept the crown jewels. 🏰 Cinnamon shaker may be in cafés or restaurants that also specialaze in cafe drinks. But otherwise, it is not that common here. I study and work in Prague and in cafés here it is more common to have a cinnamon shaker rather than in Slovakia (at least here's where I first came to know of such a thing, lol). ☕

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks Bea for sharing this information about the Castles in Slovakia. Another interesting point of view but really make sense when I think about it. I have only been to a couple of Castles here and so far my favorite is Bojnice. I hope when time will be better in the future, I get to travel again and explore more castles :)

[@weronyqa]

You look like a such a lovely cute woman, true sweetheart. I can see why your husband picked you. Your videos are always comforting and funny, love your laughs. It must be hard to acommodate in Slovakia, especially in these covid times. You are doing great. Best wishes from Nitra :)

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you for your sweet words. I'm not sure about your name but I would guess Veronika 😂 I appreciate you watching my videos. 😊

[@weronyqa]

@@ChasingKimberly right guess :)

[@danielpopadic4314]

Huge respect for someone from that far away have actual confidence to leave main native country to try something different

[@JhornyakSK]

Thank you! A very nice video about Slovakia. It is really cool to see foreigner's point of view. Keep up the good work :-) #sendinglove

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you Jan! Glad you enojyed my video :)

[@annadysko7237]

Hello, I’m from Slovakia and first of all, your videos are really inspiring and you’re so cool. 😇 Slovaks are not used to being popular or inspiring, so I really appreciate your opinion. When it comes to polish language, most of Slovaks don’t understand that language. Slovaks from the east can understand more, because their accent has more similarities with polish language. ✨ (Tvoja slovenčina je super :) )

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hello Ann, thank you so much for your kind words and sharing your thoughts about the Polish vs Slovak language 😂 I am glad to hear that you are liking my videos. I love talking about Slovakia, specially because not a lot of people do. 😎

[@tulenik71]

I strongly disagree. Most of Slovaks would have no problem understanding Polish after short period of time. Both are not only Slavic but West Slavic languages together with Czech, Sorbian and Kashubian. Even in 13th century the differences between Czech, Slovak and Polish were only at the level of dialect. When I have a service visit from Rigaku Wroclaw or other Polish supplier of our equipment, basically I speak Slovak, he speaks Polish and we have no problems. Interestingly, Slovak language is somewhere "in the middle" of Slavic languages so moderately language skilled Slovak should comprehend all Slavic languages quite well, maybe with the exception of Bulgarian/Macedonian (what is de facto something like West Bulgarian dialect) and Slovenian (the main problem of Slovenian is fluid accent, all other Slavic languages have fixed accent, but Slovenian text is still well comprehensible). I would say some Slovak dialects are less comprehensible than Polish, Sorbian or Kashubian. In Záhorie region, standard Slovak is de facto foreign language. And it is at the border of our capital!

[@mmmgi6763]

@@tulenik71 I partially disagree. Most Slovaks with no previous exposure to Polish (which are many) would not understand Polish. However if you are exposed to it most can pick it up really quick (I was surrounded by poles, no Czechs and Slovaks and I could understand 95% in less than a week but they did not understand my Slovak, I lost my Polish after few months). I think if Slav speaks another Slavic language it's way easier to process them. E.g. if Slovak knows Russian they can understand Polish little easier. Also it depends on how much effort you put into understanding foreign languages. (this is conclusion from my experience and I would love to see some data on this)

[@tulenik71]

@@mmmgi6763 well I am living almost all my life in south-west Slovakia. Never being exposed to Polish before I started with mountaineering in Tatras and at those times it was difficult to catch the words. Initially. Fast forward approx. 10 years, Andrzej from Wroclaw came to bring my scientific instrument to life and we immediately understand each other speaking Slovak (me) and Polish (he). Polish has (relatively) little in common with Russian (east slavic language). In fact Slovak is closer (pretty close for west slavic/east slavic language pair). Slovak is perfect middle ground between slavic languages :) Polish is closer to Ukrainian and Belarussian. But I know many Slovaks are better in starting to understand south Slavs, especially Croats/Serbs (what is de facto one language). I am living in Devínska Nová Ves, what is de facto croatian village (uskoks from Ottoman wars who uskočili too far) - clearly they have no problems to settle here. For us who had Russian for 9-11 years it is of course easier to communicate with east Slavs than with Poles because we are used to (not talking about my Russian descent). But linguistically, there is no closer language to Slovak than Czech, then maybe Lower/Upper Sorbian and then Polish or Kashubian (language spoken around Gdańsk), i.e. West Slavic language cluster. (Once I had romanian gf. It was interesting some sentences in Romanian are COMPLETELY slavic, they have like 20 % if not more slavic words. Some quite archaic and similar to Old Russian or what I call "old slovak" - the language spoken here during Moravia Magna, traces of which are for example in Kiev Folia.) From my experience, most of the problems with Slavs learning other slavic language are because they are too close :D

[@mmmgi6763]

@@tulenik71 I indeed understand Croatians and Serbian way more than Poles, however I can never understand Sloveniens for some reason. I personally think because English is more confortable as lingua franca for many Slavic ppl, we will understand less and less of each other's language. It's natural to drift apart but this gr8ly speeds up the process. I love fishing words I understand out of Hungarians. I never really analyse if it's Hungarian in Slovak or Slavic in Hungarian to be fair tho.

[@waynenewcombe8184]

Hi..ive visited Slovakia,Straska to be precise in & around.I found the people friendly and helpful.Hot in the Summer with I think stalks nesting on roof tops.Winter -25 & what fascinated me was old Lada's & skoda's starting up 1st time!Amazing place to visit.

[@ivanzich7865]

About the castles. I don't know if somebody wrote it in the comments, hopefully I'm not writing anything redundant. The number of castles is actually the result of first Mongol invasion of Hungarian kingdom in 1241. We (Magyars, Slovaks and Croatians were all part of Hungary) suffered a catastrophic defeat in the battle of Sajó river and king Belo IV. had to run on croatian islands. Results were apocalyptic even by medieval standards. Mongol razed basically the whole country and then retreated, as their Khan died. Half of population was dead. Only cities with stone walls and stone castles survived unconquered. So king Belo (or Béla, for our fellow Magyars :-) ) did two things. He invited new colonists, mainly Wallachians and Germans. Wallanchians brought a few thing we consided as traditionaly Slovak, for example sheepherding, bryndza, valaška axe (hence the name :-) ). Germans brought mining technologies, which was a founding stone of later prosperity. Second thing the king done was encouraging the nobility to build as many stone castles and city walls as possible (our biggest castle, the Spiš Castle, was built in this era). So when Mongols came back 40 years later, it was again a very hard fight, but kingdom was ready and the invasion was defeated. And thanks to this, in centuries that came it was easier to maintain and modernize the already existing chain of numerous stone castles (it was even encouraged because of centuries of almost constant wars with Ottoman Turks), so most of them didn't fell to ruins and can be admired by tourists :) Bad thing is, they are so numerous that even richer countries could not save them all, so a lot of those castles will dissapear eventually.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Yea I have read a lot in the comments about the history of castles in Slovakia. I am learning more about Slovakia from you guys! Yours were pretty detailed. I like it. Thanks for sharing these with me 😊😊

[@TheWolod]

Now that must be the most informative comment about history of Slovakia I ever read on youtube. Thanks!

[@nikaxa]

I really admire that you are learning slovak language- it is not easy language. A lot of native slovaks have problems with grammar whole life, but that's a secret🤫🤫

[@ChasingKimberly]

haha thanks Nikol :)

[@robtamasfi3263]

Hi Kim …. The third shaker is/was a red grounded paprika . Hi from Slovak living in Canada . I respect you mastering our language 😉

[@SlovJena]

Could be cinnamon if the guy visited a coffee shop 😎

[@simontrencan7799]

Hi Kimberly... today i watched your video for the first time :) ... I like your view of us Slovaks ... I keep my fingers crossed and i like your laughter🤣 ... just keep going

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you so much for watching my videos 😊🙋🏽‍♀️

[@igloo-gy1no]

Another great video. Thank you ❤

[@ChasingKimberly]

welcome 💚

[@lubomirahajduova2751]

Si veľmi milá a tvoje videá ma zaujímajú. Je to pohľad človeka z veľmi vzdialenej krajiny. K hradom na Slovensku: Stavali ich od dávnych čias na obranu pred nepriateľmi, ktorých bolo vždy dosť. Tatari, Turci a ďaľší. Na Považí ich postavili tak, že vždy bolo vidieť z hradu na susedné dva zjuhu i severu. Váh tečie severo - južným smerom. O blížiacom sa nepriateľovi si dali ohňové v noci, dymové signály vo dne. Tak je vidieť napríklad z hradu Čechtického na hrad Tematín, ale aj na Beckov hrad, a odtiaľ na trenčiansky hrad a tak ďalej až po Žilinu.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Ďakujem za informácie . 💚

[@danio3d8]

i didnt really read all the comments, but, i think no one have mentioned it, but we have so many castles because, primarily, we were region where there were very important trading routes in medieval times, so to prevent assaults on the merchants and stealing from them and also it provided better control over this routes so they also can take some fees to allow merchants to go through them.. so there were castles build also for this reasons among some reasons that were mention in comments already..

[@SlovJena]

Hunting games in our forests which belong to Habsburgs, Thurzo, Arpad etc and also for decades Cisar was in Bratislava for protection from Ottoman and other Sultan army, Bratislava cathedral saw coronation. They came here for fun and to hide in our mountains

[@danielkotas5069]

About the Polish language as a Slovak, when we both speak slowly, we can understand each other, so depends. I also speak Russian and there is a little overlap there as well. About the "mystery" and being reserved, I've heard that a lot from foreigners, also from a good Spanish friend of mine, who, being Spanish, is extremely open in general. Once I moved abroad, I actually realized that it is very true. I am quite talkative and love meeting new people, but I do not consider them friends and never "let them close". It takes a really long time for me to consider someone a friend and talk about personal stuff. But once they, as you said "prove themselves", they can become friends for life. Our relationships (judging from my experience) are then extremely deep and these kind of real friends would do literally anything for each other. Thank you for your videos and bringing this little country of ours to the spotlight. I hope you will enjoy every moment there :)

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hi Daniel, thanks for watching my videos, I am glad you are liking it. And YES, I am enjoying and loving Slovakia so much! So happy I get the chance to live in this beautiful country :)

[@zuzanam8942]

Great video! I'm glad you like my homeland :) Your pronunciation is really good I must say! Myself I currently live abroad but I can't wait to go back home for good one day :)

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks a lot Zuzana, glad you enjoy my video and I wish you will be able to visit Slovakia soon! :)

[@nataliapisarcikova3134]

I have never seen a cinnamon shaker too😂😂maybe it was just a restaurant that has it

[@ChasingKimberly]

Most probably! :)

[@confususeos]

@@ChasingKimberly I am almost sure he just thought it was cinnamon. It is really common to have shaker with red paprika. He probably uses very fresh cinnamon. That one is spicy and on the other hand, we are using red paprika, but not only spicy, also sweet, so he could easily swap it by his taste. (definitely not like sweet chilli)

[@simakottnerova852]

fun fact about christmas for everybody that's reading this: I don't know how this works in other states besides America, but we slovaks celebrate christmas in the evening of 24.12. Like, we have dinner and then we opening gift. + Yeah, we don't have Santa Claus at christmas but at 6.12. we have a similar thing in slovak named Mikuláš (which is just basicly Santa Claus here), children polish their boots, go to sleep and in the morning there is a big bag of sweets in or around the boots that he brought us. (Again, I don't know if this exists somewhere else out of Slovakia but I always found it pretty cool to just wake up one morning and have a month supply of sweets, and also like Santa, there can be coal or even onion in the beg besides sweets)

[@PeterLatak]

hi Kimberly..recently I discovered your youtube channel...great fun watch...thanks a lot... you wanted to know, why are so many castles in slovakia..its because of its geological position in the center of europe - crossroad of europe - middle of europe...there was medieval amber trade road connecting north and south of europe and therefore these castles were to protect traders and flurished from their taxes....plus you asked about polish and slovak language similarities, well inspite your opinion expressed in your video, yes slovaks and poles understand each other quite well in a basic topics because polish and slovak is quite itelligible when you dont discuss complex issues...

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you Peter for sharing these with me and also for watching my videos :)

[@terezasormanova8514]

The introduction is really good now ❤️ I think I old city of Bratislava without fancy shops its much better. With that Polish thing, we understand just few words, when we talk yes you can understand but not fully. I am Slovak but I dont know why I never saw cinnamon shaker ... Hej can actually mean both. Its unpolite to use it with seniors or strangers. I dont know how about others but at least in my family when we are talking about Ježiško we are not talking about a baby but about Jesus it is diminutive but I never thought about it like that so. Maybe because we are celebrating his birth. I really dont know. Anyways beautiful video and cant wait for more. 😌 Have a beautiful day.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hello Tereza, Im glad you liked my introduction now. I hope I was pronouncing it correct haha :D Thankd for sharing your thoughts and watching my video. Im glad you liked it 😉

[@ondroa]

Castles were built so we were defended from the turkish raids in the past. It was important for every settlement to have a defensive structure. When the Turkish army was raiding they killed everyone or took as slaves. So the castles were the only go to place to defend yourself or make the last stand. (Many castle ruins)

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks Ondrej for sharing a bit of history of Slovakia with me :)

[@rastik7012]

There are few words that we might be able to understand in polish but generally we don't understand polish. This may vary depending on region because language has different accents. 😀

[@ChasingKimberly]

I thought so too. Husband said that maybe few words, but he can not entirely communicate with a Polish. 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@alexlola4723]

i think the easterners have less problems with the polish than the westerners - they do not understand even easter slovak dialects 😂

[@margaretavanekova4808]

Hello, first of all, I'm glad that you're learning Slovak and I appreciate it REALLY :). To the questions you have: Why we have a lot of castles here in Slovakia is because in history Slovak country was mostly occupied by Turkish armies (that's why you can find minimally damaged historical buildings in Poland, Chzech republic or Austria). We defended all of the Slovak area in history and protected countries above Slovakia. That's why they're ruins now. One interesting thing is, that there is always village near the castle, it wasn't there when the castle was new, because it was dangerous to live in potential warzone, but later when there wasn't any usage to castles and it became abandoned, nearby ppl started to rob the castles, not only by fortunes, but building materials too. So one reason why Slovak castles are ruins now is because a lot of villages are built from the materials of castles. :D (I studied history and art history, and even if it doesn't look like that, Slovak history is going more deep that it shows up). And second one about Ježiško: It's not like that Ježiško brings the presents technically, it's for kids to be happy about mystery and happiness of the Christmas and presents (which aren't from parents :D). But for adults is that Ježiško doesn't bring the presents, with the birth of Ježiš, it brings znovuzrodenie- rebirth, of the country, of the spirit, it gives hope and harmony, it's a little bit spiritual. And again in history, before Ježiško, there was another GODS (like in Greek mythology, we had these Gods, but a little bit different, with different names, but technically the same) and when Cyril and Metod, brought the first Alphabet to Slovakia, they gave us a "correct" way to worship one God and his son Jesus, so these things replaced the original SATURNÁLIE, our old ancestors had (and that's Christmas). But in spiritual way the feeling is still there and that's the time when people are with family, have feast (because than was usually PÔST- the time when you don't have much to eat) celebrating winter solstice, because all bad things froze up and disappear. It's really spiritual and not every Slovak person sees these things this way, but they can feel Christmas spirit is about resting and relief and conection to family.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hello Margaréta, thanks for this! Looks like you know a lot about history of Slovakia 👌 and agree with you, Christmas is about resting and connecting with our family 😉😉

[@jkmm4813]

Cute video Kimberly! Thank you.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Glad you like it 😉💚

[@matejbalogh]

As a native Slovak speaker, I can to some extent understand Polish speakers. When I am face to face with a native Polish speaker and he speaks slowly, then we could hold a simple conversation. But spoken at full speed with more complicated words and sentences thrown in, I doubt I would get much of an understanding out of it. Spoken Polish is easier to me to understand than its written form. Polish to me, for some reason, sounds a bit like the eastern-slovakian accent, although that might just be my case. I would say however, that most Slovaks would find that Polish and Slovak has a good deal of mutual intelligibility. Northern Slovaks from border region understand Polish much better than southern Slovaks. One more thing- "Hej" can mean "yes", but it can also be used to get someone's attention. But be careful using it, especially the latter way, since it ain't very...formal and "nice" sounding in most formal situations.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Yea I recently found out that I can also use Hej to get attention. I didnt know that before. Thanks for sharing your thoughts I appreciate it a lot 😄

[@ivansvak5411]

people using "jo" are mostly urban people in the west who are open to the czech culture, because its actualy czechs using "jo"as a substitute of "ano"that is official formal "yes".

[@mssunset]

Hello there! I'm so glad you're making videos about your time in my home country

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hello! I'm glad you can relate, and yea these differences in cultures are very interesting discovery for me everytime. ☺️

[@markuskoarmani1364]

"only about 2-3 people I can actually call friends" Come to US. We call people friends after 1 minute of conversation. I think its a cultural perspective when a friend can be called friend.

[@pavolbodnar]

I am Slovak and I can understand Polish. After Czech, the Polish language is the closest one to Slovak.. The castles in Slovakia were built mostly in 13th century in defence against the raids of Tatars and Mongols.

[@13xclaudiax]

Instead of non-commercial ...we just have ten million billboards 🤣😂

[@ChasingKimberly]

🤣🤣

[@vladimirgaspar9142]

Yeah, there are certain dialects in north and east (goralsky and šarišsky) that you can fluently speak in south poland and you will understand each other. But i had a friend from warszaw who had problems to understand the dialect eventhough i could get 80% of what he was saying so it must be regional from Poland as well.

[@katarinakatarinova1306]

I thinkt the cinnamon shaker war there for a cappuccino :).

[@PachoHybskyZbojnik1]

I was pleasantly surprised to hear you properly inflect the word Slovak. Yes it is Slovaks, not Slovakians, Slovak, not "Slovakian". I studied English in Canada and the professor clearly told me using "Slovakian" is incorrect. I've got a bad grade on my essay because I mistakenly used two suffixes "ia" and "n" for the word Slovak. The word "Slovak" is a noun and also an adjective. So Slovaks, Slovak language, Slovak Republic is the right way. The word "Slovakia" (short form of Slovak Republic) is made of the word "Slovak" and the suffix "ia". BTW, nice channel. Keep Up the great work. :)

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you! I've learned my lesson the hard way as I was always wrong in the beginning as well so now I know the correct one 😂😂

[@kozyvon]

Fast and furious, that is how we drive :) Stay cool.

[@ewa3603]

Mám rada tvoje videa 😘💜💜💓

[@ChasingKimberly]

Ďakujem 💚💚💚

[@dianamacko8375]

Yes you're right with hej and Jo. We using hej as a synonymous for áno . And Jo use mostly Czechs and its synonymous to áno as well 😊

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you Dianka 😉😉

[@lukasvarga9584]

few years ago i spent 2 weeks in poland and we always found way to comunicate with polish people and we were both speaking in our mother toung :D :D it was not perfect but it worked

[@simakottnerova852]

5:40 We certainly do not understand polish and I think it's mutual. I meet polish people sometimes and I understand like every 5th word, if I'm lucky 3th, if not, like 20th. :D

[@migi4277]

Hi, Kim. To "Filipínčanka" si vyslovila nádherne. 👍

[@ChasingKimberly]

Ďakujem 💚

[@jerrykrajnak6396]

Filipinka yes! Filipincanka no! 🤠* 👍🇺🇸Jerry.🗽 9:22

[@samuelurban5536]

Nice, funny explanations. Please continui..

[@ChasingKimberly]

I will, thank you! 😊

[@juliamichalakova3492]

your laugh is very catchy, I think we need more Filipino smiley faces in SVK, thank you for promotion of our country, btw. those white fields could be poppy seed fields, there are several varieties of poppy seeds, the white variety tastes like nuts, and people allergic to nuts can substitute their taste with these poppy seeds (they are also rich on vitamins and micronutrients).

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you Julia for lovely comment 💚💚💚

[@markuskoarmani1364]

Jezisko is not only baby name but used to soften the character of the indidividual. Like dedo to dedusko (grandpa)or babka to babicka. (graand-ma) As you know babicka can not be baby. We can also soften your character when you are cute by saying "Kimberlinka"

[@strex9610]

5:56 yeah i can understand a lot of polish

[@petermikus2363]

When it comes to the ci among Shakers some restaurants have them some have oil and vinegar battle on the table and some only salto and peper i assume that it depending on the dratitions of that certain restaurant

[@ChasingKimberly]

It is possible, although I haven't seen one in any restaurant I have been 😊

[@kristianremis3478]

Awesome video please keep doing this content :)

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thank you 💚😊

[@kristinasulyova8966]

Every time we drive, we don't think the police are behind the screams. We always say to each other at the time, "That stupid guy was going to hide there again, or" Here we go again. "😂

[@ChasingKimberly]

hahaha totally! heard these phrases from my husband many times 🤣

[@adriangrunert513]

About the castles: they ware built to controll the bussines cross ways and as fortresses against the Turkish attacks on former Hungarian territory in medieval.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks Adrian 😍

[@deedd4401]

in regards the castles - it was an old treaty and one of the oldest security systems amongst "time lords " :) the reason why a castle with a high tower needed to be erected in each area , was to ensure that you have a clear line of sight from one to another - so if an invasion starts , they can send fire/smoke signals across huge distances and send early warning

[@ChasingKimberly]

Yea, that reason totally makes sense! Thanks for sharing! 💚

[@jurajmakovica9539]

Yeah they are called watchtowers and most of castles have them.

[@MarioAtheonio]

Hey/hej is definitely more than just a yes, it’s often used as a word to get someone’s attention, but not so much as a greeting (it can be a bit like the British “oi”).

[@rastodulla1083]

Building of castles on hills is actually very long tradition. It was started by the Celts with their "oppidum" proto-castles (before Slovaks even moved here), but most important factor was the attack of Mongols in 1241. Existing fortified castles on the hills survived, rest of the country was heavily destroyed. After that, the king strongly supported castle construction (maybe it was even an obligation for nobility, or at least it was somehow rewarded or financed by the king). Lot of different battles and wars from 13 to 17th century proved that such thing as a fortified castle on the higher ground is quite convenient. Slavic languages are similar mainly in grammar, not so in vocabulary. As a Slovak, you can identify sentence structure easily for all Slavic languages or dialects, but without knowing vocabulary, you don’t really understand.

[@ChasingKimberly]

totally agree, that's why I thought Slovaks may be able to understand Polish and other Slavic languages 😁

[@adrianrevilak2814]

Not every Slovak understands polish, as well as not every Slovak understands well ukrainian, or hungarian. It depends on from which part of country you are. I come from eastern part of country, and I can understand a bit of ukrainian, because my grand parents use to speak in a dialect, which is similar to ukrainian language. But for example, parents of my father come from more northern part of Slovakia, so in a past, they used to make trips to Poland, so I can understand a bit of Poland too. But for example parents of my girlfriend come from southern part of Eastern Slovakia a they can speak hungarian.... But for example, I don't know a single word. So it really depends on location and past of your family in the country.

[@ChasingKimberly]

I understand now thanks Adrian for sharing this to me :)

[@mmmgi6763]

How about Czech? Can easterners and westerners understand/speak Czech on similar level? When we were discussing this in group of ppl from East Middle West Slovakia and a Moravian we came to conclusion that Westerners can understand/speak Czech little better (intonation/ř/vocabulary) but I'm not sure how I feel about this.

[@barci_sk8605]

8:48 We don't have cinnamon pepper here. Rather, we have dried, crushed garlic. But in restaurants and cafes they have cinnamon, but it is used as a sprinkle for coffee.

[@ChasingKimberly]

maybe it was a coffee shop he went to? 😁

[@LaNicaViajeraVlogs]

Wow Kim, very nice video 🙂😊

[@ChasingKimberly]

thank you so much 💚

[@raeaar]

I live in Slovakia and I have no problem to understand polish. The Polish language is very similar and most Slovaks understand Polish a little. There are words that are different but there are also words that are very similar

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks Andrea, my Slovak husband can pick up some Polish words but cant communicate with a Polish. I guess it all depends on the exposure one has. Anyways, thanks for watching my video. 😉

[@michalkeckes7948]

I am slovak, and I might be wrong, but we do not say that baby Jesus brings gifts himself. It is more as birth of Jesus is a gift and to celebrate that we give each other gifts in the same way. The reason why we say "Jezisko nosí darčeky" - Jeses brings gifts, it means that celebrating Jeses birthday comes with gifts... Baby Jesus is not supplement of Santa Clause and no baby is delivering any packages ;)

[@AkinomKopas]

As a child I had never thought of a metaphorical meaning which is in your explanation. I thought that adult Ježiško brings gifts. And I understood the diminutive Ježiš-ko as familiar name - they are often used with family members.

[@janhorvath4263]

Love your smile and honest laugh....And Ježiško? Let to see and listen video Jesus to a child from George Michael

[@vaelin88]

Hi Kim! You are correct that Slovaks are more reserved than some other countries (like yours or US). Smiling at strangers is not common. If you did, some guys possibly thought that you like them or that there is something suspicious going on. But as you said, once they get to know you better, Slovaks can be very welcoming too. My fiancee is Japanese and she was surprised how heartfelt welcomed she was into the family.

[@ChasingKimberly]

That's true. I was a bit worried when I came to Slovakia first time to meet the family of my husband. But in the end, they are one of the nicest person I have met 😊 I wish you and your fiancee all the best, hope she will love Slovakia too as much as I do 😊

cinnamon shakers...probably they are at bars because for some reason people use cinnamon on cappuccino ... but in restaurant I dont know about that... actually hej can mean both yes and when you call on someone hej.. you can use it both way

[@ChasingKimberly]

Really? You can use also Hej just like in English like calling someone? Interesting. Something new! Thanks for sharing this 😉

[@jozefkostelansky]

Hi. Once more. Your words about "Ježiško were really very interesting. Because I have never thought, it meant a small child. And I think other people feel it similar. Here is a short explanation. In names of people have a suffix -ko or -ka for women, it can have 2 meanings: 1. he or she is a child. 2. he or she is adult or even old, but in this case it is a nicer version of this name. For example: Ján is offiical name for John, Jano is used in common language, but it does not sound very well. If you have a good relationship with somebody with this name, you call him Janko. And does not matter, how old is he. Even more important it is with women names. For example names Ivana, Iveta, Zuzana. Her husbands usually call them Ivanka, Ivetka or Zuzanka. It means, they love each other. If a husband calls his wife Ivana, Iveta or Zuzana (when they talked to each other), it means, their relationship is not very good. Silimar it is with words "dedko" and "babka" - grandfather and grandmother. If you tell somebody, that he is "dedo" or she is "baba", it means, you do not have so good relationship with him/her as you tell "dedko" or "babka". As for the "Ježiško", it does not mean, it is a child, but it means, that is a man, whom you have a special relationship to. But I do not say, that all people have this opinion.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks Jozef! I learn so much from your comments about Slovak Language. I just read another comment from someone about the history of Ježiško, let me share it with you :) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christkind

[@alexlola4723]

yes, gifts from ježiško are gifts from a beloved jesus (even though im not a believer)

[@nikaxa]

This is true that we are reserved. We don't trust that much strangers and some people maybe look big-headed.

[@aaa-nq8hk]

With the friendliness and such it really depends where you are. For example, I'm from south Slovakia and usually when you accidentally make eye contact with someone you smile at them just to not make it awkward much, though I feel like the younger generation doesn't do this anymore and we only smile back at older people. In central Slovakia the people in small villages are overly friendly (for our taste at least) and always greet you and smile at you. In a big city like Bratislava people are being more reserved and such. Košice is the same, just with more Hungarian around you hahaha

[@ChasingKimberly]

I have never met a Slovak that is overly friendly! Haha 😂 thanks for sharing this. I know that I can not generalize the people in Slovakia as it may be different depends on the region or location. I am only speaking based on my experience so far. Anyways, thanks fr watching the video, I hope that you liked it and will watch more of my videos in the future :)

[@beatamstrba4419]

Ja som stratila a lot from Kosice and Hungarian heritage, living in States sokoro 20 rokov. Little friendliness stick to my personality living in here. But I noticed I am still reserved around people I don’t know enough. But Kosice mi strasne chybaju . 🌻

[@michalgreslik3651]

Explanation of big number of castles is simple: 2/3 of slovakia are mountains, so it is the first line of defence. When you build fortifications on the selected places it'll be the second line. And the most important are people, who can hold them. The first big wave of rise came after Mongols invasion. there were maybe 30 castles before it, after that their number grew up to 300 depending of sources and also of definition of castle. Fall of todays Balkan and Hungarian territories of the kingdom meant, then Upper Hungary (Slovakia) was practically last stand of the Hungarian kingdom, but not of the Austro-Hungarian impery. Slovakia was the shield of the heart of Europe, never conquered by Mongols or Turks and also base for counterattacks for centuries. It maybe explains large number of castles.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hi Michal! Thanks for sharing with me a little bit of history of Slovakia. I have always been fascinated about the number of castles here in Slovakia andnreally thought that there is a colorful history behind it 😊

[@michalgreslik3651]

@@ChasingKimberly It's much more difficult. There were many uprisings and this is the reason, why that castles are in ruins. They were also bases for rebels and they were destroyed by the orders of kings. Maybe it's tradition here, but possibly the largest uprising during the 2.nd world war was in Slovakia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovak_National_Uprising

[@miba3981]

Excelent!

[@michalgreslik3651]

@@ChasingKimberly Maybe another interesting facts. Castles were built as a centers of power and also as a system of fortifications. If you visited a castle in the north in the Middle Ages, you would see at least two more castles. In case of contact with the enemy, the crews of neighboring castles warned and also warned the population in the area. It was such a medieval internet with a firewall. :) If you live in Bratislava, you probably know Bratislava Castle and Devin. Both were part of fortification system (they were not alone) in a strategically important area, but also probably the centers of power. Another center of power was Nitra, which itself was heavily fortified, but it was guarded by another 7 castles. The size of some castles was comparable to the size of medieval towns. After the Mongol invasions, there were the 3 largest castles in Europe in today's Slovakia. There were also very small guard castles, but they were built in such a way that even a small crew could defend them against any large army. When the Turks conquered Filakovo Castle with heavy losses, they thought: another 200 castles and this land will be ours. The Mongols tried unsuccessfully to conquer several castles and then avoided Slovakia, because they knew that there would be many other unpleasant castles waiting for them. : D

[@jKordik]

Hi i am Slovak i say you why Slovak people have a poker face. It stems from our history. We have long been an oppressed and attacked nation. We simply do not trust foreigners. But if you show that you are a good person, our faces will turn happy. We are a friendly nation, but at the same time we have a defensive instinct.

[@jurajbanik2645]

Hi. I never spoke or learned Polish. I don't understand words or short sentences alone. But once I was in a Polish lecture, I understood the context quite well. But it is true that I am from eastern Slovakia and we have many similar words with the Polish language.

[@ivanmatusovic7942]

definitely 😉

[@MrVolodus]

People leaving on east(not limited) of Slovakia have actually few words same as polish like jutro - tomorrow. Pig is świnia in polish and svina in slovak. Table is stol and stol Shoes are buty in polish, czechs have boty. So we may not understand directly, but it is pretty easy to speak with them after some time :)

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this :)

[@jullsomsedikova5847]

So in terms of talking about the slavic languages, you could say that we both do and don't understand polish. Slovak is also a very versatile language and even though it is not the "core" of slavic languages, weirdly enough it is MOST SIMILAR to all slavic languages. Which means that it would be easier for a slovak to understand serbian than for a czech or a polish person. For the northern parts, we could say that we do understand mainly due to the fact, that a lot of the parts that now are polish used to be slovak and overall northerns were in close relationship and contact with the southern polish people + we have an ethnic group called Gorali (which means something like mountain people in the northern dialect) and they used to speak a dialect which was very similar to polish. But I believe the southern slovaks wouldn't really understand polish.

[@ChasingKimberly]

Hello Jull! Very interesting, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. Before I had an impression that in Slovakia mainly Slovak language is spoken among all the population however i found out it may not be the case. 😉 I didnt hear about Gorali before. Very interesting 🧐

[@lucasroach7835]

the advertisement stuff is because of laws in certain areas (for example in my hometown we recently had a big billboard, poster and other types of ad cleanings...the locals are very vocal about visual smog) p.s yes we (slavs) do understand each other, some more some less bot for me as a Slovak I understand Czech perfectly, Polish like 70%, then the Balkans - 40-60%, Ukrainian 60-80%, Russian like 30% (I know there is belarusian for example but i didn't hear it as much so can't tell)

[@cwoto]

Depends on areas, some of them do understand polish perfectly, they can even speak or change Slovak language to some hybrid very close to polish. But it doesnt go other way, that polish would do samé thing. But, we are very múch diferent people.

[@maffomft9817]

Not every slovak understands polish even tho both languages are slavic. I come from northern Slovakia and my family used to take trips to Poland so I understand polish no problem. I have met a lot of polish people living near the border that understood slovak. But I also have many friends here in northern Slovakia that don't understand polish whatsoever. It is not very common for slovak to understand or speak polish. On the other hand, almost every person living in southern Slovakia understand perfectly hungarian and also speak hungarian even tho the language is completely different. And the "hej" word :D oh I love it so much. As you said it means yes when it's used as answer. You can also shout it at someone when you want his/her attention. Then it is more like "HEJ" :D And of course great video, keep going

[@ChasingKimberly]

Thanks Maffo, I'm inclined to believe that understanding other countries language depends on what region in Slovakia you are from. So like it make sense if you live in region bordering Polish, then it make sens that you can somehow speak or understand Polish language. Same as on Hungarian. Anyways, thanks for sharing your thoughts, appreciate that 😉