The Proper Locative Case: Location and Topic
The Locative case is used for location ('in', 'on', 'at') or the topic of discussion ('about'). It is unique because it is always used with a preposition, such as v/vo (in), na (on), or o/ob (about).
Nouns:
- Singular Masculine/Neuter: Ending -e. (e.g., v dome - in a house, o mužovi - about a man, v meste - in a city, na poľi - in a field)
- Singular Feminine: Common ending is -e or -i. (e.g., na rieke - on a river, o sestre - about a sister, v zemi - in the earth)
- Plural (all genders): Often ends in -och or -iach. (e.g., v domoch - in houses, o mužoch - about men, v mestách - in cities, na riekach - on rivers)
Adjectives:
- Singular Masculine/Neuter: hard -om, soft -om. (e.g., v dobrom dome - in a good house, o cudzom mužovi - about a foreign man)
- Singular Feminine: hard -ej, soft -ej. (e.g., na dobrej rieke - on a good river, o cudzej žene - about a foreign woman)
- Plural (all genders): hard/soft -ých/-ích. (e.g., v dobrých domoch - in good houses, o cudzích mužoch - about foreign men)
Examples: Moja kniha je na stole (My book is on the table). Hovoríme o našom dome (We are talking about our house). Oni žijú vo veľkom meste (They live in a big city). Deti sa hrajú na dvoroch (Children are playing in the yards).