Kde or Kam? doma, domov, tu, sem

English says where for both, but Slovak separates kde? (where? – location) from kam? (where to? – direction). Many place words come in the same pairs: one for being somewhere, one for moving there.

• doma (at home) / domov (home, homewards)
• tu (here) / sem (to here)
• vonku (outside) / von (out)
• vnútri (inside) / dovnútra (in, into)
• vpredu / dopredu (at / to the front), vzadu / dozadu (at / to the back)
• niekde / niekam (somewhere), nikde / nikam (nowhere)

Verbs like byť, bývať, čakať or sedieť take the location word: Som doma. (I'm at home.) Verbs of motion or placing like ísť, prísť or dať take the direction word: Idem domov. (I'm going home.)