Festivals in Slovakia and Around the World

Past Simple – Irregular Verbs

✅ Positive: I saw a concert.
❌ Negative: I didn’t go to the concert.
❓ Question: Did you see the fireworks?
⚠️ Remember: In negatives and questions, use the base verb (not the past form).

❌ Did you went? → ✅ Did you go?
❌ I didn’t saw → ✅ I didn’t see

Base	Past	Example
go	went	I went to the harvest festival.
see	saw	We saw folk dancers.
eat	ate	We ate local food.
have	had	We had fun.
make	made	They made crafts.
sing	sang	The choir sang songs.
come	came	My friends came from Bratislava.
buy	bought	I bought honey.
drink	drank	We drank wine.
take	took	I took photos.

Festival Vocabulary (BrE)

Word / Phrase	Pronunciation	Slovak Translation
folk festival	/fəʊk ˈfes.tɪ.vəl/	folklórny festival
harvest festival	/ˈhɑː.vɪst ˈfes.tɪ.vəl/	vinobranie
craft market	/krɑːft ˈmɑː.kɪt/	jarmok, trh
parade	/pəˈreɪd/	sprievod
performance	/pəˈfɔː.məns/	vystúpenie
traditional costume	/trəˈdɪʃ.ən.əl ˈkɒs.tjuːm/	kroj
local food	/ˈləʊ.kəl fuːd/	miestne jedlo
folk music	/fəʊk ˈmjuː.zɪk/	ľudová hudba
fair	/feə(r)/	jarmok, púť
fireworks	/ˈfaɪə.wɜːks/	ohňostroj

Conversation Questions – Festivals

Q: What was the last festival you went to in Slovakia?
A: I went to the Pezinok wine festival and saw folk dancing.

Q: Did you ever visit a festival in another country?
A: Yes, I visited the Venice Carnival – the costumes were amazing!

Q: Which Slovak festival do you like the most, and why?
A: I like the Modra grape harvest festival because it’s full of local music and good food.

Q: What traditional food or drinks do people have at festivals in Slovakia?
A: People eat sausages, halušky, and drink local wine or beer.

Q: Have you ever taken part in a parade or performance?
A: Yes, once I danced in a folk group at a small festival.

Q: What festival from another country would you like to visit, and why?
A: I’d love to visit the Rio Carnival – it looks full of energy and colours.

Q: Do you think festivals in Slovakia are different from those abroad?
A: Yes, Slovak festivals are smaller and more traditional.

Q: What festival represents Slovak culture the best?
A: The Detva Folk Festival – it shows Slovak traditions and music perfectly.

Q: Have you ever had a funny or unusual experience at a festival?
A: Once I dropped my drink during a parade, and it splashed on a dancer!

Q: Do you think people will celebrate festivals the same way in the future?
A: Maybe not – people might celebrate more online.