kvôli

Slovak

Etymology

Univerbation of k +‎ vôli.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkvu̯oʎi]

Preposition

kvôli [with dative]

1. for, for the sake of

   Synonyms: pre, za

   • 1912, Martin Kukučín, Dom v stráni. Chapter 3:

     On jasne vidí — prvý raz v živote — že tento svet nebol stvorený len kvôli nemu.

     He understands clearly — for the first time in his life — that this world was not created only for his sake.

2. (proscribed) for, because of, due to

   Synonyms: pre, skrz, skrze, následkom, vďaka, vinou

   • 1893, Martin Kukučín, Dies Irae Chapter 10:

     Zas si bude myslieť, že kvôli peniazom.

     He will think again that it is because of money.

Usage notes

• Sense 2 is non-standard, although fairly common, as it can be quite difficult even for native speakers to distinguish, whether they are expressing cause or purpose.

Further reading

• “kvôli”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024