Slovak edit

Etymology edit

Univerbation of k +‎ vôli.

Pronunciation edit

Preposition edit

kvôli (+ 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 edit

  • 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 edit

  • 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, 2024