@ Pludgesm

I’m also from the US. Congratulations on your move, you definitely made a good decision in coming. As I’m sure you have noticed, the country is modernizing quite rapidly and most young people speak at least some English, especially in Bratislava, and are quite patient/helpful with a foreigner’s Slovak. As for learning Slovak, I can maybe put it best like this – I studied Czech diligently for one year with a private teacher while I was living there; I have been here in Slovakia for a little over a year and spent the first half studying on my own and the past few months with a private teacher. i am making progress, and can have basic conversations, get around on my own, etc. but still need A LOT of work. I should add that this isn’t my first time learning a foreign language. So, find a good teacher, pick up a copy of “Slovak For You” and a “Lingea” dictionary on www.martinus.sk, prepare for a lot of hard work, a lot of miscommunication, frustration and embarrassing situations :) and in 2 to 3 years, you should be well on your way to fluent conversation. Most teachers seem to be of the opinion that 5 to 7 years is necessary for a native English speaker to become fully fluent in a Western Slavic language. So there you go. Don’t get discouraged, though. It’s a fun adventure and people here are really quite helpful. The bureaucracy on the other hand, is another story all together :) after a year of navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth, I finally have my permanent residency, so if you need any info there, I am more than happy to help, and trust me, you need ALL the inside info you can get!