# All Slavic languages: fast



## Tolovaj_Mataj

I watched one James Bond movie a couple of days ago (I don't remember the title, it was the first or the second with Timothy Dalton, but this is irrelevant). 
In the beggining Bond runs away by his car from Bratislava having firstly the police and later soldiers after him. There it was possible to hear soldiers shouting: "Hitro, hitro!" which could be explained as 'fast, fast!'

Now my question is (Jana maybe?) if the word 'hitro' has any meaning in Slovak or/and Czech? Or maybe even in Russian?

If not, then I guess the movie adviser for Slavic languages had to be Slovene.  
(I'm just trying to establish another Slovak-Slovene connection.  )


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## Jana337

It must have been "chytro", which means "quickly", "promptly" in Slovak (but not in Czech). For Czechs, "chytro" sounds like "cleverly". Funnily, the English word "smart" captures both "clever" and "quick" (and other expressions as well).

In Czech, the generic word for "fast" is "rychle".


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## Tolovaj_Mataj

Thanks, Jana.
So there's no difference between "chytro" and "hitro", just in spelling. 
Our brothers Slovaks.


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## Q-cumber

We have such a word in Russian - "хитро" (hitro), but it means  craftily, foxily.


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## Tolovaj_Mataj

I see... false friends in Czech and Russian.


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## Kriviq

Q-cumber said:


> We have such a word in Russian - "хитро" (hitro), but it means  craftily, foxily.



The same in Bulgarian.


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## Athaulf

The adverb _hitro_ means approximately _fast_ or _quickly_ in Croatian. It would be very unusual to use it as an exclamation, though. Also, it's hard to find an exact context-independent English translation for it. It typically has a connotation of physical agility and/or enthusiasm with which an action is performed.


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## Q-cumber

*Tolovaj_Mataj*

How would you translate it? 

*Hitro, hitro* mine čas,
kaj v tem letu čaka nas?
Vsaka zvezda ena ?želja,
za veselje, zdravje, srečo!
Vse t ...  Found at: http://www.verzi.info/


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## Irbis

Quickly, quickly time goes by,
what is waiting for us in this year?
Each star, one wish,
for joy, health, happiness(luck)!

Something like this.


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## GyörgyMS

In Polish the adverb 'chytrze' means clever, too, but with a rather negative connotation.


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## Maja

Athaulf said:


> The adverb _hitro_ means approximately _fast_ or _quickly_ in Croatian.


 Same in Serbian! (What a surprise?! )
Also: 
hitar (hitra, hitro) adj. - fast, quick; clever, adroit;
pohitati v. - to rush, hurry
hitan (hitna, hitno) adj. - urgent, critical, pressing.


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## Q-cumber

*Irbis*

Thank you! Actually, I wasn't sure about the first line. The rest was understandable.


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## beclija

So it is a false friend with Serbian/Croatian/Slovenian/Slovak on one side and Czech/Polish/Russian/Bulgarian (or should we just say: the rest) on the other. Slovak as a member of the Western group of South Slavic once again


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## Thomas1

GyörgyMS said:


> In Polish the adverb 'chytrze' means clever, too, but with a rather negative connotation.


I'm curious to know if "chytro" would also work in Polish.
It can mean also greedily; shrewdly.

As you said it's an adverb so it means clever*ly*. 


beclija said:


> So it is a false friend with Serbian/Croatian/Slovenian/Slovak on one side and Czech/Polish/Russian/Bulgarian (or should we just say: the rest) on the other. Slovak as a member of the Western group of South Slavic once again


I'm wondering what the primordial meaning of this word was.



Tom


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## GyörgyMS

Thomas1 said:


> As you said it's an adverb so it means clever*ly*.



Oh, this is my old German disease, since adjective and adverb are always the same. In this particular case German is very easy compared to other languages.


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