Common language in Slovak course for Ukranian health care workers

Ukrainian healthcare workers became a big part of Slovak health facilities. But they need to pass exams in the field of medicine they want to work, plus from the Slovak language, needed for communication with their colleagues and patients. Naturally, they need to go through grammar and medical terminology exercises, which are essential parts of their profession. The Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic in cooperation with Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University organizes language training courses in Slovak for them. Besides the already mentioned exercises, I offered additional exercises, which are focused on a common language, they can come to contact with in their work. This article deals with idioms, which are frequently used in conversation by their colleagues and patients. The next topic this article covers is bohemisms. Native speakers of Slovak use these words, often without even noticing it. We practised spotting those words in exercises focused on mistakes. Our students are also facing slang used by young people in hospitals as well as their children who are visiting Slovak schools. So, I added also exercises with those words. On the other side, I also offered exercises with archaisms. The aim of that activity was just pure relax and fun. The last part of this article deals with regional words from different parts of Slovakia, where our students work, but this activity was just supplementary. Common language exercises aimed to increase the diversity of exercises and add a playful form of learning into the process.