Welcome to the course!
This grammar explanation will be quite thorough, which is essential for understanding the Czech language, especially if you do not speak any Slavic language, as you might not easily grasp the logic behind certain grammatical structures otherwise.
However, if you are already familiar with a Slavic language and understand how to use the verb "to be," determine noun gender, and other fundamental concepts explained here, feel free to skip ahead.
Conjugation of 'být' (To Be)
The verb "to be" (být) is essential for talking about existence or identity. Its present tense forms are used to say "I am," "you are," "he is," etc., or to indicate where something is located. The forms for the present tense are:
- Já jsem (I am)
- Ty jsi (You are, singular informal)
- On/Ona/Ono je (He/She/It is)
- My jsme (We are)
- Vy jste (You are, plural or singular formal)
- Oni/Ony/Ona jsou (They (masculine personal) are / They (feminine/inanimate/neuter) are)
- Examples: Já jsem student (I am a student). Moje sestra je dobrá (My sister is good). My jsme dobří přátelé (We are good friends). Oni jsou tady (They are here).
How to Determine the Gender of a Word
Czech nouns belong to one of three genders: Masculine, Feminine, or Neuter. Knowing the gender is crucial because it affects the endings of adjectives and other words used with the noun. Generally, the gender is evident from the noun's ending in its basic form (nominative singular):
- Masculine: Most nouns ending in a hard or soft consonant are masculine (e.g., hrad - castle, stůl - table, učitel - teacher, muž - man).
- Feminine: Most nouns ending in -a are feminine (e.g., žena - woman, kniha - book). Some nouns ending in a consonant are feminine (e.g., věc - thing, moc - power).
- Neuter: Most nouns ending in -o, -e, or -í are neuter (e.g., město - city, moře - sea, stavení - building).
- Keep in mind: There are some exceptions to these rules, especially with consonant-ending feminine nouns and some masculine nouns ending in vowels, where gender needs to be memorized.
The Nominative Case: The Subject and Naming
The Nominative case is the basic form of a noun or adjective, primarily used for the subject of a sentence (who or what performs the action) or simply to name things. This is the form you will find words in dictionaries.
Nouns: Singular forms follow the gender rules described above. Plural forms vary based on gender and animacy for masculine nouns.
- Hard Masculine Examples: Sg: hrad. Pl: hrady (inanimate), hrady (animate).
- Soft Masculine Examples: Sg: muž. Pl: muži.
- Feminine Examples: Sg: žena. Pl: ženy. Sg: věc. Pl: věci.
- Neuter Examples: Sg: město. Pl: města. Sg: moře. Pl: moře.
Adjectives: Agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Adjectives have different endings for hard and soft stems.
- Hard Stem Examples: Singular: dobrý (m), dobrá (f), dobré (n). Plural: dobří (masculine animate), dobré (other genders/non-masculine animate).
- Soft Stem Examples: Singular: jarní (m/f), jarní (n). Plural: jarní (all genders). Soft adjectives have the same form for masculine and feminine singular.
Examples: Dobrý dům je starý (A good house is old). Jarní květiny jsou krásné (Spring flowers are beautiful). Krásné ženy mluví (Beautiful women are speaking).
Demonstrative Pronouns (Nominative) and Why Use Them
Demonstrative pronouns help us specify particular nouns, similar to using "this" or "that" in English. In the Nominative case, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to. Using them helps to clarify exactly which item you mean from a group.
- Singular: ten (m), ta (f), to (n) - (this/that)
- Plural: ti (masculine animate), ty (feminine/inanimate masculine), ta (neuter) - (these/those)
- Examples: Ten dům je velký (This/That house is big). Ta kniha je moje (This/That book is mine). To je naše město (This/That is our city). Ti lidé jsou veselí (These/Those people are cheerful).