Czech/Pronouns
Details on and declination of personal pronouns
editAs other pronouns, also personal pronouns are declined in Czech language. As verbs used with pronouns are declined and it's easy for listener to guess person (first, second, third) and number (singular, plural), pronouns are not often use in their primary form - nominative. Examples with nominative written below are a little bit artificial structures. Czechs do not usually make sentences with nominative form of pronouns unless they want to emphasize the person.
I
editPronoun já [jaː] (I in English) substitutes speaker (first person) in a sentence.
form 1 | form 2 | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | já [jaː] | Já to umím. [jaː tɔ umiːm] | I can do it. | |
genitive | mě [mɲɛ] | mne [mnɛ] | Hráli si beze mě. [ˈɦraːlɪ sɪ ˈbɛzɛ mɲɛ] | They played without me. |
dative | mně [mɲɛ] | mi [mɪ] | Maminko, povídej mi pohádku, prosím. [mamɪŋkɔ pɔviːdɛj mɪ poɦaːtkʊ prosiːm] | Mum, tell me a fairytale, please. |
accusative | mě [mɲɛ] | mne [mnɛ] | Vidíš mě? [vɪɟiːʃ mɲɛ] | Can you see me? |
vocative | * | |||
locative | mně [mɲɛ] | Povídali si o mně. [pɔviːdalɪ sɪ ɔmɲɛ] | They talked about me. | |
instrumental | mnou [mnɔʊ̯] | Můžeš pracovat se mnou. [muːʒɛʃ prat͡sɔvat sɛ mnɔʊ̯] | You can work with me. |
* Vocative of já is not used.
You (singular)
editTy [tɪ] (you in English) is used to replace speaker's partner (second person, singular). It's mostly used in informal conversation, i.e. when speakers are friends or members of same family, when one speaker is significantly older than the other or when the speaker abuses their partner. In formal conversations pronoun vy [vɪ] is broadly used to address speaker's partner.
form 1 | form 2 | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | ty [tɪ] | Ty jsi náš hrdina. [tɪ jsɪ naːʃ hrɟɪna] | You are our hero. | |
genitive | tě [cɛ] | tebe [tɛbɛ] | Od tebe jsem nic nečekal. [ot tɛbɛ ˈjsɛm ˈɲɪt͡s nɛt͡ʃɛkal] | I didn't expect anything from you. |
dative | ti [cɪ] | tobě [tɔbjɛ] | Táta ti to poví. [taːta cɪ tɔ pɔviː] | Dad is going to tell you. |
accusative | tě [cɛ] | tebe [tɛbɛ] | Uděláš-li chybu, opravím tě. [uɟɛlaːʃ lɪ xɪbʊ ɔpraviːm cɛ] | If you make mistake, I will correct you. |
vocative | ty [tɪ] | Ty v tom modrém triku, pojď sem! [tɪ ftɔm mɔdrɛːm trɪkʊ pɔjc sɛm] | You, the one in blue t-shirt, come here! | |
locative | tobě [tɔbjɛ] | Ta kniha je o tobě. [ta kɲɪɦa jɛ ɔtɔbjɛ] | The book is about you. | |
instrumental | tebou [tɛbɔʊ̯] | Nad tebou je obloha. [nad tɛbɔʊ̯ jɛ ɔblɔɦa] | There is the sky above you. |
He
editPronoun on [ɔn] (he in English) is a substitution for third person, singular, masculine gender. It substitutes masculine singular nouns in sentences. Unlike English there is no influence of animacy or humanity to use this pronoun, only gender of the substituted noun is relevant. Therefore in Czech on substitutes nouns strom (a tree), stroj (a machine) or hrad (a castle) as well as lékař (a doctor), otec (a father), majitel (an owner) or herec (an actor).
form 1 | form 2 | form 3 | form 4 | form 5 | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | on [ɔn] | Tu smlouvu podepsal on. [tʊ smlɔʊ̯vʊ pɔdɛpsal ɔn] | It was he who signed the agreement. | ||||
genitive | ho [ɦɔ] | jej [jɛj] | něj [ɲɛj] | jeho [jɛɦɔ] | něho [ɲɛɦɔ] | Bez něj jsou Prokopovi ztraceni. [bɛzɲɛj sɔʊ̯ prɔkɔpɔvɪ strat͡sɛɲɪ] | The Prokops are lost without him. |
dative | mu [mʊ] | jemu [jɛmʊ] | němu [ɲɛmʊ] | Jakub mu dal míč. [jakʊp mʊ dal miːt͡ʃ] | Jacob gave him a ball. | ||
accusative | ho [ɦɔ] | jej [jɛj] | něj [ɲɛj] | jeho [jɛɦɔ] | něho [ɲɛɦɔ] | Jindřich jej provázel po celou cestu. [jɪndr̝ɪx jɛj prɔvaːzɛl pɔt͡sɛlɔʊ̯ t͡sɛstʊ] | Henry has accompanied him all the way. |
vocative | * | ||||||
locative | něm [ɲɛm] | Helena udržela tajemství - nic nám o něm neřekla. [ɦɛlɛna ʊdrʒɛla tajɛmstviː ɲɪt͡s naːm ɔɲɛm nɛr̝ɛkla] | Helen kept the secret - she did not tell us anything about him. | ||||
instrumental | jím [jiːm] | ním [ɲiːm] | Vstoupili s ním do první místnosti hradu. [fstɔʊ̯pɪlɪ sɲiːm dɔpr̩vɲiː miːsnɔscɪ ɦradʊ] | They entered with him to first room of the castle. |
* Vocative of on is not used.
She
editOna [ɔna] (she in English) is third person singular, feminine gender. Pronoun ona substitutes feminine nouns (animate and inanimate ones), i.e. it can be is used to replace nouns as kočka (a cat), láhev (a bottle), vnučka (a granddaughter ) or lampa (a lamp).
form 1 | form 2 | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | ona [ɔna] | To ona připravila ten dort. [tɔ ɔna pr̝ɪpravɪla tɛn dɔrt] | It was she who made the cake. | |
genitive | jí [jiː] | ní [ɲiː] | Vrátil se bez ní. [vraːtɪl sɛ bɛzɲiː] | He came back without her. |
dative | jí [jiː] | ní [ɲiː] | Děda požádal vnuka, abych jí to dal. [djɛda pɔʒaːdal vnʊka abɪ jiː tɔ dal] | My Granddad asked his grandson to give it to her. |
accusative | ji [jɪ] | ni [ɲɪ] | Petr ji požádal o pomoc. [pɛtr̩ jɪ pɔʒaːdal ɔpɔmɔt͡s] | Peter asked her for help. |
vocative | * | |||
locative | ní [ɲiː] | Nevěděli jsme o ní nic. [nɛvjɛdjɛlɪ smɛ ɔɲiː nɪt͡s] | We didn't know anything about her. | |
instrumental | jí [jiː] | ní [ɲiː] | Jan s ní procestoval celý svět. [jan sɲiː prɔt͡sɛstɔval t͡sɛliː svjɛt] | John has travelled the whole world with her. |
* Vocative of ona is not used.
It
editOno [ɔnɔ] (it in English) is a substitution for third person singular, neuter gender. It is used instead of neuter nouns, e.g. instead of auto (a car), vězení (a prison), zvíře (an animal).
form 1 | form 2 | form 3 | form 4 | form 5 | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | ono [ɔnɔ] | Chytnul jsem kuře a ono mi uteklo. [xɪtnʊl sɛm kʊr̝ɛ a ɔnɔ mɪ ʊtɛklɔ] | I caught a chicken and it has escaped. | ||||
genitive | ho [ɦɔ] | jej [jɛj] | něj [ɲɛj] | jeho [jɛɦɔ] | něho [ɲɛɦɔ] | Moře - spatřil jej jen jednou. [mɔr̝ɛ - spatr̝ɪl jɛj jɛn jɛdnɔʊ̯] | A sea - he has seen it only once. |
dative | mu [mʊ] | jemu [jɛmʊ] | němu [ɲɛmʊ] | Rodiče uviděli staveniště a šli k němu. [rɔɟɪt͡ʃɛ ʊvɪɟɛlɪ stavɛɲɪʃcɛ a ʃlɪ kɲɛmʊ] | Parents saw construction site and went to it. | ||
accusative | ho [ɦɔ] | je [jɛ] | ně [ɲɛ] | jej [jɛj] | něj [ɲɛj] | To je obilné pole? Ano, maluji jej. [tɔ jɛ ɔbɪlnɛː pɔlɛ - anɔ malʊjɪ jɛj] | Is that cornfield? Yes it is - I just am painting it. |
vocative | * | ||||||
locative | něm [ɲɛm] | Jiří si koupil sako, ale neřekl mi o něm. [jɪr̝iː sɪ kɔʊ̯pɪl sakɔ alɛ nɛr̝ɛkl mɪ ɔɲɛm] | George bought a coat but he did not say to me about it. | ||||
instrumental | jím [jiːm] | ním [ɲiːm] | Měli s sebou jasné světlo, došli s ním až do města. [mɲɛlɪ sɛbɔʊ̯ jasnɛː svjɛtlɔ dɔʃlɪ sɲiːm aʒ dɔ mɲɛsta] | They had a bright light and went with it to the town. |
* Vocative of ono is not used.
We
editPronoun my [mɪ] (we in English) substitutes first person plural.
form 1 | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|
nominative | my [mɪ] | My máme maso, ó, my se máme! [mɪ maːmɛ masɔ ɔː mɪ sɛ maːmɛ] | We had meat, oh, we are so lucky! |
genitive | nás [naːs] | Je nás na ten úkol málo. [jɛ naːs na tɛn uːkɔl maːlɔ] | It's too little of us to manage the task. |
dative | nám [naːm] | Jeho bratranec nám otevřel bránu. [jɛɦɔ bratranɛt͡s naːm otɛvr̝ɛl braːnʊ] | His cousin has opened the gate for us. |
accusative | nás [naːs] | Nás se to netýká. [naːsɛ tɔ nɛtiːkaː] | It does not concern us. |
vocative | my [mɪ] | My, hasiči, pojďme hasit! [mɪ ɦasɪt͡ʃɪ pɔjcmɛ ɦasɪt] | We, firemen, let's quensch! |
locative | nás [naːs] | Ten příběh vypráví o nás. [tɛn pr̝iːbjex vɪpraːviː ɔnaːs] | The story talks about us. |
instrumental | námi [naːmɪ] | Tomáš a Marie s námi pobyli týden u moře. [tɔmaːʃ a marɪɛ snaːmɪ pɔbɪlɪ tiːdɛn ʊmɔr̝ɛ] | Thomas and Mary have stayed with us at the seaside for a week. |
You (plural)
editPronoun vy [vɪ] (you in English) substitutes second person plural. It is used not only to address a group of speaker's partners but also in formal speech called vykání. In that speech pronoun vy is used and verbs are declined in plural (except the declination in case of conditional and past tense).
English does not distinguish between you in singular and you in plural and it does not use vykání either. At English-to-Czech translation one must understand the context to use the appropriate forms of pronouns and verbs.
form 1 | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|
nominative | vy [vɪ] | Vy jste vyhráli pohár. [vɪ stɛ vɪɦraːlɪ pɔɦaːr] | You have won the cup! |
genitive | vás [vaːs] | Vás dva Jeroným potřebuje. [jɛ naːs na tɛn uːkɔl maːlɔ] | Jerome needs the two of you. |
dative | vám [vaːm] | Vám patří celé toto pole. [vaːm patr̝iː t͡sɛlɛː tɔtɔ pɔlɛ] | This whole field belongs to you. |
accusative | vás [vaːs] | Vás obdivuju, skládáte pěkné písně. [vaːs ɔpɟɪvʊjɪ sklaːdaːtɛ pjɛknɛː piːsɲɛ] | I admire you, you compose very nice songs. |
vocative | vy [vɪ] | Hej, vy tam - jděte z toho pozemku! [ɦɛɪ vɪ tam ɟɛtɛ stɔɦɔ pɔzɛmkʊ] | Hey you there - leave that land! |
locative | vás [vaːs] | Ta hra je o vás, o vašem pokrytectví. [ta ɦra jɛ ɔvaːs ɔvaʃɛm pɔkrɪtɛt͡stviː] | The drama is about you, about your hypocrisy. |
instrumental | vámi [vaːmɪ] | Váš vedoucí poletí do Londýna s vámi. [vaːʃ vɛdɔʊ̯t͡siː pɔlɛtiː dɔlɔndiːna svaːmɪ] | Your boss is going to fly with you to London. |
They (masculine)
editPronoun oni [ɔnɪ] (they in English)
form 1 | form 2 | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | oni [ɔɲɪ] | Petr četl synům pohádku a oni poslouchali. [pɛtr t͡ʃɛtl sɪnuːm pɔɦaːtkʊ a ɔɲɪ pɔslɔʊ̯xalɪ] | Peter read a tale to their sons and they listened to him. | |
genitive | jich [jɪx] | nich [ɲɪx] | Mám mokré všechny své svetry a bez nich nemohu jít ven. [maːm mɔkrɛː vʃɛxnɪ svɛː svɛtrɪ a bɛsɲɪx nɛmɔɦʊ jiːt vɛn] | All my sweaters are wet and I can't go outside without them. |
dative | jim [jɪm] | nim [ɲɪm] | Josef a Marek? Jim já důvěřuji. [jɔzɛf a marɛk jɪm jaː duːvjɛr̝ʊjɪ] | Joseph and Mark? I trust them. |
accusative | je [jɛ] | ně [ɲɛ] | Vidíš ty žraloky? Ano! Vidím je! [vɪɟiːʃ tɪ rɪbɪ anɔ vɪɟiːm jɛ] | Could you see the sharks? Yes! I can see them! |
vocative | * | |||
locative | nich [ɲɪx] | Řekl mi o nich, že jsou dobří hráči. [r̝ɛkl mɪ ɔɲɪx ʒɛ sɔʊ̯ dɔbr̝iː ɦraːt͡ʃɪ] | He told me about them that they were good players. | |
instrumental | jimi [jɪmɪ] | nimi [ɲɪmɪ] | Zadíval se na míčky a pak jimi pohnul. [zaɟiːval sɛ na miːt͡ʃkɪ a pak jɪmɪ pɔɦnʊl] | He took a look at the balls and then he moved with them. |
* Vocative of oni is not used.
They (feminine)
editPronoun ony [ɔnɪ] (they in English)
form 1 | form 2 | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | ony [ɔnɪ] | Tu tabuli pomalovaly ony - Petra s Monikou! [tʊ tabʊlɪ pɔmalɔvalɪ ɔnɪ pɛtra smɔnɪkoʊ̯] | They scrawled over the blackboard, they - Petra and Monika. | |
genitive | jich [jɪx] | nich* [ɲɪx] | Pavel má rád kočky. Bez nich by mu bylo smutno. [pavɛl maː kɔt͡ʃkɪ raːt bɛsnɪɣ bɪ mʊ bɪlɔ smʊtnɔ] | Paul likes cats. He would feel lonely without them. |
dative | jim [jɪm] | nim* [ɲɪm] | Mým babičkám? Jim to jednoduše vysvětlím. [miːm babɪt͡ʃkaːm jɪm tɔ jɛdnɔdʊʃɛ vɪsvjɛtliːm] | To my grandmothers? I will explain it to them easily. |
accusative | je [jɛ] | ně* [ɲɛ] | Koukej na ty lokomotivy! Vidíš je? [koʊ̯kɛj na tɪ lɔkɔmɔtɪvɪ vɪdiːʃ jɛ] | Look at those locomotives! Can you see them? |
vocative | + | |||
locative | nich [ɲɪx] | Max má dvě důvěrné přítelkyně. Neřekl mi o nich vůbec nic. [maks maː dvjɛ duːvjɛrnɛː pr̝iːtɛlkɪɲɛ nɛr̝ɛkl mɪ ɔnɪɣ vuːbɛc ŋɪc] | Max has two intimate girlfriends. He did not say a word about them. | |
instrumental | jimi [jɪmɪ] | nimi* [ɲɪmɪ] | Oblékni si tyto rukavice - práce ti s nimi půjde sama. [ɔblɛːkɲɪ sɪ tɪtɔ rʊkavɪcɛ praːt͡sɛ tɪ sɲɪmɪ puːjdɛ sama] | Wear those gloves and your work will get easy with them. |
* This form is used after preposition only.
+ Vocative of ony is not used.
They (neuter)
editPronoun ona [ɔna] (they in English)
form 1 | form 2 | Example | Translation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | ona [ɔna] | Rodí se kuřata? Ona se nerodí, líhnou se. [rɔɟiː sɛ kʊr̝ata ɔna sɛ nɛrɔɟiː liːɦnɔʊ̯ sɛ] | Are chickens born? They are not born, they are hatched. | |
genitive | jich [jɪx] | nich* [ɲɪx] | ||
dative | jim [jɪm] | nim* [ɲɪm] | ||
accusative | je [jɛ] | ně* [ɲɛ] | ||
vocative | + | |||
locative | nich* [ɲɪx] | |||
instrumental | jimi [jɪmɪ] | nimi* [ɲɪmɪ] |
* This form is used after preposition only.
+ Vocative of ona is not used.