To Be (plural) is the 6th skill (assuming read left to right) of the Czech language tree. It has 4 lessons which teach the usage of plural pronouns, and the form "We/They are x" and "We/They are not x" sentences. Some plural nouns are also introduced. Plural forms of basic adjectives are introduced.
Grammar Notes[]
Plural pronouns and the verb to be/negation[]
- (My) jsme = We are
- (Vy) jste = You are (plural/formal singular)
- (Oni/Ony/Ona) jsou = They are
- (My) nejsme = We are not
- (Vy) nejste = You are not (plural/formal singular)
- (Oni/Ony/Ona) nejsou = They are not
Informal vs formal forms of address[]
Ty is for informal while the vy form serves both for singular formal and plural forms of address. Compare French tous and vous.
Plural[]
There are many patterns for plurals in Czech but common or typical ones are introduced here:
- Animate masculine singular nouns ending in a consonant are typically formed with -i at the end. Hence muž -> muži (men), kluk -> kluci (boys). Note change k to c.
- Feminine singular nouns ending in -a form plurals by replacing the -a with -y. Hence žena -> ženy (women), holka -> holky (girls).
- Neuter singular nouns ending in -e/ě form the plurals by replacing the -e/ě with -ata. Hence zvířata (animals).
- But there are exceptions. Neuter dítě (child) becomes the feminine plural děti (children).
Adjectives[]
In the plural nominative form, soft adjectives end with -í for all genders. Hard adjectives agree with the gender as follows:
- -í in animate masculine, e.g., mladí muži (young men)
- -é in inanimate masculine, e.g., velké stromy (big trees)
- -é in feminine, e.g., mladé ženy (young women)
- -á in neuter, e.g., malá zvířata (small animals)
- Where the ending requires a consonant change, this also affects the adjective. Thus velký kluk (big boy) becomes velcí kluci (big boys).
Lessons[]
Lesson 1[]
- my jsme = we are
- jsme = we are
- muži = men
- kluci = boys
- ženy = women
- holky = girls
- děti = children
Lesson 2[]
- Vy jste.... = you (formal singular) or you (plural) are
- Jste... = you are
Lesson 3[]
- Oni jsou.... = they are (masculine animate)
- Ony jsou.... = they are (feminine)
- Ona jsou.... = they are (neuter)
- Jsou ony/ona/oni.... = they are (or Are they, if a question. Gender dependent)
- To jsou.... = are those.... (part of a question)
- Jsou to.... = are those.... (part of a question)
Lesson 4[]
- Nejsme.... = we are not
- Nejste.... = you (formal or plural) are not
- To nejsou.... = they are not, those are not
- ale = but
References[]