Czech Skill:Use the Plural

Use the Plural

Information
Language	Czech
Skills	91
Skill No.	9
Navigation
Previous skill	Ask Questions
Next skill	To Be (singular)

Use the Plural is the 8th skill of the Czech language tree. It will introduce you to the basics of plural 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 tu 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[]

Kde jsou mámy? = Where are the moms?
Kde jsou ta kuřata? = Where are those chickens?
Ti lidé jsou velcí. = Those people are big.
Jsou ti lidé mladí? = Are those people young?
Ne, Jitka a Žofie nejsou mámy? = No, Jitka and Žofie are not moms?
Jsou to dobří lidé. = They are good people.
Ta trička jsou malé. = Those T-shirts are small.
Jsou to dobří tátové. = They are good dads.
Ty ženy jsou dobré mámy. = Those women are good moms.
Ty knihy nejsou dobré. = Those books are not good.
Jak velké jsou ty knihy? = How large are those books?
Kde jsou velká trička? = Where are the large T-shirts?
Velká trička jsou tady. = Large T-shirts are here.
Jsou Matěj a František tátové? = Are Matěj and František dads?
Staré knihy nejsou malé. = Old books are not small.
Jak velká jsou ta kuřata? = How large are those chickens?
Oni jsou mladí tátové. = They are young dads.
á é ě í ó ú Ú ů ý č Č ň ř Ř š Š ť ž Ž íř ří íš ší

Lesson 2[]

Jsou to noví lidé. = They are new people.
To jsou vysoké dívky. = Those are tall girls.
Ta prasata jsou stará. = Those pigs are old.
Kdo jsou ty nové dívky? = Who are the new girls?
To jsou nové knihy nebo staré? = Those are new books or old ones?
Ti muži nejsou prasata. = Those men are not pigs.
Prasata jsou zvláštní zvířata. = Pigs are weird animals.
Jsou to zvláštní jména? = Are they strange names?
Ty domy nejsou zvláštní. = Those houses are not strange.
To jsou zvláštní chlapci. = Those are strange boys.
Ti vysocí chlapci jsou zvláštní. = Those tall boys are strange.
Ale stará jména jsou zvláštní. = But old names are strange.
Vejce jsou zvláštní věci. = Eggs are strange things.
Ty zvláštní domy jsou nové . = The strange houses are new.
Matěj a Jakub nejsou zvláštní jména. = Matěj and Jakub are not strange names.
Kdo jsou ti zvláštní chlapci? = Who are those strange boys?
Ty staré věci jsou zvláštní. = Those old things are strange.
á é ě í ó ú Ú ů ý č Č ň ř Ř š Š ť ž Ž íř ří íš ší

Lesson 3[]

My jsme hezcí. = We are handsome,
Ti kluci jsou hezcí. = Those boys are handsome.
To jsou mladé kozy. = Those are young goats.
Jsme mladé a hezké. = We are young and pretty.
Jsou ty věty hezké? = Are the sentences nice?
To jsou zvláštní věty. = Those are strange sentences.
Ty velké kozy jsou tady. = The large goats are here.
Ty mrkve jsou malé. = Those carrots are small.
Postele jsou dobré. = Beds are good.
Prasata nejso ovce. = Pigs are not sheep.
To jsou velké hotely. = Those are big hotels.
Staré hotely jsou hezké. = Old hotels are pretty.
Ty nove postele nejsou dobré. = Those new beds are not good.
Jak staré jsou ty postele? = How old are those beds?
Kde jsou ty velké mrkve? = Where are the big carrots?
Jsou to kozy nebe ovce? = Are they goats or sheep?
Kde jsou dobré věty? = Where are the good sentences?
á é ě í ó ú Ú ů ý č Č ň ř Ř š Š ť ž Ž íř íš ší