Personal Pronouns in Accusative
Personal pronouns are very common in accusative - you use them constantly!
Quick Reference
| Person | Nominative | Accusative (full) | Accusative (short) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | já | mne | mě |
| you (sg.) | ty | tebe | tě |
| he | on | jeho/něho | ho/něj |
| she | ona | ji | ji |
| it | ono | je/ně | je/ně |
| we | my | nás | nás |
| you (pl.) | vy | vás | vás |
| they | oni/ony/ona | je/ně | je/ně |
Short vs Long Forms
Czech has short (clitic) and long (stressed) forms:
| Short (unstressed) | Long (stressed) | |
|---|---|---|
| me | mě | mne |
| you | tě | tebe |
| him | ho | jeho |
| her | ji | ji |
| us | nás | nás |
| you (pl) | vás | vás |
| them | je | je |
When to Use Which?
- Short forms = normal, everyday usage
- Long forms = emphasis, contrast, after prepositions
Vidím tě. (I see you - normal) Vidím tebe, ne jeho! (I see YOU, not him! - emphasis)
After Prepositions: Add N-
After prepositions, third-person pronouns add n-:
| Without preposition | After preposition |
|---|---|
| Vidím ho. | Čekám na něho/něj. |
| Vidím ji. | Čekám na ni. |
| Vidím je. | Čekám na ně. |
Examples
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Čekám na něj. | I'm waiting for him. |
| Dívám se na ni. | I'm looking at her. |
| Myslím na ně. | I'm thinking of them. |
| To je pro něj. | That's for him. |
| Je to pro ni. | It's for her. |
| Děkuji za ni. | I'm thanking for her. |
First Person: Já → Mě/Mne
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mě | short, common | Vidíš mě? |
| mne | long, emphatic | Vidíš mne, ne jeho! |
| mě/mne | after preposition | Čekej na mě. / Pro mne. |
Examples
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Vidíš mě? | Do you see me? |
| Miluje mě. | She loves me. |
| Čekej na mě. | Wait for me. |
| To je pro mě. | That's for me. |
| Mne se neptej! | Don't ask ME! (emphatic) |
Second Person: Ty → Tě/Tebe
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tě | short, common | Vidím tě. |
| tebe | long, emphatic | Vidím tebe! |
| tě/tebe | after preposition | Čekám na tebe. |
Examples
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Vidím tě. | I see you. |
| Mám tě rád. | I like you. |
| Čekám na tebe. | I'm waiting for you. |
| To je pro tebe. | That's for you. |
| Myslím na tebe. | I'm thinking of you. |
| Tebe jsem neviděl! | I didn't see YOU! (emphatic) |
Third Person: On/Ona/Oni
He: On → Ho/Jeho/Něho
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ho | short, common | Vidím ho. |
| jeho | long, emphatic | Vidím jeho! |
| něho/něj | after preposition | Čekám na něj. |
She: Ona → Ji/Ni
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ji | without preposition | Vidím ji. |
| ni | after preposition | Čekám na ni. |
They: Oni → Je/Ně
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| je | without preposition | Vidím je. |
| ně | after preposition | Čekám na ně. |
Examples
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Vidím ho. | I see him. |
| Znám ji. | I know her. |
| Vidím je. | I see them. |
| Čekám na něj. | I'm waiting for him. |
| Dívám se na ni. | I'm looking at her. |
| Ptám se na ně. | I'm asking about them. |
| To je pro něho. | That's for him. |
Formal "You": Vy → Vás
When addressing someone formally, use vy forms:
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Vidím vás. | I see you (formal). |
| Čekám na vás. | I'm waiting for you (formal). |
| To je pro vás. | That's for you (formal). |
Word Order
Short pronouns follow specific word order rules:
Clitic Order
Short pronouns come after the first stressed element in a sentence:
- Vidím tě. ✓
- Tě vidím. ✗ (short form can't start sentence)
- Tebe vidím! ✓ (long form can start for emphasis)
Examples of Word Order
| Czech | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Vidím tě. | I see you. | Normal |
| Petr tě vidí. | Petr sees you. | After subject |
| Dnes tě vidím. | Today I see you. | After adverb |
| Tebe vidím! | YOU I see! | Long form for emphasis |
Reflexive: Se/Sebe
The reflexive pronoun se (oneself) also has accusative forms:
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| se | short, common | Vidím se v zrcadle. |
| sebe | long, emphatic | Vidím jen sebe! |
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Dívám se na sebe. | I'm looking at myself. |
| Myslí jen na sebe. | He thinks only of himself. |
| Koupil to pro sebe. | He bought it for himself. |
Common Phrases
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Mám tě rád/ráda. | I love you. (casual) |
| Miluju tě. | I love you. |
| Vidím tě! | I see you! |
| Čekám na tebe. | I'm waiting for you. |
| Myslím na tebe. | I'm thinking of you. |
| Těší mě. | Nice to meet you. (lit. "It pleases me") |
| Omlouvám se. | I'm sorry. (lit. "I excuse myself") |
| Dívám se na to. | I'm looking at it. |
Practice
Replace the noun with a pronoun:
- Vidím Petra. → Vidím ___.
- Znám Evu. → Znám ___.
- Čekám na Marii. → Čekám na ___.
- To je pro studenty. → To je pro ___.
- Dívám se na film. → Dívám se na ___.
- Miluju svou matku. → Miluju ___.
Check Answers
- Vidím ho. (him)
- Znám ji. (her)
- Čekám na ni. (her - after preposition)
- To je pro ně. (them - after preposition)
- Dívám se na něj/to. (it - after preposition)
- Miluju ji. (her)
Summary Table
| Person | After Verb | After Preposition |
|---|---|---|
| me | mě | na mě |
| you (sg.) | tě | na tebe |
| him | ho | na něj |
| her | ji | na ni |
| it | ho/je | na něj/ně |
| us | nás | na nás |
| you (pl.) | vás | na vás |
| them | je | na ně |
Next Steps
- Singular Endings - Noun forms
- Adjectives - Adjective agreement
- Exercises - Practice with pronouns