Consonant Alternations (Střídání souhlásek)
When certain endings are added to words, the final consonant of the stem must change. This is crucial for understanding declension and conjugation patterns!
Visual Overview
The Golden Rule
Velars (k, h, ch, g) and dentals (d, t, n, r) cannot appear before -i or -ě. They must change to their soft counterparts.
Velar Consonants
Before soft vowels (-e, -i, -ě):
| Change | Example |
|---|---|
| k → c | ruka → ruce (hand, locative) |
| h → z | noha → noze (leg, locative) |
| ch → š | ucho → uši (ear, plural) |
| g → z | (rare, mostly foreign words) |
Dental Consonants
Before soft vowels (-e, -i, -ě):
| Change | Example |
|---|---|
| d → ď | mladý → mladí (young, masc. anim. pl.) |
| t → ť | bohatý → bohatí (rich, masc. anim. pl.) |
| n → ň | černý → černí (black, masc. anim. pl.) |
| r → ř | starý → staří (old, masc. anim. pl.) |
Labial Consonants
Before -ě, an epenthetic j is inserted (spelled as part of ě):
| Change | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| b + ě | [bje] |
| p + ě | [pje] |
| v + ě | [vje] |
| m + ě | [mňe] |
| f + ě | [fje] |
Where Alternations Occur
- Locative singular: Praha → v Praze
- Vocative: člověk → člověče!
- Masculine animate plural: Čech → Češi, kluk → kluci
- Adjective declension: český → čeští (masc. anim. pl.)
- Verb conjugation: péct → peču (I bake)
Common Examples
| Base | Changed | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Praha | Praze | v Praze (in Prague) |
| matka | matce | k matce (to mother) |
| Bůh | Boží | Boží (God's) |
| duch | duše | duše (soul) |
| kluk | kluci | kluci (boys) |