The Nominative Case (1. pád)
The Nominative is the dictionary form - the basic form of every noun you'll look up.
What is the Nominative?
The nominative answers the question: Kdo? Co? (Who? What?)
Use nominative for:
- The subject of a sentence (who does the action)
- Dictionary entries and word lists
- After "to je" (this/that is)
Examples
| Czech | English | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Petr čte knihu. | Peter reads a book. | Subject |
| Kniha je zajímavá. | The book is interesting. | Subject |
| To je student. | This is a student. | After "to je" |
| To je Jana. | This is Jana. | After "to je" |
The Foundation of Czech Grammar
Nominative is where you start:
- Learn the gender of each noun (masculine/feminine/neuter)
- Learn how to form plurals
- This determines endings in ALL other cases
Dictionary entry: kniha (feminine)
↓
From this, you can derive ALL other forms!
Gender System
Czech has three genders, and you MUST know the gender to use a noun correctly:
| Gender | Typical Endings | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | consonant | student, pán, muž |
| Feminine | -a, -e, consonant | žena, růže, kost |
| Neuter | -o, -e, -í | město, moře, stavení |
Gender is Grammatical!
"Gender" doesn't mean biological sex. A table (stůl) is masculine, a chair (židle) is feminine, and a window (okno) is neuter.
Why Nominative Matters
- It's your starting point - you need nominative to find words in dictionaries
- Gender identification - nominative endings tell you the gender
- Plural formation - nominative plurals follow specific patterns
- Case system base - all other 6 cases modify the nominative form
What You'll Learn
Theory
- Gender - How to identify masculine, feminine, neuter
- Plurals - Forming nominative plurals
- Adjectives - Adjective agreement with nouns
- Pronouns - Personal pronouns in nominative
Practice
- Gender Identification - Practice identifying gender
- Plurals Practice - Singular → Plural drills
- Interactive Quizzes - Test yourself
Reference
- Quick Reference - All patterns on one page
- Cheatsheets - Printable reference cards
Quick Facts
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Czech name | Nominativ (1. pád) |
| Question | Kdo? Co? (Who? What?) |
| Key feature | Dictionary/base form |
| Main uses | Subject, identification |
| Difficulty | ⭐ (Easy - but essential!) |
Start Learning
Ready to master the basics? Start here:
Part of the iLearnCzech family. See also: Full Grammar Reference