Personal Pronouns in Nominative
The nominative pronouns are used as the subject of a sentence.
Personal Pronouns
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | já (I) | my (we) |
| 2nd | ty (you) | vy (you) |
| 3rd m. | on (he) | oni (they - masc.) |
| 3rd f. | ona (she) | ony (they - fem.) |
| 3rd n. | ono (it) | ona (they - neut.) |
Usage Notes
Pronouns Are Often Dropped
Czech is a "pro-drop" language - subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending shows the person:
| With pronoun | Without | English |
|---|---|---|
| Já mluvím česky. | Mluvím česky. | I speak Czech. |
| Ty máš čas? | Máš čas? | Do you have time? |
| On pracuje. | Pracuje. | He works. |
When to Use Pronouns
Use the pronoun when you want to:
- Emphasize the subject: "Já to nevěděl!" (I didn't know!)
- Contrast: "Já jsem student, on je učitel."
- Clarify (especially with 3rd person): "Ona to řekla."
Third Person Details
Singular
| Gender | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | on | On je student. (He is a student.) |
| Feminine | ona | Ona je učitelka. (She is a teacher.) |
| Neuter | ono | Ono je malé. (It is small.) |
Plural
| Gender | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masc. animate | oni | Oni jsou studenti. (They are students.) |
| Feminine | ony | Ony jsou učitelky. (They are teachers.) |
| Neuter | ona | Ona jsou města. (They are cities.) |
Mixed Groups
When a group includes at least one male person, use oni:
- Jan a Eva → Oni jsou doma.
Formal "You"
Vy (with capital V in writing) is used for:
- Polite/formal address to one person
- Addressing multiple people
| Context | Usage |
|---|---|
| Formal singular | Vy jste učitel? (Are you a teacher?) |
| Plural (any) | Vy jste studenti. (You are students.) |
Pronoun Chart
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PERSONAL PRONOUNS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ SINGULAR PLURAL │
│ 1st: já (I) my (we) │
│ 2nd: ty (you) vy (you/You) │
│ 3rd: on (he) oni (they-m) │
│ ona (she) ony (they-f) │
│ ono (it) ona (they-n) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Demonstrative Pronouns
"This" and "that" also have nominative forms:
Ten/Ta/To (that, the)
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ten | ti (anim.) / ty (inan.) |
| Feminine | ta | ty |
| Neuter | to | ta |
Examples:
- Ten muž je učitel. (That man is a teacher.)
- Ta žena je doktorka. (That woman is a doctor.)
- To je auto. (That is a car.)
Tento/Tato/Toto (this)
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | tento | tito (anim.) / tyto (inan.) |
| Feminine | tato | tyto |
| Neuter | toto | tato |
Interrogative Pronouns
| Pronoun | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| kdo | who | Kdo je to? (Who is it?) |
| co | what | Co je to? (What is it?) |
| který | which (m.) | Který student? |
| která | which (f.) | Která kniha? |
| které | which (n.) | Které město? |
Practice
Fill in the correct pronoun:
- ___ jsem student. (I)
- ___ jste z Prahy? (you, formal)
- ___ je krásná. (she)
- ___ jsou doma. (they - mixed group)
- ___ jsi unavený? (you, informal)
Answers
- Já jsem student.
- Vy jste z Prahy?
- Ona je krásná.
- Oni jsou doma.
- Ty jsi unavený?
Next Steps
See all nominative patterns on one page: