How to Use Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives in Czech for English Speakers

Understanding Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives in Czech

In Czech, possessive pronouns and adjectives are used to indicate ownership or relationship, similar to English. However, they agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify, which can be quite different from English usage.

What Are Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives?

Possessive adjectives describe a noun by showing who owns it, such as "my", "your", or "their" in English. Possessive pronouns replace a noun and show ownership, like "mine", "yours", or "theirs".

Possessive Adjectives in Czech

Czech possessive adjectives change their endings to match the gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), number (singular, plural), and case (nominative, accusative, etc.) of the noun they describe.

• můj (my)
• tvůj (your - singular informal)
• jeho (his)
• její (her)
• náš (our)
• váš (your - plural or formal)
• jejich (their)

For example, the word for "my" changes depending on the noun it modifies:

• můj dům (my house) - masculine singular
• moje kniha (my book) - feminine singular
• moje auto (my car) - neuter singular

Possessive Pronouns in Czech

Possessive pronouns in Czech replace the noun and also agree in gender, number, and case. They are often formed from possessive adjectives with specific endings.

• můj (mine - masculine)
• moje (mine - feminine/neuter)
• tvůj (yours - masculine)
• tvoje (yours - feminine/neuter)
• jeho (his)
• její (hers)
• náš (ours - masculine)
• naše (ours - feminine/neuter)
• váš (yours - masculine)
• vaše (yours - feminine/neuter)
• jejich (theirs)

Example sentences:

• Tento dům je můj. (This house is mine.)
• Ta kniha je tvoje. (That book is yours.)
• Auto je jeho. (The car is his.)

Key Differences from English

Unlike English, Czech possessive pronouns and adjectives must agree with the noun's gender, number, and case, not the owner. This means you need to know the noun's grammatical properties to use the correct form.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

English speakers often forget to match the possessive adjective or pronoun with the noun's gender and case, leading to incorrect forms.

• Using můj for feminine nouns instead of moje.
• Not changing the ending of possessive adjectives in different cases.
• Confusing possessive pronouns with possessive adjectives.

Practice Examples

Try translating these sentences into Czech using the correct possessive pronouns or adjectives:

1. My book is on the table.
2. Her car is new.
3. Our house is big.
4. Is this your (singular) dog?
5. Their cats are sleeping.