Learning pronouns in Czech, a West Slavic language spoken primarily in the Czech Republic, is essential for mastering both spoken and written communication. Czech pronouns vary according to case (there are seven cases in Czech), number (singular or plural), and gender (masculine, feminine, neuter). This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing detailed explanations and examples for each.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Czech replace nouns referring to people or things and change based on their function in a sentence, their number, and gender.

Subject Pronouns:

• Já (I): “Já jdu.” – I am going.
• Ty (You – singular, informal): “Ty jdeš.” – You are going.
• On/Ona/Ono (He/She/It): “On jde.” – He is going. / “Ona jde.” – She is going.
• My (We): “My jdeme.” – We are going.
• Vy (You – plural or formal): “Vy jdete.” – You are going.
• Oni/Ony/Ona (They – masculine animate/masculine inanimate and feminine/neuter): “Oni jdou.” – They are going.

Object Pronouns:

Object pronouns often come after the verb and can change based on case.

• Mě/Mne (Me – accusative): “Vidíš mě.” – You see me.
• Tě/Tebe (You – accusative): “Miluji tě.” – I love you.
• Ho/Jeho (Him – accusative); Ji (Her – accusative); To (It – accusative): “Poznávám ho.” – I recognize him.
• Nás (Us – accusative): “Pozvali nás.” – They invited us.
• Vás (You – plural or formal, accusative): “Čekáme na vás.” – We are waiting for you.
• Je/Jich (Them – accusative): “Vidíme je.” – We see them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Czech indicate ownership and agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.

• Můj (My – masculine); Moje (My – neuter/feminine): “Můj dům.” – My house. / “Moje auto.” – My car.
• Tvůj (Your – singular, informal); Tvá/Tvoje (Your – feminine/neuter, informal): “Tvůj pes.” – Your dog.
• Jeho (His); Její (Her): “Jeho kniha.” – His book. / “Její kancelář.” – Her office.
• Náš (Our); Naše (Our – neuter/feminine): “Náš svět.” – Our world.
• Váš (Your – plural or formal); Vaše (Your – neuter/feminine, plural or formal): “Váš problém.” – Your problem.
• Jejich (Their): “Jejich rodina.” – Their family.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Czech point out specific nouns and agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they replace.

• Tento/Tato/Tohle (This – masculine/feminine/neuter): “Tento muž.” – This man. / “Tato žena.” – This woman.
• Tamten/Tamta/Tamto (That – masculine/feminine/neuter): “Tamten strom.” – That tree.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Czech are used when the subject and object of the verb are the same, or to express a reflexive action.

• Se/Si/Sobě (Myself/Yourself/Himself/Herself/Itself/Ourselves/Yourselves/Themselves): “Učím se česky.” – I am learning Czech myself.
• Sebe (Myself/Yourself/Himself/Herself/Itself/Ourselves/Yourselves/Themselves – emphasizing): “Vidím sebe v zrcadle.” – I see myself in the mirror.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

• Kdo (Who): “Kdo jde tam?” – Who is going there?
• Co (What): “Co to je?” – What is it?
• Který/Která/Které (Which – masculine/feminine/neuter): “Který film se ti líbí?” – Which movie do you like?
• Kde (Where): “Kde je knihovna?” – Where is the library?

Mastering the use of pronouns in Czech is crucial for navigating both simple and complex conversations. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations or writing exercises to apply these concepts actively. Remember, the context and the grammatical case, gender, and number of the noun are crucial in choosing the correct pronoun form in Czech.