Genitive singular
do školy, z Prahy, bez cukru, u kamaráda
In short
You'll bump into this one everywhere: after do (to), z (from), bez (without), u (at someone's) and whenever you talk about amounts. Feminine -a becomes -y, neuter -o becomes -a, things usually get -u and people get -a.
- Jdu do školy.škola → školy
- Jsem z Brna.Brno → Brna
- Kávu bez cukru.cukr → cukru
- Jsem u kamaráda.kamarád → kamaráda
Full explanation
The genitive is one of the busiest cases in Czech, so it's well worth getting the hang of it. You'll need it:
- after do (to, into), z / ze (from, out of), od (from someone), bez (without), u (at someone's place, by), vedle (next to) and kromě (except)
- to talk about amounts: hrnek kávy (a cup of coffee), kilo mouky (a kilo of flour)
- to say "of" or whose something is: auto mého bratra (my brother's car)
| Gender | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masc. animate | hard -a · soft -e | kamarád → kamaráda, lékař → lékaře |
| Masc. inanimate | hard -u (some -a) · soft -e | obchod → obchodu, les → lesa, pokoj → pokoje |
| Feminine -a | -y | škola → školy |
| Feminine -e / consonant | -e (píseň) · -i (kost) | práce → práce, tramvaj → tramvaje, místnost → místnosti |
| Neuter | -o → -a · -e, -í no change | kino → kina, moře → moře, nádraží → nádraží |
Countries ending in -sko or -cko follow the neuter pattern: do Německa, ze Španělska. A few masculine things take -a instead of -u, like les → do lesa and kostel → do kostela, and so do lots of town names (do Berlína). You'll pick those up as you go.