Locative singular
v Praze, ve škole, na poště, o Petrovi
In short
Use it to say where something is (after v and na) or what you're talking about (after o). Most nouns end in -e / -ě, and the ones ending in -k usually take -u. Watch the sound changes, like Praha → v Praze.
- Jsem ve škole.škola
- Bydlím v Praze.Praha (h → z)
- Čekám v parku.park
- Mluvíme o Petrovi.Petr
Full explanation
You'll never see the locative on its own. It always comes after a preposition, usually v / ve (in), na (on, at), o (about), po (after) or při (during).
| Gender | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Feminine -a | -ě / -e (+ consonant change) | škola → ve škole, Praha → v Praze |
| Feminine -e / consonant | -i | restaurace → v restauraci, kancelář → v kanceláři |
| Masc. animate | -ovi (soft: -i) | Petr → o Petrovi |
| Masc. inanimate | -u or -ě/-e | park → v parku, les → v lese |
| Neuter | -ě/-e or -u; -e → -i | město → ve městě, Německo → v Německu, moře → v moři |
- Before -e, some consonants soften: h → z (Praze), k → c (bance), r → ř (sestře), ch → š (střeše). It sounds odd at first, but your ear gets used to it surprisingly fast.
- Nouns ending in -k, -h, -g, -ch (and -ko) usually just take -u: v parku, v Německu.
Not sure whether to write -ě or -e? After d, t, n, b, p, v, m it's -ě (ve městě, v autě). Everywhere else it's -e (ve škole).