Feminine Forms of Nouns

01

The Main Suffix

-ka does most of the work. It goes onto the masculine noun, and the result is a perfectly regular feminine noun declining like any other in -a.

• učitel - učitelka
• student - studentka
• kamarád - kamarádka
• Španěl - Španělka

• Moje kamarádka Anna studuje.

  My friend Anna is a student.

• Jsem studentka střední školy.

  I'm a secondary-school student.

02

Other Suffixes

A smaller number take -kyně or -yně, and nouns that already end in -ce or -a often need it because -ka would not fit.

• kolega - kolegyně
• průvodce - průvodkyně

• Jedna z mých kolegyň je moje kamarádka.

  One of my colleagues is my friend.

03

Surnames

Women's surnames take -ová, and the result is not a noun at all but an adjective, declining like mladá. This applies to foreign names too once they are used in a Czech sentence.

• Novák - Nováková
• Smith - Smithová

• Vážená paní Smithová.

  Dear Mrs Smith.

04

What the Ending Sounds Like

Adding the suffix often softens the consonant in front of it, which changes the spelling. Kuchař gives kuchařka without trouble, but a stem in k or ch will shift.

• Je Češka.

  She is Czech.

05

Nationalities

Names of nationalities work the same way, and both members are written with a capital letter. The masculine plural doubles as the name of the people as a whole.

• Čech - Češka
• Španěl - Španělka

• Jsem Číňan.

  I'm Chinese.

• Oni jsou Španělé.

  They are Spaniards.

06

Where the Pair Is Missing

Not every noun for a person has two forms. A few stand for either sex without changing, and the rest of the sentence shows which is meant.

• To dítě je malé.

  That child is small.

07

The Masculine as a General Word

The masculine form still does duty for the profession in the abstract and for mixed groups, so a job advertisement or a plural covering both sexes uses it.

• Naše děti jsou studenti.

  Our children are students.