Pronouns: Long, Short and Prepositional Forms

01

The Short Forms

These are the everyday ones, and they are what you will hear in almost every sentence. They cannot be stressed, cannot open a sentence, and cannot follow a preposition. They take the second slot in the clause and lean on the word in front of them.

• accusative: mě, tě, ho
• dative: mi, ti, mu, jí

• Znám ho.

  I know him.

• Řekni mi to.

  Tell me.

02

The Long Forms

The long form is for emphasis and for contrast. Because it can be stressed, it can also begin a sentence, which the short form never does.

• accusative: mne, tebe, jeho
• dative: mně, tobě, jemu

• Tobě to řeknu.

  I'll tell you.

• Jeho neznám.

  Him I don't know.

03

After a Preposition

A preposition always takes the long form, and in the third person it takes a special form beginning with n-. There is no version without the n- in that position, and no way to use a short form there - with one exception: mě also serves as the long form, so pro mě is as correct as pro mne.

• jeho becomes něho
• jí becomes ní
• jich becomes nich

• Bez tebe nepůjdu.

  I won't go without you.

• Zapomeň na ně.

  Forget about them.

• Nevím nic o něm.

  I know nothing about him.

04

The Locative Has Only One

Because the locative appears only after prepositions, its third-person forms begin with n- without exception. There is nothing else for them to be.

• Mluvili o ní.

  They were talking about her.

05

The Genitive Pair

The genitive follows the same three-way split, and its short forms are identical to the accusative ones, which is why a Czech sentence often needs the verb to disambiguate.

• short: mě, tě, ho
• long: mne, tebe, jeho

• Bojím se ho.

  I'm afraid of him.

06

Which to Use

Take the short form unless something rules it out. Three things do: a preposition in front, the start of a sentence, and any emphasis on the pronoun itself. In every other position the short form is what a Czech speaker will produce.

• Sluší ti to.

  It suits you.

• Mně se to nelíbí.

  I don't like it.

07

One Form Doing Two Jobs

Several of these words are spelled the same in more than one case, and only the verb tells you which is meant. Jí is the dative and the instrumental of ona; je is the accusative plural and also the verb is. Reading the sentence rather than the word is the only way through.

• Dal jsem jí knihu.

  I gave her a book.

• Mám je rád.

  I like them.

08

Where the Forms Coincide

Not every pronoun has the full set. My and vy have one form per case and no short version at all, so nás and vám serve in every position, prepositions included.

• Pojďte si s námi zatančit.

  Come and dance with us.

• Dám vám aspirin.

  I'll give you an aspirin.