The Reflexive Possessive 'svůj' — Czech Grammar

Czech has a possessive that English lacks. means belonging to the subject of this sentence, whoever that subject is, and it replaces the ordinary possessive whenever the owner and the subject are the same person.

Můžeš mi půjčit svůj notebook?
Can you lend me your laptop?
Dal jsem dárek svému otci.
I gave a present to my father.

One Word for Every Person

covers my, your, his, her, our and their at once. It changes for the gender, number and case of the thing owned, exactly as does, but never for the person of the owner.

Beru si svou tašku.
I'm taking my bag.
Bere si svou tašku.
She's taking her bag.

Why It Matters

With a third-person subject the choice changes the meaning outright. points back to the subject; and point to somebody else in the conversation. English needs a whole extra phrase to make the same distinction.

Petr myje svoje auto.
Petr is washing his own car.
Petr myje jeho auto.
Petr is washing his car. (another man's)

Never the Subject

cannot appear in the subject of its own clause, because it has to point back at something, and the subject is what it points at. There you use the ordinary possessive.

Můj otec koupil dárek pro mou maminku.
My father bought a present for my mum.

With the First and Second Person

Here both are heard and neither is wrong, though is the more careful choice and the one that will always be correct.

Přineste si prosím své tašky.
Please bring your bags.
Koupil jsi ty balónky na svou oslavu?
Did you buy those balloons for your party?

In Every Case

Because it points back at the subject, turns up in whatever case the sentence needs, not only the accusative. It is as common in the dative and the locative as anywhere else.

Čte svému synovi knihu.
She reads her son a book.
Moje žena poslouchá svou oblíbenou písničku.
My wife is listening to her favourite song.

The Same Endings

declines exactly like , down to the long and short alternatives, so nothing new has to be learned once one of them is known.

Miluju svého tátu.
I love my dad.

Comments

Loading comments…