je / jsou

Existential Je and Jsou

Level 1

Czech does not have a special phrase like "there is" or "there are". Instead, it simply uses the verb být (to be) and places the new thing that exists at the end of the sentence.

How It Works

To express that something exists in a certain place, Czech relies on word order rather than placeholder words.

1. The Structure
In English, we say "There is a book on the table." In Czech, the typical order is:

  • Location + Verb + Subject (New Info)
  • Na stole je kniha. (On the table is a book.)

2. No Dummy "There"
Don't translate the English placeholder "there" as tam unless you specifically mean "in that place". In Czech, tam refers to a concrete location, not an empty grammatical placeholder. To say "There is a problem," you simply say Je problém or Je tady problém (There is a problem here).

3. Existence vs. Location
Notice how changing the word order changes the meaning entirely:

  • Na stole je kniha. = There is a book on the table. (Introducing a new book)
  • Kniha je na stole. = The book is on the table. (Telling you where a known book is)

4. Negation
To say "there isn't", you must use the irregular negative form není (never *neje). For "there aren't", use the regular plural nejsou. In modern standard Czech, the non-existing thing usually stays in the nominative case (e.g., Není tady problém. - There is no problem here). However, the genitive case is still used in common fixed phrases and abstract concepts (e.g., není času - there is no time, není peněz - there is no money). Note for spoken Czech: In casual speech, you might hear Nejsou tam lidi instead of the standard Nejsou tam lidé, using the colloquial plural lidi, but the verb remains plural.

5. Past and Future
This exact pattern applies to the past and future using the respective forms of the verb to be. Crucially, in the past tense, the verb must agree in gender and number with the subject, unlike the genderless English "there was". For example:

  • Byl problém. (There was a problem - masculine)
  • Na stole byla kniha. (There was a book on the table - feminine)
  • Bylo tam auto. (There was a car there - neuter)
  • Byli tam lidé. (There were people there - plural)

For the future, use bude (singular) or budou (plural), e.g., Bude problém. (There will be a problem.) Note: When using the genitive of negation (introduced in Section 4), the noun is no longer the grammatical subject. Therefore, the sentence becomes subjectless, and the verb must take the default neuter singular form nebylo (past) or nebude (future), regardless of the noun's gender or number (e.g., Nebylo času. - There was no time; Nebylo peněz. - There was no money).

6. Using Quantifiers
When you use quantifiers like hodně (a lot) or málo (a little/few), the verb is always in the default singular form (je or bylo), and the noun takes the genitive case (usually plural). For example: Je tam hodně lidí. (There are a lot of people there.) A common trap for English speakers is wanting to use the plural verb in the past tense (like "there were a lot of people" -> *byli tam hodně lidí). This is strictly ungrammatical in Czech. The quantity word forces the neuter singular bylo: Bylo tam hodně lidí.

Examples (5)

  1. Na stole je kniha.

    There is a book on the table.

    Word by Word: On table is book.

    The location (na stole) comes first, followed by the verb (je), and the new information (kniha) is at the end.

  2. V parku jsou děti.

    There are children in the park.

    Word by Word: In park are children.

    Because 'děti' (children) is plural, the verb must be the plural 'jsou'.

  3. Je tady problém.

    There is a problem here.

    Word by Word: Is here problem.

    A very common way to state that a problem exists. Notice there is no word for the English dummy 'there'.

  4. V lednici není mléko.

    There is no milk in the fridge.

    Word by Word: In fridge isn't milk.

    To say 'there isn't', use the irregular negative form 'není'.

  5. Jsou tady nějaké otázky?

    Are there any questions here?

    Word by Word: Are here any questions?

    In questions, the verb often comes first, followed by the location and then the subject.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'tam' for the English 'there is'.

    Different MeaningTam je problém.
    Je tady problém.

    'Tam je problém' is correct, but 'tam' points to a place: 'The problem is over there.' To say a problem exists, use 'Je problém' or 'Je tady problém'.

  • Using the wrong negative form for "there isn't".

    Na stole neje kniha.
    Na stole není kniha.

    The negative form of 'je' is highly irregular. It is always 'není', never '*neje'.

  • Forgetting to make the verb plural for "there are".

    V parku je děti.
    V parku jsou děti.

    The verb must agree with the thing that exists. If there are multiple things (plural), you must use 'jsou' instead of 'je'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

je / jsouLevel 1Existential Je and Jsou

Learn This First

To understand existential 'je' and 'jsou', learners must first be familiar with the basic present tense conjugation of the verb 'být', specifically the forms used for third-person subjects.

Words in This Pattern