být s to + Infinitive

Formal Ability with Být S to

Level 5

The phrase být s to is a highly formal, literary expression meaning to be able to, to be capable of, or to manage to do something. It is almost always followed by an infinitive and is very frequently used in the negative (nebýt s to) to express complete inability or failure to manage a situation.

How It Works

Because s to is pronounced [sto], it is often misspelled by native speakers as sto (one hundred) or z to.

Historical Context: You might wonder why the preposition s is followed by the accusative to instead of the instrumental case. In Old Czech, s could govern the accusative to express 'being equal to' or 'matching a standard'. This usage survives today as a frozen fossil in this phrase, alongside one other famous exception: kdo s koho (who will defeat whom).

Register Warning: This pattern is strictly literary (knižní) and slightly archaic. You will encounter it in journalism, literature, and formal speeches, but you should avoid using it in everyday casual conversation. In spoken Czech, native speakers strongly prefer verbs like moci (can), dokázat (to manage), or zvládnout (to handle).

Examples (4)

  1. Lékař nebyl s to pacientovi pomoci.

    The doctor was not able to help the patient.

    Word by Word: Doctor was-not with it to-patient to-help.

    A typical formal usage in a negative sentence, showing inability to overcome a hurdle.

  2. Nejsem s to se o sebe ani postarat.

    I am not even able to take care of myself.

    Word by Word: Not-I-am with it myself about myself even to-take-care.

    Demonstrates the pattern with a reflexive verb in the infinitive.

  3. Uvážlivý člověk by měl být s to rozeznat, jak se v které situaci zachovat.

    A thoughtful person should be able to discern how to behave in any given situation.

    Word by Word: Thoughtful person would should to-be with it to-discern, how oneself in which situation to-behave.

    Shows the pattern used in the conditional mood to express an expected capability.

  4. Vláda není s to vyřešit současnou krizi.

    The government is incapable of solving the current crisis.

    Word by Word: Government is-not with it to-solve current crisis.

    A very common phrasing found in journalism and political commentary.

Common Mistakes

  • Declining the pronoun 'to' into the instrumental case.

    Lékař nebyl s tím pacientovi pomoci.
    Lékař nebyl s to pacientovi pomoci.

    Because learners know that the preposition 's' usually takes the instrumental case, they often try to decline 'to' into 'tím'. However, 's to' is a frozen historical phrase where 'to' remains in the accusative case.

  • Misspelling the phrase as one word or with a 'z'.

    Nejsem sto to pochopit.
    Nejsem s to to pochopit.

    Because 's to' is pronounced as [sto], it is frequently confused with the number 100 (sto). 'Být sto' literally means 'to be one hundred'. Always write it as two separate words: 's to'.

  • Using 'být s to' in casual, everyday speech.

    Different MeaningNejsem s to vypít další pivo.
    Už nemůžu vypít další pivo.

    'Nejsem s to vypít další pivo' is correct but formal and a bit bookish. In casual speech, say it with 'moci', 'dokázat' or 'zvládnout'.

How It Connects

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být s to + InfinitiveLevel 5Formal Ability with Být S to

Learn This First

To learn 'být s to + infinitiv', a learner must be comfortable conjugating the verb 'být' in both positive and negative forms. Since this is a formal alternative to expressing ability, familiarity with the standard modal verb 'moci' (can/be able to) is necessary to understand the semantic function of the construction.

Words in This Pattern

být s to