soudě podle + Genitive

Frozen Transgressive Soudě Podle

Level 6

The phrase soudě podle means "judging by," "judging from," or "by all appearances." It is used to introduce an inference or conclusion based on evidence.

How It Works

The phrase soudě podle is a highly common and natural way to express "judging by" in standard Czech.

Historically, soudě is the masculine singular present transgressive of the verb soudit (to judge). However, in modern Czech, this specific phrase has become completely lexicalized. It functions as a fixed sentence modifier rather than an active verb.

Because it is frozen, you must keep two critical rules in mind:

  • No agreement: Because it is a frozen phrase, you do not need to make it agree with the subject. The invariable form soudě is the standard default for everyone, regardless of gender or number. (While you may occasionally see the alternative frozen form soudíc, soudě is by far the most common).
  • No same-subject requirement: Unlike active transgressives, soudě podle does not require the main clause to have a subject capable of "judging." It can freely introduce impersonal clauses like bude pršet (it will rain).

When you want to attach a full clause rather than just a noun, you must use the pronoun toho as a bridge, creating the pattern soudě podle toho, co/jak/že... (judging by what/how/that...).

Additionally, while soudě podle is the most common pattern, you will also frequently encounter the alternative soudě z + genitive (judging from), as in soudě z jeho slov (judging from his words).

Punctuation note: When soudě podle introduces a phrase at the beginning of a sentence, it is very frequently set off by a comma from the rest of the sentence. It can also be placed in the middle or at the end of a sentence, where it is still typically set off by commas.

Finally, do not confuse this with podle alone. Podle Petra means "according to Petr" (Petr said so), whereas soudě podle Petra means "judging by Petr" (based on his appearance or behavior).

Examples (4)

  1. Soudě podle všeho to nestihneme.

    Judging by everything (by all appearances), we won't make it.

    Word by Word: Judging according-to everything it we-will-not-catch.

    A very common fixed idiom meaning "by all appearances."

  2. Soudě podle mraků, bude pršet.

    Judging by the clouds, it's going to rain.

    Word by Word: Judging according-to clouds, it-will rain.

    Notice that the main clause is impersonal (bude pršet). Because 'soudě' is frozen, it doesn't need a subject capable of judging.

  3. Soudě podle jeho úsměvu, nebylo to tak zlé.

    Judging by his smile, it wasn't that bad.

    Word by Word: Judging according-to his smile, not-was it so bad.

    The noun 'úsměv' is correctly placed in the genitive case (úsměvu) after 'podle'.

  4. Soudě podle toho, co říkal, je situace vážná.

    Judging by what he said, the situation is serious.

    Word by Word: Judging according-to that, what he-said, is situation serious.

    You can use 'soudě podle toho, co...' to introduce a clause as the evidence.

Common Mistakes

  • Trying to make 'soudě' agree with a plural subject.

    Soudíce podle jejich výrazu, byli naštvaní.
    Soudě podle jejich výrazu, byli naštvaní.

    Advanced learners who have studied transgressives often try to use the plural form 'soudíce' if the subject is plural. Because 'soudě podle' is a frozen phrase, it does not need to agree with the subject. The invariable form 'soudě' is the strongly preferred default for all genders and numbers.

  • Using the wrong case after 'podle'.

    Soudě podle ten mrak, bude pršet.
    Soudě podle toho mraku, bude pršet.

    The preposition 'podle' strictly requires the genitive case, so 'ten mrak' (nominative) must become 'toho mraku' (genitive).

How It Connects

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

soudě podle + GenitiveLevel 6Frozen Transgressive Soudě Podle

Learn This First

To learn 'soudě podle', a learner needs to be familiar with the genitive case required by the preposition 'podle'. Additionally, since 'soudě' is a frozen transgressive (přechodník), familiarity with the transgressive system and other fixed expressions like 'nehledě na' or 'nemluvě o' provides the necessary grammatical context for how these evaluative phrases function in a sentence.

Words in This Pattern

souditpodle