mít + Accusative

Possession with Mít

Level 1

The verb mít (to have) is the most common way to express ownership in Czech. It is also uniquely used to express temporary states like hunger or thirst.

How It Works

The verb mít (to have) connects directly to its object without any prepositions. When the object is a noun or pronoun, it must be in the accusative case. Mít can also connect to an infinitive verb to express obligation or suggestion, known as modal usage (e.g., Mám to udělat? - Should I do it?).

1. Expressing Possession & Negation
Use mít to say you own something. To say you don't have something, use the negative form nemít (nemám, nemá...).

  • Mám auto. (I have a car.)
  • Nemáme čas. (We don't have time.)

2. Expressing States & Idioms
In Czech, you "have" temporary states as nouns (e.g., Mám hlad - I am hungry). Other essential state idioms include mít pravdu (to be right), mít strach (to be afraid), and mít štěstí / smůlu (to be lucky / unlucky). Mít is also used in important idioms like mít rád (to like) and mít se (to be doing / to fare). Another core idiom is mít na sobě (to wear), which also takes the accusative (e.g., Mám na sobě bundu. - I am wearing a jacket). When using mít rád with people, you will often need accusative personal pronouns (mě, tě, ho, ji, nás, vás, je) (e.g., Mám tě rád. - I like you).

3. The Accusative Case Changes (Singular)
When using mít, depending on the gender, singular nouns and their adjectives may change their endings (note that plural nouns have entirely different accusative endings):

  • Feminine nouns: Words ending in -a change to -u (kniha → knihu). Words ending in -e change to -i (práce → práci). Consonant endings and nouns ending in -í (paní) do not change. Hard adjectives change -á to -ou (dobrá → dobrou), while soft adjectives ending in -í (moderní) do not change.
  • Masculine animate nouns (people/animals): Usually add -a for hard stems (kamarád → kamaráda) or -e for soft stems (muž → muže). Note that nouns already ending in -e in the nominative (like soudce or průvodce) do not change. Nouns ending in -a change to -u (turista → turistu). Hard adjectives take -ého (dobrého kamaráda), and soft adjectives take -ího (moderního muže).
  • Masculine inanimate and neuter nouns: Do not change. Adjectives also remain the same (dobrý dům, dobré auto).

Examples (5)

  1. Mám nového kamaráda.

    I have a new friend.

    Word by Word: I have new friend.

    Shows the masculine animate accusative change (kamarád → kamaráda) and adjective agreement (nový → nového).

  2. Máme velký dům.

    We have a big house.

    Word by Word: We have big house.

    Shows the masculine inanimate accusative, which looks identical to the dictionary form.

  3. Mám hlad a strašnou žízeň.

    I am hungry and terribly thirsty.

    Word by Word: I have hunger and terrible thirst.

    Demonstrates how Czech uses 'mít' (to have) for temporary physical states instead of 'být' (to be).

  4. Ona má dobrou práci.

    She has a good job.

    Word by Word: She has good job.

    Shows the feminine accusative change where the noun ending -e becomes -i (práce → práci) and the adjective ending -á becomes -ou (dobrá → dobrou).

  5. Petr má čas.

    Petr has time.

    Word by Word: Petr has time.

    Used for abstract possession. 'Čas' is masculine inanimate, so it does not change.

Common Mistakes

  • Translating English states word-for-word using 'to be' (být) instead of 'to have' (mít).

    Jsem hlad.
    Mám hlad.

    In Czech, temporary physical states like hunger (hlad) or thirst (žízeň) are nouns that you 'possess' using mít. Saying 'Jsem hlad' literally means 'I am the concept of hunger.'

  • Forgetting to change the noun into the accusative case.

    Mám sestra.
    Mám sestru.

    The verb mít always requires the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -a, you must change the ending to -u.

  • Using 'mít' for age where the standard form is 'být' with the dative.

    Different MeaningMám 20 let.
    Je mi 20 let.

    'Mám 20 let' is correct and very common in speech (for example 'Kolik máš let?'). The standard, more careful way is 'být' with the dative: 'Je mi 20 let' (literally 'It is 20 years to me').

How It Connects

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

mít + AccusativeLevel 1Possession with Mít

Learn This First

The verb 'mít' (to have) requires its object to be in the accusative case. Therefore, a learner must understand how to decline nouns of different genders into the accusative case before they can correctly form sentences expressing possession.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

mít