to je + Nominative

This Is with Nominative

Level 1

To say 'This is...' or 'That is...' in Czech, use the phrase to je followed by the basic dictionary form of the noun (the nominative case).

How It Works

1. The Nominative Case and Meaning
The phrase to je is a versatile catch-all that translates to 'this is', 'that is', and 'it is' in English. The word to here is the neuter singular form of the demonstrative pronoun ten, ta, to, but in this specific construction, it remains frozen. Because the verb být (to be) is a linking verb, it does not take a direct object (the accusative case). In this specific presentational pattern, the noun that follows remains in the nominative case.

2. Plural Forms
If you are introducing multiple things or people, the verb changes to plural (jsou), but the pronoun to stays exactly the same: to jsou (these are / those are).

3. Negation and Questions
To make a negative statement, use to není (this is not) or to nejsou (these are not). To ask a yes-no question, you can swap the word order (Je to...?), which is very common and standard. You can also keep the exact same word order as a statement and simply use rising intonation: To je nová kniha? (Is this a new book?). Both ways are frequently used. You will also frequently use this pattern to answer basic questions like Kdo je to? (Who is it?) and Co je to? (What is it?).

4. Contrast with Demonstrative Adjectives
Use the invariable to je (or to jsou for plurals) when introducing a noun (e.g., To je nová kniha. - This is a new book; To jsou nové knihy. - These are new books). However, when the demonstrative acts as an adjective attached directly to the noun, you must use a pronoun like ten, ta, to (or their plurals ti, ty, ta) that agrees in gender and number (e.g., Ta kniha je nová. - That book is new; Ty knihy jsou nové. - Those books are new). In everyday speech, the short pronouns ten, ta, to are ubiquitous and often function like informal definite articles. You will also frequently hear the forms tenhle, tahle, tohle (this) and tamten, tamta, tamto (that) attached to nouns for emphasis (e.g., Tenhle dům je nový. - This house is new). You also use these gendered pronouns if you drop the noun entirely (e.g., Ta je nová. - That [feminine one] is new).

5. Adjective and Possessive Agreement
While the pronoun to remains frozen and does not change, any adjective or possessive pronoun modifying the introduced noun must still agree with the noun's gender and number (e.g., To je dobrý člověk. - This is a good person; To je moje káva. - This is my coffee). Do not make the mistake of using a neuter possessive just because of the word to.

6. Past and Future Tense
When using this pattern in the past tense, the pronoun to remains frozen, but the verb být must agree in gender and number with the noun that follows it. Do not make the mistake of defaulting to the neuter to bylo for everything. For example: To byl můj bratr. (That was my brother - masculine), To byla moje chyba. (That was my mistake - feminine), To bylo dobré jídlo. (That was a good meal - neuter), and To byly těžké časy. (Those were hard times - plural). In the future tense, you simply use bude (singular) or budou (plural) without worrying about tricky gender agreement: To bude nová kniha. (That will be a new book) and To budou nové knihy. (Those will be new books).

7. Common Alternatives
In everyday spoken Czech, you will frequently hear the alternatives tohle je (this is / this one here is) and tamto je (that is / that one over there is). Just like to, the words tohle and tamto remain frozen in the neuter singular when introducing plurals: tohle jsou (these are) and tamto jsou (those are). These are highly recommended to learn as you become comfortable with pointing things out.

Examples (4)

  1. To je moje sestra.

    This is my sister.

    Word by Word: It is my sister.

    Notice how the neuter pronoun 'to' is used even though 'sestra' is a feminine noun.

  2. To je pan Novák.

    That is Mr. Novák.

    Word by Word: It is Mr. Novák.

    Used to introduce a masculine person. The pronoun 'to' remains invariable.

  3. To je dobrá věc.

    That is a good thing.

    Word by Word: It is good thing.

    The entire noun phrase 'dobrá věc' stays in the nominative case.

  4. To jsou moji kamarádi.

    These are my friends.

    Word by Word: It are my friends.

    When introducing plural nouns, the verb changes to 'jsou', but 'to' remains invariable.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ta' where a plain introduction needs 'to'.

    Different MeaningTa je moje sestra.
    To je moje sestra.

    'Ta je moje sestra' is correct, but it points out one particular woman ('That one is my sister'). For a plain introduction, 'to' is a fixed, invariable frame: 'To je moje sestra'.

  • Putting the introduced noun into the accusative case.

    To je novou knihu.
    To je nová kniha.

    The verb 'je' (is) is a linking verb, not an action verb. The noun that follows must stay in the basic nominative case.

  • Dropping the verb 'je' (common for speakers of Russian or Ukrainian).

    To můj bratr.
    To je můj bratr.

    Czech strictly requires the verb 'je' (is) in present tense sentences. It cannot be omitted.

How It Connects

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to je + NominativeLevel 1This Is with Nominative

Learn This First

To understand 'to je + nominativ', you need to be familiar with the 3rd person singular form of the verb 'to be' (je), the use of the demonstrative pronoun 'to' as a generic 'this', and the basic nominative forms of nouns used for identification.

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Words in This Pattern

ten