Men as Plural Objects

Level 3

Men as objects take the genitive form: Poznám tých chlapov. (I know those men.) Compare Poznám tie ženy. (I know those women.)

How It Works

Two kinds of plural objects

  • men: accusative = genitive: Vidím tých študentov. (I see those students.)
  • everything else: accusative = nominative: Vidím tie študentky / tie domy / tie deti.

The noun

  • most nouns: -ov: chlapov, študentov, Slovákov, učiteľov, synov, hrdinov
  • a few: -í: ľudia → ľudí, hostia → hostí

The words around it

  • adjectives: dobrých, mladých, cudzích
  • pointing words and possessives: tých, mojich, našich
  • numbers: dvoch, troch, štyroch: Mám dvoch bratov. See Numbers for Groups of Men.
  • the pronoun for them: ich: Poznáš ich? (Do you know them?)

After prepositions with the accusative the same forms appear: Čakám na kolegov. (I'm waiting for my colleagues.) Kúpil som to pre synov. (I bought it for my sons.)

This is the plural version of the singular rule Vidím brata. See Masculine Animate Accusative in -a. Animals usually do not follow it in the plural: Vidím kone. See Plural Animal Nouns.

Examples (6)

  1. Poznám tých chlapov.

    I know those men.

  2. Pozval som kamarátov.

    I invited my friends.

    kamaráti (nominative) becomes kamarátov as the object.

  3. Vidíš tých študentov?

    Do you see those students?

  4. Máme dobrých susedov.

    We have good neighbors.

    The adjective also takes the genitive-like form: dobrých.

  5. Čakám na kolegov.

    I'm waiting for my colleagues.

    čakať na takes the accusative, so kolegovia becomes kolegov.

  6. Nepoznám tých ľudí.

    I don't know those people.

    ľudia becomes ľudí.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the noun in the nominative plural.

    Poznám tých chlapi.
    Poznám tých chlapov.

    As an object, a plural noun for men takes its genitive form: chlapi becomes chlapov.

  • Changing the noun but not the possessive.

    Pozval som moji kamarátov.
    Pozval som mojich kamarátov.

    Every word in the phrase takes the genitive-like form: mojich kamarátov, tých študentov.

  • Using the -é adjective form for men as objects.

    Máme dobré susedov.
    Máme dobrých susedov.

    Adjectives describing men as objects end in -ých, or -ích for soft adjectives like cudzí: cudzích.

How It Connects

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

Men as Plural ObjectsLevel 3

Learn This First

Before Men as Plural Objects, learn Plural of Nouns for Men and The Accusative Case for Objects. The accusative plural of men matches their special forms. The forms mark the direct object.