Possessive adjectives from names: -ův/-ova/-ovo and -in/-ina/-ino, their formation and basic declension
I can express possession with -ův/-in adjectives and recognize them in place names.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Sraz je na Karlově mostě u Bruncvíkovy sochy.
We meet on Charles Bridge by the statue of Bruncvík.
Babiččin rohlíkový nákyp voní celým domem.
Grandma's bread-roll pudding fills the whole house with its smell.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
English marks an owner with 's: Peter's house, Mum's cake. Czech has a special adjective for this, made from the owner's name or a noun for a person: Petrův dům, mámin dort. Like any adjective it agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner.
| Owner | Masculine thing | Feminine thing | Neuter thing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petr (man) → -ův | Petrův dům | Petrova kniha | Petrovo auto |
| táta (man in -a) | tátův stůl | tátova kytara | tátovo auto |
| máma (woman) → -in | mámin dort | mámina kuchyně | mámino kolo |
| sestra, matka, babička | sestřin pokoj | matčina sestra | babiččino údolí |
Before -in the consonant softens: r → ř, k → č, h/g → ž (sestřin, matčin, babiččin, Olžin). A fleeting -e- drops before -ův: Karel → Karlův, Pavel → Pavlův, Marek → Markův. In plural the forms are Petrovi kamarádi, Petrovy knihy, Petrova auta. Note that agreement follows the thing: Jana's brother is Janin bratr, Petr's sister is Petrova sestra. English speakers tend to match the owner's gender instead.
The forms mix adjective and noun endings, so learn them from the famous names: Karlův most, na Karlově mostě, z Karlova mostu; the spa town Karlovy Vary, v Karlových Varech. Božena Němcová's novel Babička gave its name to a real valley in East Bohemia, Babiččino údolí.
Prague street names show both systems side by side: Masarykovo nádraží, Smetanovo nábřeží, but Palackého náměstí.
Possessive adjectives are alive in everyday Czech, above all in the family: mámina polévka, tátovo auto, babiččina chalupa. The genitive with a single name (auto Petra) is also grammatical, but where both are possible a Czech will usually reach for Petrovo auto; capitalise it, since it comes from a name.
Apply this grammar in B1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesMissing k→č/r→ř in -in forms
matčin, babiččin, sestřin
-ův/-in not agreeing with the possessed noun
Petrův dům, Petrova kniha, Petrovo auto
Sraz je na Karlově mostě u Bruncvíkovy sochy.
We meet on Charles Bridge by the statue of Bruncvík.
Karlův most declines: na Karlově mostě.
Babiččin rohlíkový nákyp voní celým domem.
Grandma's bread-roll pudding fills the whole house with its smell.
babička → babiččin with the kk→čč change.
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Practice in course
Apply this grammar in B1 course exercises