I can point at a thing and ask which one exactly — Tenhle, nebo tamten? Která taška je tvoje? — and say where it is (tady, tam nahoře, nalevo) and what color it is.
Tenhle, nebo tamten?
Tenhle, nebo tamten?
Why: to point at something in a store, in a café, or on the street.
Close by: tenhle, “this (here)”: tenhle mobil, tahle taška, tohle auto. The ending follows the gender, like ten / ta / to; English “this” never changes.
Far away: tamten, “that (over there)” = tam + ten: tamten stůl, tamta židle, tamto kolo.
In texts and on signs you'll see tento, tato, toto: they also mean “this”.
“Which (of several)?” is který, která, které: Který klíč? — Tenhle.
Where: tady (here) — tam (there), tamhle (over there); nahoře (up there) — dole (down there); nalevo (on the left) — napravo (on the right); vedle (next to it); vepředu — vzadu (in front — in the back). See the table.
Common mistakes:
• × tenhle taška → tahle taška
• × tamten auto → tamto auto
Ten, tenhle, tamten
The ending follows the gender, like ten / ta / to.
| What it means | masc. | fem. | neut. |
|---|---|---|---|
| this, that (module 1) | ten | ta | to |
| this one here — close | tenhle | tahle | tohle |
| that one over there — far | tamten | tamta | tamto |
| “this” in texts (to recognize) | tento | tato | toto |
Where: in pairs
Vepředu and vzadu — to recognize.
| One | The other |
|---|---|
| tady — here | tam — there; tamhle — over there |
| nahoře — upstairs, up there | dole — downstairs, down there |
| nalevo — on the left | napravo — on the right |
| vedle — nearby, next to it | — |
| vepředu — in front | vzadu — in the back |
Lesson notes
Tenhle, nebo tamten?
Why: to point at something in a store, in a café, or on the street.
Close by: tenhle, “this (here)”: tenhle mobil, tahle taška, tohle auto. The ending follows the gender, like ten / ta / to; English “this” never changes.
Far away: tamten, “that (over there)” = tam + ten: tamten stůl, tamta židle, tamto kolo.
In texts and on signs you'll see tento, tato, toto: they also mean “this”.
“Which (of several)?” is který, která, které: Který klíč? — Tenhle.
Where: tady (here) — tam (there), tamhle (over there); nahoře (up there) — dole (down there); nalevo (on the left) — napravo (on the right); vedle (next to it); vepředu — vzadu (in front — in the back). See the table.
Common mistakes:
• × tenhle taška → tahle taška
• × tamten auto → tamto auto
Barvy: colors
A color changes with the gender, like nový / nová / nové: červený mobil, červená taška, červené auto.
The question: Jaká je ta taška? — Modrá.
Unlike English “red” or “blue”, the color agrees after je too: Ta taška je modrá. To auto je bílé.
Length isn't stress: in zelený the stress is on ze-, and the final ý is just long.
Common mistakes:
• × červený taška → červená taška