Czech Case: Locative

In this article we'll talk about locative case, also known as the 6th case (šestý pád).

It is one of the seven cases in Czech grammar. It's used to indicate a location, where something happens or takes place.

It can also be used to talk "about" someone or something...that's why the standard questions used to refer to this case in Czech are "About whom? About what?" (O kom? O čem?)

Practice what you learn in this article for free:

Locative ExamplesBack to top

Locative case is called "lokál" in Czech. We use the locative case when we want to express where an action is happening or where something is located.

Here are a few common situations where you'll encounter locative case:

Location of an Action

When describing where an action is taking place:

• Pijeme pivo v hospodě - We are drinking beer in the pub
• Tančíme na ulici - We are dancing in the street

Destination

When indicating the intended destination of a movement:

• Jdu do školy - I am going to school
• Jedeme do kina - We are going to the cinema

Topic

When talking about something or someone:

• Ten koníček - hobby (masculine inanimate gender, nominative case)
• Mluví o koníčku - He/she is talking about a hobby
• Ta funkce - feature (feminine gender, nominative case)
• Slyšeli o nové funkci - They heard about a new feature

When using locative case, we always need to use prepositions.

When we are talking about static verbs (to be, to live, to stay, to wait) we use the prepositions v (in) or na (on) and we change the ending of the noun which describes the location.

For example:

• Praha - Prague (nominative case)
• Bydlíme v Praze - We live in Prague (locative case)

Bydlíme is a static verb. Praha is changed to Praze (locative) and we put a preposition in between. Just like in English, we have to use the preposition "in" (v).

Here are a few more examples:

• To náměstí - The square (neuter gender, nominative case)
• Čeká na náměstí - He/she is waiting on the square
• kavárna - cafe (feminine gender, nominative case)
• Povídáme si v kavárně - We are chatting in a cafe

It does not make sense to say "Povídáme si kavárně" - it doesn't mean anything like this, it's just grammatically incorrect.

Locative Noun EndingsBack to top

As you've seen, "forming the locative case" means changing the endings of nouns, adjectives, and pronouns.

Forget the tables!

Just practice using locative case here!

Once you get used to it you won't even have to think about it.

But if you do need it, here's a table of the locative noun endings:

Gender of Noun	Singular endings hard, soft	Plural endings hard, soft	Examples nominative - locative
Masculine animate	-ovi, -u -ovi, -i	-ech, -ich -ich	profesor - profesorovi, profesoru muž - mužovi, muži (pl.) profesoři - profesorech (pl.) muži - mužich
Masculine inanimate	-u, -ě, -e -i	-ech, -ich -ich	hrad - hradu, hradě stroj - stroji (pl.) hrady - hradech (pl.) stroje - strojich
Feminine	-ě, -e -i	-ách, -ích -ech, -ích	vinárna - vinárně škola - škole mistnost - mistnosti (pl.) vinárny - vinárnách (pl.) růží - růžích (pl.) písně - písních (pl.) mistnost - místnostech
Neuter	-ě, -u -i	-ách, -ech, -ích -ích	auto - autě město - městě, městu moře - moři (pl.) auta - autách (pl.) města - městech (pl.) moře - mořích

Some examples from Wikipedia.org

Czech wouldn't be Czech if there weren't exceptions to the rule. For feminine and neuter words, there are some exceptions.

Feminine exceptions:

Noun ending (nominative)	Noun ending (locative)	Example
Feminine (ends with -ka)	-ce	doktorka - doktorce
Feminine (ends with -ra)	-ře	hra - hře
Feminine (ends with -cha)	-še	plocha - ploše
Feminine (ends with -ga or -ha)	-ze	Praha - Praze synagoga - synagoze

Neuter exceptions:

Noun ending (nominative)	Noun ending (locative)	Example
Neuter (ends with -ro)	-ru	vedro - vedru
Neuter (ends with -ko)	-ku	Česko - Česku

Locative Adjective EndingsBack to top

Here are the locative endings for Czech adjectives:

Gender of Adjective	Singular endings hard, soft	Plural endings hard, soft	Examples nominative - locative
Masculine animate Masculine inanimate	-ém -ím	-ých -ích	mladý/mladé - mladém jarní - jarním (pl.) mladí/mladé - mladých (pl.) jarní - jarních
Feminine	-é -í	-ých -ích	mladá - mladé jarní - jarní (pl.) mladé - mladých (pl.) jarní - jarních
Neuter	-ém -ím	-ých -ích	mladé - mladém jarní - jarním (pl.) mladá - mladých (pl.) jarní - jarních

Some examples from Wikipedia.org

Locative PronounsBack to top

Here are the locative forms of the Czech pronouns:

Nominative form	Locative form (short form)
já	mně
ty	tobě
on	něm
ona	ní
ono	němu
my	nás
vy	vás
oni (m) ony (f) ona (n)	nich
můj (m) moje, má (f) moje, mé (n)	mém mojí, mé mém
tvůj (m) tvoje, tvá (f) tvoje, tvé (n)	tvém tvojí, tvé tvém
moji, mí (m) moje, mé (f) moje, má (n)	mých
tvoji, tí (m) tvoje, tvé (f) tvoje, tvá (n)	tvých
ten (m) ta (f) to (n)	tom té tom
ti (m) ty (f) ta (n)	těch

Some examples from Wikipedia.org

SummaryBack to top

Locative case in Czech helps us specify where an action occurs, or where something is located, and lets us talk about things. By understanding when to use it and how to form it, you'll be better equipped to navigate the intricacies of Czech language.

Next time you're describing where you're going or what you're doing, remember to use the locative case and add that extra touch of precision to your Czech sentences!

Happy Learning!

Practice what you learned in this article for free: