Group 1

Basic information

The 1^st declension group includes:

• Masculine animate nouns ending in a hard or ambivalent consonant ¹
  • Model word student
• Masculine inanimate nouns ending in a hard or ambivalent consonant
  • Main model word sport
  • Submodel word les
• Feminine nouns ending in -a
  • Model word škola
• Neuter nouns ending in -o
  • Model word kolo

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Overview of singular forms

NOM	GEN	DAT	ACC	VOC	LOC	INS
student	studenta	studentovi	studenta	studente	studentovi	studentem
sport	sportu	sportu	sport	sporte	sportu	sportem
les	lesa	lesu	les	lese	lese	lesem
škola	školy	škole	školu	školo	škole	školou
kolo	kola	kolu	kolo	kolo	kole	kolem

Highlight endings Highlight gender Hide endings

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Model student in DAT/LOC SG

For words following the student model, two endings are possible in the dative and locative singular:

• Long variant -ovi (dominant in both spoken and written Czech)
• Short variant -u (somewhat archaic)

Both variants are grammatically correct.

When listing multiple words from this category, standard usage alternates the endings, keeping -ovi for the last word in the sequence.

Mluvili jsme o panu prezidentovi Václavu Havlovi.

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Model student in VOC SG

The typical vocative ending for masculine animate nouns in the 1^st declension is -e:

Martin → Martine

Ladislav → Ladislave

student → studente

If a word contains a consonant + r combination, palatalization occurs:

Petr → Petře

However, if there is a vowel before the r, the alternation is not applied:

doktor → doktore

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If the morphematic suffix is -k, -g, -h, -ch, the ending is -u:

Patrik → Patriku

biolog → biologu

vrah → vrahu

hoch → hochu

Two exceptions are palatalized:

• bůh → bože

• člověk → člověče

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Model škola in DAT/LOC SG

Many palatalization alternations occur in the dative and locative singular forms of words in this category.

The changes are:

-ka → -ce (studentka → studentce)

-ha → -ze (Praha → Praze)

-cha → -še (střecha → střeše)

-ga → -ze (Olga → Olze)

-ra → -ře (Petra → Petře)

The word dcera has the irregular DAT/LOC ending -i: dceři. See Příručka for details.

-da → -dě (Magda → Magdě)

-ta → -tě (teta → tetě)

-ma → -mě (máma → mámě)

-na → -ně (Hana → Haně)

-ba → -bě (doba → době)

-pa → -pě (mapa → mapě)

-va → -vě (Ostrava → Ostravě)

No alternations occur for:

• -la: škola → škole
• -za: burza → burze
• -sa: krása → kráse
• -ša: Saša → Saše

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Overview of plural forms

NOM	GEN	DAT	ACC	VOC	LOC	INS
studenti	studentů	studentům	studenty	studenti	studentech	studenty
sporty	sportů	sportům	sporty	sporty	sportech	sporty
lesy	lesů	lesům	lesy	lesy	lesech	lesy
školy	škol	školám	školy	školy	školách	školami
kola	kol	kolům	kola	kola	kolech	koly

Highlight endings Highlight gender Hide endings

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Model student in NOM PL

Palatalization

The nominative plural for masculine animate nouns takes the ending -i, causing a hard-to-soft consonant change (palatalization):

-r- → -ř- (doktor → doktoři)

-k- → -c- (kluk → kluci)

-ch- → -š- (Čech → Češi)

-h- → -z- (vrah → vrazi)

For k, ch, h, g, the change also applies in the locative plural: klucích, Češích, vrazích, pedagozích.

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In the following cases, the change occurs only in pronunciation, not in spelling:

-d- → [ď] (kamarád → kamarádi)

-t- → [ť] (student → studenti)

-n- → [ň] (blázen - blázni)

See Palatalization in the Phonetics section for more details.

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Ending -é

The ending -é is used for:

• words ending in -an:

  Američan → Američané
  Angličan → Angličané ²

• some words ending in -el:

  anděl → andělé
  Španěl → Španělé

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Ending -ové

The ending -ové is used for:

• borrowed words ending in:

  • -log

    archeolog → archeologové
    geolog → geologové

  • -graf

    fotograf → fotografové

  • -nom

    ekonom → ekonomové

• some monosyllabic nouns:

  Dán → Dánové

  Ir → Irové

• proper names:

  Josef → Josefové

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Model škola in GEN PL

Several changes occur in the genitive plural of words in this category.

Epenthetic -e-

An epenthetic -e- is inserted between the last two consonants in zero-ending (-∅) forms:

holka → holek

studentka → studentek

babička → babiček

firma → firem

hra → her

sestra → sester

palma → palem

schůzka → schůzek

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If a word ends in ‑da, ‑fa, ‑cha, ‑pa, ‑sa, ‑ša, ‑ta, ‑za, epenthetic -e- is usually not inserted:

hvězda → hvězd

nymfa → nymf

archa → arch

lampa → lamp

elipsa → elips

gejša → gejš

fakulta → fakult, pošta → pošt

burza → burz

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Some loanwords also omit -e-:

bomba → bomb

banka → bank

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Words with -r- or -l- as a syllabic core also omit -e-:

sprcha → sprch

mlha → mlh

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Some words allow both forms:

jachta → jacht / jachet

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See Příručka for details.

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Vowel shortening

Some feminine nouns alternate between long -á- or -í- and their short variants in the genitive plural:

-á- → -a- (vrána → vran)

-í- → -i- (síla → sil)

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Other alternations

Two additional alternations occur in this category:

-ou- → -u- (moucha - much)

-í- → -ě- (míra → měr)

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Masculine nouns in LOC PL

Palatalization occurs in both animate and inanimate masculine nouns ending in the following consonants:
-k-, -ch-, -h-, -g-

-k- → -c- (kluk → klucích, luk → lucích)

-ch- → -š- (Čech → Češích, arch → arších)

-h- → -z- (vrah → vrazích, kruh → kruzích)

-g- → -z- (pedagog → pedagozích, blog → blozích)

This process forces these words to take the soft ending typical of Group 2.

Note

In colloquial Czech, palatalization is often omitted, and these words take the ending -ách (typically used for feminine nouns of this category):

Standard	Colloquial
klucích	klukách
Češích	Čechách
vrazích	vrahách
kolezích	kolegách

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Complete overview

NOM	GEN	DAT	ACC	VOC	LOC	INS
student	studenta	studentovi	studenta	studente	studentovi	studentem
studenti	studentů	studentům	studenty	studenti	studentech	studenty
sport	sportu	sportu	sport	sporte	sportu	sportem
sporty	sportů	sportům	sporty	sporty	sportech	sporty
les	lesa	lesu	les	lese	lese	lesem
lesy	lesů	lesům	lesy	lesy	lesech	lesy
škola	školy	škole	školu	školo	škole	školou
školy	škol	školám	školy	školy	školách	školami
kolo	kola	kolu	kolo	kolo	kole	kolem
kola	kol	kolům	kola	kola	kolech	koly

Highlight endings Highlight gender Hide endings

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Other important rules

-ů- → -o-

Masculine nouns (both animate and inanimate) of Czech origin with a nominative stem vowel -ů- change this to -o- in all cases except the nominative (and the accusative for masculine inanimate nouns).

Among such words are:

• kůň (horse), stůl (table), dům (house), vůl (ox), trůn (throne), důl (mine - like in gold mine ...)

See the grammar overview:

NOM	GEN	DAT	ACC	VOC	LOC	INS
kůň Ma SG	koně	koni	koně	koni	koni	koněm
koně Ma PL	koňů	koňům	koně	koně	koních	koňmi

NOM	GEN	DAT	ACC	VOC	LOC	INS
dům Mi SG	domu	domu	dům	dome	domě	domem
domy Mi PL	domů	domům	domy	domy	domech	domy

An exception is the word kůl (post, stake), which does not undergo this change.

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-e- → -∅- in masculines

Masculine nouns of Czech origin containing -e- + consonant at the end of the stem—such as pes (dog), domek (small house), or sen (dream)—drop the -e- throughout declension.

Exception: For masculine inanimate nouns, the nominative and the accusative forms are the same.

See examples of the words pes and domek:

NOM	GEN	DAT	ACC	VOC	LOC	INS
pes Ma SG	psa	psovi	psa	pse	psovi	psem
psi Ma PL	psů	psům	psy	psi	psech	psy

NOM	GEN	DAT	ACC	VOC	LOC	INS
domek Mi SG	domku	domku	domek	domku	domku	domkem
domky Mi PL	domků	domkům	domky	domky	domcích	domky

This rule is not applied consistently. Some combinations never undergo the change; others include both changing and non-changing words.

Due to its extreme unpredictability for non-native speakers, we recommend checking each word individually in the Příručka.

Note: Group 2 nouns are also included in this overview.

To demonstrate the rule, examples are given in the format: NOM SG → GEN SG

-e- → -∅- always applied-e- → -∅- partially applied-e- → -∅- never applied

• -ec

  jezdec → jezdce (rider)
  blbec → blbce (jerk)
  Portugalec → Portugalce (Portugese)
  červenec → července (July)

• -ek

  racek → racka (seagull)
  pořádek → pořádku (order)
  svědek → svědka (witness)

  !!! not applied in one word: vlek → vleku (ski lift)

• -eň

  vězeň → vězně (prisoner)
  stupeň → stupně (degree)
  oheň → ohně (fire)

• -eb

  pohřeb → pohřbu (funeral)

  not applied: Cheb → Chebu (city of Cheb)

• -el

  úhel → úhlu (angle)
  ďábel → ďábla (devil)

  not applied:
  výstřel → výstřelu (shot)
  panel → panel
  all words ending in -tel: učitel → učitele (teacher)

• -em/ém

  průjem → průjmu (diarrhoea)
  zájem → zájmu (interest)

  not applied:
  objem → objemu (volume)
  Vilém → Viléma (Czech name)
  systém → systému (system)

• -en

  sen → snu (dream)
  den → dne (day)
  duben → dubna (April)

  not applied:
  kámen → kamene (stone)
  kořen → kořene (root, stem)
  plamen → plamene (flame)

• -es

  pes → psa (dog)
  oves → ovsa (oat)

  not applied when -r- or -l- before -es:
  les → lesa (forrest)
  stres → stresu (stress)
  also not applied for surname Harapes → Harapese

• -et

  počet → počtu (amount)
  dehet → dehtu (tar)

  not applied:
  balet → baletu (ballet)
  let → letu (flight)
  samet → sametu (velvet)

• -ev

  lev → lva (lion)
  název → názvu (name, title)

  not applied:
  tetřev → tetřeva (grouse)
  jev → jevu (phenomenon, effect)
  projev → projevu (speech)

• -eč/ěč

  meč → meče (sword)
  potápěč → potápěče (diver)

• -ed

  led → ledu (ice)
  med → medu (honey)

• -éf

  šéf → šéfa (boss)

• -eh

  břeh → břehu (shore, bank)

• -ech

  Čech → Čecha (Czech person)
  nádech → nádechu (breathing in, inhalation)

• -ej

  hokej → hokeje (hockey)
  prodej → prodeje (sale, selling)

• -ep

  sklep → sklepa (cellar, basement)
  střep → střepu (shard)

• -er/ěr

  úder → úderu (hit, punch, strike)
  večer → večera (evening)
  záběr → záběru (take, shot)

• -eš

  Aleš → Aleše (Czech name)

• -ex

  reflex → reflexu
  kodex → kodexu

• -ez/ěz

  jez → jezu (weir)
  řetěz → řetězu (chain)
  vítěz → vítěze (winner)

• -ež

  papež → papeže (the Pope)

• -tel

  učitel → učitele (teacher)
  similarly: podnikatel (businessman), skladatel (composer) ...

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1. Hard consonants are: h, ch, k, r, d, t, n. Ambivalent (can be hard or soft) consonants are: b, f, l, m, p, s, v, z. ↩

2. The ending -i (Angličani, Američani) is also possible; however, it is considered less formal. ↩

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