The Czech Genitive Plural: pět piv, hodně lidí
This is where learners famously plateau — so we take it at a walk. You've been using the rule since Chapter 2's pět korun; today it gets its name and its full kit.
The Rule of Five
From five upward, and after every quantity word, nouns take the genitive plural: pět piv, šest korun, deset mužů, hodně lidí. One through four live differently; five flips the switch.
| Count | Form |
|---|---|
| 1 | jedno pivo |
| 2–4 | dvě piva, tři piva |
| 5+ | pět piv, deset piv |
The Shapes
| Type | Shape | Example |
|---|---|---|
| feminine -a | bare stem | žena → žen, koruna → korun |
| neuter -o | bare stem | pivo → piv, auto → aut |
| masculine | -ů | muž → mužů, hrad → hradů |
| soft nouns | -í | lidé → lidí, děti → dětí |
Pět piv a deset knedlíků, prosím.
Five beers and ten dumplings, please.
Note: The hospoda order that proves you've arrived: piv (bare), knedlíků (-ů).
The Quantity Words
hodně (a lot), málo (few), moc (too much/many), kolik (how many), pár (a couple) — all pull the genitive plural: Kolik lidí? Hodně práce, málo peněz (peníze → peněz — money's irregular shape, worth learning early for obvious reasons).
Bylo tam hodně lidí.
There were a lot of people there.
Note: Quantity subjects go neuter singular: BYLO tam hodně lidí — the amount is the subject, not the people.
dva vs dvě — and byli vs byly
Two agrees: dva muži, dva hrady (masculine) — dvě ženy, dvě piva (feminine, neuter). And in the past tense, written Czech distinguishes muži byli / ženy byly — but the two sound exactly the same. Unlike Polish, this is spelling, not listening.
Common Mistakes
- pět piva. Five flips: pět piv.
- dva ženy. Feminine two is dvě: dvě ženy.
- Hodně lidí byli. The quantity phrase is the subject — bylo tam hodně lidí.
What You Can Do Now
You can count anything to any number with the right shape, deploy hodně, málo and kolik confidently, and stop dodging plurals — the plateau-maker is behind you.