Kolem nábytku je voda.

to be

Breakdown of Kolem nábytku je voda.

• voda: the water
• nábytek: the furniture
• kolem: around

Questions & Answers about Kolem nábytku je voda.

What does kolem mean here, and what case does it require?

Kolem means around or around the area of.

In this sentence, kolem is a preposition, and it requires the genitive case. That is why nábytek changes to nábytku.

So the pattern is:

kolem + genitive

Examples:

• kolem domu = around the house
• kolem auta = around the car
• kolem nábytku = around the furniture

Why does nábytek become nábytku?

Because kolem takes the genitive case, and nábytek has to appear in its genitive form.

The dictionary form is:

• nábytek = furniture

Its genitive singular is:

• nábytku

So:

• kolem nábytek = incorrect
• kolem nábytku = correct

This is one of the most important things to get used to in Czech: prepositions often force a particular case.

Is nábytek singular or plural?

Grammatically, nábytek is singular.

It works a lot like English furniture: it refers to a collection of things, but the noun itself is singular.

So:

• ten nábytek = that furniture
• nábytek je drahý = the furniture is expensive

That is why in this sentence you do not use a plural verb.