Tato rekvizita je stará.

Tato is the feminine singular form of tento, which means this.

It has to agree with rekvizita, which is a feminine singular noun, so:

• masculine: tento
• feminine: tato
• neuter: toto

So tato rekvizita means this prop.

You may also hear ta rekvizita in everyday speech. That can mean that prop or sometimes this prop, depending on context. But tato is the clearer, more specific form for this.

Rekvizita is feminine.

One clue is the ending -a, which very often marks feminine nouns in Czech, especially in the nominative singular.

Because rekvizita is feminine, the other words referring to it also use feminine forms:

• tato rekvizita
• je stará

That agreement is a very important feature of Czech grammar.

Because it is describing a feminine singular noun.

The basic dictionary form of the adjective is starý = old. But adjectives in Czech change their endings to match the noun in gender, number, and case.

Here are some nominative singular forms:

• masculine: starý
• feminine: stará
• neuter: staré

Since rekvizita is feminine singular, the correct form is stará.

Je is the 3rd person singular form of the verb být = to be.

So:

• jsem = I am
• jsi = you are
• je = he/she/it is
• jsme = we are
• jste = you are / you all are
• jsou = they are

In this sentence, je means is.

In a normal full sentence like this, no.

Standard Czech needs je here:

• Tato rekvizita je stará.

Without it:

• Tato rekvizita stará.

that is not a normal standard sentence.

Czech sometimes drops forms of to be in special styles like headlines, notes, or very informal speech, but for a learner, you should keep je in sentences like this.

The noun rekvizita is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.

The demonstrative tato matches it, so it is also nominative singular feminine.

The adjective stará is also in the nominative feminine singular, because with být (to be) Czech normally uses the nominative for predicate adjectives:

• Ta žena je mladá.
• Ten dům je starý.
• To auto je nové.

So all the agreeing words here are feminine singular nominative.

The most neutral word order is:

Tato rekvizita je stará.

Czech word order is more flexible than English, because grammar is shown by endings more than by position. So other orders are possible, for example:

• Stará je tato rekvizita.
• Je tato rekvizita stará?

But these either sound marked, emphatic, or are used in special contexts.

For a plain statement, Tato rekvizita je stará is the natural order.

Yes, but the tone changes a little.

• Tato rekvizita je stará.
  More explicit, a bit more formal or careful. Clearly this prop.

• Ta rekvizita je stará.
  Very common in speech. Depending on context, it can mean that prop or sometimes this prop.

• Tahle rekvizita je stará.
  Common spoken Czech for this prop. More conversational.

As a learner, tato is a very good standard form to know.

Both the demonstrative and the adjective would change to agree with the noun.

Examples:

• masculine: Tento stůl je starý.
• feminine: Tato rekvizita je stará.
• neuter: Toto auto je staré.
• plural: Ty rekvizity jsou staré.

Notice that in the plural, the verb also changes:

• singular: je
• plural: jsou

A simple pronunciation guide is:

TA-to REK-vi-zi-ta ye STA-ra

A few useful points:

• Czech stress is usually on the first syllable of each word.
• j in Czech is pronounced like English y in yes, so je sounds like ye.
• Long vowels matter in Czech. The á in stará is longer than a short a.

So stará is not the same as stara. The long vowel is part of correct pronunciation.

The dictionary forms are:

• tento = this
• rekvizita = prop / stage prop / piece of equipment used in performance
• být = to be
• starý = old

In the sentence, some of those change form:

• tento → tato to match a feminine noun
• starý → stará for the same reason
• být → je because the subject is singular and means it is

This is very typical in Czech: you often need to learn both the dictionary form and the changed form used in the sentence.