Skleník je starý.

to be

Breakdown of Skleník je starý.

• starý: old
• skleník: the greenhouse

Questions & Answers about Skleník je starý.

Why is there no word for the or a in Skleník je starý.?

Czech has no articles, so it does not use separate words for a/an or the.

So Skleník je starý. can mean:

• The greenhouse is old.
• A greenhouse is old.

Which one is meant depends on the context.

What does je mean here?

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

So:

• já jsem = I am
• ty jsi = you are
• on/ona/ono je = he/she/it is

In Skleník je starý., je means is.

Why is starý spelled that way?

Starý is the masculine singular form of the adjective old.

It matches skleník, which is:

• masculine
• singular
• in the nominative case

Czech adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

Here are some matching forms:

• starý skleník = old greenhouse
• stará zahrada = old garden
• staré auto = old car
• staré skleníky = old greenhouses

So the ending -ý is used because skleník is a masculine singular noun.