Tento krok je pomalý.

Tento is the clearest textbook way to say this.

A few useful points:

• tento = this
• ten often means that, but in real Czech it can also be used where English would say this, depending on context
• tenhle = a more colloquial this here / this

So Tento krok is a clear, standard way to say this step.

Also, tento has to agree with krok:

• krok is masculine singular
• so the correct form is tento

Krok is in the nominative singular.

That is because it is the subject of the sentence — the thing being described.

In Tento krok je pomalý:

• Tento krok = the subject
• je pomalý = what is being said about the subject

So the basic pattern is:

• subject
  • to be
    • adjective

Also, krok is a masculine inanimate noun.

Je is the 3rd person singular form of být (to be), so it means is.

In normal Czech sentences like this one, you usually do include the present tense of to be:

• Tento krok je pomalý.

Unlike some other Slavic languages, Czech normally does not leave out is in an ordinary sentence.

You may see omission in:

• headlines
• notes
• very informal fragments

But as a full standard sentence, je is correct and expected.

Because Czech adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

Here, pomalý agrees with krok, which is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective takes the matching form:

• masculine singular nominative: pomalý

Compare:

• pomalý krok = a slow step
• pomalá cesta = a slow journey / route
• pomalé auto = a slow car

Even though pomalý comes after je, it still agrees with the subject.

With být (to be), a predicate adjective like pomalý is normally in the nominative.

So in this sentence:

• krok is nominative
• pomalý also appears in the matching nominative form

That is why you get:

• Tento krok je pomalý.

A good way to think about it is that pomalý is describing the subject directly, so it matches it in gender, number, and case.

The sentence as written has the most neutral word order:

• Tento krok je pomalý.

That is the normal way to say it.

Czech word order is more flexible than English, but changing it usually changes the emphasis or information focus.

For example:

• Tento krok je pomalý. = neutral
• Pomalý je tento krok. = marked, more contrastive or emphatic
• Je tento krok pomalý? = Is this step slow?

So yes, other orders are possible, but the original sentence is the plain, standard version.

Yes, you can, but the nuance is a little different.

• Tento krok je pomalý = clearly this step
• Ten krok je pomalý = often that step, but in real usage it may sometimes refer to this step depending on context

For learners, it is safest to remember:

• tento = this
• ten = that

Later, you will notice that spoken Czech uses ten very broadly.

Very simply:

• Tento krok není pomalý. = This step is not slow.
• Je tento krok pomalý? = Is this step slow?

Notes:

• není is the negative form of je
• yes/no questions are often formed by putting the verb first, or by using intonation in speech

So the pattern is:

• statement: Tento krok je pomalý.
• negative: Tento krok není pomalý.
• question: Je tento krok pomalý?

No. Czech does not have articles like English the and a/an.

That means a noun like krok can mean:

• a step
• the step

depending on context.

If Czech wants to be more specific, it can use a demonstrative like tento:

• tento krok = this step

So tento is not an article. It is a demonstrative word, meaning this.

A rough pronunciation is:

TEN-to krok ye PO-ma-lee

A bit more carefully:

• Tento ≈ TEN-to
• krok = one syllable, with a clear r
• je ≈ ye
• pomalý ≈ PO-ma-lee

A few details:

• j in Czech sounds like English y
• ý is a long vowel, roughly like a long ee
• r is usually trilled or tapped, not the English r

So je pomalý sounds roughly like ye po-ma-lee, with the last vowel held a little longer.