Znám tento typ.

Znám is the 1st person singular present tense of znát.

So:

• znát = to know, to be familiar with
• znám = I know

In this sentence, it means I know / I’m familiar with this type.

Czech often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.

• znám already tells you the subject is I
• so já znám tento typ is possible, but já is usually only added for emphasis or contrast

So the normal neutral sentence is just Znám tento typ.

This is a very common question.

Czech usually distinguishes:

• znát = to know someone/something, to be familiar with
• vědět = to know a fact, to know that..., to have information

So:

• Znám Prahu. = I know Prague.
• Znám toho člověka. = I know that person.
• Vím, že přijde. = I know that he will come.

In Znám tento typ, the idea is familiarity with a type/kind, so znát is the correct verb.

Tento means this.

It is a demonstrative adjective and agrees with the noun it describes.

So:

• tento typ = this type

Compared with ten:

• tento is a bit more explicit and often feels more standard or formal
• ten is very common in everyday Czech, but depending on context it can feel more like that or simply a definite marker

In conversation, you might also hear:

• Znám ten typ.
• Znám tenhle typ.

But Znám tento typ is completely correct and clear.

Tento typ is the direct object of znám, so it is in the accusative case.

However, typ is a masculine inanimate noun, and in the singular, masculine inanimate nouns often have the same form in nominative and accusative.

So:

• nominative: ten/tento typ
• accusative: ten/tento typ

That is why typ looks unchanged.

For masculine inanimate singular, tento has the same form in both nominative and accusative.

So here:

• nominative: tento typ
• accusative: tento typ

That is normal agreement.

Typ is masculine inanimate.

That matters because adjectives and demonstratives must agree with it:

• tento typ
• nový typ
• zajímavý typ

If it were a noun of a different gender, the form of this would be different.

Yes.

Depending on context, typ can mean:

• type
• kind
• sort
• sometimes even kind of person

So Znám tento typ could mean:

• I know this type
• I know this kind
• I know the kind of person/thing this is

The exact nuance depends on context.

No, Czech word order is fairly flexible.

Znám tento typ is a neutral, natural order.

But you could also say:

• Tento typ znám.

This puts more focus on this type, as if contrasting it with something else.

So both are possible, but the emphasis changes.

Czech does not have articles like a/an and the.

Instead, definiteness is understood from:

• context
• word order
• demonstratives like ten or tento

So in Znám tento typ, the idea of this is expressed by tento, and there is no separate word corresponding to the.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• znám ≈ znaam
• tento ≈ TEN-to
• typ ≈ tip

A few useful notes:

• á is a long vowel
• Czech stress normally falls on the first syllable of each word
• y in typ is pronounced the same as i in modern standard Czech, even though the spelling is different

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like:

ZNAAM TEN-to tip

Not by itself.

Typ usually means type/kind/sort. In some contexts it can refer to a kind of person, but it does not normally mean guy in the straightforward sense.

So if you wanted to say I know this guy, you would usually use something like:

• Znám toho chlapa.
• Znám toho člověka.

But Znám tento typ means something more like I know this type / I’m familiar with this kind.