Questions & Answers about Známe tuto skutečnost.
What form is známe?
Známe is the 1st person plural present tense of znát.
- znát = to know / be familiar with
- znám = I know
- známe = we know
So the sentence has an implied subject: we.
Why is there no separate word for we?
Why is it tuto and not tato?
Because tuto skutečnost is the direct object of the verb, so Czech uses the accusative case.
The demonstrative ten / ta / to or tento / tato / toto changes form depending on case and gender.
For feminine singular:
- nominative: tato
- accusative: tuto
So:
- Tato skutečnost je důležitá. = This fact is important.
Here it is the subject, so nominative. - Známe tuto skutečnost. = We know this fact.
Here it is the object, so accusative.
What case is tuto skutečnost in?
It is in the accusative singular.
Why?
Because znát is a transitive verb and takes a direct object. The thing that is known is the object, so it goes into the accusative.
Here:
- známe = we know
- tuto skutečnost = this fact
So tuto skutečnost is the accusative object.
Why does skutečnost stay the same? Shouldn’t it change in the accusative too?
Good question. In this sentence, only tuto visibly changes, while skutečnost looks the same in nominative and accusative singular.
That is normal for many Czech feminine nouns, especially nouns like skutečnost ending in -ost.
So:
- nominative singular: skutečnost
- accusative singular: skutečnost
The case is still accusative, but the noun form happens to be identical. The demonstrative tuto makes the case especially clear.
What is the dictionary form of tuto?
The dictionary form is tento.
This demonstrative means this and changes for gender, number, and case.
Some basic nominative forms are:
In your sentence, the noun skutečnost is feminine singular and is in the accusative, so the correct form is tuto.
Is Známe tuto skutečnost the only possible word order?
No. Czech word order is flexible.
Známe tuto skutečnost. is a normal, neutral order.
But you could also say:
- Tuto skutečnost známe.
That puts more attention on tuto skutečnost.
Both are grammatically correct, but the emphasis changes a little. Czech often uses word order to show what is new, important, or contrasted.
Could I also say tu skutečnost instead of tuto skutečnost?
Yes. Tu skutečnost is very common and natural.
In everyday Czech, speakers often prefer the shorter form tu instead of tuto.
So both are possible:
- Známe tuto skutečnost.
- Známe tu skutečnost.
The version with tuto can sound a bit more formal, careful, or emphatic.
Is znát the same as vědět? Both seem to mean to know.
Not exactly. This is a very common difficulty for English speakers.
znát
Used for being familiar with a person, place, thing, or fact as an object.
Examples:
- Znám Prahu. = I know Prague.
- Znám toho člověka. = I know that person.
- Známe tuto skutečnost. = We know this fact.
vědět
Used more for knowing information, especially with a clause or specific piece of information.
Examples:
- Vím, že je doma. = I know that he is at home.
- Nevím proč. = I don’t know why.
In your sentence, znát works because the object is a noun phrase: tuto skutečnost.
How is the sentence pronounced?
Roughly:
Známe tuto skutečnost
ZNAA-me TOO-to SKOO-tech-nost
A few notes:
- Czech stress is usually on the first syllable of each word.
- á is a long vowel.
- sk in skutečnost is pronounced clearly.
- č sounds like ch in church.
A more approximate pronunciation: [znaa-me too-to skoo-tech-nost]
What kind of noun is skutečnost grammatically?
Skutečnost is a feminine singular noun.
It belongs to a common feminine pattern for nouns ending in -ost. These are often abstract nouns, such as:
- možnost = possibility
- znalost = knowledge
- společnost = society / company
- skutečnost = fact / reality
Because it is feminine, the demonstrative must match it:
- tato skutečnost in nominative
- tuto skutečnost in accusative
Would this sentence sound natural in everyday Czech?
Yes, it is grammatical and natural, though it sounds a bit formal or written, especially because of tuto and skutečnost.
In everyday speech, people might often choose slightly simpler wording depending on context, but the sentence itself is completely normal Czech.
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