Tento zdroj vody je čistý.

Tento means this.

In this sentence, tento zdroj vody = this water source.

Compared with ten:

• ten can mean that, and sometimes also the in practice depending on context
• tento is more specifically this here / this particular

So tento is a stronger, more explicit way to point to something near the speaker or currently being discussed.

Because zdroj is masculine inanimate singular, tento is in the matching masculine singular form.

This is because Czech often uses the genitive case after a noun to show of relationships.

So:

• zdroj = source
• voda = water
• vody = of water

Therefore:

• zdroj vody = source of water / water source

English often uses noun + noun combinations like water source, but Czech commonly expresses this with a noun plus a genitive noun.

Because vody is the genitive singular form of voda.

The basic dictionary form is:

• voda = water

But after zdroj when you mean source of water, Czech needs the genitive:

• zdroj vody

This kind of change is very common in Czech. Nouns change endings depending on their grammatical role in the sentence.

Je means is.

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

So:

• Tento zdroj vody je čistý.
• This water source is clean.

Unlike in some languages where the verb to be may be omitted in the present tense, in standard Czech it is normally expressed here, so je is necessary.

Because čistý has to agree with zdroj.

In Czech, adjectives match the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• zdroj is masculine inanimate
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective must also be masculine singular nominative:

• čistý = clean

Compare:

• čistá voda = clean water
• čisté moře = clean sea
• čistý zdroj = clean source

Because it is a predicate adjective after the verb je.

The structure is:

• Tento zdroj vody = subject
• je = is
• čistý = clean

So the sentence literally works like:

• This source of water is clean

That word order is very natural and neutral in Czech.

Czech word order is more flexible than English because endings carry a lot of grammatical information.

The neutral order here is:

• Tento zdroj vody je čistý.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Čistý je tento zdroj vody.
• Tento zdroj vody čistý je.

These alternatives sound more marked or emphatic. For a learner, the original version is the best standard pattern to use.

You usually learn the gender together with the noun.

Here, zdroj is a masculine inanimate noun. One clue is the adjective agreement:

• tento
• čistý

Both are masculine singular forms, matching zdroj.

Gender in Czech is important because it affects:

• demonstratives like ten / tento
• adjectives
• some verb forms in the past
• pronouns

So it is a good habit to learn nouns together with their gender.

Usually yes, but Czech expresses it a little differently.

English often stacks nouns:

• water source

Czech more naturally says:

• zdroj vody = source of water

In many contexts, the meaning is the same. The Czech version just uses a grammatical relationship that English often leaves implicit.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• TEN-toh zdroy VOH-dee yeh CHEES-tee

A few helpful notes:

• tento: the e is like e in ten
• zdroj: the j sounds like English y, so it is roughly zdroy
• vody: the y here does not sound like English eye; it is more like a short i sound
• je: sounds like ye
• č in čistý sounds like ch in chip
• čistý is roughly chees-tee

Stress in Czech usually falls on the first syllable of each word:

• TENto
• ZDROJ
• VOdy
• JE
• ČIStý

Yes.

• Zdroj vody je čistý. = The water source is clean / A water source is clean, depending on context
• Tento zdroj vody je čistý. = This water source is clean

Adding tento makes the noun phrase more specific and pointed. Without it, the sentence is more general or depends more on context.

Czech does not have articles like English a and the.

So Czech simply says:

• Tento zdroj vody je čistý.

Specificity is shown through other means, such as:

• demonstratives like tento = this
• context
• word order
• intonation

So where English says this water source, Czech uses tento zdroj vody without needing a separate word for the.