Toto auto jezdí na benzin.

the car

Breakdown of Toto auto jezdí na benzin.

• na: on
• jezdit: to ride
• tento: this

Questions & Answers about Toto auto jezdí na benzin.

Why is it toto auto and not ten auto?

Because toto has to match the gender, number, and case of auto.

• auto is neuter
• singular
• nominative here, because it is the subject

So the correct demonstrative is:

• masculine: ten
• feminine: ta
• neuter: to / toto

That is why you get toto auto = this car.

A very common informal alternative is tohle auto.

Why is auto neuter?

In Czech, many nouns ending in -o are neuter, and auto is one of them.

So you say:

• to auto
• to malé auto
• toto auto

Even though a car is not biologically male or female, grammatical gender in Czech is just a grammar category. It does not have to match real-world sex.

Why is the verb jezdí and not jede?

This is an important Czech distinction.

• jet / jede is usually for one trip, one movement, right now
• jezdit / jezdí is for repeated action, habitual action, or general ability/function

In this sentence, the meaning is not This car is going right now on gasoline. It is describing a general fact about how the car operates. So Czech uses jezdí.

Compare:

• Auto jede do Prahy. = The car is going to Prague.
• Auto jezdí na benzín. = The car runs on gasoline.