Společnost má miliardu korun.

Questions & Answers about Společnost má miliardu korun.

Why is there no word for the or a before společnost?

Czech does not have articles, so there is no direct equivalent of the or a/an.

So společnost can mean:

  • the company
  • a company

Context tells you which one is meant.

What exactly does společnost mean here?

Here, společnost means company.

It is a feminine noun. In other contexts, společnost can also mean:

  • society
  • company in the sense of companionship / being with other people

In this sentence, because of the money amount, company is the natural meaning.

Why is it má?

Má is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb mít = to have.

So:

  • já mám = I have
  • ty máš = you have
  • on/ona/ono má = he/she/it has

Since společnost is singular, the verb must also be singular: má.

Also note that á is a long vowel, so má is pronounced longer than ma would be.

Why is it miliardu and not miliarda?

Because miliarda is the direct object of má, it has to be in the accusative case.

For this feminine noun:

  • miliarda = nominative singular
  • miliardu = accusative singular

So:

  • Miliarda je vysoké číslo. = A billion is a large number.
    → nominative
  • Má miliardu korun. = It has a billion crowns.
    → accusative
Why is it korun and not koruny or koruna?

Because after a quantity word like miliarda, the thing being counted is usually put in the genitive plural.

So:

  • koruna = nominative singular
  • koruny = nominative plural / also some other forms
  • korun = genitive plural

That is why Czech says:

  • milion korun
  • miliarda korun
  • spousta lidí = a lot of people

So in miliardu korun, korun is the correct form after the quantity noun miliarda.

Does miliarda really mean English billion?

Yes. In Czech:

  • milion = million = 10^6
  • miliarda = billion = 10^9
  • bilion = trillion = 10^12

This is very important for English speakers, because Czech bilion is not English billion.

Could I also say jednu miliardu korun?

Yes, absolutely.

  • má miliardu korun = neutral, natural
  • má jednu miliardu korun = also correct, but jednu adds emphasis to the number one

You would use jednu if you want to stress the exact amount, contrast it with another amount, or be especially explicit.

Is the word order fixed here?

No, Czech word order is fairly flexible.

Společnost má miliardu korun is the most neutral order.

You could also say:

  • Miliardu korun má společnost.
  • Společnost miliardu korun má.

These alternatives are grammatically possible, but they change the focus or emphasis.

In general:

  • neutral statement → Společnost má miliardu korun
  • emphasis on the amount → Miliardu korun má společnost
Why is Společnost capitalized?

It is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence.

In Czech, common nouns like společnost are not normally capitalized in the middle of a sentence.

So:

  • Společnost má miliardu korun.
  • Ta společnost má miliardu korun.
How do I pronounce this sentence?

A rough guide is:

SPO-lech-nost má MI-li-ar-du KO-run

A few useful points:

  • Stress in Czech is usually on the first syllable of each word.
  • č sounds like ch in church.
  • á is a long a.
  • r is a rolled or tapped r.
  • u in korun is a normal u sound, not yu.

So pay special attention to:

  • společnost
  • má
  • miliardu
  • korun
Could I use firma instead of společnost?

Often yes.

  • firma = company, firm
  • společnost = company, often a bit more formal or official

So:

  • Firma má miliardu korun.
  • Společnost má miliardu korun.

Both are possible, but společnost can sound more formal, and it also has wider meanings depending on context.

Is korun specifically Czech currency?

Usually yes, it refers to koruny — crowns/korunas.

If you want to be fully explicit, you might say:

  • miliardu českých korun
  • miliardu korun českých

But in many contexts, just korun is enough, especially if it is already clear that the currency is Czech crowns.

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