Forhend a bekhend jsou dva údery.

to be

Breakdown of Forhend a bekhend jsou dva údery.

• a: and
• dva: two
• úder: the stroke; shot

Questions & Answers about Forhend a bekhend jsou dva údery.

Why are forhend and bekhend spelled differently from English forehand and backhand?

They are loanwords adapted to Czech spelling. Czech often changes borrowed sports terms so they match Czech pronunciation more closely.

• forhend ≈ English forehand
• bekhend ≈ English backhand

A Czech speaker will usually read these words more or less as they are written. You may also sometimes see English spellings in sports contexts, but the Czech-style spellings are very common.

What does a mean here?

a means and.

So:

• Forhend a bekhend = Forehand and backhand

It is one of the most basic Czech conjunctions.

Why is the verb jsou used?

jsou means are. It is the 3rd person plural form of být (to be).

It is plural because the subject is plural:

• forhend a bekhend = two things
• therefore: jsou = are

Compare:

• Forhend je úder. = A forehand is a stroke.
• Forhend a bekhend jsou dva údery. = Forehand and backhand are two strokes.

Why is it dva and not dvě?