Známe okolí města.

Známe is the 1st person plural present tense form of znát.

• znát = to know / to be familiar with
• známe = we know / we are familiar with

So the subject is we, even though Czech does not need to say my explicitly here.

Czech often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending.

In známe, the ending -me already tells you the subject is we. So:

• Známe okolí města. = We know the area around the town/city.
• My známe okolí města. also works, but my would usually add emphasis, like we in particular.

This is a very common question for English speakers, because English uses know for several different ideas.

In Czech:

• znát = to know a person, place, thing, or be familiar with something
• vědět = to know a fact or piece of information

So you say:

• Znám Prahu. = I know Prague / I’m familiar with Prague.
• Vím, kde je Praha. = I know where Prague is.

Since okolí města is a place/area, znát is the correct verb.

Here okolí is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of známe.

We are familiar with what? → okolí města

A useful thing to know is that for many neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative singular look the same. So okolí does not visibly change here.

Because města is in the genitive singular.

The phrase okolí města literally works like:

• the surroundings of the town/city
• the area around the town/city

In Czech, nouns like okolí often take another noun in the genitive to show what something belongs to or surrounds.

So:

• město = town/city
• města = of the town/city

Okolí means something like:

• surroundings
• vicinity
• the area around something

In this sentence, okolí města means the area around the town/city.

It does not usually mean the town/city itself, but rather the nearby area.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Czech město is broader than the English distinction between town and city. Sometimes the best translation is town, sometimes city.

So okolí města could be:

• the surroundings of the town
• the surroundings of the city
• the area around the town/city

Context decides which sounds best.

Yes. Czech word order is flexible, and changing it often changes emphasis, not the basic meaning.

For example:

• Známe okolí města. = neutral statement
• Okolí města známe. = emphasis on the area around the town; maybe contrasting it with something else
• Města okolí známe. = possible only in special contexts, but not the most natural neutral order

So the original sentence is a normal, natural way to say it.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

ZNAA-meh OH-ko-lee MYES-tah

A few helpful points:

• Czech stress is usually on the first syllable of each word:
  • Známe
  • okolí
  • města
• á is a long vowel
• ě in města changes the sound of m, so it sounds roughly like mye

You do not need to force an English-style rhythm; Czech stress is usually steadier and more even.

Yes. Czech has no articles like a or the, so definiteness is understood from context.

So okolí města can naturally be understood as:

• the surroundings of the town/city
• the area around the town/city

English needs an article, but Czech does not.

Yes. It is a perfectly complete Czech sentence.

It contains:

• an implied subject: we
• a verb: známe
• an object: okolí města

Czech often allows short, compact sentences that still sound fully natural.