Mám psa.

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Breakdown of Mám psa.

• mít: to have
• pes: the dog

Questions & Answers about Mám psa.

Why is ‘psa’ used instead of ‘pes’?

‘Psa’ is the accusative form of the word ‘pes’ (dog). In Czech, the direct object of a verb must be in the accusative case, so instead of the nominative ‘pes’, you say ‘psa’.

Why isn’t there an article like ‘a’ in front of ‘psa’?

Czech doesn’t use articles the way English does. There’s no separate word for ‘a’ or ‘the’, so you just say ‘Mám psa’ without any article.

What does ‘mám’ mean, and why is it spelled that way?

‘Mám’ is the first-person singular present tense of ‘mít’ (to have). It specifically means ‘I have’. The other forms are, for example, ‘máš’ (you have), ‘má’ (he/she/it has), etc.

Can the word order be changed to ‘Psa mám’?

Yes, but it’s less common and can sound more emphatic or poetic. The standard word order in Czech is Subject – Verb – Object, so ‘Mám psa’ sounds the most natural.

What gender is ‘pes’ and does that affect ‘psa’?

‘Pes’ is masculine animate in Czech. This is why its accusative form changes to ‘psa’. If it were a different noun with different gender rules, the accusative might look different.