Petr je v zahradě.

Petr is in the garden.

Breakdown of Petr je v zahradě.

• být: to be
• zahrada: the garden
• v: in
• Petr: Petr

Questions & Answers about Petr je v zahradě.

What grammatical case is zahradě in and why is it used here?

zahradě is in the locative case, which Czech uses after certain prepositions—like v (in) and na (on)—to indicate location. You can’t use the locative without a preposition in modern Czech.

Why is the preposition v sometimes ve, and why is it v here?

The preposition v becomes ve before words beginning with two consonants (for euphony), for example ve škole. Since zahradě begins with a single consonant z, it stays as v.

Why does the base noun zahrada change to zahradě?

In the feminine noun declension, the nominative zahrada (garden) takes the locative singular ending -ě. So whenever you use zahrada with a locative preposition like v, it changes to zahradě.

When does Czech use the locative case?

Primarily after prepositions that express location or subject of speech, such as v, na, o, po, při. It’s only used with those prepositions and in a few fixed expressions—otherwise you’ll use nominative, accusative, genitive, etc.

What is the function of je in this sentence?

je is the third-person singular present form of the verb být (to be), equivalent to English “is.” It links the subject Petr to the location expressed by v zahradě.

How do I pronounce Petr je v zahradě, and where does the stress fall?

Czech words always have stress on the first syllable. So you’d say:

• Petr [ˈpɛtr]
• je [jɛ]
• v [v]
• zahradě [ˈzaɦradʲɛ]

Altogether: [ˈpɛtr jɛ v ˈzaɦradʲɛ].

What’s the difference between saying v zahradě and na zahradě?

v zahradě literally means “inside the garden” (among plants, trees, flowerbeds), while na zahradě is more idiomatic for being generally “in the garden” or “in the yard” area. In everyday speech na zahradě is more common, but v zahradě emphasizes being within the planted space.

How do you say “to the garden” in Czech?

For motion towards the garden you use do + genitive. So “to the garden” is do zahrady. The preposition do always requires the genitive case.

How would I say “I am in the garden” or “we are in the garden”?

You change the form of být:

• “I am” = jsem, so Jsem v zahradě.
• “We are” = jsme, so Jsme v zahradě.
  (For “you are” plural/formal use jste, singular informal “you” is jsi.)