Breakdown of Dnes ráno svítí slunce, ale počasí je studené.
být
to be
ráno
the morning
ale
but
dnes
today
svítit
to shine
slunce
the sun
počasí
the weather
studený
cold
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Questions & Answers about Dnes ráno svítí slunce, ale počasí je studené.
What’s the difference between dnes ráno and just ráno?
Ráno on its own simply means in the morning, referring to mornings in general. Dnes ráno literally translates as today morning, pinpointing this morning specifically. Without dnes, you lose the “today” reference and speak about any typical morning.
Why is svítí slunce used instead of slunce svítí?
Both word orders are grammatically correct because Czech has flexible syntax.
- Svítí slunce (Verb-Subject) is a neutral, common pattern especially in weather statements.
- Slunce svítí (Subject-Verb) puts slight emphasis on slunce (“the sun”).
The overall meaning (“the sun is shining”) remains the same.
What case is slunce in, and why?
Slunce is in the nominative singular case. It functions as the subject of the intransitive verb svítit (“to shine”), and subjects in Czech normally stay in the nominative.
Why do we say počasí je studené? What gender and case is studené?
Počasí (“weather”) is a neuter noun in the nominative singular. The verb být (“to be”) links a subject in the nominative with an adjective that also takes the nominative neuter singular form. Hence, the adjective studený becomes studené to agree in gender, number, and case.
Could we say je chladno or je zima instead of počasí je studené? What’s the nuance?
Yes.
- Je chladno and je zima are impersonal constructions meaning “it’s cold,” commonly used in everyday speech to describe temperature.
- Počasí je studené is a more literal, descriptive observation: “the weather is cold.”
Both are correct; the impersonal forms feel more idiomatic for stating it’s cold.
Why is there a comma before ale?
In Czech (as in English), when two independent clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction like ale (“but”), you place a comma before the conjunction:
…, ale …
Can we omit dnes and just say Ráno svítí slunce, ale počasí je studené? Does the meaning change?
Yes, you can omit dnes. Then ráno refers to mornings in general, making the sentence a generic statement about morning weather rather than commenting on this specific morning.