Naše škola je v ulici vedle parku.

Our school is in the street next to the park.

Breakdown of Naše škola je v ulici vedle parku.

• být: to be
• v: in
• škola: the school
• park: the park
• náš: our
• vedle: next to
• ulice: the street

Questions & Answers about Naše škola je v ulici vedle parku.

Why is it Naše škola and not Náš škola?

Czech possessive pronouns must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.

• škola is a feminine noun (like žena).
• The feminine singular form of náš (our) is naše.

So:

• náš učitel – our (male) teacher – masculine
• naše škola – our school – feminine
• naše město – our city – neuter

Using Náš škola would be ungrammatical because náš is masculine, but škola is feminine.

Why is škola in this form and not something like školu?

Škola is the subject of the sentence, so it stands in the nominative singular.

• Naše škola je v ulici vedle parku.
  – škola = nominative (who/what is in the street?)

If you used školu, that would be accusative (object form), which is not correct here.

Compare:

• Vidím školu. – I see the school. (accusative, object)
• Škola je nová. – The school is new. (nominative, subject)

Why is je used here and not jsme or something else?

Je is the 3rd person singular form of být (to be):

• já jsem – I am
• ty jsi – you are (sg)
• on/ona/ono je – he/she/it is
• my jsme – we are

The subject is škola (she/it), so you use je:

• Naše škola je v ulici … – Our school is in the street …

You would only use jsme if the subject were we (my), e.g. My jsme v ulici vedle parku. – We are in the street next to the park.

Why is it v ulici and not na ulici? Aren’t both “in/on the street”?

Both v ulici and na ulici exist, but they emphasize slightly different things and usage depends on context and regional habits.

• v ulici – literally in the street, used when you talk about an address/location along that street.

  • Naše škola je v ulici vedle parku.
    → The school is located on that street.

• na ulici – more like out on the street, often focusing on the open space/street as such, for example where people stand, walk, or where something is happening.

  • Děti si hrají na ulici. – The children are playing out in the street.

For buildings with an address, v ulici is very common: bydlím v této ulici (I live on this street).

Why does ulice become ulici in v ulici?

The preposition v (in) requires the locative case when it expresses location (where something is).

Ulice is a feminine noun. Its singular forms include:

• Nominative: ulice (the street – subject)
• Genitive: ulice
• Dative: ulici
• Accusative: ulici
• Locative: ulici
• Instrumental: ulicí

After v in the sense of “in” (static location), you use the locative, which for ulice is ulici:

• v ulici – in the street
• v Praze – in Prague
• v kanceláři – in the office

So ulici here is the locative singular.

Why is it vedle parku and not vedle park or vedle parkem?

The preposition vedle (next to, beside) always takes the genitive case.

Park is a masculine noun. Its singular forms include:

• Nominative: park
• Genitive: parku
• Dative: parku
• Accusative: park
• Locative: parku
• Instrumental: parkem

Because vedle needs the genitive, you must use parku:

• vedle parku – next to the park
• vedle domu – next to the house
• vedle školy – next to the school

Vedle park or vedle parkem would be incorrect.

What is the difference between vedle parku and u parku?

Both can be translated as “by/near the park”, but they feel slightly different:

• vedle parku – right next to the park, emphasizing being directly beside it.

  • The school is immediately adjacent to the park.

• u parku – by/near the park, more general proximity, not necessarily immediately next to it.

In many situations you could use either, but:

• If you want to emphasize direct adjacency, vedle parku is clearer.
• If you just want to say in the area of the park, u parku is common.

Why is parku here genitive and not locative, since ulici is locative?

Two different prepositions are being used, each with its own case requirement:

• v ulici – v (in) → locative → ulici
• vedle parku – vedle (next to) → genitive → parku

So:

• v + ulice → v ulici (locative)
• vedle + park → vedle parku (genitive)

The fact that both phrases describe location doesn’t mean they use the same case. In Czech, the case is determined primarily by the preposition, not just by the general idea of place.

Can I change the word order, for example: V ulici vedle parku je naše škola?

Yes. Czech has relatively flexible word order. These are all grammatical:

• Naše škola je v ulici vedle parku.
• V ulici vedle parku je naše škola.
• Naše škola je vedle parku v ulici. (less natural, but possible)

The most neutral, common version is the original:

• Naše škola je v ulici vedle parku.

Starting with V ulici vedle parku puts more emphasis on the location: “In the street next to the park, that’s where our school is.”

Could I say Naše škola je v ulici u parku instead of vedle parku?

Yes, v ulici u parku is grammatically correct and natural:

• Naše škola je v ulici u parku.

Meaning-wise:

• v ulici vedle parku – in a street that is right next to the park
• v ulici u parku – in a street by/near the park

Often they’ll be understood almost the same way, but vedle feels more like immediately beside, while u can be a bit looser (in the area of the park).