Questions & Answers about Naše ulice ještě nemá jméno.
Czech possessive pronouns agree with the gender and number of the noun, not the owner.
- ulice is grammatically feminine.
- The feminine singular form of náš (our) is naše.
So:
- naše ulice = our street (feminine)
- náš dům = our house (masculine)
- naše město = our town (neuter)
That’s why naše ulice is correct, not náš ulice.
- ulice is the subject, so it is in the nominative singular: ulice.
- jméno is the direct object of the verb mít (to have), so it is in the accusative singular.
For neuter nouns like jméno, nominative and accusative singular have the same form:
- nominative sg.: jméno
- accusative sg.: jméno
So the form doesn’t change, but the function in the sentence does.
- mít = to have
- být = to be
The English sentence is “Our street does not have a name yet.”
So Czech uses the verb mít (to have):
- má jméno = has a name
- nemá jméno = does not have a name
If you said Naše ulice ještě není jméno, it would be incorrect; není needs a complement like an adjective or noun in nominative (e.g. Ulice není dlouhá = The street is not long).
A correct reformulation with být would be:
- Naše ulice ještě není pojmenovaná. = Our street is not named yet.
ještě means yet or still, depending on context. Here it corresponds to “yet”:
- Naše ulice ještě nemá jméno.
= Our street doesn’t have a name yet.
Common positions:
- Naše ulice ještě nemá jméno. (neutral, very common)
- Naše ulice nemá ještě jméno. (slightly more emphasis on jméno)
You can also say:
- Naše ulice už má jméno. = Our street already has a name.
(už is often the opposite of ještě.)
In Czech, word endings only often, not always, predict gender.
ulice belongs to a common feminine pattern (like růže, restaurace):
- ulice – street (feminine)
- restaurace – restaurant (feminine)
So even though in English street has no grammatical gender, in Czech ulice is feminine, which is why the possessive is naše, not náš.
Yes, that’s possible and grammatically correct:
- Ulice ještě nemá jméno. = The street doesn’t have a name yet.
Czech often drops possessives where English would require them, especially if the owner is obvious from context.
- Use Naše ulice… when you want to emphasize that it’s our street, or when context does not make it clear whose street you mean.
- Use Ulice… when it’s clear from context or you’re speaking more generally.
Both are possible, but they differ slightly in emphasis:
Naše ulice ještě nemá jméno.
= Our street doesn’t have a name yet. (neutral, everyday wording)Naše ulice ještě nemá žádné jméno.
= Our street still doesn’t have any name. (more emphatic, stressing the complete lack)
Czech often uses double negatives (e.g. nikdo nic neví), but here žádné is optional.
Without žádné, the sentence is still perfectly natural.
jméno is pronounced approximately:
- [ˈjmɛːno] (IPA)
- Roughly like “ym-eh-no” but with a short y/j and a long é.
Details:
- j = like English y in yes
- jm forms a small consonant cluster; say j (y) and m very close together: y-m
- é is a long e sound, like in “bed” but held longer
- Stress is on the first syllable: JMÉ-no
Yes, there is a nuance:
- jméno = name (especially of people, but also streets, rivers, days)
- název = name/title (more often for things, organizations, works, brands)
For streets, you can hear both:
- Naše ulice ještě nemá jméno.
- Naše ulice ještě nemá název.
Both mean the same in practice. jméno is very common and perfectly natural here; název sounds a bit more formal/technical, like in city planning documents.
nemá is:
- verb: mít (to have)
- person: 3rd person
- number: singular
- polarity: negative
Present tense of mít (singular) is:
- (já) mám – I have
- (ty) máš – you have (sg., informal)
- (on/ona/ono) má – he/she/it has
Negative:
- nemám, nemáš, nemá…
Here, the subject is ulice (she/it), so:
- Ulice má jméno. = The street has a name.
- Ulice nemá jméno. = The street does not have a name.
Yes, that word order is possible:
- Ještě naše ulice nemá jméno.
The basic meaning is the same: the street doesn’t have a name yet.
However, starting with Ještě can:
- sound a bit more expressive or emphatic, highlighting the time/aspect: “Still, our street doesn’t have a name.”
- be used in contrast:
Naše sousední ulice už má jméno. Ještě naše ulice nemá jméno.
(The neighbouring street already has a name. Our street still doesn’t have a name.)
For a neutral sentence, Naše ulice ještě nemá jméno is the most typical.
The sentence is neutral in style and very natural in everyday speech.
You can use it:
- in casual conversation
- in semi-formal situations (e.g. speaking with a city official)
- in writing, too
It’s neither slangy nor overly formal.