Questions & Answers about Ona je moje sestra.
Do I have to use Ona, or can I just say Je moje sestra?
In everyday Czech, the subject pronoun (já, ty, on, ona etc.) is usually dropped because the verb ending shows the person.
- Ona je moje sestra. – perfectly correct, but slightly emphatic: She is my sister (as opposed to someone else).
- Je moje sestra. – grammatically correct, but sounds a bit incomplete or unusually focused on the verb in isolation.
- The most natural way to say this is actually:
To je moje sestra. – literally That is my sister, commonly used when identifying someone.
So:
- To state a fact / introduce someone: To je moje sestra.
- To stress that “she” (and not another woman) is your sister: Ona je moje sestra.
Why do Czechs often say To je moje sestra instead of Ona je moje sestra?