Learn Hardcore Czech: Autobus je rychlý, ale náš pes je pomalý.

pes is masculine (animate), so we use masculine: náš pes
naše is the feminine or neuter form, so it would be used with:
- naše kočka – our cat (feminine)
- naše auto – our car (neuter)

Basic singular forms:

masculine: náš (náš pes – our dog)
feminine: naše (naše kočka – our cat)
neuter: naše (naše auto – our car)

So náš is correct because pes is masculine.

Why is it just pes, not psa?

Czech uses cases, and the form of the noun changes depending on its grammatical role.

In this sentence:

Náš pes je pomalý. – Our dog is slow.

Here pes is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case:

nominative (subject): pes – the dog
accusative (direct object): psa – the dog (as an object)

Examples:

Pes spí. – The dog is sleeping. (subject → nominative)
Vidím psa. – I see the dog. (object → accusative)

Because in the sentence the dog is just being described and is the subject, we use pes, not psa.

Why do we need the verb je twice? Could we say Autobus rychlý, ale náš pes pomalý?

In standard Czech, you need the verb být (to be) in the present tense in sentences like this:

Autobus je rychlý, ale náš pes je pomalý.

You cannot normally omit je here in ordinary speech or writing.
The version:

Autobus rychlý, ale náš pes pomalý.

sounds like a headline, a very telegraphic note, or poetry, not like normal grammar.

So in normal sentences, repeat je:

Ten autobus je rychlý, ale náš pes je pomalý.
That bus is fast, but our dog is slow.

Can I drop autobus or pes and just say Je rychlý, ale je pomalý?

Czech does often drop pronouns when they’re obvious (like já, ty, on). But here we’re talking about nouns, not pronouns.

If you’ve already mentioned autobus and pes in the context, you could shorten a follow-up sentence:

Ten autobus je rychlý. Je rychlý, ale náš pes je pomalý.
That bus is fast. It is fast, but our dog is slow.

But in the original sentence, if you just say:

Je rychlý, ale je pomalý.

it’s unclear who is fast and who is slow, unless the context is very strong. So for a learner, it’s better to keep the nouns:

Autobus je rychlý, ale náš pes je pomalý.

Why is there a comma before ale? Is it always like that?

Yes, in this type of sentence you must put a comma before ale.

Ale means “but” and introduces a new clause:

Autobus je rychlý, ale náš pes je pomalý.

Czech puts a comma before ale when it connects two clauses with their own verbs:

Chci jít ven, ale prší. – I want to go out, but it’s raining.
Je to jednoduché, ale nudné. – It’s simple, but boring.

So the comma in your sentence is required.

Could I change the word order, like Náš pes je pomalý, ale autobus je rychlý?

Yes, this is perfectly correct:

Náš pes je pomalý, ale autobus je rychlý.
Our dog is slow, but the bus is fast.

Czech word order is more flexible than English. Both:

Autobus je rychlý, ale náš pes je pomalý.
Náš pes je pomalý, ale autobus je rychlý.

are natural. The difference is mostly about what you want to emphasize. In spoken Czech you can stress the contrast by intonation as well.

You could also slightly shift focus:

Autobus je rychlý, ale náš pes je pomalý. (stress on the dog)
Autobus je rychlý, ale pomalý je náš pes. (more contrastive, sounds a bit stylized)

Why is it Autobus je rychlý, not Autobus je rychlý autobus?

In Czech, when you say “X is [adjective]”, you normally use just the adjective as a predicate:

Autobus je rychlý. – The bus is fast.
Náš pes je pomalý. – Our dog is slow.
Město je velké. – The city is big.

You don’t repeat the noun the way you might in English apposition like “The bus is a fast bus.” That feels redundant and unnatural in Czech unless you have a specific reason (e.g. contrast between different types: rychlý autobus vs. pomalý autobus).

Does Autobus je rychlý mean “buses in general are fast” or “this bus is fast”?

By itself, Autobus je rychlý is slightly ambiguous, but in practice:

For a specific bus, Czech usually uses ten (“that”):
- Ten autobus je rychlý. – That/the bus is fast.
For buses in general, you’d normally use a plural:
- Autobusy jsou rychlé. – Buses are fast.

Your sentence Autobus je rychlý, ale náš pes je pomalý. is likely talking about some specific bus in a given situation, but for clear, natural Czech, Ten autobus je rychlý… would be more typical if you clearly mean “that bus”.

Why is náš placed before pes? Can it go after, like pes náš?

The normal word order for possessives and adjectives is:

possessive/adjective + noun

So:

náš pes – our dog
můj bratr – my brother
velký autobus – big bus

You can say pes náš, but:

It sounds poetic, archaic, or highly emotional (e.g., in songs, religious language, or expressive speech).
In normal, neutral Czech, always use náš pes.

How do you pronounce rychlý and pomalý, especially ch and the long ý?

Key points:

ch
- It’s one sound, written with two letters: ch.
- Pronounced like the “ch” in German “Bach” or the “j” in Spanish “José” – a voiceless sound in the throat, not like English ch in church.
ý
- ý is a long [i]-like vowel.
- Length matters in Czech: i is short, í/ý is long.
- In rychlý and pomalý, the last syllable is stretched: ry-ch-lý, po-ma-lý.

Rough approximations:

rychlý ≈ “rihkh-lee” (with the German-like ch)
pomalý ≈ “po-ma-lee” (again, final -lee is long)

Remember: length can change meaning in Czech, so ý is not just a decorative accent; it marks a long vowel.