Breakdown of Můj syn je dnes pomalý, protože je unavený.
Questions & Answers about Můj syn je dnes pomalý, protože je unavený.
In Czech, possessive pronouns agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe.
- syn is masculine singular.
- The nominative masculine singular form of můj (my) is můj.
So:
- můj syn = my son (correct: masculine singular)
- moje is for feminine singular (e.g. moje dcera – my daughter) or some neuter nouns in colloquial speech.
- mé is another form used with certain neuter nouns or in other cases (e.g. mé dítě – my child).
Because syn is masculine singular in the nominative case, the correct phrase is můj syn.
Syn is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.
- Můj syn = My son (subject: the one who is slow)
- The verb je (is) describes what the subject is like.
- After je (to be), we keep the subject in the nominative.
Other forms like syna, synovi are different cases (accusative, dative, etc.) used when the son is an object or a recipient of an action. Here he is just the one being described, so nominative syn is correct.
Both pomalý (slow) and unavený (tired) are adjectives describing syn (son).
In Czech, adjectives must agree with the noun in:
- gender: masculine
- number: singular
- case: nominative
So for můj syn (masculine singular nominative), the adjective ending is -ý:
- pomalý syn – a slow son
- unavený syn – a tired son
In sentences with je, the adjective still matches the subject:
- Můj syn je pomalý.
- Můj syn je unavený.
If you changed the noun, the adjective would change too:
- Moje dcera je pomalá, protože je unavená. (feminine singular: -á)
- Moje děti jsou pomalé, protože jsou unavené. (plural: -é)
Czech word order is more flexible than English, but not all orders sound equally natural.
Most neutral options here:
- Můj syn je dnes pomalý, protože je unavený. (very natural)
- Dnes je můj syn pomalý, protože je unavený. (emphasizes today)
Less natural or marked:
- Můj syn dnes je pomalý – grammatically possible, but sounds a bit unusual or poetic; most speakers wouldn’t say it this way in everyday speech.
- Můj syn je pomalý dnes – also possible, but it puts a strong emphasis on dnes, like: He is slow *today (not usually).*
So you have flexibility, but the most typical everyday word order is:
Můj syn je dnes pomalý, protože je unavený.
No, you shouldn’t drop the second je here. Each clause needs its own verb být (to be):
- Main clause: Můj syn je dnes pomalý – My son is slow today.
- Subordinate clause: protože je unavený – because he is tired.
In Czech, you can omit je/jsem/jsi… in some very informal or fixed phrases, but in a normal sentence like this, you include je in both clauses.
So:
- protože je unavený = correct, standard
- protože unavený = incomplete and unnatural in this context
pomalý is an adjective: it describes a person or thing.
- Můj syn je pomalý. – My son is slow.
- Je to pomalý počítač. – It is a slow computer.
pomalu is an adverb: it describes how an action is done.
- Můj syn jde pomalu. – My son walks slowly.
- Mluví pomalu. – He speaks slowly.
In the sentence Můj syn je dnes pomalý, we are describing his state/characteristic (he is slow), so we use the adjective pomalý.
- pomalý = slow (doing things slowly, moving slowly)
- líný = lazy (not wanting to do anything, unwilling to work)
In English, “He’s slow today” can sometimes imply he’s a bit lazy or not mentally quick. In Czech:
- Můj syn je dnes pomalý – he is moving/working slowly today.
- Můj syn je dnes líný – he is lazy today (doesn’t want to do anything).
You can use líný if that is the meaning you want, but it changes the nuance from “slow” to “lazy”.
Both mean today.
- dnes – slightly more neutral or formal; perfectly fine in both spoken and written Czech.
- dneska – more colloquial, very common in everyday speech.
You can say:
- Můj syn je dnes pomalý, protože je unavený. (neutral/standard)
- Můj syn je dneska pomalý, protože je unavený. (more informal, conversational)
Grammatically, both are correct.
No, but protože is by far the most common and neutral way to say because.
Other options:
- jelikož, poněvadž – also mean because, a bit more formal or bookish.
- neboť – very formal or literary, often translated as for or because in older texts.
- takže – literally so, so that, therefore. It introduces a result, not a cause:
- Je unavený, takže je dnes pomalý. – He is tired, so he is slow today.
In your sentence, protože is the best and most natural choice:
Můj syn je dnes pomalý, protože je unavený.
Yes. In fact, Czech usually avoids repeating the subject when it is clear from context.
The sentence already does this:
- Můj syn je dnes pomalý, protože je unavený.
In the second clause, protože je unavený, the subject (on = he) is understood, but not written. Czech often omits personal pronouns (já, ty, on…) because the verb form usually makes the subject clear.
You would not normally say:
- protože můj syn je unavený – grammatically fine, but sounds repetitive and heavy.
So the original version is natural and idiomatic.
Because protože introduces a subordinate clause of reason (a “because-clause”).
In Czech punctuation:
- You separate main and subordinate clauses with a comma.
- Protože almost always starts such a clause.
So:
- Můj syn je dnes pomalý, (main clause)
- protože je unavený. (subordinate clause – reason)
Therefore, the comma is required:
Můj syn je dnes pomalý, protože je unavený.
Czech does not have a separate continuous/progressive tense like English (is being, is doing).
Both permanent and temporary states use the same present tense:
- Můj syn je pomalý. – My son is slow. (could be generally slow or just now, depending on context)
- Můj syn je dnes pomalý. – My son is slow today. (clearly a temporary state from dnes)
You show that it is temporary mainly through:
- time expressions: dnes, teď, poslední dobou (today, now, lately)
- context and intonation.
So Můj syn je dnes pomalý corresponds well to English My son is being slow today in meaning, even though the grammar looks like simple present.