Vesnice, kde bydlí moje babička, je malá a hezká.

The village where my grandmother lives is small and nice.

Breakdown of Vesnice, kde bydlí moje babička, je malá a hezká.

• být: to be
• můj: my
• malý: small
• a: and
• hezký: nice
• babička: the grandmother
• kde: where
• bydlet: to live
• vesnice: the village

Questions & Answers about Vesnice, kde bydlí moje babička, je malá a hezká.

What is the role of kde bydlí moje babička in this sentence?

kde bydlí moje babička is a relative clause (also called a subordinate clause) that describes vesnice.

• Main clause: Vesnice … je malá a hezká.
• Relative clause: kde bydlí moje babička = where my grandmother lives

So the structure is:
Vesnice, [kde bydlí moje babička], je malá a hezká.
The village [where my grandmother lives] is small and pretty.

The relative clause gives extra information about which village we are talking about.

Why are there commas around kde bydlí moje babička?

In Czech, a relative clause that gives extra, non‑defining information is separated by commas, just like in English.

• Vesnice, kde bydlí moje babička, je malá a hezká.
  This suggests the listener already knows which village, and this is additional information.

If the clause were defining (needed to identify which village), it would still usually have commas in Czech spelling, even though in English we might drop them. So:

• Czech tends to put commas around relative clauses more consistently than English.
• You can remember: a clause starting with kde, který, že etc. is very often set off by commas.

Why is kde used and not something like ve které?

Both are possible, but they differ slightly in style and feel.

• kde bydlí moje babička

  • Literally: where my grandmother lives
  • kde is an adverb (where), very natural and common in spoken language.

• ve které bydlí moje babička

  • Literally: in which my grandmother lives
  • které is a relative pronoun in the locative case (feminine singular), and ve is the preposition v
    • e for pronunciation.
  • More formal/literary; sounds very correct and a bit heavier.

Both are grammatically correct. In everyday speech and neutral writing, kde is more frequent here. So the sentence as given is natural and conversational.

What exactly is bydlí (tense, person, number), and why this form?

bydlí is:

• The verb bydlet (to live, to reside)
• Present tense
• 3rd person singular
• Both imperfective aspect and regular present meaning: an ongoing or habitual state

Conjugation of bydlet in the present:

• já bydlím (I live)
• ty bydlíš (you live, singular informal)
• on/ona/ono bydlí (he/she/it lives)
• my bydlíme
• vy bydlíte
• oni bydlí

We use bydlí because the subject of the subordinate clause is moje babička (3rd person singular, feminine):

• moje babička bydlí = my grandmother lives

Why is it moje babička and not má babička?

Both moje babička and má babička are grammatically correct and mean my grandmother, but there are some differences in usage:

• moje babička

  • More neutral and common in modern everyday speech.
  • Works comfortably in all positions: moje babička, babička moje (the second is emphatic/poetic).

• má babička

  • Shorter form, feels slightly more formal, sometimes a bit literary or old-fashioned in some contexts.
  • Often preferred before the noun in written, somewhat elevated style.

So you could say:

• Vesnice, kde bydlí moje babička, je malá a hezká. (very natural)
• Vesnice, kde bydlí má babička, je malá a hezká. (also fine, a bit more formal or stylistic)

For learners, moje, tvoje, jeho, její… are the safest default forms.

What gender and case are vesnice and babička in this sentence?

Vesnice

• Dictionary form: vesnice (village)
• Gender: feminine
• Here it is the subject of the main clause.
• Case: nominative singular
  → It is the thing that is small and pretty.

Babička

• Dictionary form: babička (grandmother)
• Gender: feminine
• In the subordinate clause, moje babička is the subject of bydlí.
• Case: nominative singular as well.

So both vesnice and babička are feminine nominative singular; they are just subjects of different clauses.

Why do the adjectives malá and hezká end with -á?

Czech adjectives must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

The noun they describe is vesnice:

• Gender: feminine
• Number: singular
• Case: nominative (subject)

The basic nominative singular feminine form of many adjectives ends in -á:

• malý, malá, malé (m, f, n)
• hezký, hezká, hezké (m, f, n)

Since vesnice is feminine singular nominative, the adjectives must be:

• malá (not malý or malé)
• hezká (not hezký or hezké)

So:

• Vesnice … je malá a hezká.
  The village … is small and pretty.

Can the word order be changed, for example to Moje babička bydlí ve vesnici, která je malá a hezká?

Yes, that is also correct and natural, but it focuses on different information.

Original:

• Vesnice, kde bydlí moje babička, je malá a hezká.
  Focus: the village and its characteristics.

Alternative:

• Moje babička bydlí ve vesnici, která je malá a hezká.
  Focus: your grandmother and where she lives.

Grammar points:

• ve vesnici shows the preposition v
  • locative singular of vesnice (ve instead of v for easier pronunciation before v).
• která is a feminine nominative singular relative pronoun, referring back to vesnici.
• která je malá a hezká = which is small and pretty.

Both sentences are correct; you choose depending on what you want to emphasize first.

Could you say Vesnice, kde bydlí moje babička, malá a hezká without je?

No, not in standard Czech. You need the verb je in this sentence.

• je is the 3rd person singular present of být (to be).
• Czech does drop být in some short, nominal sentences (especially headlines, labels, or very informal speech), for example:
  
  • On unavený. (He [is] tired.) – here we usually keep je in full sentences.
  • On unavený? (He [is] tired?) – in very casual speech the je can disappear.

But in a full, written sentence like this with a relative clause in the middle, you are expected to use je:

• Vesnice, kde bydlí moje babička, je malá a hezká. ✔
• Vesnice, kde bydlí moje babička, malá a hezká. ✘ (sounds wrong/unfinished)

Why is it je malá a hezká, not something like je malé a hezké?

Again, this is adjective agreement with vesnice.

• vesnice is feminine singular
• Therefore the predicate adjectives must match: malá, hezká

Forms:

• masculine: malý, hezký
• feminine: malá, hezká
• neuter: malé, hezké

So:

• Dům je malý a hezký. (dům = masculine)
• Vesnice je malá a hezká. (vesnice = feminine)
• Město je malé a hezké. (město = neuter)

Using malé, hezké would only be correct with a neuter noun, not with vesnice.

Can you drop moje (my) or babička (grandmother) in this clause?

You cannot drop the noun babička, but you can sometimes drop the possessive moje if the context is clear.

• Czech freely drops subject pronouns (já, ty, on…), because the verb ending shows the person:
  • Bydlím ve vesnici. (I live in a village.)
• But it does not normally drop full nouns like babička; they carry the core meaning.

About moje:

• If it was already clear from earlier context that you are talking about your grandmother, a Czech speaker might occasionally just say babička:
  • Babička bydlí ve vesnici.
    But then it does not grammatically say it is your grandmother; that is just understood from context.

In this standalone sentence, keeping moje babička is natural and clear.
You should not say only moje bydlí ve vesnici – moje must modify a noun, not stand alone here.

Are there other common ways to say vesnice in Czech, and would they change the grammar?

Yes, there are a few synonyms or near-synonyms:

• vesnice – neutral, standard word for village.
• dědina – colloquial/regional (especially Moravia), a bit rustic in feel.
• vesnička – diminutive form, little village, often affectionate.

Example substitutions:

• Dědina, kde bydlí moje babička, je malá a hezká.
• Vesnička, kde bydlí moje babička, je malá a hezká.

Grammar:

• dědina and vesnička are also feminine nouns, so the rest of the sentence (kde bydlí moje babička, je malá a hezká) stays exactly the same in terms of forms and agreements.