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Ten film je dlouhý.

Ten film je dlouhý.
That film is long.

Breakdown of Ten film je dlouhý.

být
to be
film
the film
ten
that
dlouhý
long
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Questions & Answers about Ten film je dlouhý.

Why do we use ten in this sentence? In English we can just say The film is long.

Ten is a demonstrative adjective, roughly like that or this in English. Czech does not have a separate definite article like English the, so speakers often use ten / ta / to to:

  • point to a specific thing (that one, this one)
  • or make the noun feel definite/specific, a bit like the

So:

  • Ten film je dlouhý. = That film is long. / The film is long. (a specific film we both know about)
  • Film je dlouhý. is also possible, but sounds more general or like a statement about a film mentioned in context, without emphasizing that one so much.

Using ten here just makes it clear we are talking about a particular, known film.

Can I leave out ten and just say Film je dlouhý?

Yes, grammatically you can say Film je dlouhý. It is correct Czech.

The nuance:

  • Ten film je dlouhý. – emphasizes a specific film (that one we just watched / are talking about).
  • Film je dlouhý. – more neutral or general; it can still mean “the film is long” if the context is clear, but you lose the “that/this” feeling.

In everyday conversation, speakers very often include ten / ta / to with concrete, specific nouns, so Ten film je dlouhý. will usually sound more natural.

Why is it ten and not ta or to?

Because film is a masculine noun in Czech.

The demonstratives must agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case. In the nominative singular:

  • Masculine: ten film
  • Feminine: ta kniha (that book)
  • Neuter: to auto (that car)

So with film (masculine), the correct form is ten.

Why is dlouhý masculine? Does it also agree with film?

Yes. Adjectives in Czech agree with the noun they describe in:

  • gender
  • number
  • case

Film is masculine, singular, nominative, so dlouhý matches that:

  • ten film je dlouhý (masc. sg.)
  • ta kniha je dlouhá (fem. sg.)
  • to auto je dlouhé (neut. sg.)

If the noun changes gender or number, the adjective and demonstrative must change accordingly.

How would the sentence look with a feminine or neuter noun instead of film?

Examples:

  • Feminine noun kniha (book):

    • Ta kniha je dlouhá. – That book is long.
      (ta for feminine, dlouhá for feminine.)

  • Neuter noun auto (car):

    • To auto je dlouhé. – That car is long.
      (to for neuter, dlouhé for neuter.)

Pattern:

  • Masculine: ten film je dlouhý
  • Feminine: ta kniha je dlouhá
  • Neuter: to auto je dlouhé
Why does dlouhý end in -ý here?

The ending -ý is the standard ending for hard-stem adjectives in:

  • masculine
  • singular
  • nominative (basic dictionary form when used with a masculine noun as the subject)

The basic pattern (singular, nominative) is:

  • Masculine: dlouhý
  • Feminine: dlouhá
  • Neuter: dlouhé

Because film is masculine singular nominative, dlouhý must take the -ý ending.

What is the difference between dlouhý and dlouho?

  • dlouhý is an adjective = long (describes a noun)

    • dlouhý film – a long film
    • Ten film je dlouhý. – The film is long.

  • dlouho is an adverb = for a long time / long (describes a verb)

    • Film trvá dlouho. – The film lasts a long time.
    • Čekám dlouho. – I am waiting for a long time.

Use:

  • dlouhý with nouns
  • dlouho with verbs or whole actions
How do I say Those films are long in Czech?

You need plural forms of the demonstrative and the adjective:

  • Ty filmy jsou dlouhé. – Those films are long.

Explanation:

  • ty – plural for masculine inanimate nouns (like filmy)
  • filmy – plural of film
  • jsou – 3rd person plural of být (to be)
  • dlouhé – plural form of dlouhý for non-masculine-animate plural nouns

So singular vs plural:

  • Ten film je dlouhý. – That film is long.
  • Ty filmy jsou dlouhé. – Those films are long.
How do I turn Ten film je dlouhý. into a yes–no question: Is that film long?

The easiest way is simply to change intonation (raise your voice at the end):

  • Ten film je dlouhý? – with questioning intonation.

You can also move the verb to the front (more formal / standard school form):

  • Je ten film dlouhý? – Is that film long?

Both are used in speech; Je ten film dlouhý? is very clear and textbook-like.

How do I pronounce Ten film je dlouhý? Where is the stress?

In Czech, stress is always on the first syllable of a word or phrase group, and it is quite regular.

Rough guide (not strict IPA):

  • Ten – like English ten, short e
  • film – like English film (short, one syllable)
  • je – like ye in yes, short
  • dlouhý – dlou is one syllable: dlo
    • a short w-like glide; long ou (as in go, but longer), then hý with long í

Rough IPA: [tɛn fɪlm jɛ ˈdlou̯ɦiː]

Word stress:

  • TEN film je DLOU-hý – main stress at the beginning of ten and then again at dlou- in dlouhý, but the first word of the phrase usually feels strongest.
Is je always necessary? Could I say just Ten film dlouhý?

In normal, full sentences: yes, you should use je.

  • Ten film je dlouhý. – correct neutral sentence.

Ten film dlouhý:

  • sounds like an incomplete sentence
  • might appear only in very informal, elliptical speech or in headlines or notes (e.g. a label Film dlouhý, pozor! – Long film, beware!).

For standard spoken and written Czech in the present tense, include je:

  • Ten film je dlouhý.
Can dlouhý ever mean tall, or is it only long?

dlouhý mainly means long (in length or duration), not tall.

  • dlouhý stůl – a long table
  • dlouhý film – a long film (in duration)
  • dlouhé vlasy – long hair

For tall, Czech normally uses vysoký:

  • vysoký muž – a tall man
  • vysoký strom – a tall tree

So:

  • Ten film je dlouhý. – The film is long. (duration)
  • Ten dům je vysoký. – The house is tall/high. (height)
Why is it film, not filmu or filmem? What case is used here?

In Ten film je dlouhý., the word film is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

Basic rule:

  • The subject (the thing that is something) is nominative.
  • The predicate adjective (dlouhý) also matches the subject in case, gender, number → here: nominative masculine singular.

Other forms like filmu, filmem are different cases:

  • filmu – e.g. genitive or dative or locative (depending on context)
  • filmem – instrumental

But for X is Y sentences (X je Y), both X and Y are typically nominative:

  • Ten film je dlouhý.
  • Tento film je nový.
Is there another common way to say that the film is long, for example using trvá?

Yes, you can express the same idea more concretely with trvat (to last):

  • Ten film trvá dvě hodiny. – The film lasts two hours.
  • Ten film trvá moc dlouho. – That film lasts too long.

Comparing:

  • Ten film je dlouhý. – general comment: the film is long.
  • Ten film trvá dvě a půl hodiny. – gives the actual length.

Both are natural; the je dlouhý version is more like an opinion/evaluation.

Can I say Tento film je dlouhý or Tenhle film je dlouhý? What is the difference from Ten film je dlouhý?

Yes, both are correct; they are just different styles/registers of this/that:

  • Tento film je dlouhý.

    • more formal, bookish, often found in written or careful speech
    • roughly this film is long

  • Tenhle film je dlouhý.

    • colloquial, very common in everyday spoken Czech
    • like this film here is long

  • Ten film je dlouhý.

    • neutral that/the film is long, everyday standard

So you can choose:

  • formal: Tento film je dlouhý.
  • neutral: Ten film je dlouhý.
  • very colloquial/spoken: Tenhle film je dlouhý.