Learn Hardcore Czech: Moje sestra má zelené šaty, které nosí na každou oslavu. - My sister has a green dress which she wears to every celebration.

šaty = dress (one dress) or clothes in general, depending on context
There is no singular form like \šat* meaning “one dress” in modern standard Czech.

Because šaty is grammatically plural, anything that agrees with it is also in the plural:

zelené šaty – green dress (literally “green dresses/clothes”)
které – relative pronoun in plural, referring back to šaty

So: the meaning is singular “a dress,” but the grammar is plural.

Why does zelené end in -é and not, for example, zelená or zelený?

The ending of zelené is determined by:

Gender and number of the noun
- šaty is treated as feminine plural (even though it’s plural‑only).
Case of the noun
- In má zelené šaty, šaty is the direct object → accusative plural.
- For feminine plural (and inanimate plural) adjectives, nominative plural and accusative plural look the same: -é.

So here:

šaty = accusative plural
zelené = accusative plural feminine, agreeing with šaty
→ That’s why you get zelené šaty, not zelená šaty or zelený šaty.

Why is there a comma before které?

In Czech, a relative clause introduced by který / která / které is normally separated by a comma:

Moje sestra má zelené šaty, které nosí na každou oslavu.
→ main clause: Moje sestra má zelené šaty
→ relative clause: které nosí na každou oslavu

The comma works much like in English before which/that in a non‑restrictive relative clause. In practice, you almost always put a comma before který / která / které when it introduces a subordinate clause.

Why is it které and not která or který?

The relative pronoun must agree with the noun it refers to in gender and number, and it takes the case required by its function in the relative clause.

It refers to šaty → feminine plural
In the relative clause které nosí na každou oslavu, the pronoun is the direct object of nosí → accusative plural

Forms of který (feminine/plural relevant here):

Nominative plural feminine: které
Accusative plural feminine: které (same form)

So které is accusative plural feminine, agreeing with šaty and functioning as what she wears.

Why isn’t there a word for she (like ona) in the part které nosí na každou oslavu?

Czech usually omits subject pronouns when the subject is clear from context and verb endings:

nosí is 3rd person singular (he/she/it wears)
from the previous part Moje sestra má…, it’s obvious that the subject is moje sestra (she)

So instead of které ona nosí na každou oslavu, Czech naturally says simply:

které nosí na každou oslavu

Using ona here would sound heavy or emphatic, like stressing she vs someone else.

Why is the verb nosí used here and not something like má na sobě?

Czech distinguishes several verbs:

nosit (here nosí) – to wear habitually, or to carry repeatedly
- které nosí na každou oslavu = the dress she regularly wears to every party
mít na sobě – to have on / be wearing right now
- Má na sobě zelené šaty. = She is wearing a green dress (at this moment).

In this sentence, we talk about a habit (what she always wears to parties), so the habitual verb nosit – nosí is the natural choice.

Why is it na každou oslavu and not na každá oslava or na každé oslavě?

Two things are going on: the preposition na and the case.

Preposition na
- With accusative, it usually means direction / occasion / purpose:
  jít na oslavu – to go to a party
  na každou oslavu – on every occasion / for every party
- With locative, it’s more static:
  na oslavě – at the party

Here it’s about each occasion where she wears the dress, so na + accusative is used: na každou oslavu.

Case ending
- oslava (feminine)
  - Nominative: oslava
  - Accusative: oslavu
- každý (every) – feminine accusative singular: každou

So:

na
- každou (fem. acc. sg.) + oslavu (fem. acc. sg.)
  → na každou oslavu.

Why is it každou and not každá or každý?

Každý (every) declines like an adjective and must agree with oslava:

oslava is feminine singular
After na (with this meaning), oslava is in accusative → oslavu

The correct form of každý for feminine accusative singular is:

Nominative: každá (every, as subject) – každá oslava je…
Accusative: každou (every, as object / with some prepositions) – na každou oslavu

So každou oslavu is the grammatically correct combination in this position.

What is the difference between moje sestra and má sestra?

Both can mean my sister.

moje sestra
- Neutral, common in both spoken and written Czech
- Feels more colloquial/natural in everyday conversation.
má sestra
- A short form of the possessive adjective
- More formal, literary, or stylistic; often found in written texts, narration, or slightly elevated speech.

In most modern contexts, moje sestra is the default; má sestra can sound a bit bookish or stylistically marked, though it is correct.

Can the word order be changed, for example Moje sestra má na každou oslavu zelené šaty?

Yes. Czech has relatively flexible word order, and several variants are possible and natural:

Moje sestra má zelené šaty, které nosí na každou oslavu.
Moje sestra má na každou oslavu zelené šaty, které nosí.
Moje sestra má zelené šaty na každou oslavu, které nosí. (this last one is less clear; usually you keep které close to šaty)

General tendencies:

The new or emphasized information often comes later in the sentence.
The relative clause které nosí na každou oslavu normally follows directly after the noun it describes (šaty), which is why the original order sounds the most natural.

So Moje sestra má na každou oslavu zelené šaty is grammatically fine and understandable, but the original version with the relative clause right after šaty is stylistically cleaner.