Dnešní film v televizi je krátký, ale zajímavý.

Today's film on TV is short but interesting.

Breakdown of Dnešní film v televizi je krátký, ale zajímavý.

• být: to be
• ale: but
• v: on
• televize: the television
• film: the film
• zajímavý: interesting
• dnešní: tonight's
• krátký: short

Questions & Answers about Dnešní film v televizi je krátký, ale zajímavý.

What exactly does dnešní mean, and how is it different from dnes?

Dnešní is an adjective meaning “today’s” (belonging to today). It always goes with a noun:

• dnešní film – today’s film
• dnešní noviny – today’s newspaper

Dnes is an adverb meaning “today” and goes with verbs:

• Dnes je v televizi film. – Today there is a film on TV.

So in your sentence, dnešní film literally means “today’s film”, not “today is a film”.

Why do Czechs say v televizi for “on TV”? Why not na televizi?

In Czech, the usual fixed phrase for “on TV” is v televizi (literally “in the television”), with:

• preposition v (“in”)
• noun televizi (locative case of televize)

Examples:

• Dnes je dobrý film v televizi. – There is a good film on TV today.
• Viděl jsem to v televizi. – I saw it on TV.

Na televizi would literally mean “on the television set” (physically on top of it), so it sounds wrong in this context.

Why is it televizi and not televize in the sentence?

The dictionary form is televize (feminine noun). After the preposition v meaning “in” (location), Czech normally uses the locative case.

• Feminine -e noun (televize) → locative singular televizi

So:

• v televizi – in/on (the) TV
• o televizi – about TV

That -i ending is a signal of the locative singular for this type of feminine noun.

Why do the adjectives krátký and zajímavý end in -ý?

Adjectives in Czech must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

• film is masculine, singular, nominative.
• The matching form of these adjectives is krátký, zajímavý (masculine singular nominative).

So you get:

• krátký film – a short film
• zajímavý film – an interesting film

If the noun changed, the endings would change too:

• krátká kniha (feminine) – a short book
• krátké filmy (plural) – short films

Could I put the adjectives before the noun, like Dnešní krátký, ale zajímavý film v televizi…?

Yes, that is grammatically correct, but it slightly changes the focus.

• Dnešní film v televizi je krátký, ale zajímavý.
  – Neutral statement; you first introduce “today’s film on TV” and then comment on it.

• Dnešní krátký, ale zajímavý film v televizi…
  – Puts more descriptive weight on krátký, ale zajímavý as a defining part of “today’s film.” It sounds like you’re describing a specific program (e.g. from a TV schedule).

Both structures are possible; Czech allows both “adjective + noun” and “noun + (is) adjective” patterns, like English.

Why is there a comma before ale? Is that always required?

Yes, in standard Czech orthography you almost always put a comma before ale (“but”) when it connects two parts that could each stand as separate statements:

• Je krátký, ale zajímavý. – It is short but interesting.
• Je to drahé, ale kvalitní. – It’s expensive but high-quality.

The comma works very similarly to English before but. You would normally omit the comma only in some very short or set phrases, but in a sentence like this it is required.

Can I say Dnešní film v televizi je krátký, ale je zajímavý with je repeated?

Yes, that’s grammatically correct:

• Dnešní film v televizi je krátký, ale je zajímavý.

However, Czech usually avoids repeating je when the subject is the same. The more natural, smoother version is:

• Dnešní film v televizi je krátký, ale zajímavý.

Both mean the same; the version without the second je just sounds more fluent and idiomatic.

Does krátký film mean simply “a film that is short”, or specifically “a short film” as a film type?

It can mean both, depending on context:

1. Generally short in length

   • Dnešní film v televizi je krátký, ale zajímavý.
     → Today’s film on TV is (relatively) short but interesting.

2. A short film as a genre/format (like a short movie, not feature-length)

   • Mám rád krátké filmy. – I like short films.
   • Promítají krátký film před hlavním filmem. – They’re showing a short film before the main film.

In your sentence, without extra context, it is usually understood as “short in length.”

Could I start the sentence with V televizi, like V televizi je dnešní film krátký, ale zajímavý?

Yes, Czech word order is flexible, and this is possible:

• V televizi je dnešní film krátký, ale zajímavý.

This version puts more emphasis on v televizi (“on TV”) as the topic – contrasting, for example, films in the cinema vs. films on TV. The original:

• Dnešní film v televizi je krátký, ale zajímavý.

starts by introducing dnešní film as the main topic. Both are correct; the difference is mainly in emphasis and style.

How would this sentence look in the past tense, like “Yesterday’s film on TV was short but interesting”?

You change dnešní to včerejší (“yesterday’s”), and je to byl (past tense of “to be” for masculine singular):

• Včerejší film v televizi byl krátký, ale zajímavý.
  – Yesterday’s film on TV was short but interesting.

Key changes:

• dnešní → včerejší (today’s → yesterday’s)
• je → byl (is → was)