Learn Hardcore Czech: Moje maminka je dnes velmi elegantní.

má maminka – also correct, a bit more formal / literary or slightly emphatic. In everyday speech people more often say moje maminka.
moji is used for masculine animate plural (e.g. moji bratři – my brothers) or as an alternative masculine animate singular accusative (e.g. Vidím moji/mého tátu).

So here, moje maminka is the most neutral, standard choice.

What is the nuance of maminka compared with máma and matka?

All three mean roughly “mother,” but the tone differs:

maminka – very common, affectionate and slightly diminutive, like “mommy / mumsy / dear mom”. Normal in both adult and child speech, not babyish in Czech.
máma – casual, neutral-informal, like “mom / mum”.
matka – more formal, distant or technical, like “mother” in official or biological contexts (e.g. forms, legal texts, biology). In everyday speech it can sound cold or even harsh if you say “Moje matka”.

So Moje maminka je dnes velmi elegantní sounds warm and affectionate.

Why is maminka in this form and not changed for case? What case is it?

In this sentence maminka is the subject, so it is in the nominative singular:

Kdo je elegantní? – Moje maminka. (Who is elegant? My mother.)

If the role changed, the form would change:

Vidím maminku. – I see my mother. (accusative)
Mluvím s maminkou. – I talk with my mother. (instrumental)
Dám to mamince. – I’ll give it to my mother. (dative)

But in this sentence, “my mother” is simply the one being described, so nominative maminka is used.

Could I say Dnes je moje maminka velmi elegantní or Moje maminka je velmi elegantní dnes? Is word order flexible?

Yes, Czech word order is quite flexible, but the neutral, most natural version here is:

Moje maminka je dnes velmi elegantní.

Other options:

Dnes je moje maminka velmi elegantní.
– Also correct, with slightly stronger focus on “today” (As for today, my mother is very elegant).
Moje maminka je velmi elegantní dnes.
– Grammatically possible, but sounds marked / unusual. Putting dnes at the end often adds emphasis or a contrast, like:
“My mother is very elegant today (implying she usually isn’t).”

In everyday speech, dnes usually appears early in the sentence: right after the verb or at the start.

Do I have to use je? Can Czech drop the verb “to be” like Russian sometimes does?

In standard Czech, in sentences like this you normally keep the verb je:

Moje maminka je dnes velmi elegantní.

In colloquial / spoken Czech, people sometimes omit it:

Moje maminka dnes velmi elegantní. (sounds informal/relaxed, a bit “telegraphic”)

However:

For learners, it’s better to always include je.
Omitting it is non‑standard and may sound either sloppy or strongly colloquial depending on context.

So, use je in your Czech unless you’re deliberately copying very casual speech.

Why is the adverb velmi used here, and how is it different from moc, hodně, strašně?

All of these can intensify an adjective like elegantní, but their tone differs:

velmi – neutral, bookish/formal-ish “very”. Safe in writing, polite speech, news, etc.
moc – very common in speech, feels more conversational:
- Moje maminka je dnes moc elegantní.
hodně – literally “a lot”, but also “very”; can sound stronger or a bit rougher depending on tone:
- hodně elegantní = very / really elegant.
strašně – literally “terribly”, but in speech often means “so / really”:
- strašně elegantní = really elegant (emotionally strong, informal).

In your sentence, velmi elegantní is neutral and slightly formal/polished.

Why is elegantní the same for feminine as for masculine? Shouldn’t it be elegantní vs elegantního or something?

Czech adjectives normally change by gender, number, and case, but adjectives ending in -ní / -tní / -cký have some special patterns.

In nominative singular, elegantní is:

ten elegantní muž – the elegant man (masc.)
ta elegantní žena – the elegant woman (fem.)
to elegantní auto – the elegant car (neut.)

So the form stays “elegantní” for masculine, feminine, and neuter in nominative singular.

It will change in other cases and numbers, e.g.:

Vidím elegantní ženu. (acc. sg.)
Mluvím s elegantní ženou. (instr. sg.)
Ty ženy jsou elegantní. (nom. pl., again elegantní)

In your sentence, maminka is feminine nominative singular, so elegantní is the correct matching form.

How do you pronounce maminka je dnes velmi elegantní? Any tricky sounds?

Approximate pronunciation, with stress on the first syllable of each word:

Moje – [MO-ye]
maminka – [MA-min-ka]
je – [ye] (like “ye” in “yes” without the s)
dnes – [dnes] (d + n together, but you pronounce both; one syllable)
velmi – [VEL-mi]
elegantní – [E-le-gant-nyí]; tní is like “tnee” but a bit more palatalized.

Key points:

Stress is always on the first syllable of each word in standard Czech.
j = English y in “yes”.
elegantní has a long í at the end; make it clearly longer.

Could I say just Maminka je dnes velmi elegantní without moje? Does it still mean “my mother”?

Yes, very often context makes it clear whose mother you mean.

Among family members or close friends, Maminka je dnes velmi elegantní will usually be understood as “Mum is very elegant today.”
In English, you also sometimes drop “my” and just say “Mum” or “Mom” when it’s your own.

However:

If you need to be clear (e.g. multiple mothers in the situation), use Moje maminka…
In more neutral or written contexts, Moje maminka is safer and unambiguous.

So both are possible; moje just makes it explicitly “my.”

Is there anything in Czech like English “the” here? Why is there no article?

Czech has no articles (no “a / an / the”). Definiteness and indefiniteness are understood from:

Context
Word order and stress
Sometimes optional words like ten, ta, to (this/that) for emphasis or clarity.

So:

Moje maminka je dnes velmi elegantní.
– This covers both English “My mother is very elegant today” and “My mom is very elegant today.”
You don’t need extra words for “the” at all.

Articles are simply not a grammatical category in Czech.

Can the possessive go after the noun, like maminka moje?

Yes, but it sounds marked and often carries extra emphasis or emotion:

maminka moje – roughly “my mother” with a tone like “my dear mother / my own mother”, often in songs, poetry, or emotional speech.

Examples:

Ach, maminko moje! – Oh, my (dear) mother!
Ta maminka moje je dnes zase tak elegantní. – That mother of mine is so elegant again today. (colloquial, expressive)

In neutral everyday sentences, the possessive normally goes before the noun:

Moje maminka je dnes velmi elegantní. ✅
Maminka moje je dnes velmi elegantní. – grammatical but sounds emotional or poetic.