Learn Hardcore Czech: Blízko naší vesnice je velký les se starými stromy. - Near our village there is a big forest with old trees.

naše vesnice = nominative (subject form) → our village (as the subject):
- Naše vesnice je malá. – Our village is small.
naší vesnice = genitive singular feminine → of our village / our village’s

The word blízko in this sentence behaves like a preposition meaning near, and it normally takes the genitive:

blízko města – near the town
blízko řeky – near the river
blízko naší vesnice – near our village

So the phrase literally is “near (of) our village”, which is why both words are in the genitive: naší vesnice.

What kind of word is blízko, and what case does it require?

Blízko is primarily an adverb meaning “near, close (by)”, but it is often used like a preposition.

As a pure adverb (no noun after it):
- Je to blízko. – It is near / It’s close.
As a preposition-like word (with a noun), it normally governs the genitive case:
- blízko domu – near the house
- blízko školy – near the school
- blízko naší vesnice – near our village

In your sentence blízko functions in this second way, so the noun phrase after it has to be in the genitive → naší vesnice, not naše vesnice.

Why is the verb je (singular) and not something like jsou, even though there are many stromy (trees)?

The verb agrees with the subject, and the subject here is les (forest), which is singular:

Blízko naší vesnice je velký les se starými stromy.
– Near our village there is a big forest with old trees.

Structure:

Blízko naší vesnice – adverbial phrase (place: “near our village”)
je – verb (3rd person singular)
velký les – subject (a big forest)
se starými stromy – a phrase describing the forest (“with old trees”), not the subject

So we say je because les is one thing. The phrase se starými stromy just adds extra information; stromy are not the grammatical subject here.

Why is it velký les and not velká les or velké les?

Because les (forest) is masculine inanimate in Czech, and adjectives must agree in gender, number and case with the noun they modify.

Dictionary entry: les m. → m. = masculine
Nominative singular masculine (hard adjective) uses -ý:
- ten velký les – that big forest

Some basic patterns (nominative singular):

Masculine animate: velký muž (a big man)
Masculine inanimate: velký les (a big forest)
Feminine: velká vesnice (a big village)
Neuter: velké město (a big town)

Since les is masculine inanimate, the correct form is velký les.

Why is it se starými stromy and not s starými stromy?

The basic preposition is s = with, but Czech has an euphonic rule:

Before words starting with s, z, š, ž, the form se is normally used instead of s to make pronunciation easier.

Because starými starts with s, we say:

se starými stromy – with old trees
but:
s mámou – with (my) mum
se sestrou – with (my) sister
s kamarádem – with a friend

So se here is just the “nice-sounding” version of s; the meaning is the same: with.

What case is se starými stromy, and how do the endings work?

The phrase se starými stromy is in the instrumental plural, because the preposition s/se almost always requires the instrumental when it means with.

Preposition: s / se
- instrumental
Adjective: starý → starými (instrumental plural)
Noun: strom → stromy (instrumental plural; here the form is the same as nominative plural)

So:

stará kniha → se starou knihou (with an old book – singular instrumental)
starý strom → se starým stromem (with an old tree – singular instrumental)
staré stromy → se starými stromy (with old trees – plural instrumental)

Even though stropy in some cases looks like nominative/accusative plural, in this context (after s/se) it must be understood as instrumental plural.

Can I change the word order, for example to Velký les se starými stromy je blízko naší vesnice?

Yes. Czech word order is flexible, and all of these are grammatically correct:

Blízko naší vesnice je velký les se starými stromy.
– Neutral, starting with the place: Near our village there is a big forest with old trees.
Velký les se starými stromy je blízko naší vesnice.
– Puts more focus on “a big forest with old trees”; then states where it is.
Velký les je blízko naší vesnice.
– Simpler: The big forest is near our village.

Czech speakers choose word order based on what they want to emphasize or what is already known in the conversation. But all these versions are acceptable.

What is the difference between blízko naší vesnice and u naší vesnice?

Both can be translated as “near our village”, but there is a nuance:

blízko naší vesnice
- literally: close to our village
- more general “not far from,” can mean in the area of, nearby.
u naší vesnice (also with genitive)
- literally: at/by our village
- usually feels closer, often “right by the edge” of the village or directly next to it.

Examples:

Blízko naší vesnice je velký les.
– There is a big forest somewhere near our village (not far away).
U naší vesnice je velký rybník.
– There is a big pond right by our village.

In many contexts they overlap, and both could be used, but u tends to suggest more immediate closeness or direct adjacency.

Can I omit naší and say Blízko vesnice je velký les se starými stromy?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct, but the meaning changes slightly:

Blízko naší vesnice – near our village
Blízko vesnice – near (a/the) village

Because Czech has no articles, vesnice on its own could mean:

“near a village” (some unspecified village), or
“near the village” (if it is already clear from context which one).

Adding naší explicitly says it is our village and removes ambiguity.

Why are there no words for “a” or “the” in this sentence?

Czech does not have articles like English a / an / the. Nouns appear without articles, and definiteness or indefiniteness is usually understood from context, word order, or through other words (like demonstratives).

So:

velký les can mean:
- a big forest, or
- the big forest, depending on context.

Here, Blízko naší vesnice je velký les se starými stromy will usually be understood as:

There is a big forest with old trees near our village
or
Near our village is a big forest with old trees.

English has to choose a or the, but Czech doesn’t make that grammatical distinction.

What is the gender of vesnice, and how does it affect the forms in the sentence?

Vesnice (village) is feminine in Czech.

Dictionary notation: vesnice f. → f. = feminine
Nominative singular: ta vesnice – the village

This affects the forms:

naší
- from náš / naše – our
- naší here is genitive singular feminine (also used for dative/locative, but genitive is the one required by blízko).
- It agrees with the gender and case of vesnice.
vesnice
- For this type of feminine noun, nominative singular and genitive singular are both vesnice, so the form doesn’t visibly change, but the function (case) does.

Partial paradigm for vesnice:

N sg: vesnice – a/the village (subject)
G sg: vesnice – of a/the village
D sg: vesnici
A sg: vesnici
L sg: vesnici
I sg: vesnicí

In the sentence, because of blízko, we are using the genitive singular: naší vesnice. The adjective naší and the noun vesnice both reflect feminine gender and genitive case.