To byla krádež.

That was a theft.

Breakdown of To byla krádež.

• být: to be
• to: that
• krádež: the theft

Questions & Answers about To byla krádež.

Why is the sentence To byla krádež and not To bylo krádež?

Because in this kind of sentence, the past tense form of být often agrees with the noun that names what something was.

• krádež is a feminine noun
• so the verb is byla (feminine singular)

Compare:

• To byl problém. = That was a problem.
• To byla chyba. = That was a mistake.
• To bylo neštěstí. = That was a tragedy.

So even though to is neuter in form, the verb here follows krádež, which is feminine.

What does to mean here?

Here to means something like that or it, depending on context.

It is very common in Czech to use to in identifying sentences:

• To je můj bratr. = That is my brother.
• To byla krádež. = That was a theft.

So to is pointing to some situation, event, or thing already known from context.

Why is krádež feminine when it does not end in -a?