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Learn Hardcore Czech: Napište své příjmení. - Write your surname.

Hardcore Czech
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/Napište své příjmení.

Napište své příjmení.

Napište své příjmení.

Write your surname.

Breakdown of Napište své příjmení.

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Questions & Answers about Napište své příjmení.

What form of verb is Napište?

Napište is the imperative form of the verb napsat, meaning to write down / to write completely.

More specifically, it is the 2nd person plural imperative:

napiš = write! (to one person informally)
napište = write! (to several people, or to one person formally/politely)

So in this sentence, it functions as a command or instruction: Write ...

Why is it Napište and not Pište?

This is about aspect, which is very important in Czech.

napsat is perfective: it focuses on the completed result
psát is imperfective: it focuses on the process or ongoing action

So:

Napište své příjmení. = Write down your surname / fill in your surname
Pište... would sound more like be writing, write repeatedly, or it may fit a different context

On forms, signs, and instructions, Czech very often uses the perfective imperative, because the point is to complete the action.

Is this sentence formal?

Yes. Napište can be used:

for more than one person
or for one person formally/politely

So this sentence is appropriate in formal instructions, on forms, in offices, at reception desks, and so on.

If you were speaking to one friend informally, you would usually say:

Napiš své příjmení.

Why is there no subject pronoun like vy?

Because Czech often omits subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.

The ending -te in napište already tells you that the subject is:

you plural
or you formal singular

So adding vy is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Is the sentence rude because it does not say prosím?

No. In Czech, bare imperatives are very common in:

instructions
notices
forms
official prompts

So Napište své příjmení. is a normal, neutral instruction, not rude.

If someone wanted to make it sound more explicitly polite in conversation, they could say:

Prosím, napište své příjmení.

But on a form or screen prompt, leaving out prosím is completely standard.

Why does it say své and not vaše?

Své is the form of the reflexive possessive adjective svůj, which means one's own.

Czech usually uses svůj when the possessor is the same as the subject of the sentence.

Here, the understood subject is you:

(Vy) napište své příjmení.
literally: Write your own surname

That is why své is the most natural choice.

Vaše příjmení is not impossible, but své příjmení is more standard here. Vaše can sound more contrastive, as if stressing your surname rather than someone else's.

Why is the form své used exactly?

Because svůj has to agree with příjmení in gender, number, and case.

Příjmení is:

neuter
singular
here used as the direct object

So svůj becomes své.

You can think of it like this:

base dictionary form: svůj
neuter singular form here: své

What case is příjmení in, and why does it not change?

Here příjmení is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of Napište.

You are writing what?
→ své příjmení

The reason it looks unchanged is that for this noun, the nominative and accusative singular have the same form:

nominative: příjmení
accusative: příjmení

That is very common with many Czech neuter nouns.

Can I say svoje příjmení instead of své příjmení?

Yes. Both are possible:

své příjmení
svoje příjmení

In many situations they mean the same thing.

A rough tendency is:

své = a bit shorter, often felt as slightly more formal or written
svoje = often a bit more everyday or colloquial

In an instruction like this, své příjmení is very natural.

Why is there no word for the?

Because Czech does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So Czech simply says:

Napište své příjmení.

and the meaning is understood from context.

In English, you need something like your surname. In Czech, definiteness is usually shown by context, word choice, and possession, not by articles.

Why is the verb first? Could the word order be different?

Yes, Czech word order is flexible, but verb first is very common in commands and instructions.

So:

Napište své příjmení. = neutral instruction

You could also say:

Své příjmení napište.

But that sounds more marked, with extra emphasis on své příjmení. On a form or instruction sheet, the original order is the most natural.

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