Zloděj je neznámý.

to be

Breakdown of Zloděj je neznámý.

• zloděj: the thief
• neznámý: unknown

Questions & Answers about Zloděj je neznámý.

Why is there no word for the or a in Zloděj je neznámý?

Czech has no articles, so it does not use separate words like the or a/an.

So zloděj can mean:

• the thief
• a thief

Which one is meant depends on the context. In a standalone sentence like this, English might translate it as The thief is unknown or A thief is unknown, but context usually makes one more natural.

What does each word do in the sentence?

• zloděj = a noun, the subject
• je = is, the 3rd person singular of být (to be)
• neznámý = an adjective meaning unknown, describing the subject

So the structure is very similar to English:

subject + is + adjective

Why is je used here? Can Czech leave out is?