Podle policisty chybí průkaz.

Here podle means according to.

So:

• podle policisty = according to the policeman

This preposition is commonly used when reporting someone's opinion, statement, or version of events.

Examples:

• Podle učitele je to správně. = According to the teacher, it is correct.
• Podle novin bude pršet. = According to the newspaper, it will rain.

Because podle requires the genitive case.

The basic form is:

• policista = policeman

After podle, it changes to the genitive:

• podle policisty = according to the policeman

So this is not a special vocabulary item; it is just the noun changing form because of the preposition.

It is genitive singular.

For the masculine animate noun policista, the forms are roughly:

• nominative: policista
• genitive: policisty
• dative: policistovi / policistu
• accusative: policistu
• vocative: policisto
• locative: policistovi / policistu
• instrumental: policistou

In this sentence, podle triggers the genitive, so policisty is required.

Chybí is the 3rd person singular form of the verb chybět.

The verb chybět usually means:

• to be missing
• to be absent
• sometimes to lack

So chybí průkaz literally means something like:

• an ID card is missing
• the document is missing

This verb often works differently from English. Czech commonly expresses the idea that something is missing rather than using a verb like lose.

Because the grammatical subject is průkaz, which is singular.

• průkaz = singular noun
• therefore the verb is singular: chybí

A useful point: in the present tense, chybět has the same form chybí for:

• he/she/it is missing
• they are missing

So the number is often understood from the noun:

• chybí průkaz = a card/document is missing
• chybí průkazy = cards/documents are missing

Yes. In this sentence, průkaz is the grammatical subject.

That can feel slightly unusual to an English speaker, because English often prefers something like:

• The ID card is missing or
• The policeman says the ID card is missing

In Czech, průkaz is what is missing, so it is the subject, and the verb agrees with it.

Průkaz is a fairly broad word meaning a card, document, ID, pass, or certificate, depending on context.

Possible translations include:

• ID card
• license
• permit
• membership card
• document

So without more context, průkaz is somewhat general. In many everyday situations, a learner may naturally understand it as an ID card or a document/card.

Because Czech has no articles.

English distinguishes:

• a card
• the card

Czech simply says:

• průkaz

Whether it means a card, the card, an ID card, or the ID card depends on context.

So chybí průkaz could be interpreted as:

• an ID card is missing
• the ID card is missing
• a document is missing

The surrounding situation tells you which is intended.

Possibly, yes.

The verb chybět very often appears with a person in the dative, meaning to be missing to someone:

• Chybí mi průkaz. = My ID card is missing. / I am missing my ID card.
• Chybí mu klíče. = His keys are missing. / He is missing his keys.

In Podle policisty chybí průkaz, the person affected is not stated. So the sentence is more general:

• According to the policeman, an ID card is missing.

That missing dative phrase is not required, but learners often notice that it could have been there.

Usually not as the most natural reading.

Because průkaz is in the nominative form and acts as the subject, the normal interpretation is:

• According to the policeman, the ID card/document is missing.

If you wanted to say that someone lacks an ID, Czech would usually make that person explicit, for example:

• Podle policisty mu chybí průkaz. = According to the policeman, he is missing his ID.
• Podle policisty nemá průkaz. = According to the policeman, he does not have an ID/document.

So the original sentence is more impersonal and focuses on the missing document itself.

The word order can be changed, but the emphasis may shift.

Original:

• Podle policisty chybí průkaz.

This is a natural order, with according to the policeman first, setting the source of the statement.

Other possible orders:

• Průkaz podle policisty chybí.
• Chybí podle policisty průkaz.

These may sound more marked or put emphasis in different places. Czech word order is flexible, but not random. The original sentence is probably the most neutral if you want to begin with according to the policeman.

It could, but podle + genitive is shorter and very common.

Compare:

• Podle policisty chybí průkaz. = According to the policeman, the document is missing.
• Policista říká, že chybí průkaz. = The policeman says that the document is missing.

Both are possible. The version with podle sounds a bit more like reporting information or a claim, while říká, že... directly reports what the policeman says.

It is grammatically fine, but it does feel somewhat context-dependent.

A native speaker would probably expect some surrounding context, such as:

• a traffic stop
• a police report
• a lost document
• a missing permit or pass

Because průkaz is broad and no owner is mentioned, the sentence sounds like part of a larger conversation or report rather than a complete stand-alone statement in everyday speech. But as a grammar example, it is perfectly good.