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◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ SEO: Czech they pronoun, oni ony ona Czech, Czech third person plural, Czech grammar pronouns, learn Czech pronouns
Welcome to Lesson 24 of the Latinum Institute Czech Language Course. Today we explore one of Czech’s most distinctive grammatical features: the three-way gender distinction in the third person plural pronoun “they.”
Unlike English, which uses a single word “they” for all plural references, Czech maintains the grammatical gender system even in the plural. This means Czech speakers must choose between oni (masculine animate), ony (masculine inanimate and feminine), and ona (neuter) depending on what or whom they are referring to.
FAQ: What does “they” mean in Czech?
In Czech, “they” is expressed as oni, ony, or ona depending on the gender of the referent. Oni refers to groups of masculine animate beings (men, boys, male animals when personified). Ony refers to groups of feminine nouns or masculine inanimate nouns. Ona refers to groups of neuter nouns. This distinction applies only in the nominative case; all other cases follow the oni pattern.
This lesson presents 30 examples demonstrating how these pronouns function in various contexts, from simple statements to complex literary passages. You will learn when to use each form and how verb agreement works with these pronouns.
Course Navigation: For the complete course index, visit: https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
Key Takeaways:
• Czech distinguishes three forms of “they”: oni (masculine animate), ony (feminine/masculine inanimate), ona (neuter)
• In colloquial speech, oni is often used universally, though this is considered incorrect in formal writing
• Past tense verbs agree with the pronoun: byli (with oni), byly (with ony), byla (with ona)
• After prepositions, all forms add n-: nich, nim, nimi, etc.
• Present tense verbs show no gender distinction: all use jsou (are), mají (have), etc.
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Oni /ˈonɪ/ - The “o” is short and open, like in “hot.” The stress falls on the first syllable.
Ony /ˈonɪ/ - Pronounced identically to “oni” in modern Czech, though historically distinct.
Ona /ˈona/ - Short “o,” open “a” like in “father.” Note: this is the same form as singular “she” but with neuter plural meaning.
Nich /ɲɪx/ - The “n” is palatalized (soft), similar to Spanish “ñ.” The “ch” is like German “ich.”
Nim /ɲɪm/ - Soft “n” followed by short “i” and “m.”
Nimi /ˈɲɪmɪ/ - Stress on first syllable, both syllables short.
Jejich /ˈjɛjɪx/ - “Ej” as in “hey,” soft “ch” at the end. Means “their.”
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24.1a Oni jsou studenti. 24.1b Oni (ˈonɪ) they-MASC.ANIM jsou (jsou̯) are studenti (ˈstudɛntɪ) students
24.2a Ony jsou ženy. 24.2b Ony (ˈonɪ) they-FEM jsou (jsou̯) are ženy (ˈʒɛnɪ) women
24.3a Ona jsou děti. 24.3b Ona (ˈona) they-NEUT jsou (jsou̯) are děti (ˈɟɛcɪ) children
24.4a Oni přišli včera. 24.4b Oni (ˈonɪ) they-MASC.ANIM přišli (ˈpr̝ɪʃlɪ) came-MASC.ANIM včera (ˈft͡ʃɛra) yesterday
24.5a Ony přišly včera. 24.5b Ony (ˈonɪ) they-FEM přišly (ˈpr̝ɪʃlɪ) came-FEM včera (ˈft͡ʃɛra) yesterday
24.6a Ona přišla včera. 24.6b Ona (ˈona) they-NEUT přišla (ˈpr̝ɪʃla) came-NEUT včera (ˈft͡ʃɛra) yesterday
24.7a Viděl jsem je v parku. 24.7b Viděl (ˈvɪɟɛl) saw jsem (jsɛm) I-AUX je (jɛ) them-ACC v (v) in parku (ˈparku) park-LOC
24.8a Mluvil jsem s nimi. 24.8b Mluvil (ˈmluvɪl) spoke jsem (jsɛm) I-AUX s (s) with nimi (ˈɲɪmɪ) them-INST
24.9a Oni mají velký dům. 24.9b Oni (ˈonɪ) they-MASC.ANIM mají (ˈmajɪː) have velký (ˈvɛlkiː) big dům (duːm) house
24.10a Dal jsem jim knihu. 24.10b Dal (dal) gave jsem (jsɛm) I-AUX jim (jɪm) to-them-DAT knihu (ˈkɲɪɦu) book-ACC
24.11a Jejich auto je nové. 24.11b Jejich (ˈjɛjɪx) their auto (ˈau̯to) car je (jɛ) is nové (ˈnovɛː) new
24.12a Oni nevědí nic. 24.12b Oni (ˈonɪ) they nevědí (ˈnɛvjɛɟiː) not-know nic (ɲɪt͡s) nothing
24.13a Bez nich to nejde. 24.13b Bez (bɛs) without nich (ɲɪx) them-GEN to (to) it nejde (ˈnɛjdɛ) not-goes
24.14a Oni byli unavení. 24.14b Oni (ˈonɪ) they-MASC.ANIM byli (ˈbɪlɪ) were-MASC.ANIM unavení (ˈunavɛniː) tired-MASC.PL
24.15a Ony byly unavené. 24.15b Ony (ˈonɪ) they-FEM byly (ˈbɪlɪ) were-FEM unavené (ˈunavɛnɛː) tired-FEM.PL
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24.1 Oni jsou studenti. → “They are students.”
24.2 Ony jsou ženy. → “They are women.”
24.3 Ona jsou děti. → “They are children.”
24.4 Oni přišli včera. → “They (the men) came yesterday.”
24.5 Ony přišly včera. → “They (the women) came yesterday.”
24.6 Ona přišla včera. → “They (the children) came yesterday.”
24.7 Viděl jsem je v parku. → “I saw them in the park.”
24.8 Mluvil jsem s nimi. → “I spoke with them.”
24.9 Oni mají velký dům. → “They have a big house.”
24.10 Dal jsem jim knihu. → “I gave them a book.”
24.11 Jejich auto je nové. → “Their car is new.”
24.12 Oni nevědí nic. → “They don’t know anything.”
24.13 Bez nich to nejde. → “It doesn’t work without them.”
24.14 Oni byli unavení. → “They (masculine) were tired.”
24.15 Ony byly unavené. → “They (feminine) were tired.”
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24.1 Oni jsou studenti.
24.2 Ony jsou ženy.
24.3 Ona jsou děti.
24.4 Oni přišli včera.
24.5 Ony přišly včera.
24.6 Ona přišla včera.
24.7 Viděl jsem je v parku.
24.8 Mluvil jsem s nimi.
24.9 Oni mají velký dům.
24.10 Dal jsem jim knihu.
24.11 Jejich auto je nové.
24.12 Oni nevědí nic.
24.13 Bez nich to nejde.
24.14 Oni byli unavení.
24.15 Ony byly unavené.
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Grammar Rules for oni/ony/ona in Czech:
The Three Forms of “They”
Czech maintains gender distinctions in the nominative plural pronoun “they.” The choice depends entirely on the gender (and animacy) of what is being referred to:
ONI - Used for masculine animate plural referents. This includes groups of men, boys, male animals when personified, or mixed groups containing at least one male person. Example: Muži jedí. Oni jedí. (The men are eating. They are eating.)
ONY - Used for feminine plural AND masculine inanimate plural referents. This includes groups of women, girls, female animals, as well as inanimate masculine nouns like “stoly” (tables) or “domy” (houses). Example: Ženy zpívají. Ony zpívají. (The women are singing. They are singing.)
ONA - Used for neuter plural referents. This includes neuter nouns like “děti” (children), “zvířata” (animals), “města” (cities), “okna” (windows). Example: Města rostou. Ona rostou. (The cities are growing. They are growing.)
Case Declension Pattern
The gender distinction only applies in the NOMINATIVE case. All other cases follow a single pattern (based on oni):
Nominative: oni / ony / ona (they) Genitive: jich / nich (of them, after preposition) Dative: jim / nim (to them, after preposition) Accusative: je / ně (them, after preposition) Locative: nich (about them - always after preposition) Instrumental: jimi / nimi (with them, after preposition)
The n- Prefix Rule
After prepositions, the j- changes to ň- (spelled n-): -
pro ně (for them), not *pro je -
s nimi (with them), not *s jimi -
bez nich (without them), not *bez jich -
k nim (to them), not *k jim
Past Tense Verb Agreement
Past tense verbs must agree in gender with the subject pronoun:
With ONI (masc. anim.): byli, dělali, přišli, viděli (ending -i) With ONY (fem./masc. inan.): byly, dělaly, přišly, viděly (ending -y) With ONA (neuter): byla, dělala, přišla, viděla (ending -a)
Present Tense - No Gender Distinction
Unlike past tense, present tense verbs show NO gender distinction: -
Oni/Ony/Ona jsou (they are) -
Oni/Ony/Ona mají (they have) -
Oni/Ony/Ona dělají (they do/make)
Possessive Pronoun “jejich” (their)
The possessive “jejich” (their) is invariable - it does not change for gender or case of the possessed noun: -
jejich dům (their house - masc.) -
jejich kniha (their book - fem.) -
jejich auto (their car - neut.) -
jejich přátelé (their friends - masc. anim. pl.)
Common Mistakes English Speakers Make: -
Using “oni” for all referents (acceptable in speech, incorrect in formal writing) -
Forgetting the n- prefix after prepositions: *s jimi instead of s nimi -
Using wrong past tense agreement: *Ženy byli unavení instead of Ženy byly unavené -
Confusing singular “ona” (she) with plural “ona” (they-neuter)
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Formal vs. Colloquial Usage
In everyday spoken Czech, the distinctions between oni/ony/ona have become blurred. Most native speakers use “oni” universally in conversation, regardless of the gender of the referent. You will frequently hear:
“Holky? Oni přišli.” (Girls? They came.) - technically incorrect but common
However, in formal writing, journalism, academic work, and literary Czech, the correct gender forms are expected and maintained. Using “oni” for feminine or neuter referents in a formal essay would be marked as an error.
Historical Development
The three-way distinction reflects the Proto-Slavic heritage of Czech. Similar systems exist in other Slavic languages (Polish has oni/one, Russian has они for all genders). Czech preserved the more archaic system with three distinct forms.
Regional Variation
The degree of distinction varies by region. Prague and central Bohemia tend toward more innovative usage (oni for everything), while Moravia often preserves more distinctions in casual speech.
The “Animate” Category
The masculine animate category is a distinctly Slavic grammatical feature. It distinguishes beings with autonomous movement (people, animals) from objects. This affects not just pronouns but also noun declension patterns. The oni/ony distinction reflects this deeper grammatical category.
Mixed Gender Groups
When a group contains both masculine animate and other genders, Czech follows the “masculine animate wins” rule. Even if there are 99 women and 1 man, the group takes oni and masculine animate verb forms:
“Všichni studenti (muži i ženy) přišli.” - All students (men and women) came. (masculine form)
This has sparked some modern discussion about gender-inclusive language in Czech, though traditional grammar rules remain standard.
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Karel Čapek (1890-1938) - from R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), 1920
Karel Čapek was one of the most influential Czech writers of the 20th century. He invented the word “robot” (from Czech “robota” meaning forced labor) in his 1920 play R.U.R. The play explores themes of technology, humanity, and what it means to be alive. Čapek was nominated seven times for the Nobel Prize in Literature and was a fierce opponent of fascism.
Part F-A: Interlinear Text
F-A.1a Byli to lidé jako my. F-A.1b Byli (ˈbɪlɪ) were-MASC.PL to (to) it/that lidé (ˈlɪdɛː) people jako (ˈjako) like my (mɪ) we
F-A.2a Oni měli duši. F-A.2b Oni (ˈonɪ) they-MASC.ANIM měli (ˈmɲɛlɪ) had-MASC.PL duši (ˈduʃɪ) soul-ACC
F-A.3a Oni cítili bolest i radost. F-A.3b Oni (ˈonɪ) they cítili (ˈt͡siːcɪlɪ) felt-MASC.PL bolest (ˈbolɛst) pain-ACC i (ɪ) and/also radost (ˈradost) joy-ACC
F-A.4a A teď? Teď jsou stroje. F-A.4b A (a) and teď (tɛt͡s) now Teď (tɛt͡s) now jsou (jsou̯) are stroje (ˈstrojɛ) machines
Part F-B: Natural Text with Translation
Byli to lidé jako my. Oni měli duši. Oni cítili bolest i radost. A teď? Teď jsou stroje.
→ “They were people like us. They had souls. They felt both pain and joy. And now? Now they are machines.”
Part F-C: Original Czech Text
Byli to lidé jako my. Oni měli duši. Oni cítili bolest i radost. A teď? Teď jsou stroje.
Part F-D: Grammar Commentary
This passage demonstrates several key features of oni: -
Byli to lidé - “They were people” uses the masculine animate past tense “byli” because “lidé” (people) is masculine animate. -
Oni měli - The explicit pronoun “oni” provides emphasis. In Czech, pronouns are often dropped because the verb ending indicates the subject. Using “oni” here adds rhetorical weight. -
Oni cítili - Again, the masculine animate past tense ending “-ili” agrees with “oni.” -
Teď jsou stroje - “Now they are machines.” Here the pronoun is omitted. The word “stroje” (machines) is masculine inanimate, so technically the pronoun would be “ony” and past tense would be “byly.” But the philosophical point is that these beings have been dehumanized.
Čapek’s use of “oni” (masculine animate) for the robots when they had souls, contrasted with their reduction to “stroje” (machines), reflects the play’s central question about what makes something truly human.
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Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
24.16a Kde jsou Petr a Marie? 24.16b Kde (gdɛ) where jsou (jsou̯) are Petr (pɛtr) Petr a (a) and Marie (ˈmarɪjɛ) Marie
24.17a Oni jsou venku. 24.17b Oni (ˈonɪ) they-MASC.ANIM jsou (jsou̯) are venku (ˈvɛŋku) outside
24.18a Počkej, myslíš je oba? 24.18b Počkej (ˈpot͡ʃkɛj) wait-IMP myslíš (ˈmɪsliːʃ) you-think je (jɛ) them-ACC oba (ˈoba) both
24.19a Ano, oni tam čekají na nás. 24.19b Ano (ˈano) yes oni (ˈonɪ) they tam (tam) there čekají (ˈt͡ʃɛkajɪː) wait na (na) for nás (naːs) us-ACC
24.20a Viděl jsi je nedávno? 24.20b Viděl (ˈvɪɟɛl) saw jsi (jsɪ) you-AUX je (jɛ) them-ACC nedávno (ˈnɛdaːvno) recently
24.21a Oni mě navštívili minulý týden. 24.21b Oni (ˈonɪ) they mě (mɲɛ) me-ACC navštívili (ˈnafʃciːvɪlɪ) visited-MASC.PL minulý (ˈmɪnuliː) last týden (ˈtiːdɛn) week
24.22a A jejich děti? Přišly s nimi? 24.22b A (a) and jejich (ˈjɛjɪx) their děti (ˈɟɛcɪ) children Přišly (ˈpr̝ɪʃlɪ) came-FEM.PL s (s) with nimi (ˈɲɪmɪ) them-INST
24.23a Ne, děti zůstaly doma. 24.23b Ne (nɛ) no děti (ˈɟɛcɪ) children zůstaly (ˈzuːstalɪ) stayed-FEM.PL doma (ˈdoma) at-home
24.24a Škoda. Chtěl jsem je vidět. 24.24b Škoda (ˈʃkoda) pity Chtěl (ˈxtɲɛl) wanted jsem (jsɛm) I-AUX je (jɛ) them-ACC vidět (ˈvɪɟɛt) to-see
24.25a Oni rostou tak rychle. 24.25b Oni (ˈonɪ) they rostou (ˈrostou̯) grow tak (tak) so rychle (ˈrɪxlɛ) quickly
24.26a Mluvil jsi s nimi o práci? 24.26b Mluvil (ˈmluvɪl) spoke jsi (jsɪ) you-AUX s (s) with nimi (ˈɲɪmɪ) them-INST o (o) about práci (ˈpraːt͡sɪ) work-LOC
24.27a Oni hledají nové zaměstnání. 24.27b Oni (ˈonɪ) they hledají (ˈɦlɛdajɪː) seek nové (ˈnovɛː) new zaměstnání (ˈzamɲɛstnaːɲiː) employment
24.28a Bez nich by to bylo těžké. 24.28b Bez (bɛs) without nich (ɲɪx) them-GEN by (bɪ) would-COND to (to) it bylo (ˈbɪlo) was-NEUT těžké (ˈcɛʃkɛː) difficult
24.29a Oni jsou dobří přátelé. 24.29b Oni (ˈonɪ) they jsou (jsou̯) are dobří (ˈdobr̝iː) good-MASC.PL přátelé (ˈpr̝aːtɛlɛː) friends
24.30a Musíme jim pomoci. 24.30b Musíme (ˈmusiːmɛ) we-must jim (jɪm) to-them-DAT pomoci (ˈpomot͡sɪ) to-help
Part B: Natural Sentences
24.16 Kde jsou Petr a Marie? → “Where are Petr and Marie?”
24.17 Oni jsou venku. → “They are outside.”
24.18 Počkej, myslíš je oba? → “Wait, do you mean both of them?”
24.19 Ano, oni tam čekají na nás. → “Yes, they are waiting for us there.”
24.20 Viděl jsi je nedávno? → “Have you seen them recently?”
24.21 Oni mě navštívili minulý týden. → “They visited me last week.”
24.22 A jejich děti? Přišly s nimi? → “And their children? Did they come with them?”
24.23 Ne, děti zůstaly doma. → “No, the children stayed at home.”
24.24 Škoda. Chtěl jsem je vidět. → “A pity. I wanted to see them.”
24.25 Oni rostou tak rychle. → “They grow so quickly.”
24.26 Mluvil jsi s nimi o práci? → “Did you talk with them about work?”
24.27 Oni hledají nové zaměstnání. → “They are looking for new employment.”
24.28 Bez nich by to bylo těžké. → “Without them it would be difficult.”
24.29 Oni jsou dobří přátelé. → “They are good friends.”
24.30 Musíme jim pomoci. → “We must help them.”
Part C: Czech Text Only
24.16 Kde jsou Petr a Marie?
24.17 Oni jsou venku.
24.18 Počkej, myslíš je oba?
24.19 Ano, oni tam čekají na nás.
24.20 Viděl jsi je nedávno?
24.21 Oni mě navštívili minulý týden.
24.22 A jejich děti? Přišly s nimi?
24.23 Ne, děti zůstaly doma.
24.24 Škoda. Chtěl jsem je vidět.
24.25 Oni rostou tak rychle.
24.26 Mluvil jsi s nimi o práci?
24.27 Oni hledají nové zaměstnání.
24.28 Bez nich by to bylo těžké.
24.29 Oni jsou dobří přátelé.
24.30 Musíme jim pomoci.
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
This dialogue demonstrates several important patterns:
Mixed-gender groups take “oni”: When referring to Petr (male) and Marie (female) together, we use “oni” because the masculine animate takes precedence over feminine.
Accusative “je” for direct object: In “Viděl jsi je” (You saw them), “je” is the accusative form used for the direct object. Note no preposition, so no n- prefix.
Instrumental “s nimi” with preposition: After preposition “s” (with), we must use “nimi” (with the n- prefix), not *”jimi.”
Genitive “nich” after “bez”: After preposition “bez” (without), we use genitive “nich.”
Dative “jim” for indirect object: In “Musíme jim pomoci” (We must help them), “jim” is dative because “pomoci” (to help) takes a dative object.
Děti as neuter/feminine: The word “děti” (children) is grammatically treated as feminine plural in modern Czech (historically neuter), hence “přišly” and “zůstaly” with the -y ending.
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The Czech “ř” sound: Several words in this lesson contain the distinctive Czech ř, found in “přišli,” “přátelé,” etc. This sound, unique to Czech, combines a rolled “r” with a “ž” sound. It is one of the most difficult sounds for non-native speakers.
Vowel length: Czech distinguishes long and short vowels, marked with čárka (acute accent): á, é, í, ó, ú/ů, ý. Compare “my” (we) with short vowel vs. “mý” (possessive form) with long vowel.
The háček: The wedge-shaped mark (ˇ) over č, ř, š, ž changes pronunciation: -
č = “ch” as in “church” -
ř = unique Czech sound -
š = “sh” as in “ship” -
ž = “zh” as in “measure”
Voiced/voiceless assimilation: Czech has systematic voicing assimilation. In “bez nich,” the final “z” of “bez” becomes voiceless [s] before the voiceless “n.”
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Lesson 24 Complete - Czech Third Person Plural Pronouns: Oni / Ony / Ona
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