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- "Is the car old or new?"
"Is the car old or new?"
Translation:Je ten automobil starý nebo nový?
19 Comments
I wrote >je ten auto stary nebo novy< and it told me this would be the correct sentence >Je ten vůz starý nebo nový?<
vůz is also possible here, but uncommon if not even archaic. It can denote any type of car (more often a train car) or carriage.
The previous question was "Čí je to automobil?" And so for this one I said "Je to automobil ..." and I was marked wrong since I should have written "Je ten ..."
I know that automobil is masculine so "ten" makes sense, but sometimes "to" is required. I don't understand when to use which.
This is the ever repeating pattern where you have:
This is, That is , It is (whatever) - Je to, To je (whatever)
It is always TO and it stands for THIS or THAT or IT but it is used together with the copula and with a noun or adjective in the predicate.
Je to muž. Je to žena. To je dítě. Je to ten automobil. Je to to auto.
If you use a demonstrative TEN AUTOMOBIL, TO AUTO, TA ŽENA... then you must use the right demonstrative for the right gender.
If you searched around, you will find many similar explanations, we have tens of replies like this around.
Thank you, I had no idea there was a forum. I've only used the app before now and thought these discussions were per-question in the app only. This is a great tool and I will search the forum next time before asking.
Don't worry, I did not mean that you should always search. Ofen it is very difficult if you do not know the answer. I only wanted to say that you might have met the phenomenon before.
It's a "je to / to je" construction that uses "to" regardless of gender - but then the subject has to be "to" which stands for "it". If the subject is something else (e.g. "automobil") then it has nothing to do with that construction and these "ten, ta, to, ..." are demontrative pronouns which stand for "that", not "it", and they have to agree with the noun. Compare:
- To je automobil. To je starý automobil. Je to nový automobil. To je dlouhá ulice. (long street)
- Ten automobil je starý. Ten automobil je nový. Ta ulice je dlouhá.
The "Whose...?" question can actually be formed both ways - with "to" as the subject or the item you're asking about as the subject. Therefore, "Čí je to automobil?" and "Čí je ten automobil?" are both correct. The former could be answered: "To je Františkův automobil." (It is F.'s car) and the latter: "Ten automobil je Františkův." (That car is F.'s)
I wrote "Je ten auto staré nebo nové", but they said its wrong. How is it wrong? Please, clarify.
Auto is neuter, as already mentioned. Your adjectives are correct, but you need "to auto" .
