"They are not small animals."
Translation:To nejsou malá zvířata.
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Why is it "to", and not "ta"? I thought it should be "ta" since zvířata is plural neuter.
411
It's simpler than that explanation. "They" is a pronoun, treated as a noun, and so are "that/those" and "it," so to is the noun in this example..
To nejsou malá zvířata. "They are not small animals. Those are not small animals." Or, To není malé zvíře. "That is not a small animal. It is not a small animal."
When the noun determiner "that/those" is used, it needs to match the gender, case, and number of its noun.
To zvíře není malé. "That animal is not small."
Ta zvířata nejsou malá. "Those animals are not small."
It is a set rule in Czech, I know it doesn't make sense but 'ta nejsou malá zvířata' sounds unnatural. Czech simply uses a singular for similar sentences. For example, 'There are five boys on the playground' would be translated as 'Na hřišti JE pět kluků', even though 'je' is singular.
I thought that the only word one could use for the word "They" in Czech was "Oni". Yet here the Czech word "To" is used for "They" Howcome? Why is that? Is using "Oni" in this sentence wrong?
- 411
It's like the plural of "it." Using "to" here is more like "those are not small animals." If this sentence were in the singular, "it is not a small animal," the word "to" could be used in the same way.
I advise to read the "Tips" because most of the questions in the forum are answered there. I suggest renaming the "Tips" section to "Foundational Facts" or something else that reflects what is found there.
There is also a Review the lesson at the end of each one. When I finish this 9th lesson I will do one more review of all the nine, and each time I see a review button I will push it and see that experience; repetition in the blended manner we see here is very powerful. I know it's fun to race ahead with all ones and "finish" and get to the castle, but it's best to reinforce the full knowledge and have no puzzles floating around in your head. Stop, figure it out, ask if you must, and then proceed. IMO.
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My answer was 'Nejsou malá zvířata' and was told it had a typo because it was missing 'To'. Is 'to' absolutely necessary in this sentence?
Nejsou malá zvířata. is accepted and has been for at least 6 months. You may have been a victim of the grading bug.
Im a but confused. Why is it malá when zvirata is neutral pl. Isnt malá feminine?
- 411
"nejsou" means "[they] aren't". "To" is used in Czech in this case as "those," so "Those aren't small animals."
Why is it not ok to say 'Nejsou mala zvirata? ' If you'd asked me to translate ' Those are not small animals ' I would have put in the 'To'. Otherwise this sentence, without any context being given surely doesn't need it?
