Counting in Czech is an essential skill for everyday life in the Czech Republic.

You’ll use numbers constantly when shopping, telling time, or ordering drinks at a pub.

Czech numbers follow a fairly logical pattern once you learn the basic vocabulary.

The grammar rules for counting objects alongside those numbers require a bit of practice.

I’ll break down the numbers and the exact counting rules below so you can use them with complete confidence.

Counting from 1 to 10 in Czech

The first ten numbers are the foundation of all counting in Czech.

You must memorize these before moving on to larger numbers.

There’s an important regional variation to note for the numbers seven and eight.

In formal written Czech, they’re strictly sedm and osm.

In spoken, colloquial Czech, people almost always insert a “u” sound and pronounce them as sedum and osum.

Numbers 11 to 19

The numbers from 11 to 19 in Czech are formed by adding the suffix -náct.

This suffix works exactly like the English suffix “-teen”.

Notice that a few of the root numbers change slightly before adding the suffix.

For example, čtyři becomes čtrnáct and pět becomes patnáct.

Counting by tens (20 to 90)

Counting by tens in Czech requires learning two different suffixes.

For the numbers 20, 30, and 40, you add the suffix -cet.

For the numbers 50 through 90, you add the suffix -desát.

To form combined numbers like 21 or 35, you simply say the tens word followed by the ones word.

In casual speech, you might also hear a Germanic-style inversion for numbers between 21 and 99.

Instead of dvacet jedna, you’ll sometimes hear jednadvacet (literally “one-and-twenty”).

Hundreds and thousands

The word for one hundred is sto.

When counting hundreds up to 400, you use sto and its plural form sta.

From 500 onwards, you must use the genitive plural form, which is set.

The word for one thousand is tisíc.

The complex Czech counting rule (1, 2-4, 5+)

This is a key grammar rule regarding Czech numbers.

When you count nouns in Czech, the form of the noun changes depending on the number.

There are three distinct categories you’ll need to memorize.

Category 1: The number 1

When you have exactly one of something, the noun stays in the singular nominative case.

Category 2: The numbers 2, 3, and 4

When you have two, three, or four of something, the noun takes the plural nominative case.

Category 3: The numbers 5 and above

When you have five or more of something, the noun takes the plural genitive case.

This “five and above” rule applies to all large quantities.

It dictates how you’ll talk about money, age, and large orders.

Here’s another example using the Czech currency, the crown (koruna).

Gender rules for numbers 1 and 2

Another important rule is that the numbers 1 and 2 change to match the gender of the noun they modify.

Numbers 3 and above don’t change based on gender.

The number 1 (jeden) has three forms.

The number 2 (dva) has only two forms.

You use dva for masculine nouns.

You use dvě for both feminine and neuter nouns.

Counting in Czech takes practice because of these moving parts.

Once you memorize the 1, 2-4, and 5+ noun cases, ordering food and paying for items becomes much easier.