Meaning
The primary city of a country
Cultural Background
Prague is often called 'Matka měst' (Mother of Cities). The term 'Hlavní město Praha' is its official legal name, and it has its own special law in the Czech legal system. Before 1993, Prague was the 'hlavní město' for both Czechs and Slovaks. Now, Bratislava holds that title for Slovakia, and the two cities maintain a friendly rivalry. Brussels is often referred to as the 'hlavní město Evropy' (capital of Europe) because it hosts the main EU institutions. In Czech tourism, 'hlavní město' is the primary magnet. Most tourists never leave the capital, leading to the phrase 'Praha není Česko' (Prague is not the Czech Republic).
The Soft Adjective Rule
Remember that 'hlavní' is a soft adjective. It doesn't change its ending for gender in the nominative case. This makes it very easy to use with any noun!
Capitalization
In Czech, 'hlavní město' is not capitalized unless it's the start of a sentence or part of the official proper name 'Hlavní město Praha'.
Meaning
The primary city of a country
The Soft Adjective Rule
Remember that 'hlavní' is a soft adjective. It doesn't change its ending for gender in the nominative case. This makes it very easy to use with any noun!
Capitalization
In Czech, 'hlavní město' is not capitalized unless it's the start of a sentence or part of the official proper name 'Hlavní město Praha'.
Prague vs. The Rest
Be careful when praising the capital too much in other cities like Brno or Ostrava; locals are very proud of their own cities!
Test Yourself
Fill in the missing words to complete the sentence.
Praha je ______ město České republiky.
We need the adjective 'hlavní' to describe the noun 'město'.
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Where are you going?
The preposition 'do' requires the genitive case 'hlavního města'.
Match the country with its capital city (hlavní město).
Match the pairs:
These are the correct pairings of countries and their capitals in Czech.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Odkud jsi? B: Jsem z Paříže. To je ______ ______ Francie.
Paris is the capital city of France.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Czech Capitals
National
- • Praha
Historical
- • Praha
- • Levý Hradec
Regional
- • Brno
- • Ostrava
- • Plzeň
Practice Bank
4 exercisesPraha je ______ město České republiky.
We need the adjective 'hlavní' to describe the noun 'město'.
Where are you going?
The preposition 'do' requires the genitive case 'hlavního města'.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
These are the correct pairings of countries and their capitals in Czech.
A: Odkud jsi? B: Jsem z Paříže. To je ______ ______ Francie.
Paris is the capital city of France.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsIn a Czech context, usually yes, but it can refer to any capital city in the world.
Use 'do hlavního města'.
Yes, but 'metropole' is more formal and sounds more like 'metropolis'.
Because it is a 'soft' adjective, which always ends in -í.
No, for that use 'sídlo firmy'.
Usually yes, but in context, you can just say 'hlavní' if the noun is understood.
Hlavní města (e.g., Hlavní města Evropy).
Not really, slang usually uses nicknames for the specific city (like 'Prágl').
Hlavní město kultury.
It is neutral. It's used in both formal and informal speech.
Related Phrases
Hlavní nádraží
similarMain train station
Staré Město
specialized formOld Town
Krajské město
contrastRegional capital
Statutární město
specialized formStatutory city
Metropole
synonymMetropolis
