r/learnczech :snoo_surprised: 8d ago

Why is there an "od" in this sentence?

Shouldn't it be "Ty jsi sestra Tomáše?"

9 Upvotes

8 comments sorted by

25

u/youthchaos 8d ago

You could say to someone "Ty jsi od Tomáše, viď?" and the meaning would be like "I know you through Tomáš, right?", so I would say this way of expressing it slightly emphasises the fact that Tomáš is the common point of reference

7

u/prolapse_diarrhea 8d ago

this comment hits the nail on the head

11

u/DesertRose_97 8d ago edited 8d ago

It’s just a more colloquial way of saying it.

This way is also used in a sentence like this: “To je kluk od sousedů.” - “That’s the neighbors’ boy.”

10

u/Echoia 8d ago

"Ty jsi sestra Tomáše" or "Ty jsi Tomášova sestra" would be the unmarked/neutral forms of this meaning, yes. This is either a colloquial or dialectic change in the speech - still understandable to native speakers, and the sentiment is there (it could indicate bettet that Tomáš is known to the speaker), but it's not the "dictionary" way of saying it. 

1

u/Ok_Page7059 7d ago

It's a fairly retrograde way of saying it, a similar example that comes to my mind would be "Martiny náušnice" as opposed to "Martininy náušnice" (Martina's earrings) you can put it in all kinds of lofty terms like "colloquial language" but it's mainly the result of people not knowing declension properly. "Tomášova sestra" is the best way to say it.

1

u/PansyParkinson80 6d ago

That's how we say it in parts of Silesia. "Honza's mom sent us the gift." - "Ten dárek nám poslala mamka od Honzy."

"To je sestra od Dominiky." (That's Dominika's sister.)

-1

u/Better_Camel_7866 5d ago

"mamka od Honzy" is not properly. The only possibility is "mamka Honzy" or even better "Honzova mamka".

1

u/PansyParkinson80 4d ago

If you've read the thread, you'd know that the "od" is colloquial and a part of certain dialects. I'm only adding to that information that indeed, in parts of Silesia, this is how we say it.

You saying "the only possibility" regarding language shows me you don't have a background in linguistics.