černý
[ˈt͡ʃɛrniː]
černý is the Czech word for black (adjective).
The primary use of černý is as an adjective to describe an object that absorbs all light. Related forms include the noun čerň, which refers to the color black itself and the nouns černoch or černoška which refer to a dark-skinned person.
Meaning: absorbing all light (adj)
Which one should you use?
While černý is the adjective used to describe the color of objects, the noun černoch is specifically used to refer to a Black man.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective černý changes its form depending on the gender and grammatical case of the noun it describes. The masculine form is černý, the feminine form is černá and the neuter form is černý. For the genitive case, the masculine/neuter singular is černého and the genitive plural is černých.
Did you know?
- In Czech folklore and idioms, the phrase černá práce (black work) refers to the most grueling, dirty and unpleasant tasks of a job.
- In many Slavic languages, including Czech, words for 'black' are often used as roots for words describing soot or charcoal, emphasizing the physical substance.
- The word čerň can also be used poetically to describe a dark, murky patch of land or a void, moving beyond mere visual description.
Examples in context
- Pod stolem leží černý pes.A black dog is lying under the table.This sentence shows the use of černý to describe a dog.Tatoeba #8717798 by Ergulis, translation #8717799 by Ergulis
- Nebe je plné černých mraků.The sky is full of black clouds.This sentence shows the use of černých as a genitive plural adjective for clouds.Tatoeba #11928265 by aldar, translation #9732561 by ravensfeather
- Měla na hlavě černý klobouk.She was wearing a black hat.This sentence shows the use of černý to describe a hat.Tatoeba #1639159 by jose76c, translation #2111 by CK
- Mám černý batohI have a black backpack
- Mám černé autoI have a black car
- Mám černé vlasyI have black hair
- Miluji černé kočkyI love black cats
- Ta kniha je černáThat book is black
- Koupil jsem černé botyI bought black shoes
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucie and Jan are looking at a new piece of furniture in a store.
- LucieJe to moc černý.It is too black.
- JanMáš pravdu, Lucie.You are right, Lucie.
- LucieRaději bych koupila šedý.I would rather buy a gray one.
- JanTento šedý je lepší.This gray one is better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “black” translations and entries černý, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
