Page:A grammar of the Bohemian or Cech language.djvu/70

48 ﻿In future use of míti Bohemian resembles Old Slavonic.

It will be observed that there are no independent forms of the third person of the imperative in the singular or plural.

Every verb has a verbal noun which is a neuter in i, thus: rozjímání, reflection; naučení, instruction; pití, drinking; úmrtí, death.

The passive voice is expressed by (1) the reflexive pronoun with the active voice, as mluví se, it is said; píše se, it is written; or (2) by the union of the past participle passive with the substantive verb, psáno jest, it is written. Potupně nazývan jest od ní knížetem sedlským, he was called contemptuously by them the prince of the rustics. Where possible an active form seems preferred to a passive, thus: dal koně svého přivázati ku koňům, had his horse fastened to the horses.

vece, it is said; a fragment of an old verb veceti, to say.

prý, it is said; connected with praviti, to tell. Cf. colloquial use in Russian of гурть for говорять, they say. Byla prý úplně podobna svému otci, she was exactly like her father, they say.

děje se, it happens; dějí se věci, things occur.

třeba, potřeba, potřebí, it is necessary; nelze, it is impossible.

zdá se, it seems.

stmivá se, it is getting dark; připozdiva se, it is getting late.

As in the other Slavonic languages, personal verbs are often used impersonally. Cf. na tisíce vesnic bylo spáleno a zpustošeno, the villages were burnt and devastated by thousands.

Ji k poctě se mluvilo vzdy německy, out of respect to her they always spoke German. Nescházelo přitom aspoň soukromých písemných prací o právě zemském, but there were not wanting at least privately written works about the law of the land.