lehké

Lehký is a Czech adjective meaning light in the sense of not heavy, as well as light in color or density. It can describe physical weight, but also figuratively refer to something easy to understand or perform, such as a lehký úkol or lehké vysvětlení. The word is used with nouns of various genders and numbers and forms part of common phrases like lehké jídlo or lehká bunda.

Etymology and cognates: Lehký is inherited from Proto-Slavic and is cognate with related Slavic words such as Polish lekki and Russian legký (легкий), which share the core meaning of light or not heavy. The Czech form reflects standard feminine, masculine, and neuter gender patterns found in many adjectives of this semantic field.

Morphology: Like other Czech adjectives, lehký declines for gender and number. The basic forms are masculine lehký, feminine lehká, and neuter lehké. The comparative form is lehčí and the superlative is nejlehčí. An adverbial sense is expressed by lehce, meaning easily or lightly (as in “to do something lehce”). The corresponding noun form is lehkost, meaning lightness or ease.

Usage notes: Lehký is common in everyday language to describe objects with little weight, such as lehký batoh (a light backpack) or lehké třídy v letadle. It is also used metaphorically, for example, to characterize tasks as easy or explanations as clear. In combination with other adjectives, lehnký often appears in standard, neutral phrasing without marked stylistic connotations.

See also: lehkost (the noun form meaning lightness or ease). The word belongs to a broader family of Slavic terms for weight, ease, and simplicity.