tretí

Tretí is an ordinal numeral meaning “the third” used in Slavic languages, most notably in Slovak and Czech, to indicate position in a sequence or order. It functions as an adjective that accompanies nouns and agrees with gender and number in Slovak, while Czech uses a closely related form and often keeps the same spelling in the nominative singular for all genders.

Etymology and cognates: Tretí derives from the Proto-Slavic root for the number three, related to the cardinal tri/tri and to other ordinal forms in Slavic languages. In Czech the corresponding form is třetí, with a diacritic mark that reflects phonology specific to that language. In Slovak, the form adapts for gender in the singular: masculine tretí, feminine tretia, neuter tretie.

Usage in Slovak: In Slovak, tretí is commonly placed before a noun to specify order, as in tretí deň (the third day) or tretí človek (the third person). It inflects for gender: masculine tretí, feminine tretia, neuter tretie. It is used across contexts such as counting steps, listing items, or describing positions in sequences.

Usage in Czech: In Czech, třetí is the standard form meaning “the third.” In the nominative singular it is typically the same for all genders (třetí), while other grammatical cases involve inflection according to gender and number, as with other ordinal adjectives.

See also: ordinals in Slavic languages, numeral systems, grammar of Slovak and Czech.