lze

See also: lže, lżę, łzę, łże, and łżę

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech lzě. The word probably shares its root with the words lehký (from Proto-Slavic *lьgъkъ), lehko, lehce. The Proto-Slavic *lьdzě is probably the dative or the locative of the noun *lьga.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlzɛ]

Adverb

lze

1. it is possible

   Synonyms: jít, možno

   Antonym: nelze

   Lze to udělat. ― It is possible to do it.

   Je lze to udělat. ― It is possible to do it.

Usage notes

Although technically an adverb, the word tends to be used in much the same way as the verb jít, dropping the verb být.
See also Russian можно (možno)/нельзя (nelʹzja), Slovene lahko, Hungarian lehet or archaic Polish nielzia.

Further reading

• “lze”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “lze”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “lze”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)