Lenguia | A1 Czech Grammar: 76 Topics & Examples

Every Czech noun has one of three genders: masculine (mužský rod), feminine (ženský rod) or neuter (střední rod). You usually guess the gender from the ending of the basic (nominative) form. Nouns ending in a hard consonant are typically masculine (student, dům), nouns ending in -a are typically feminine (žena, kniha), and nouns ending in -o are typically neuter (město, auto). Gender is not about biology — a table (stůl) is masculine and a window (okno) is neuter. Knowing the gender matters because adjectives, demonstratives and possessives must match it, so it is worth learning the gender together with each new word.

Key rule

Assign each Czech noun to masculine, feminine or neuter, using the nominative ending as a guide (consonant → m., -a → f., -o → n.), and learn the gender with the word.

Examples

To je nový student.
To je nová student.
Student is masculine, so the adjective must be nový, not the feminine nová.
Kniha je na stole.
Kniho je na stole.
The feminine noun kniha keeps its -a ending in the nominative; kniho would be the vocative.
Okno je otevřené.
Okno je otevřený.
Okno is neuter, so the adjective takes the neuter ending -é, not the masculine -ý.

Common mistakes

Treating all -a nouns as feminine without exception
To je dobrá předseda.
To je dobrý předseda.
Předseda denotes a man and is masculine despite the -a ending, so the adjective is masculine.
Guessing gender from English meaning
Ta stůl je velká.
Ten stůl je velký.
Czech gender is grammatical, not natural; stůl is masculine regardless of the object it names.

A1Agreement

Subject–Verb Agreement (Person & Number)

Shoda podmětu s přísudkem

A Czech verb must match its subject in person (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and number (singular, plural). The ending of the verb shows who acts: dělám (I do), děláš (you do), dělá (he/she/it does), děláme (we do), děláte (you-plural do), dělají (they do). Because the ending already carries this information, Czech usually drops the subject pronoun — you say Pracuji, not Já pracuji, unless you want emphasis. If you name the subject with a noun, the verb still has to agree: Petr pracuje, Petr a Jana pracují. The copula být also agrees: jsem, jsi, je, jsme, jste, jsou.

Key rule

Make the verb ending agree with its subject in person and number, and keep the present copula být in place.

Examples

Petr čte knihu.
Petr čtu knihu.
Petr is third person singular, so the verb is čte, not the first-person čtu.
Studenti pracují.
Studenti pracuje.
A plural subject needs the plural ending pracují, not the singular pracuje.
Jsem doma.
Já doma.
Czech keeps the present copula; the sentence needs jsem and cannot drop být.

Common mistakes

Dropping the present copula být
Já student.
Jsem student.
Unlike Russian, Czech keeps the present copula, so jsem is obligatory.
Using a singular verb with a plural subject
Studenti čte.
Studenti čtou.
A plural subject requires the plural ending čtou.

A1Agreement

Plural Formation — Basic Nominative Endings

Množné číslo — základní zakončení 1. pádu

To make the nominative plural in Czech you change the noun ending according to its gender. Feminine -a nouns and inanimate masculine nouns usually take -y: žena → ženy, hrad → hrady. Neuter -o nouns take -a: město → města, auto → auta. Animate masculine nouns (people, animals) are special: many take -i (student → studenti), some take -ové (syn → synové, pán → páni/pánové), and the ending -i often softens the consonant before it (kluk → kluci, hoch → hoši). Soft feminine and neuter nouns take -e (růže → růže, moře → moře). Learning whether a masculine noun is animate or inanimate is the key to choosing -i versus -y.

Key rule

Form the nominative plural by gender: inanimate m. and f. -a → -y, animate m. → -i/-ové (with consonant softening), neuter -o → -a, soft f./n. → -e.

Examples

Studenti jsou tady.
Studenty jsou tady.
Student is an animate masculine, so the plural is studenti, not the inanimate-type studenty.
Hrady jsou staré.
Hradi jsou staré.
Hrad is an inanimate masculine, so it takes -y, giving hrady.
Města jsou velká.
Měste jsou velká.
The neuter -o noun město forms its plural in -a: města.

Common mistakes

Giving an animate masculine the inanimate -y ending
Studenty čtou.
Studenti čtou.
Animate masculines take -i in the nominative plural: studenti.
Failing to soften the consonant before -i
kluki
kluci
The animate plural -i softens k to c, giving kluci.

A1Agreement

Adjective Agreement with the Noun (Basic)

Shoda přídavného jména s podstatným — základy

A Czech adjective must match the noun it describes in gender. In the nominative singular, hard adjectives have three endings: -ý for masculine, -á for feminine and -é for neuter. So you say nový stůl (new table, m.), nová kniha (new book, f.) and nové auto (new car, n.). This is true both before the noun (nový dům) and after the copula být (Dům je nový). Soft adjectives such as moderní keep one ending -í for all genders (moderní dům, moderní kniha, moderní auto). To get the ending right you first decide the noun's gender, then attach the matching adjective ending.

Key rule

Match a hard adjective to the noun's gender with -ý (m.), -á (f.) or -é (n.) in the nominative singular; soft -í adjectives stay the same for all genders.

Examples

nový dům
nová dům
Dům is masculine, so the adjective takes -ý: nový.
nová kniha
nový kniha
Kniha is feminine, so the adjective takes -á: nová.
nové auto
nový auto
Auto is neuter, so the adjective takes -é: nové.

Common mistakes

Using the masculine ending with a feminine noun
starý žena
stará žena
Žena is feminine, so the adjective takes -á: stará.
Using the masculine ending with a neuter noun
velký okno
velké okno
Okno is neuter, so the adjective takes -é: velké.

A1Determiners

Demonstratives ten / ta / to (Article-like) + Agreement

Ukazovací zájmena ten / ta / to + shoda

Czech has no articles, but it uses the demonstrative ten / ta / to to point at things and to do the job English articles do. The form must agree with the noun's gender: ten for masculine (ten muž), ta for feminine (ta žena) and to for neuter (to dítě). The plural is ti/ty for masculine, ty for feminine and ta for neuter. To say this or that more precisely you add a particle: tento / tato / toto means this one (near), and tamten / tamta / tamto means that one (over there). The very common phrase to je / to jsou (this is / these are) uses the neuter to no matter the gender of what follows: To je můj bratr.

Key rule

Match the demonstrative to the noun's gender (ten m. / ta f. / to n.), but use the fixed neuter to in the presentational phrase to je / to jsou.

Examples

Ten muž je doktor.
Ta muž je doktor.
Muž is masculine, so the demonstrative is ten, not the feminine ta.
Ta kniha je nová.
To kniha je nová.
Kniha is feminine, so it takes ta, not the neuter to.
To dítě spí.
Ten dítě spí.
Dítě is neuter, so the demonstrative is to, not the masculine ten.

Common mistakes

Wrong gender on the demonstrative
Ta stůl je velký.
Ten stůl je velký.
Stůl is masculine, so the demonstrative must be ten.
Using a gendered form instead of to in to je
Ten je moje sestra.
To je moje sestra.
The presentational phrase always uses the neuter to: to je.

A1Determiners

Possessives jeho / její / jejich

Přivlastňovací zájmena jeho / její / jejich

The third-person possessives in Czech are jeho (his / its), její (her) and jejich (their). The trick is the gender of the OWNER, not the thing owned. Jeho is used when the owner is a man or a masculine/neuter thing, její when the owner is a woman, and jejich for any plural owner. Two of them never change: jeho and jejich keep the same form no matter what is owned (jeho dům, jeho kniha, jeho auto; jejich dům, jejich kniha). Only její declines like a soft adjective to match the thing owned (její dům, její kniha, její auto — same here, but její bratři, jejího bratra later). At A1 the key is choosing the right word for the owner and remembering that jeho and jejich are fixed.

Key rule

Choose jeho / její / jejich by the gender and number of the OWNER; keep jeho and jejich unchanged, but decline její to agree with the thing owned.

Examples

To je Petr a jeho sestra.
To je Petr a její sestra.
The owner Petr is male, so the possessive is jeho, not the female její.
To je Jana a její bratr.
To je Jana a jeho bratr.
The owner Jana is female, so the possessive is její, not the male jeho.
To jsou rodiče a jejich děti.
To jsou rodiče a její děti.
A plural owner (the parents) takes jejich, not the singular její.

Common mistakes

Using jeho for a female owner
Jana a jeho kamarádka
Jana a její kamarádka
Jana is female, so the possessive is její, chosen by the owner's gender.
Using její for a male owner
Petr a její pes
Petr a jeho pes
Petr is male, so the possessive is jeho.

A1Determiners

Possessives můj / tvůj / náš / váš — Basic Agreement

Přivlastňovací zájmena můj / tvůj / náš / váš — shoda

The first- and second-person possessives můj (my), tvůj (your, informal), náš (our) and váš (your, plural/formal) agree with the thing owned, not with the owner. So in the nominative singular můj has three forms: můj for masculine (můj bratr), moje/má for feminine (moje sestra) and moje/mé for neuter (moje auto). Tvůj works the same way: tvůj, tvoje/tvá, tvoje/tvé. Náš and váš have náš/naše/naše and váš/vaše/vaše. In the plural you mostly use moje/tvoje/naše/vaše, with a special animate-masculine form moji/tvoji/naši/vaši (moji bratři). Watch the vowel length: můj and tvůj are written with ů.

Key rule

Make můj / tvůj / náš / váš agree with the possessed noun in gender and number (m. můj, f. moje/má, n. moje/mé), and watch the ů in můj/tvůj and the á in náš/váš.

Examples

To je můj bratr.
To je moje bratr.
Bratr is masculine, so the possessive is můj, not the feminine/neuter moje.
To je moje sestra.
To je můj sestra.
Sestra is feminine, so the possessive is moje (or má), not the masculine můj.
To je moje auto.
To je můj auto.
Auto is neuter, so the possessive is moje (or mé), not the masculine můj.

Common mistakes

Using moje with a masculine noun
moje bratr
můj bratr
Bratr is masculine, so the possessive is můj.
Using můj with a feminine noun
můj sestra
moje sestra
Sestra is feminine, so the possessive is moje (or má).

A1Cases

Nominative (1st Case) — Subject and Naming

1. pád (nominativ) — podmět a pojmenování

The nominative (1. pád, nominativ) is the basic dictionary form of a noun. You ask about it with kdo? (who?) for people and animals and co? (what?) for things. It marks the subject — the person or thing doing the action: Petr spí (Peter sleeps). It also names things after the verb být (to be): To je kniha (That is a book). When you look a word up, this is the form you find. Czech keeps the verb být in the present, so you say Jsem student, never just 'Jsem' alone for 'I am a student'.

Key rule

The nominative is the dictionary form: it marks the subject (kdo? co?) and names things after být, which is always kept in the present.

Examples

Petr je doma.
Petra je doma.
The subject of the sentence takes the nominative (Petr), not another case form.
To je nová kniha.
To je novou knihu.
After být, the noun naming something stays in the nominative, not the accusative.
Praha je velké město.
Praha je velkého města.
The predicate noun and its adjective name the subject and stay in the nominative.

Common mistakes

Dropping the present copula být
Já doktor.
Já jsem doktor.
Unlike Russian or Ukrainian, Czech keeps být in the present tense; the copula cannot be omitted.
Using accusative for a predicate noun after být
On je učitele.
On je učitel.
A noun that names the subject after být stays in the nominative, not the accusative.

A1Cases

The Seven Cases & Paradigm Classes — Overview

Sedm pádů a vzory — přehled

Czech has seven cases (pády). Each one answers a question and has its own job: 1. nominativ (kdo? co?) = subject, 2. genitiv (koho? čeho?) = 'of', 3. dativ (komu? čemu?) = 'to/for', 4. akuzativ (koho? co?) = direct object, 5. vokativ = calling someone, 6. lokál (o kom? o čem?) = location/topic, always with a preposition, 7. instrumentál (kým? čím?) = 'by/with'. Nouns follow model words (vzory) such as pán, žena, město. Learning the question for each case helps you pick the right ending.

Key rule

Czech has seven cases, each with its own question and function; noun endings follow model words (vzory) chosen by gender.

Examples

Pes spí. (1. pád)
Psa spí.
The nominative (kdo? co?) marks the subject; pes is the subject form.
To je kniha bratra. (2. pád)
To je kniha bratr.
Possession uses the genitive (koho? čeho?): bratra means 'of the brother'.
Dávám dárek mamince. (3. pád)
Dávám dárek maminka.
The recipient takes the dative (komu? čemu?): mamince.

Common mistakes

Using the dictionary form where a case is required
Vidím pes.
Vidím psa.
Verbs and prepositions trigger cases; the bare nominative cannot serve as a direct object.
Matching the wrong case question to the function
Dávám dárek maminku.
Dávám dárek mamince.
The recipient answers komu? (dative), not koho/co? (accusative).

A1Cases

Accusative (4th Case) — Direct Object (Basic)

4. pád (akuzativ) — předmět — základy

The accusative (4. pád, akuzativ) marks the direct object — the thing the action affects. You ask koho? (whom?) or co? (what?): Mám knihu (I have a book), Vidím auto (I see a car). Many verbs take a direct object: mít, vidět, číst, kupovat, pít. In the singular, feminine nouns ending in -a change to -u (kniha → knihu), while inanimate masculine and neuter nouns usually look the same as the nominative (auto → auto, hrad → hrad). Adjectives and ten agree with the object.

Key rule

The direct object answers koho?/co? and takes the accusative; feminine -a becomes -u, while inanimate masculine and neuter nouns look like the nominative.

Examples

Mám knihu.
Mám kniha.
Feminine -a nouns change to -u in the accusative: kniha → knihu.
Vidím auto.
Vidím auta.
Neuter nouns are unchanged in the accusative singular: auto stays auto.
Piju kávu.
Piju káva.
The feminine direct object kávu takes the -u ending.

Common mistakes

Leaving a feminine -a object in the nominative
Mám kniha.
Mám knihu.
A direct object must be in the accusative; feminine -a changes to -u.
Adding an ending to a neuter object
Vidím autem.
Vidím auto.
Neuter nouns are identical in nominative and accusative singular; autem is the instrumental.

A1Cases

Accusative — Animate Masculine = Genitive

Akuzativ — životný rod mužský jako genitiv

In Czech, masculine nouns are either animate (living: a man, a dog, a brother) or inanimate (non-living: a house, a table). For the direct object in the singular, animate masculine nouns take the same ending as the genitive: vidím pes → vidím psa, mám bratr → mám bratra, vidím Petr → vidím Petra. Inanimate masculines stay unchanged: vidím dům → vidím dům. This animacy rule is one of the most important features of Czech, so always check whether a masculine noun is alive.

Key rule

Animate masculine direct objects take the genitive ending in the accusative singular (vidím psa); inanimate masculines stay like the nominative (vidím vlak).

Examples

Vidím psa.
Vidím pes.
Pes is animate masculine, so its accusative equals the genitive: psa.
Mám bratra.
Mám bratr.
Bratr is animate, so the accusative is bratra, like the genitive.
Vidím vlak.
Vidím vlaka.
Vlak is inanimate masculine, so the accusative stays like the nominative.

Common mistakes

Leaving an animate masculine object in the nominative
Vidím pes.
Vidím psa.
Animate masculine direct objects take the genitive-shaped accusative ending.
Adding -a to an inanimate masculine object
Vidím vlaka.
Vidím vlak.
Inanimate masculines keep the nominative form in the accusative; only animates change.

A1Cases

Genitive (2nd Case) — Possession & 'of' (Basic)

2. pád (genitiv) — přivlastnění a "od/z" — základy

The genitive (2. pád, genitiv) answers koho? (whose?/of whom?) or čeho? (of what?). Its main job is possession and 'of': kniha bratra (the brother's book), kus chleba (a piece of bread). It also follows prepositions like z (from/out of), do (into/to), od (from), bez (without): jdu do školy, jsem z Prahy. Basic endings: animate masculine -a (bratr → bratra), feminine -y or -e (žena → ženy, růže → růže), neuter -a (město → města). In Czech the possessor comes after the thing owned: auto bratra, not bratra auto.

Key rule

The genitive answers koho?/čeho? and shows possession and 'of'; it also follows z, do, od, u, bez, with the possessor placed after the thing owned.

Examples

To je kniha bratra.
To je kniha bratr.
Possession uses the genitive; the animate masculine genitive is bratra.
Jsem z Prahy.
Jsem z Praha.
The preposition z governs the genitive: Prahy.
Jdu do školy.
Jdu do škola.
Do takes the genitive; feminine škola → školy.

Common mistakes

Leaving the possessor in the nominative
kniha bratr
kniha bratra
Possession requires the genitive; bratr must become bratra.
Wrong word order for possession
bratra kniha
kniha bratra
In Czech the genitive possessor follows the thing owned, unlike the English 's order.

A1Cases

Dative (3rd Case) — Indirect Object (Basic)

3. pád (dativ) — nepřímý předmět — základy

The dative (3. pád, dativ) marks the recipient — the person to whom or for whom something is done. Ask komu? (to whom?) or čemu? (to what?): Dávám dárek mamince (I give Mum a gift), Volám bratrovi (I call my brother). Verbs like dávat, volat, pomáhat, psát and říkat take a dative recipient. Basic singular endings: animate masculine -ovi (bratr → bratrovi), feminine -e/-ě or -i (žena → ženě, maminka → mamince), neuter -u (město → městu). The dative also appears after the preposition k (towards): jdu k doktorovi.

Key rule

The dative answers komu?/čemu? and marks the recipient; it also follows the preposition k, with animate masculine taking -ovi and feminine -e/-ě.

Examples

Dávám dárek mamince.
Dávám dárek maminka.
The recipient takes the dative; maminka → mamince.
Píšu bratrovi.
Píšu bratr.
Animate masculine recipient takes -ovi: bratrovi.
Pomáhám sestře.
Pomáhám sestru.
Pomáhat governs the dative, not the accusative: sestře.

Common mistakes

Using accusative for the recipient
Pomáhám sestru.
Pomáhám sestře.
Pomáhat governs the dative; the recipient is sestře, not the accusative sestru.
Leaving the recipient in the nominative
Dávám dárek maminka.
Dávám dárek mamince.
The recipient must be in the dative; maminka → mamince.

A1Cases

Locative (6th Case) — Location with v/na (Basic)

6. pád (lokál) — místo s "v/na" — základy

The locative (6. pád, lokál) is special: it never stands alone — it always comes after a preposition. Its main job is showing location with v (in) and na (on/at): bydlím v Praze (I live in Prague), jsem na nádraží (I am at the station). It also follows o (about) for topics: mluvíme o filmu (we talk about the film). Ask kde? (where?) or o kom?/o čem? (about whom/what?). Basic endings: feminine -e/-ě (Praha → Praze), neuter -e/-ě or -u (město → městě), masculine -e/-ě or -u (hrad → hradě).

Key rule

The locative answers kde?/o čem? and never appears without a preposition (v, na, o); v marks enclosed places, na marks surfaces and open places.

Examples

Bydlím v Praze.
Bydlím Praze.
The locative must follow a preposition; v Praze marks location.
Jsem ve škole.
Jsem v škola.
V governs the locative; škola → škole (ve before a cluster).
Kniha je na stole.
Kniha je na stůl.
Static location on a surface uses na + locative stole, not the accusative stůl.

Common mistakes

Using the locative without a preposition
Bydlím Praze.
Bydlím v Praze.
The locative can never stand alone; it must follow v, na or o.
Using accusative for static location
Kniha je na stůl.
Kniha je na stole.
Static 'where' uses na + locative; the accusative stůl would mean direction (onto).

A1Cases

Instrumental (7th Case) — Means & 'with' (Basic)

7. pád (instrumentál) — nástroj a "s" — základy

The instrumental (7. pád, instrumentál) shows means and accompaniment. Ask kým? (by whom?) or čím? (by/with what?). For means and transport, no preposition is needed: jedu autem (I go by car), píšu perem (I write with a pen). For accompaniment ('together with'), use the preposition s/se: jdu s kamarádem (I go with a friend), káva s mlékem (coffee with milk). Basic endings: masculine -em (vlak → vlakem), feminine -ou (žena → ženou), neuter -em (auto → autem). Do not use s for an instrument — only for company.

Key rule

The instrumental answers kým?/čím?; means and transport take the bare instrumental (jedu autem), while accompaniment uses s/se (s kamarádem).

Examples

Jedu autem.
Jedu s autem.
Means of transport uses the bare instrumental; s is not used for travel.
Píšu perem.
Píšu pero.
The instrument takes the instrumental perem, not the nominative/accusative.
Jdu s kamarádem.
Jdu kamarádem.
Accompaniment requires s + instrumental: s kamarádem.

Common mistakes

Using s with a means of transport
Jedu s autem.
Jedu autem.
Transport uses the bare instrumental; s would imply travelling alongside a car.
Leaving the instrument in the nominative
Píšu pero.
Píšu perem.
The instrument of an action must be in the instrumental: perem.

A1Cases

Vocative (5th Case) — Direct Address (Introduction)

5. pád (vokativ) — oslovení — úvod

The vocative (5. pád, vokativ) is used only when you call or address someone directly. Czech really uses it — you cannot just use the name's dictionary form. Masculine names usually take -e or -u: Petr → Petře!, Tomáš → Tomáši!, pan → pane!. Feminine names ending in -a take -o: Jana → Jano!, mama → mami (irregular). When addressing politely, use pane/paní + the vocative of the surname: pane Nováku!, paní Nováková!. The vocative is normal and expected in greetings and letters: Ahoj, Petře!

Key rule

Czech has a living vocative used for all direct address: masculine -e/-u/-i, feminine -a → -o; never address someone with the plain nominative.

Examples

Ahoj, Petře!
Ahoj, Petr!
Direct address requires the vocative: Petr → Petře.
Jano, pojď sem!
Jana, pojď sem!
Feminine -a takes the vocative -o: Jana → Jano.
Dobrý den, pane Nováku!
Dobrý den, pan Novák!
Polite address uses the vocative of both title and surname: pane Nováku.

Common mistakes

Addressing someone with the nominative
Petr, pojď sem!
Petře, pojď sem!
Direct address requires the vocative; the nominative sounds wrong when calling someone.
Feminine -a not changing to -o
Jana, počkej!
Jano, počkej!
Feminine nouns in -a take the vocative ending -o.

A1Orthography

The Czech Alphabet & Diacritics

Česká abeceda a diakritika

Czech uses the Latin alphabet plus two diacritical marks: the čárka (an acute accent, as in á, í, ý) and the háček (a little hook, as in č, š, ž). A few letters carry the kroužek (ů) or, on ě, a háček as well. These marks are not decoration — they change a letter's sound and often the meaning of a whole word, so you must write them. Czech spelling is largely phonetic: once you know the value of each letter, you can read almost any word aloud. The alphabet has its own dictionary order, where accented letters and ch have fixed places.

Key rule

Czech is the Latin alphabet plus the čárka (long vowels) and the háček (soft consonants and ě); each accented letter is its own letter and must always be written.

Examples

Abeceda začíná: a, b, c, č, d.
Abeceda začíná: a, b, c, c, d.
č (c with háček) is a separate letter that follows c — it cannot be written as plain c.
Píšu své jméno: Žofie.
Píšu své jméno: Zofie.
Ž and Z are different letters; dropping the háček changes both the sound and, here, the name itself.
Slovo čaj má na začátku č.
Slovo caj má na začátku č.
Without the háček the word is misspelled — diacritics are obligatory, not optional.

Common mistakes

Dropping diacritics entirely (typing without a Czech keyboard)
Dekuji, jmenuji se Jiri.
Děkuji, jmenuji se Jiří.
Czech words require their háčky and čárky; omitting them is a spelling error and can change meaning.
Treating č/š/ž as c/s/z
Mam rad cesky caj.
Mám rád český čaj.
The háček forms separate letters with their own sounds; they are not stylistic variants of the plain consonants.

A1Orthography

Basic Capitalization

Velká a malá písmena — základy

Czech capitalizes the first word of a sentence and proper names: people (Petr, Nováková), cities (Praha, Brno), countries (Česko, Německo) and rivers (Vltava). But many words that English capitalizes stay lowercase in Czech: days of the week (pondělí), months (leden), nationalities and languages (čeština, angličtina, Čech is capital but the adjective český is small), and seasons (jaro). The polite pronoun Vy/Vás is often capitalized in letters as a sign of respect. Getting this right is one of the clearest early signals that your written Czech follows the norm.

Key rule

Capitalize the first word of a sentence and proper names, but keep days, months, seasons, languages and nationality adjectives lowercase.

Examples

V pondělí jedu do Prahy.
V Pondělí jedu do prahy.
Days of the week are lowercase (pondělí); city names are capitalized (Praha → do Prahy).
Učím se anglicky a trochu německy.
Učím se Anglicky a trochu Německy.
Language names and adverbs are lowercase in Czech, unlike English.
Moje sestra Jana bydlí v Brně.
Moje Sestra jana bydlí v brně.
Common nouns (sestra) stay small; the name Jana and the city Brno are capitalized.

Common mistakes

Capitalizing days of the week (English habit)
Sejdeme se v Sobotu.
Sejdeme se v sobotu.
Czech writes days lowercase, unlike English.
Capitalizing months
Mám dovolenou v Srpnu.
Mám dovolenou v srpnu.
Month names are common nouns in Czech and stay lowercase.

A1Orthography

Phonemic Vowel Length (á é í ó ú ů ý)

Délka samohlásek (á é í ó ú ů ý)

In Czech every vowel can be short or long, and the difference changes meaning. A long vowel is marked with a čárka: á, é, í, ó, ú, ý (the vowel u also has a long form written ů). You actually hold a long vowel about twice as long as a short one. Length is not optional decoration: byt (flat) and být (to be) are different words, and so are pas (passport) and pás (belt). Long and short vowels also matter for grammar endings. So always hear, and always write, the difference in length.

Key rule

Mark long vowels with a čárka (á é í ó ú ý; long u is ů or ú) — length is phonemic and distinguishes words like byt vs být.

Examples

Mám malý byt v centru.
Mám malý být v centru.
byt (flat) is short; být means 'to be' — only vowel length tells them apart.
Chci být doktorem.
Chci byt doktorem.
Here the infinitive 'být' (to be) is needed, with a long í; 'byt' would mean 'flat'.
Ukaž mi svůj pas.
Ukaž mi svůj pás.
pas (passport) is short; pás means 'belt' — length changes the meaning.

Common mistakes

Omitting the čárka and writing the wrong word
Chci byt učitel.
Chci být učitel.
Without the long í, 'být' (to be) becomes 'byt' (flat); length is meaning-bearing.
Dropping length on grammatical endings
Je to dobra kniha.
Je to dobrá kniha.
The feminine adjective ending is long -á; the short form is not a valid agreement.

A1Orthography

Háček Consonants (č š ž ř ě ň ď ť)

Háček a měkké souhlásky (č š ž ř ě ň ď ť)

The háček (a little hook, ˇ) turns a plain consonant into a new, soft letter. The main ones are č (like 'ch' in church), š (like 'sh'), ž (like 's' in pleasure), ř (a uniquely Czech rolled-and-buzzed sound), and the softened ň, ď, ť. The vowel ě also carries a háček and softens the consonant before it. These letters have their own sounds and their own places in the alphabet. You must write the háček: čaj is not the same as caj. Reading them correctly and spelling them are basic A1 skills.

Key rule

The háček forms the soft letters č š ž ř ň ď ť and the vowel ě; it is obligatory, since omitting it misspells the word (čaj ≠ caj).

Examples

Dám si čaj a koláč.
Dám si caj a kolác.
č is a distinct soft letter; without the háček both words are misspelled.
Řeka teče přes město.
Reka tece pres město.
ř and č need their háčky; ř is the uniquely Czech sound and cannot be written r.
Mám nové šaty a žluté boty.
Mám nové saty a zluté boty.
š and ž are separate letters from s and z and change the words completely.

Common mistakes

Writing č/š/ž as plain c/s/z
Mam rad cesky caj.
Mám rád český čaj.
The háček consonants are separate letters with their own sounds; dropping them misspells the words.
Replacing ř with r
Prijdu zitra.
Přijdu zítra.
ř is a distinct Czech sound and letter; r does not stand in for it.

A1Orthography

The Digraph ch

Spřežka ch

In Czech, ch is a single letter even though it is written with two characters. It stands for one sound, a raspy sound made at the back of the throat (like the 'ch' in Scottish 'loch' or German 'Bach'). It is not 'k' and not English 'ch'. In the alphabet it has its own place after h, so in a dictionary chléb comes after hora. At the start of a sentence or a name only the C is capitalized: Chrudim, Cheb. Common words use it: chléb, chodit, mucha, ucho. Treat ch as one letter when you read, spell and alphabetize.

Key rule

ch is one letter for one sound; it is alphabetized after h, and only its first character is capitalized (Ch-).

Examples

Ráno jím chléb s máslem.
Ráno jím kléb s máslem.
ch is one sound; it is not 'k', so 'kléb' is wrong.
Ve slovníku je chléb za slovem hora.
Ve slovníku je chléb za slovem cíl.
ch is alphabetized after h, not among words beginning with c.
Bydlím ve městě Cheb.
Bydlím ve městě CHeb.
Only the first character of ch is capitalized in a name (Ch-), not both.

Common mistakes

Pronouncing or spelling ch as 'k'
Ráno jím kléb.
Ráno jím chléb.
ch is a single velar fricative, not the stop 'k'.
Treating ch as English 'ch' (church)
Chci se napít čaje. (čteno jako anglické 'ch')
Chci se napít čaje.
The Czech sound is a back-of-throat rasp, unlike English 'church'; the spelling is correct, only the reading is wrong.

A1Orthography

Word Stress on the First Syllable

Přízvuk na první slabice

Czech word stress is fixed: it always falls on the first syllable of a word, no matter how long the word is (Praha, ahoj, dě-ku-ji, na-shle-da-nou). Stress never changes the meaning of a word and, importantly, it is completely separate from vowel length — a long vowel can sit in an unstressed syllable, and a short stressed syllable stays short. When a short one-syllable preposition comes before a word, the stress jumps onto the preposition: 'do Prahy' is stressed on 'do'. There are no written stress marks; the čárka marks length, not stress.

Key rule

Stress is fixed on the first syllable and is independent of vowel length; it is never written and never changes meaning.

Examples

Ahoj, jak se máš?
Ahój, jak se máš?
'Ahoj' is stressed on the first syllable but has no long vowel; stress is not marked with a čárka.
Bydlím v Praze.
Bydlim v Praze.
The long í in 'Bydlím' is unstressed but must still be written; length is independent of stress.
Jedu do Prahy.
Jedu dó Prahy.
The preposition 'do' takes the stress of the unit but is never lengthened or marked.

Common mistakes

Confusing stress with vowel length
Bydlim v Praze, ale píšu Bydlím se stejnou délkou jako přízvuk.
Bydlím v Praze.
Length is shown by the čárka and is independent of stress; a long vowel can be unstressed.
Stressing a later syllable (English/Russian habit)
Říkám uČItel místo Učitel.
Učitel se vyslovuje s přízvukem na první slabice.
Czech stress is always on the first syllable; moving it sounds foreign and is never correct.

A1Orthography

ů vs ú — When to Write the Ring

ú a ů — kdy psát kroužek

Czech writes the long 'u' sound two ways. 'ú' with an accent appears at the very start of a word (úkol, únor) or right after a prefix (zúčastnit se, neúplný). 'ů' with a little ring appears in the middle or at the end of a word (dům, můj, domů, stůl). The two letters sound exactly the same — both are a long 'u'. The ring 'ů' is special: it historically grew out of an old long 'ó', which is why it never starts a word. Learning the rule of thumb 'ú at the beginning, ů inside and at the end' covers almost every everyday word.

Key rule

Write 'ú' word-initially or right after a prefix (úkol, neúspěch); write 'ů' inside or at the end of a word (dům, domů).

Examples

Mám velký úkol do školy.
Mám velký ůkol do školy.
'úkol' begins with the long u, so it takes 'ú' with an accent, not the ring.
Náš dům je starý.
Náš dúm je starý.
'dům' has the long u in the middle, so it takes the ring 'ů'.
Jdu domů.
Jdu domú.
Word-final long u is always the ring: 'domů'.

Common mistakes

Using the ring at the start of a word
ůkol
úkol
The ring 'ů' can never open a word; word-initial long u is always 'ú'.
Using the accent in the middle of a native word
stúl
stůl
Medial long u in native words is the ring 'ů'.

A1Orthography

The Czech ř Sound

Hláska a písmeno ř

The letter 'ř' stands for a sound found in almost no other language: a rolled 'r' produced together with a 'ž'-like buzz. It is one single sound, not two letters. It comes in two flavours that depend on the neighbours: a voiced (buzzing) 'ř' next to vowels or voiced consonants — řeka, moře, dobře — and a voiceless (hissier) 'ř' next to voiceless consonants or at the end of a word — tři, přes, keř. You do not change the spelling; only the pronunciation shifts. Many famous Czech words contain it, including the composer Dvořák and the common greeting word 'dobře' (good). Mastering 'ř' takes practice, but recognising and reading it correctly is the first A1 goal.

Key rule

'Ř' is one Czech-only sound written with a single letter; it is voiced near vowels/voiced consonants (řeka) and voiceless near voiceless consonants or word-finally (tři, keř), but the spelling never changes.

Examples

Tady teče řeka.
Tady teče reka.
The word is 'řeka'; the háček on 'ř' is obligatory and changes the meaning.
Mám tři bratry.
Mám tri bratry.
'tři' (three) needs 'ř'; here it is pronounced voiceless after the voiceless 't'.
Dobře, děkuji.
Dobre, děkuji.
'dobře' (well/good) is spelled with 'ř'; without it the word is wrong.

Common mistakes

Dropping the háček and writing plain r
reka
řeka
'ř' is a separate phoneme; omitting the háček gives a different, wrong word.
Spelling ř as the Polish digraph rz
rzeka
řeka
Czech uses the single letter 'ř', never the Polish 'rz' sequence.

A1Orthography

i / y — Hard vs Soft (Introduction)

Měkké i a tvrdé y — úvod

Czech writes two letters, 'i' (soft, měkké) and 'y' (hard, tvrdé), but they usually sound the same. Which one you write depends on the consonant in front of it. After soft consonants — ž, š, č, ř, c, j, ď, ť, ň — you always write 'i' (žít, čisté, jíst). After hard consonants — h, ch, k, r, d, t, n — you always write 'y' (hory, krk, dýchat). After the 'ambiguous' consonants b, l, m, p, s, v, z you must learn a short closed list of words that take 'y' (the 'vyjmenovaná slova': být, syn, my, mlýn, sýr, vy, brzy, jazyk…); elsewhere you write 'i'. At A1 you start with the soft/hard consonant rule.

Key rule

After soft consonants (ž š č ř c j ď ť ň) write 'i'; after hard consonants (h ch k r d t n) write 'y'; after b l m p s v z, write 'y' only in the fixed list of vyjmenovaná slova, otherwise 'i'.

Examples

Vidím malou rybu.
Vidím malou ribu.
After hard 'r' the word 'ryba' takes 'y'.
Mám rád čisté ruce.
Mám rád čysté ruce.
After soft 'č' you must write 'i', so 'čisté'.
V dálce jsou hory.
V dálce jsou hori.
After hard 'r' you write 'y': 'hory'.

Common mistakes

Writing y after a soft consonant
čysté
čisté
Soft consonants (here č) always take 'i', never 'y'.
Writing i after a hard consonant
hori
hory
Hard consonants (here r) always take 'y'.

A1Orthography

The Vowel ě and di/ti/ni Softening

Písmeno ě a měkčení di / ti / ni

The letter 'ě' is an 'e' with a háček that does not make a new vowel — it tells you to soften the consonant in front of it. After d, t, n it is pronounced like 'ďe, ťe, ňe' (děti, tělo, něco). After b, p, v it adds a hidden 'j' sound (běhat = 'bjehat', pět = 'pjet', věc = 'vjec'), and after m it sounds like 'mňe' (město = 'mňesto'). The same softening happens with the spellings di, ti, ni: they are read soft, like 'ďi, ťi, ňi' (divadlo, ticho, nic). But dy, ty, ny stay hard. So di/dě and dy are different sounds even though the d looks the same — you read them by the following vowel.

Key rule

'Ě' softens the preceding consonant (dě tě ně = ďe ťe ňe; bě pě vě add [j]; mě = 'mňe'); likewise di ti ni are pronounced soft while dy ty ny stay hard.

Examples

Máme tři děti.
Máme tři deti.
'děti' needs 'ě' to soften the d to ďe; plain 'de' would be hard and wrong.
Bydlím ve velkém městě.
Bydlím ve velkém mestě.
'město' has 'ě' after m, pronounced 'mňesto'.
Děkuji za pomoc.
Dekuji za pomoc.
'děkuji' (thank you) softens d → ďe with 'ě'.

Common mistakes

Writing plain e instead of ě after d/t/n
deti
děti
Without the háček the consonant stays hard; 'ě' is needed to soften d → ďe.
Dropping ě in 'děkuji'
Dekuji.
Děkuji.
The everyday word 'děkuji' (thank you) must keep 'ě'.

A1Orthography

Syllabic r and l (prst, vlk, krk)

Slabikotvorné r a l (prst, vlk, krk)

In Czech the consonants 'r' and 'l' can act as the centre of a syllable, just like a vowel — so words can have no written vowel at all and still be pronounceable. In prst (finger), krk (neck), vlk (wolf) and smrt (death), the r or l carries its own beat. You read them with a tiny 'uh'-like buzz on the r/l, not by adding a vowel in writing. This lets Czech form whole sentences with very few vowels, like the famous tongue-twister 'Strč prst skrz krk'. For A1 the goal is to recognise these clusters and read them as one syllable per r or l, without inserting an extra letter.

Key rule

Czech 'r' and 'l' can be the centre of a syllable, so words like prst, krk, vlk are read with the r/l as one beat — never add a written vowel.

Examples

Bolí mě prst.
Bolí mě pirst.
'prst' is read with a syllabic r; you must not insert a vowel.
Bolí mě krk.
Bolí mě kurk.
'krk' has a syllabic r and stays vowel-free in writing.
V lese žije vlk.
V lese žije vluk.
'vlk' has a syllabic l; no vowel is added.

Common mistakes

Inserting a vowel before the consonant
pirst
prst
The r is syllabic; Czech writes no vowel and reads the r as its own beat.
Adding a helping vowel in 'vlk'
vluk
vlk
The l is syllabic; the word stays vowel-free.

A1Prepositions

o + Locative (about, regarding)

o + 6. pád (o čem? o kom?)

When you talk, think, read or write ABOUT something, Czech uses the preposition 'o' followed by the locative case (6. pád). You ask 'o čem?' (about what?) for things and 'o kom?' (about whom?) for people. The noun must change its ending: 'film' becomes 'o filmu', 'Praha' becomes 'o Praze', 'kamarád' becomes 'o kamarádovi'. This 'o' marks the topic of speaking or thinking. Czech keeps the verb 'být' in the present ('Je to kniha o Praze' = It is a book about Prague), so never drop it. Note that the same word 'o' exists, but the topic meaning always pulls the noun into the locative.

Key rule

Use 'o' + locative (6. pád) to express the topic of speaking, reading, writing or thinking: ask 'o čem?' / 'o kom?'.

Examples

Mluvíme o filmu.
Mluvíme o film.
'o' requires the locative, so 'film' becomes 'o filmu', not the nominative form.
Je to kniha o Praze.
Je to kniha o Praha.
Feminine 'Praha' shifts to 'o Praze' (the h alternates to z) in the locative.
Často přemýšlím o mamince.
Často přemýšlím o maminka.
'maminka' takes the locative ending -ce → -nce, here 'o mamince'.

Common mistakes

Leaving the noun in the nominative after 'o'
Mluvíme o film.
Mluvíme o filmu.
'o' (about) always governs the locative, so the noun must take a locative ending.
Using the accusative instead of the locative for the topic
Čtu o knihu.
Čtu o knize.
The topic of speaking/reading is locative; the accusative would wrongly suggest motion or a direct object.

A1Prepositions

v / na + Locative (location: in / on / at)

v / na + 6. pád (kde?)

To say WHERE something is (answering 'kde?'), Czech uses 'v' (in/inside) or 'na' (on/at) with the locative case (6. pád). Use 'v' for enclosed spaces (v Praze = in Prague, v domě = in the house) and 'na' for surfaces and many open or institutional places (na stole = on the table, na poště = at the post office, na koncertě = at a concert). The noun takes a locative ending. Before words starting with f/v the preposition becomes 've' (ve Francii). Because this is static location, the case is always locative, never accusative. Keep 'být' in the present: 'Jsem v Praze.'

Key rule

For static location (kde?) use 'v' (enclosed) or 'na' (surface/institution) + the locative case; never the accusative.

Examples

Jsem v Praze.
Jsem v Praha.
'v' for a city as an enclosed area; 'Praha' takes the locative 'Praze'.
Kniha je na stole.
Kniha je na stůl.
Static location needs the locative 'na stole'; 'na stůl' is the accusative of motion.
Pracuju na poště.
Pracuju na pošta.
'pošta' becomes 'na poště' in the locative (š stays, ending -ě).

Common mistakes

Using the accusative for location
Jsem na poštu.
Jsem na poště.
Static location after 'v/na' requires the locative; the accusative marks motion towards.
Choosing 'v' where Czech requires 'na'
Jsem v poště.
Jsem na poště.
Many institutions (pošta, nádraží, koncert, fakulta) idiomatically take 'na', not 'v'.

A1Prepositions

na / v + Accusative (direction: onto / into)

na / v + 4. pád (kam?)

To say WHERE someone is going (answering 'kam?'), Czech uses the SAME prepositions 'na' and 'v', but now with the accusative case (4. pád). 'Jdu na poštu' (I am going to the post office), 'Jdu na koncert' (I am going to a concert), 'Věším obraz na zeď' (I am hanging a picture onto the wall). The key contrast with location is the case: location = locative ('Jsem na poště'), direction = accusative ('Jdu na poštu'). 'na' is used for the places that take 'na' for location; only a few destinations use 'v' + accusative. Keep verbs of motion (jít, jet) and 'být' in their normal Czech forms.

Key rule

For direction (kam?) keep 'na' (and rarely 'v') but switch the noun to the accusative: 'Jdu na poštu' vs. 'Jsem na poště'.

Examples

Jdu na poštu.
Jdu na poště.
Direction needs the accusative 'na poštu'; 'na poště' is the locative of location.
Jdeme na koncert.
Jdeme na koncertě.
Motion to an event uses the accusative 'na koncert'.
Věšíme obraz na zeď.
Věšíme obraz na zdi.
Hanging onto a surface is direction → accusative 'na zeď'; 'na zdi' is location.

Common mistakes

Using the locative for direction
Jdu na poště.
Jdu na poštu.
Motion towards a place is accusative; the locative marks static location.
Mixing location and motion in one phrase
Položím knihu na stole.
Položím knihu na stůl.
'položit' is a verb of placement → direction → accusative 'na stůl'.

A1Prepositions

do / z + Genitive (into / out of, to / from)

do / z + 2. pád (kam? odkud?)

To say you are going INTO or TO an enclosed place, Czech uses 'do' + the genitive case (2. pád): 'jdu do školy' (I go to school), 'jedu do Prahy' (I travel to Prague). To say you are coming OUT OF or FROM that place, use 'z' (or 'ze' before clusters) + genitive: 'jdu ze školy' (I come from school), 'jedu z Prahy' (I come from Prague). 'do' answers 'kam?' and 'z' answers 'odkud?'. This is the standard way to reach or leave countries, towns, buildings and rooms. Note the genitive endings: feminine -y/-e, masculine/neuter -a/-u.

Key rule

Use 'do' + genitive for going to/into an enclosed place (kam?) and 'z/ze' + genitive for coming from/out of it (odkud?).

Examples

Jdu do školy.
Jdu do škola.
'do' requires the genitive 'školy', not the nominative.
Jedu do Prahy.
Jedu do Praha.
Feminine 'Praha' takes the genitive 'Prahy'.
Vracím se ze školy.
Vracím se z škola.
Before the cluster 'šk-' the preposition lengthens to 'ze', and 'škola' is genitive 'školy'.

Common mistakes

Leaving the noun in the nominative after 'do'
Jdu do škola.
Jdu do školy.
'do' always governs the genitive, so the noun needs a genitive ending.
Not lengthening 'z' to 'ze' before a cluster
Vracím se z školy.
Vracím se ze školy.
Before words starting with s/z or a hard cluster the preposition becomes 'ze'.

A1Prepositions

od / u + Genitive (from someone / at someone's)

od / u + 2. pád

Two more genitive prepositions deal with people and being at someone's place. 'od' + genitive means FROM (a person or a source): 'dárek od babičky' (a present from grandma), 'dopis od kamaráda' (a letter from a friend). 'u' + genitive means AT / NEXT TO / AT SOMEONE'S PLACE: 'jsem u doktora' (I am at the doctor's), 'bydlím u rodičů' (I live at my parents'), 'sedím u okna' (I sit by the window). Both take the genitive case (2. pád). 'od' often pairs with 'k' (to someone), and 'u' answers 'u koho?' or 'kde?'. Keep the copula 'být' in the present.

Key rule

'od' + genitive = from a person/source; 'u' + genitive = at someone's place or next to something; both take the genitive (2. pád).

Examples

Mám dárek od babičky.
Mám dárek od babička.
'od' requires the genitive 'babičky'.
Jsem u doktora.
Jsem u doktor.
Animate masculine 'doktor' takes the genitive 'doktora' after 'u'.
Bydlím u rodičů.
Bydlím u rodiče.
The genitive plural is 'rodičů' with a long ů.

Common mistakes

Leaving the noun in the nominative after 'od/u'
Mám dárek od babička.
Mám dárek od babičky.
Both 'od' and 'u' govern the genitive; the noun needs a genitive ending.
Confusing 'u' (at someone's) with 'k' (to someone)
Jsem k doktorovi.
Jsem u doktora.
Static 'at someone's place' is 'u' + genitive; 'k' + dative marks movement towards a person.

A1Prepositions

s / se + Instrumental (with — accompaniment)

s / se + 7. pád (s kým?)

To say you do something TOGETHER WITH someone or something, Czech uses 's' (or 'se') + the instrumental case (7. pád): 's kamarádem' (with a friend), 's mlékem' (with milk), 'se sestrou' (with a sister). You ask 's kým?' (with whom?) for people and 's čím?' (with what?) for things. The preposition lengthens to 'se' before words starting with a sibilant cluster (se sestrou, se školou, se psem). Instrumental endings: masculine -em, feminine -ou, neuter -em. This 's' means accompaniment, NOT the English 'with' of a tool only — but at A1 accompaniment is the main use. Keep the copula in the present.

Key rule

Use 's' (→ 'se' before sibilant clusters) + the instrumental case (7. pád) to express being or doing something together with someone/something.

Examples

Jdu do kina s kamarádem.
Jdu do kina s kamarád.
's' requires the instrumental 'kamarádem'.
Dám si kávu s mlékem.
Dám si kávu s mléko.
Neuter 'mléko' becomes 's mlékem' in the instrumental.
Bydlím se sestrou.
Bydlím s sestra.
Before 's-' the preposition is 'se', and feminine 'sestra' becomes 'sestrou'.

Common mistakes

Leaving the noun in the nominative after 's'
Jdu do kina s kamarád.
Jdu do kina s kamarádem.
's' governs the instrumental, so the noun needs an instrumental ending.
Not lengthening 's' to 'se' before a sibilant cluster
Bydlím s sestrou.
Bydlím se sestrou.
Before s/z/š/ž clusters the preposition becomes 'se' (se sestrou, se psem, se mnou).

A1Prepositions

pro + Accusative / bez + Genitive (for / without)

pro + 4. pád / bez + 2. pád

Two useful prepositions with different cases. 'pro' means FOR (the beneficiary) and takes the accusative case (4. pád): 'dárek pro tebe' (a present for you), 'pokoj pro dvě osoby' (a room for two). 'bez' means WITHOUT (absence) and takes the genitive case (2. pád): 'káva bez cukru' (coffee without sugar), 'jsem tu bez peněz' (I'm here without money). Ask 'pro koho?' / 'pro co?' for 'pro' and 'bez čeho?' / 'bez koho?' for 'bez'. Watch the pronouns: 'pro mě / pro tebe' (accusative), 'bez tebe / beze mě' (genitive). Keep the copula 'být' in the present.

Key rule

'pro' + accusative marks the beneficiary (for whom/what); 'bez' + genitive marks absence (without whom/what).

Examples

Je to dárek pro tebe.
Je to dárek pro ty.
'pro' takes the accusative; the pronoun 'ty' becomes 'tebe'.
Dám si kávu bez cukru.
Dám si kávu bez cukr.
'bez' requires the genitive 'cukru'.
Mám pokoj pro dvě osoby.
Mám pokoj pro dvě osob.
'pro' + accusative; the numeral phrase is 'dvě osoby'.

Common mistakes

Using the wrong case after 'pro'
Je to dárek pro ty.
Je to dárek pro tebe.
'pro' governs the accusative, so the pronoun must be 'tebe', not the nominative 'ty'.
Using the nominative or accusative after 'bez'
Káva bez cukr.
Káva bez cukru.
'bez' governs the genitive; the noun needs a genitive ending.

A1Pronouns

Subject Pronouns — Nominative

Osobní zájmena — 1. pád

The nominative subject pronouns name who does the action: já (I), ty (you, singular informal), on (he), ona (she), ono (it), my (we), vy (you, plural or polite), oni/ony/ona (they). The plural 'they' has three forms by gender: oni for masculine animate, ony for the rest, ona for neuter. Czech keeps the verb 'být' (to be) in the present — you say 'Jsem student', not just 'student'. These pronouns are often dropped because the verb ending already shows the person, but you learn them first as a base.

Key rule

Nominative subject pronouns are já/ty/on/ona/ono/my/vy/oni-ony-ona, with the third-person plural split by gender; the present copula být is always kept.

Examples

Já jsem student a ty jsi studentka.
Já student a ty studentka.
Czech keeps the present copula být; you cannot drop jsem/jsi.
On je doma, ale ona je v práci.
On doma, ale ona v práci.
Each clause needs the verb je (is); the copula is not omitted.
My jsme z Prahy.
My z Prahy.
First-person plural needs jsme; the pronoun my alone is not a sentence.

Common mistakes

Dropping the present copula být
Já student.
Já jsem student.
Unlike Russian, Czech never omits the present-tense form of být; 'jsem' is obligatory.
Using singular je with the polite vy
Vy je učitel?
Vy jste učitel?
Vy always governs a plural verb (jste), even as a polite address to one person.

A1Pronouns

Dropping Subject Pronouns (Pro-Drop)

Vypouštění podmětového zájmena

Czech is a pro-drop language: the verb ending already shows who does the action, so the subject pronoun já, ty, my, vy is normally left out. 'Bydlím v Praze' already means 'I live in Prague' — adding 'já' is not needed. You keep the pronoun only for emphasis or contrast: 'Já bydlím v Praze, ale ty bydlíš v Brně.' The third-person on/ona is kept more often, because the ending alone may not say who. The copula být still stays even when the pronoun drops: 'Jsem doma', not just 'doma'.

Key rule

Drop já/ty/my/vy by default because the verb ending shows the person; keep the pronoun only for emphasis or contrast — but never drop the copula být.

Examples

Bydlím v Praze.
Já já bydlím v Praze.
The ending -m shows 'I'; the pronoun is dropped in neutral speech.
Máš čas?
Ty ty máš čas?
The ending -š marks 'you'; ty is unnecessary in a simple question.
Já bydlím v Praze, ale ty bydlíš v Brně.
Bydlím v Praze, ale bydlíš v Brně.
Here the pronouns are kept on purpose to mark the contrast between us.

Common mistakes

Overusing the subject pronoun in every clause
Já jsem doma a já vařím a já čekám.
Jsem doma, vařím a čekám.
Czech drops já by default; repeating it in each clause sounds non-native.
Dropping the copula together with the pronoun
Unavený.
Jsem unavený.
Pro-drop removes only the pronoun, never the present form of být.

A1Pronouns

Interrogatives kdo / co + Declension

Tázací zájmena kdo / co — pády

The question words kdo (who) and co (what) decline through the cases. Kdo asks about people: kdo (nom), koho (gen/acc), komu (dat), o kom (loc), kým (instr). Co asks about things: co (nom/acc), čeho (gen), čemu (dat), o čem (loc), čím (instr). The case you use depends on what the verb or preposition needs: 'Koho vidíš?' (whom do you see?), 'Komu pomáháš?' (whom do you help?), 'O čem mluvíš?' (what are you talking about?). Get the form to match the case, just like with nouns.

Key rule

Kdo (people) and co (things) take the case the verb or preposition requires: koho/komu/kým and čeho/čemu/čím, with locative only after a preposition (o kom, o čem).

Examples

Kdo přišel?
Koho přišel?
The subject of přijít is nominative, so the form is kdo, not koho.
Koho hledáš?
Kdo hledáš?
Hledat takes an accusative object; the question word becomes koho.
Komu voláš?
Koho voláš?
Volat (to phone someone) takes the dative, so komu is required.

Common mistakes

Using nominative kdo as an object
Kdo vidíš na fotce?
Koho vidíš na fotce?
Vidět takes an accusative object, so the question word must be koho.
Using co after a preposition that needs locative
O co je ten film?
O čem je ten film?
The preposition o governs the locative, so co changes to čem.

A1Pronouns

Personal Pronouns — Accusative (Basic)

Osobní zájmena — 4. pád — základy

The accusative (4. pád) is the direct-object pronoun — the person or thing the action affects. The short forms are: mě (me), tě (you), ho (him/it), ji (her), nás (us), vás (you plural), je (them). 'Vidím ho' = I see him; 'Mám tě rád' = I like you. These short forms are clitics: they sit in the second position of the clause and never start a sentence. After a preposition you use long forms with n-: pro mě/tebe, pro něho/ni, pro ně. Note ji has a short i for her (accusative).

Key rule

Direct-object pronouns are the short clitics mě/tě/ho/ji/nás/vás/je in second position; after a preposition use long n-forms (pro něj, na ni), and spell accusative 'her' as ji.

Examples

Vidím ho každý den.
Ho vidím každý den.
The short clitic ho cannot start the clause; it sits after the first stressed word.
Mám tě rád.
Mám ty rád.
The object of mít rád is accusative tě, not nominative ty.
Znám ji dobře.
Znám jí dobře.
Accusative 'her' is ji with short i; jí is the dative.

Common mistakes

Putting the short pronoun first in the clause
Tě vidím.
Vidím tě.
Short accusative clitics never begin a sentence; they take second position.
Confusing accusative ji with dative jí
Vidím jí.
Vidím ji.
Accusative 'her' is ji (short i); jí with long í is the dative form.

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A1Pronouns

Personal Pronouns — Dative (Basic)

Osobní zájmena — 3. pád — základy

The dative (3. pád) marks the recipient — the one to/for whom something happens. The short forms are: mi (to me), ti (to you), mu (to him/it), jí (to her), nám (to us), vám (to you plural), jim (to them). 'Dám ti to' = I'll give it to you; 'Pomáhám jí' = I help her. Like the accusative clitics, mi/ti/mu sit in second position and never start a clause. After a preposition use long forms: ke mně, k němu, k ní. Watch the spelling: dative 'her' is jí with long í (accusative is ji).

Key rule

Recipient pronouns are the short clitics mi/ti/mu/jí/nám/vám/jim in second position (dative before accusative); after a preposition use long forms (ke mně, k němu), and spell dative 'her' as jí.

Examples

Dám ti to zítra.
Ti dám to zítra.
The short dative clitic ti cannot begin the clause; it goes to second position.
Pomáhám jí s úkolem.
Pomáhám ji s úkolem.
Pomáhat takes the dative; 'to her' is jí with long í, not accusative ji.
Volám mu každý večer.
Volám ho každý večer.
Volat governs the dative, so 'him' is mu, not accusative ho.

Common mistakes

Using accusative instead of dative after pomáhat/volat
Pomáhám ho.
Pomáhám mu.
Pomáhat governs the dative, so the pronoun is mu, not accusative ho.
Confusing dative jí with accusative ji
Dávám ji dárek.
Dávám jí dárek.
The recipient is dative jí (long í); ji with short i is the accusative.

A1Pronouns

Reflexive Pronoun se / si (No Nominative)

Zvratné zájmeno se / si (bez 1. pádu)

The reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject, whoever it is. It has one form for all persons: se is the accusative (myself/yourself/himself…), si is the dative. 'Myju se' = I wash myself; 'Koupil jsem si knihu' = I bought myself a book. It has no nominative — there is no subject 'self'. Se/si are second-position clitics: they never start a clause and sit right after the first stressed word or the auxiliary. Many Czech verbs are reflexive even when English is not: jmenovat se (to be called), dívat se (to watch), učit se (to study).

Key rule

The reflexive has no nominative: se is the accusative and si the dative reflexive for all persons; both are second-position clitics placed after any auxiliary but before dative/accusative pronouns.

Examples

Jmenuji se Petr.
Jmenuji Petr.
Jmenovat se is inherently reflexive in Czech; se cannot be dropped.
Koupil jsem si novou knihu.
Koupil jsem se novou knihu.
The benefactive 'for myself' is dative si, not accusative se.
Myji se každé ráno.
Myji si každé ráno.
Washing oneself (direct object) is se; si would mean washing a body part for oneself.

Common mistakes

Dropping se from an inherently reflexive verb
Jmenuji Petr.
Jmenuji se Petr.
Jmenovat se is reflexive in Czech; se is part of the verb and cannot be omitted.
Confusing accusative se with dative si
Koupil jsem se kávu.
Koupil jsem si kávu.
The benefactive 'for myself' requires the dative reflexive si.

A1Register

Greetings & Farewells (dobrý den, ahoj, na shledanou)

Pozdravy a loučení (dobrý den, ahoj, na shledanou)

Czech has two clearly separated registers for hellos and goodbyes, and choosing wrong sounds rude or oddly familiar. With people you don't know, with older people, in shops and offices, you greet with Dobrý den (good day) and leave with Na shledanou (goodbye). With friends, family, children and classmates you say Ahoj, Čau or Nazdar for both hello and goodbye. There are also time-of-day greetings: Dobré ráno / Dobré jitro (morning), Dobrý den (daytime), Dobrý večer (evening) and Dobrou noc (good night, when parting). Reply to a greeting with the same greeting. The polite forms go with vykání (vy); the informal ones go with tykání (ty).

Key rule

Use Dobrý den / Na shledanou with strangers and elders (vy), and Ahoj / Čau with friends, family and children (ty); reply with the same register.

Examples

Dobrý den, paní učitelko.
Ahoj, paní učitelko.
A teacher addressed with a title needs the formal Dobrý den, not the familiar Ahoj.
Ahoj, Petře, jak se máš?
Dobrý den, Petře, jak se máš?
Tykání with a friend pairs with the informal Ahoj, not the formal greeting.
Na shledanou, pane doktore.
Na schledanou, pane doktore.
The word is na shledanou — the silent-looking h follows s; there is no extra c.

Common mistakes

Using an informal greeting in a formal situation
Ahoj, pane řediteli.
Dobrý den, pane řediteli.
A title and vykání require the formal Dobrý den; Ahoj is reserved for ty relationships.
Wrong adjective gender on a time greeting
Dobrý ráno.
Dobré ráno.
Ráno is neuter and takes the -é ending; only masculine den/večer take dobrý.

A1Register

Basic Politeness (prosím, děkuji, promiňte)

Zdvořilostní obraty (prosím, děkuji, promiňte)

Three native Czech words carry most everyday politeness. Prosím means please, and it also serves as you're welcome and as here you are when handing something over. Děkuji means thank you (you can also say Děkuju in speech, or the warmer Děkuji moc / Mockrát děkuji). Promiňte means excuse me or sorry to someone you address with vy; to a friend you say Promiň. To get attention politely you say Promiňte... or Prosím vás... Respond to thanks with Není zač or Rádo se stalo. These are real Czech forms — not the Polish or Slovak look-alikes — so spell and say them the Czech way.

Key rule

Use native prosím (please / you're welcome / here you are), děkuji (thank you) and promiňte/promiň (excuse me, vy/ty) — not Polish or Slovak look-alikes.

Examples

Děkuji za pomoc.
Dziękuję za pomoc.
The Czech word is děkuji with ě and soft i; dziękuję is Polish, not Czech.
Promiňte, kde je nádraží?
Promiň, kde je nádraží?
To a stranger (vy) you use Promiňte; Promiň is only for someone you address with ty.
Kávu, prosím.
Kávu, prosíme.
The polite request word is the fixed form prosím, not a conjugated prosíme here.

Common mistakes

Using the Polish word dziękuję
Dziękuję moc.
Děkuji moc.
Czech has its own word děkuji with ě; the Polish dziękuję is foreign interference.
Mixing ty and vy in the apology word
Promiň, paní doktorko.
Promiňte, paní doktorko.
A vy address (with a title) requires the polite Promiňte, not the familiar Promiň.

A1Register

Tykání vs Vykání — Pragmatic Basics

Tykání a vykání — základy

Czech, like German or French, has two ways to address someone. Tykání uses ty (you, singular) and the 2nd-person singular verb — it is for friends, family, children and close colleagues. Vykání uses vy (you, polite) and the 2nd-person PLURAL verb — it is the respectful form for strangers, older people, officials and anyone you don't know well. The choice is not about how many people you talk to: even one person addressed politely takes the plural verb. So Jak se máš? is to a friend, while Jak se máte? is polite. Get this wrong and you sound either rude (too familiar) or stiff (too formal among friends). When in doubt with an adult stranger, start with vykání.

Key rule

ty + singular verb (-š) for closeness; vy + PLURAL verb (-te) for respect — even one polite person takes the plural form; default to vykání with adult strangers.

Examples

Jak se máte, pane Nováku?
Jak se máš, pane Nováku?
A man addressed with a surname and title takes vykání (máte), not the familiar máš.
Ahoj, kde bydlíš?
Ahoj, kde bydlíte?
Ahoj signals tykání, so the verb must be the singular bydlíš.
Máte chvilku, prosím?
Máš chvilku, prosím? (k cizímu člověku)
To a stranger you use the polite plural máte.

Common mistakes

Using a singular verb with vy
Vy máš čas?
Vy máte čas?
Vykání requires the 2nd-person plural verb máte, never the singular máš.
Tykání to a stranger or elder
Promiňte, kde bydlíš?
Promiňte, kde bydlíte?
A stranger addressed with Promiňte needs the polite bydlíte.

A1Vocabulary usage

Recognising International Cognates

Rozpoznávání mezinárodních slov

Czech has borrowed many international words, and once you know the spelling patterns you can recognise hundreds of them for free. The typical changes are: Latin/English -tion becomes -ce (information → informace, station → stanice), -c- before e/i is read as /ts/ (centrum, cigareta), the ending -ie marks many abstract nouns (biologie, energie), and -er often becomes -r (computer → komputer is rare; Czechs prefer počítač, but doktor, profesor end in -r). Borrowed nouns get a Czech gender and decline like native ones: informace is feminine, telefon is masculine. Watch out for false friends and for fully Czech replacements (počítač, not *computer). Reading these words aloud with Czech spelling rules is the key skill at A1.

Key rule

Recognise borrowed words by their adapted spelling (-tion → -ce, -ty → -ita), read c before e/i as /ts/, and give each borrowing a Czech gender so it can decline normally.

Examples

Mám informace o kurzu.
Mám information o kurzu.
The cognate is adapted as informace (-tion → -ce), declined as a Czech feminine noun.
Bydlím blízko centra.
Bydlím blízko centrum.
Centrum is a Czech neuter noun and declines (genitive centra after blízko).
Studuji na univerzitě.
Studuji na university.
University is borrowed as univerzita and takes the Czech locative -ě (univerzitě).

Common mistakes

Keeping the foreign spelling instead of the Czech one
Mám information.
Mám informace.
The word is naturalised as informace; the English spelling is not Czech.
Not declining a borrowed noun
Bydlím blízko centrum.
Bydlím blízko centra.
Borrowed nouns get a Czech gender and decline; blízko governs the genitive centra.

A1Numbers dates time

Cardinal Numbers 1–20

Základní číslovky 1–20

The Czech numbers one to twenty are jeden, dva, tři, čtyři, pět, šest, sedm, osm, devět, deset, jedenáct, dvanáct, třináct, čtrnáct, patnáct, šestnáct, sedmnáct, osmnáct, devatenáct, dvacet. Two of them change for gender. JEDEN agrees with its noun like an adjective: jeden (masc.) — jedna (fem.) — jedno (neut.): jeden dům, jedna kniha, jedno auto. DVA also changes: dva (masc./neut.) vs dvě (fem.): dva domy, dvě knihy. Numbers from tři upward do not change for gender at A1. The teens are built on -náct (jeden-áct, dva-náct...). Counting alone you usually say the masculine/neutral form. These numbers are the foundation for telling time, prices and quantities.

Key rule

Learn jeden…dvacet; only jeden (jeden/jedna/jedno) and dva (dva/dvě) agree in gender, while tři and above are invariant at A1.

Examples

Mám jednu sestru.
Mám jeden sestru.
Sestra is feminine, so jeden takes the feminine form jedna → accusative jednu.
Vidím dvě kočky.
Vidím dva kočky.
Kočka is feminine, so two is dvě, not the masculine dva.
Mám dva bratry.
Mám dvě bratry.
Bratr is masculine, so two is dva, not dvě.

Common mistakes

Wrong gender of jeden
Mám jeden knihu.
Mám jednu knihu.
Kniha is feminine, so jeden agrees as jedna → accusative jednu.
Using dva with a feminine or neuter noun
Vidím dva ženy.
Vidím dvě ženy.
Feminine (and neuter) nouns take dvě, not dva.

A1Numbers dates time

Days, Months and Seasons

Dny, měsíce a roční období

The Czech days are pondělí, úterý, středa, čtvrtek, pátek, sobota, neděle. The months have native (non-Latin) names: leden, únor, březen, duben, květen, červen, červenec, srpen, září, říjen, listopad, prosinec. The seasons are jaro, léto, podzim, zima. Two key rules. First, ALL of these are written with a small letter — Czech does not capitalise days, months or seasons (only at the start of a sentence). Second, to say on a day you use the preposition v/ve + accusative (v pondělí, ve středu), and for months you use v + locative (v lednu, v září). Watch the spelling: čtvrtek with č, září with ř and long í, neděle with ě.

Key rule

Days, months and seasons are written lowercase mid-sentence; use v/ve + accusative for days (v pondělí) and v + locative for months (v lednu).

Examples

Máme schůzku ve středu.
Máme schůzku ve Středu.
Days are lowercase mid-sentence; Středa is not capitalised.
Mám narozeniny v lednu.
Mám narozeniny v Lednu.
Months are lowercase, and 'in January' uses the locative lednu.
Na jaře je hezky.
Na Jaře je hezky.
Season names are lowercase; the phrase is na jaře.

Common mistakes

Capitalising days/months (English/German interference)
Přijdu v Pondělí.
Přijdu v pondělí.
Czech writes days and months lowercase except at the start of a sentence.
Using a Latin month name
Mám narozeniny v Januaru.
Mám narozeniny v lednu.
Czech months are native (leden, únor...), not the Latin/English Januar/January.

A1Numbers dates time

Tens, Hundreds and Counting Above 20

Desítky, stovky a počítání nad 20

Above twenty, Czech builds numbers transparently. The round tens are dvacet, třicet, čtyřicet, padesát, šedesát, sedmdesát, osmdesát, devadesát, and one hundred is sto. Compound numbers are written as separate words and just stack the parts: dvacet jedna (21), třicet pět (35), čtyřicet osm (48), devadesát devět (99). For hundreds you say sto, dvě stě (200), tři sta (300), čtyři sta (400), pět set (500) — note dvě stě, tři/čtyři sta, then pět set with the genitive plural set. A full number like 235 is dvě stě třicet pět. Watch the spelling of padesát, šedesát (š), and sedmdesát/osmdesát (with the syllabic m, no extra vowel). These are invariable in counting at A1.

Key rule

Stack tens + units as separate words (dvacet jedna), and use sto / dvě stě / tři–čtyři sta / pět set+ for hundreds, building full numbers as hundreds + tens + units.

Examples

To stojí dvacet jedna korun.
To stojí dvacetjedna korun.
Compound numbers are written as separate words: dvacet jedna.
Bydlím v čísle třicet pět.
Bydlím v čísle třicet pátý.
The cardinal is třicet pět; třicet pátý would be the ordinal 'thirty-fifth'.
Mám dvě stě korun.
Mám dva sta korun.
Two hundred is dvě stě, with the feminine-style dvě and the dual stě.

Common mistakes

Writing a compound number as one word
Mám čtyřicetosm let.
Mám čtyřicet osm let.
The standard analytic order writes the parts as separate words: čtyřicet osm.
Wrong form of 'hundred' after 2–4
Mám dva sta korun.
Mám dvě stě korun.
Two hundred is dvě stě; three/four hundred is tři sta / čtyři sta.

A1Numbers dates time

Numbers + Noun — Case Pattern (Introduction)

Číslovka + podstatné jméno — úvod do pádů

When a Czech number combines with a noun, the number decides the noun's form. With one (jeden/jedna/jedno) the noun is singular: jeden dům, jedna kniha. With two, three and four the noun is in the nominative PLURAL: dva domy, tři knihy, čtyři auta. But from FIVE upward the noun jumps to the GENITIVE PLURAL: pět domů, šest knih, deset korun, dvacet lidí. So you say dva roky (2–4 = plural) but pět let (5+ = genitive plural). This pattern is one of the most distinctive features of Czech and worth memorising as a simple rule: 2–4 → plural, 5+ → genitive plural. At A1 just learn the high-frequency phrases (pět korun, pět let, deset hodin).

Key rule

jeden + singular; dva/tři/čtyři + nominative plural (dva domy); pět and above + genitive plural (pět domů, pět let).

Examples

Mám dva bratry a pět sester.
Mám dva bratry a pět sestry.
After pět the noun is genitive plural: pět sester, not the nominative plural sestry.
Jsou tu tři stoly.
Jsou tu tři stolů.
After tři the noun is nominative plural stoly, not the genitive plural stolů.
Je mi pět let.
Je mi pět roky.
After 5+ 'years' is the genitive plural let, not the 2–4 plural roky.

Common mistakes

Using nominative plural after 5+
Mám pět knihy.
Mám pět knih.
From five up the noun must be genitive plural: pět knih.
Using genitive plural after 2–4
Jsou tu tři stolů.
Jsou tu tři stoly.
After two, three and four the noun is the nominative plural stoly.

A1Numbers dates time

Telling Time — Basic (Kolik je hodin?)

Kolik je hodin? — základy

To ask the time you say Kolik je hodin? To answer on the whole hour, the number decides the form of hodina (hour): Je jedna hodina (1), Jsou dvě hodiny (2–4), Je pět hodin (5+). Notice three things. First, one o'clock uses the singular je with jedna hodina; two to four use the plural jsou with hodiny; from five it is je again with the genitive plural hodin. Second, to say at what time you add v + accusative: v jednu hodinu, ve dvě hodiny, v deset hodin. Third, Czechs count noon-to-midnight with the 24-hour clock in writing and timetables (v sedmnáct hodin = at 5 p.m.). At A1 focus on whole hours and the v + time phrase.

Key rule

Ask Kolik je hodin?; answer Je jedna hodina / Jsou dvě hodiny / Je pět hodin, and say the time with v/ve + accusative (v deset hodin).

Examples

Je jedna hodina.
Jsou jedna hodina.
One o'clock takes the singular je with jedna hodina, not the plural jsou.
Jsou dvě hodiny.
Je dvě hodiny.
Two to four o'clock takes the plural jsou with nominative plural hodiny.
Je deset hodin.
Jsou deset hodin.
From five up the verb is singular je with the genitive plural hodin.

Common mistakes

Wrong verb number for one o'clock
Jsou jedna hodina.
Je jedna hodina.
One o'clock is singular: Je jedna hodina.
Singular verb for two–four o'clock
Je tři hodiny.
Jsou tři hodiny.
Two to four o'clock takes the plural jsou.

A1Syntax

Basic Word Order (flexible SVO)

Slovosled — základy (volný SVO)

The default Czech word order is subject–verb–object: Petr čte knihu (Peter reads a book). But because the case endings already show who does what, the order is flexible and you can move words around for emphasis. The new or most important information usually comes at the end. So Knihu čte Petr puts the focus on Petr (it is Peter who reads it). The verb být in the present is kept: Petr je doma. When you drop the subject pronoun (because the verb ending shows it), the verb often starts the sentence: Jsem doma (I am home).

Key rule

Default order is subject–verb–object, but case endings make it flexible — put the most important (new) information last.

Examples

Petr čte knihu.
Petr knihu.
A neutral sentence needs the verb; čte (reads) cannot be left out.
Maminka vaří oběd.
Vaří maminka oběd dělá.
Keep one verb in the neutral subject–verb–object pattern; do not add a second verb.
Knihu čte Petr.
Knihu Petr.
Even when the object is fronted for emphasis, the verb stays; only the order shifts.

Common mistakes

Dropping the verb in a neutral sentence
On student.
On je student.
Czech keeps the present copula být, so the verb je must be present.
Putting the new/focus information first by reflex (English topic order)
Petr to udělal, ne Jana to udělala.
To udělal Petr, ne Jana.
The contrasted item (Petr) carries focus and is most natural at the end of the clause.

A1Syntax

Basic Negation with ne- on the Verb

Zápor — předpona ne- u slovesa

To make a Czech sentence negative, you attach the prefix ne- directly to the verb: mám → nemám (I don't have), jsem → nejsem (I am not), vím → nevím (I don't know). The ne- is written as one word with the verb. There is no separate word like English 'not' or 'do not'. The copula být is also negated this way: nejsem, nejsi, není (not 'ne je'). Note the irregular 3rd person singular: je → není (he/she/it is not). The negated verb still carries the normal ending for its person.

Key rule

Negate by attaching ne- directly to the verb as one word (nemám, nejsem); být's 3rd person is irregular: je → není.

Examples

Nemám čas.
Ne mám čas.
The negative prefix ne- is written together with the verb, not as a separate word.
On není doma.
On ne je doma.
The 3rd person singular of být is the irregular není, not 'ne je'.
Nevím, kde to je.
Nevim, kde to je.
The verb vím has a long í (vowel length is phonemic), so the negated form is nevím.

Common mistakes

Writing ne- as a separate word
Ne vím to.
Nevím to.
The negative prefix ne- must be written together with the verb as a single word.
Regularising the negated 3rd person of být
Ona ne je tady.
Ona není tady.
The verb být has the irregular negated 3rd person singular není.

A1Syntax

Yes/No Questions by Intonation & Inversion

Zjišťovací otázky — intonace a inverze

A yes/no question (zjišťovací otázka) in Czech needs no special question word and no 'do'. You can simply keep the statement word order and use rising intonation: Máš čas? (Do you have time?). In writing, the question mark shows it. Often the verb is moved to the front for a clear question: Je Petr doma? (Is Peter home?). The copula být is kept: Jsi student? (Are you a student?). You answer with Ano (yes) or Ne (no), and you usually repeat the verb: Ano, mám. / Ne, nemám.

Key rule

Form yes/no questions with rising intonation or by fronting the verb — no 'do', no particle; answer by echoing the verb (Ano, mám).

Examples

Máš čas?
Děláš mít čas?
Czech has no 'do' auxiliary; the inflected verb máš alone forms the question.
Je Petr doma?
Petr je doma.
Fronting the verb je marks the yes/no question; the statement order would just be a statement.
Jsi unavený?
Ty být unavený?
The copula být is conjugated (jsi) and kept; the infinitive být cannot stand here.

Common mistakes

Inserting an English-style 'do' auxiliary
Děláš ty mluvit česky?
Mluvíš česky?
Czech has no 'do' support; the conjugated verb alone forms the question.
Using an infinitive instead of a conjugated verb
Ty mít čas?
Máš čas?
A yes/no question still needs a finite, conjugated verb (máš), not the infinitive.

A1Syntax

Question Words (kdo, co, kde, kam, kdy, jak, proč)

Tázací slova (kdo, co, kde, kam, kdy, jak, proč)

Question words (tázací slova) start a wh-question and usually stand at the very front. The core set is: kdo (who), co (what), kde (where, location), kam (where to, direction), kdy (when), jak (how), proč (why). The verb follows the question word, with no 'do': Kde bydlíš? (Where do you live?), Proč pláčeš? (Why are you crying?). Czech distinguishes place from direction: kde = at what place (Kde jsi? — Doma), kam = to what place (Kam jdeš? — Domů). With this set you can ask almost anything at A1.

Key rule

Start wh-questions with the question word (kdo, co, kde, kam, kdy, jak, proč); keep kde (location) and kam (direction) apart.

Examples

Kde bydlíš?
Kam bydlíš?
Living somewhere is a static location, so it takes kde, not the directional kam.
Kam jdeš?
Kde jdeš?
Going implies direction toward a goal, so it takes kam, not the static kde.
Co děláš?
Co ty děláš dělat?
The conjugated verb děláš follows co; there is no extra 'do' or infinitive.

Common mistakes

Confusing kde (location) and kam (direction)
Kam pracuješ?
Kde pracuješ?
Working is a static location, so the question word is kde, not the directional kam.
Adding an English 'do' to a wh-question
Co děláš dělat?
Co děláš?
Czech needs no auxiliary; the conjugated verb follows the question word directly.

A1Syntax

Double Negation (Obligatory in Czech)

Dvojí zápor (povinný)

In Czech, negative words must go together with a negated verb — this is called negative concord, and it is obligatory. Words like nikdo (nobody), nic (nothing), nikdy (never), nikde (nowhere) and žádný (no/none) all require the verb to carry ne-: Nikdo nic neříká (literally 'nobody nothing doesn't say' = nobody says anything). Two, three or more negatives in one sentence are normal and correct. This is the opposite of English, where 'nobody says anything' has only one negative. In Czech you cannot leave the verb positive next to a negative word.

Key rule

Negative words (nikdo, nic, nikdy, nikde, žádný) obligatorily require the verb to be negated too — stack the negatives.

Examples

Nikdo nic neříká.
Nikdo nic říká.
Negative concord is obligatory: the verb must also be negated (neříká).
Nic nevím.
Nic vím.
The negative word nic forces the verb to carry ne- (nevím).
Nikdy tam nechodím.
Nikdy tam chodím.
Nikdy requires the negated verb nechodím, not the positive chodím.

Common mistakes

Leaving the verb positive after a negative word (English single-negation transfer)
Nikdo říká nic.
Nikdo nic neříká.
Czech requires negative concord: the verb must be negated alongside the negative words.
Using a positive pronoun where a negative one is needed
Nevidím něco.
Nevidím nic.
Under negation the indefinite něco becomes the negative nic to match the negated verb.

A1Connectors

Basic Coordination: a, i, ale, nebo

Souřadicí spojky: a, i, ale, nebo

Coordinating conjunctions (souřadicí spojky) join words or whole clauses of equal weight. The basics are: a (and), i (and also, even), ale (but), nebo (or), and anebo (or alternatively). Use a to add things: Petr a Jana (Peter and Jane); káva a čaj (coffee and tea). Use ale for contrast: Mám čas, ale nemám peníze (I have time but no money). Use nebo for a choice: Káva, nebo čaj? (Coffee or tea?). A comma is written before ale and usually before nebo when they join clauses, but not before a when it simply adds items.

Key rule

Join equal elements with a (and), i (also/even), ale (but), nebo (or); write a comma before ale, not before a.

Examples

Mám psa a kočku.
Mám psa, a kočku.
No comma before a when it simply joins two items.
Je to drahé, ale dobré.
Je to drahé ale dobré.
A comma is required before the contrastive conjunction ale.
Dáš si kávu, nebo čaj?
Dáš si kávu nebo čaj, ale?
Nebo offers the alternative; ale does not belong at the end here.

Common mistakes

Putting a comma before a when it only joins items
Káva, a čaj.
Káva a čaj.
Czech writes no comma before a in simple addition.
Omitting the comma before ale
Je to malé ale hezké.
Je to malé, ale hezké.
The contrastive conjunction ale always takes a comma before it.

A1Connectors

Basic Subordination: že, protože, když

Podřadicí spojky: že, protože, když

Subordinating conjunctions (podřadicí spojky) attach a dependent clause to a main clause. The three basics are: že (that), protože (because) and když (when/if). Use že to report or state: Vím, že máš čas (I know that you have time). Use protože to give a reason: Nejdu ven, protože prší (I'm not going out because it's raining). Use když for time or condition: Když mám čas, čtu (When I have time, I read). A comma is always written before the subordinating conjunction. The copula být stays in the subordinate clause too: Myslím, že je to dobré.

Key rule

Attach dependent clauses with že (that), protože (because), když (when/if); always write a comma before the conjunction, and never drop že.

Examples

Vím, že máš čas.
Vím že máš čas.
A comma is required before the subordinating conjunction že.
Říká, že přijde.
Říká, přijde.
Czech never drops že; the conjunction must introduce the reported clause.
Nejdu ven, protože prší.
Nejdu ven protože prší.
A comma separates the main clause from the protože-clause.

Common mistakes

Omitting the comma before the subordinating conjunction
Vím že přijdeš.
Vím, že přijdeš.
Czech always writes a comma before že, protože and když.
Dropping že the way English drops 'that'
Myslím přijde.
Myslím, že přijde.
Unlike English, Czech never omits the conjunction že.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — být (to be), Copula Kept

Přítomný čas — sloveso být (spona)

Být means 'to be' and is the first verb you need. Its present forms are irregular: jsem (I am), jsi (you are), je (he/she/it is), jsme (we are), jste (you/plural are), jsou (they are). The most important rule for English and Slavic learners alike: Czech KEEPS the verb 'to be' in the present. You cannot say a bare 'I student' — you must say 'Jsem student.' Russian and Ukrainian drop this verb, but Czech never does. Because the verb endings already show the person, the subject pronoun (já, ty, on) is usually left out: just say 'Jsem doma,' not 'Já jsem doma,' unless you want emphasis.

Key rule

Czech keeps the present-tense copula být (jsem/jsi/je/jsme/jste/jsou); never drop it, even though the subject pronoun usually is dropped.

Examples

Jsem student.
Já student.
The copula is obligatory in the present; a bare pronoun + noun is ungrammatical in Czech.
Jsi unavený?
Ty unavený?
Even in questions the verb jsi must appear; intonation alone is not enough without the copula.
Petr je doma.
Petr doma.
Third-person je is also obligatory; unlike Russian, Czech does not omit it.

Common mistakes

Dropping the present copula (Russian/Ukrainian interference)
Já doktor.
Jsem doktor.
Czech keeps the present 'to be'; the bare noun construction does not exist as in Russian.
Regularising the negative 3rd person
On neje tady.
On tady není.
The negative of je is the irregular není, never *neje.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — mít (to have)

Přítomný čas — sloveso mít

Mít means 'to have' and is one of the first full verbs you conjugate: mám (I have), máš (you have), má (he/she/it has), máme (we have), máte (you/plural have), mají (they have). Notice the long á in almost every form. Czech uses mít not only for possession ('Mám psa' — I have a dog) but also for age ('Mám dvacet let' — literally 'I have twenty years') and for soft obligation with the infinitive ('Máš to udělat' — you are supposed to do it). The thing you have goes in the accusative case: 'Mám sestru,' 'Máme čas.' The subject pronoun is usually dropped because the ending already shows who.

Key rule

Mít (mám/máš/má/máme/máte/mají) takes its object in the accusative and also expresses age (Mám 20 let) and soft obligation (mít + infinitive).

Examples

Mám psa.
Mám pes.
The possessed object stands in the accusative; the animate masculine pes becomes psa.
Máš čas?
Máte čas? (to a single friend you address informally)
Máš is the informal singular; máte would be plural or formal.
Petr má sestru.
Petr mají sestru.
A singular subject takes the singular má, not the plural mají.

Common mistakes

Object left in the nominative instead of accusative
Mám bratr.
Mám bratra.
Mít governs the accusative; the animate masculine bratr becomes bratra.
Using být for age (English/general interference)
Jsem dvacet let.
Mám dvacet let.
Czech expresses age with mít ('have years'), not být.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — Conjugation -á- (dělat)

Přítomný čas — třída -á- (dělat)

Many common Czech verbs follow the easy -á- pattern, named after dělat (to do/make). Take the stem děl- and add: -ám (já), -áš (ty), -á (on/ona), -áme (my), -áte (vy), -ají (oni). So: dělám, děláš, dělá, děláme, děláte, dělají. Notice the long á everywhere except the last form -ají. This class is large and regular, so once you learn dělat you can conjugate dozens of verbs like snídat (to have breakfast), čekat (to wait), poslouchat (to listen), and the reflexive dívat se (to watch). The reflexive se sits in second position: 'Dívám se na film,' not 'Dívám na film se.'

Key rule

Verbs of the -á- class (dělat) add -ám/-áš/-á/-áme/-áte/-ají to the stem; only the 3pl differs as -ají, and any reflexive se/si stays in second position.

Examples

Dělám úkol.
Dělaju úkol.
The 1sg ending of this class is -ám (dělám); -aju belongs to a different (colloquial) pattern.
Co děláš?
Co dělaš?
The 2sg has a long á: děláš, not the short *dělaš.
Oni snídají v sedm.
Oni snídá v sedm.
A plural subject needs the 3pl form -ají (snídají), not the singular snídá.

Common mistakes

Using -aju/-aj endings (colloquial obecná čeština)
Já dělaju a oni čekaj.
Já dělám a oni čekají.
Standard literary Czech uses -ám and -ají; -aju/-aj are colloquial.
Short vowel instead of long á
Co delaš?
Co děláš?
This class keeps a long á (děláš); the ě in děl- also needs its háček.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — Conjugation -uje- (pracovat)

Přítomný čas — třída -uje- (pracovat)

Verbs ending in -ovat in the infinitive belong to the -uje- class, named after pracovat (to work). The trick is that the -ova- changes to -uj- in the present: pracuji, pracuješ, pracuje, pracujeme, pracujete, pracují. So the infinitive stem 'pracov-' becomes 'pracuj-'. This is a huge, predictable class covering studovat (to study), nakupovat (to shop), telefonovat (to phone), opakovat (to repeat), tancovat (to dance) and most verbs borrowed from other languages. The standard 1st-person singular is -uji and 3rd-person plural -ují, both with long í; the spoken language often shortens them to -uju and -ujou, but in writing keep the literary forms.

Key rule

Infinitive -ovat verbs swap -ova- for -uj- in the present (pracovat → pracuji/pracuješ/pracuje/pracujeme/pracujete/pracují); literary 1sg = -uji, 3pl = -ují.

Examples

Pracuji v nemocnici.
Pracovám v nemocnici.
The -ova- of the infinitive becomes -uj- in the present; *pracovám does not exist.
Studuješ na univerzitě?
Studuš na univerzitě?
The stem keeps the -uj- (studuj-), so 2sg is studuješ, not *studuš.
Rodiče pracují v Praze.
Rodiče pracujou v Praze.
Standard literary 3pl is pracují (long í); pracujou is colloquial.

Common mistakes

Keeping -ova- in the present (regularising the infinitive)
Pracovám každý den.
Pracuji každý den.
The -ova- becomes -uj- in the present tense.
Colloquial -uju/-ujou in writing
Studuju a oni nakupujou.
Studuji a oni nakupují.
Standard literary Czech uses -uji (1sg) and -ují (3pl).

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — Conjugation -í- (mluvit, prosit)

Přítomný čas — třída -í- (mluvit, prosit)

The -í- class (4th class) covers many verbs whose infinitive ends in -it, -et or -ět: mluvit (to speak), prosit (to ask/request), bydlet (to live/reside), rozumět (to understand). Drop the infinitive ending and add -ím (já), -íš (ty), -í (on/ona), -íme (my), -íte (vy), and either -í or -ejí (oni). So: mluvím, mluvíš, mluví, mluvíme, mluvíte, mluví. The 3rd-person plural is the trickiest part: some verbs take -í (mluví, prosí) and others take -ejí (rozumějí, bydlí keeps -í). A long í runs through the whole pattern. This class is very common, so it pays to master it early.

Key rule

The -í- class (mluvit, prosit, bydlet, rozumět) adds -ím/-íš/-í/-íme/-íte with a long í; the 3pl is -í for most verbs but -ejí for the -ět group (rozumějí).

Examples

Mluvím česky.
Mluvim česky.
The 1sg ending has a long í: mluvím, not short *mluvim.
Rozumíš mi?
Rozumíš mě?
Rozumět governs the dative; the dative of já is mi, not the accusative mě.
Studenti rozumějí učiteli.
Studenti rozumí učiteli.
Rozumět belongs to the -ět group, so the 3pl is rozumějí, not rozumí.

Common mistakes

Short i instead of long í
Bydlim v Praze.
Bydlím v Praze.
The whole class carries a long í; the length is phonemic.
Wrong 3pl ending for the -ět group
Oni rozumí matematice.
Oni rozumějí matematice.
The -ět verbs take -ejí in the 3pl (rozumějí, umějí).

A1Verb tenses

Past Tense — 3rd Person Drops the Auxiliary

Minulý čas — 3. osoba bez pomocného slovesa

The Czech past tense is built from the l-participle plus the present auxiliary být: dělal jsem (I did), dělal jsi (you did). But in the 3rd person — he, she, it, they — the auxiliary disappears. You do NOT say *dělal je; you simply say dělal (he did), dělala (she did), dělalo (it did), dělali (they did). The participle changes its ending to agree with the subject's gender and number, but no auxiliary is added. This is unique to the 3rd person: 1st and 2nd persons keep jsem/jsi/jsme/jste. So compare: 'Dělal jsem' (I did) vs 'Dělal' (he did).

Key rule

In the past tense the auxiliary být is dropped in the 3rd person (on dělal, oni dělali) but kept in the 1st/2nd (dělal jsem, dělal jsi), where it is a second-position clitic.

Examples

Petr dělal úkol.
Petr dělal je úkol.
The 3rd-person past has no auxiliary; *je must not be added.
Marie pracovala v Praze.
Marie pracovala jsou v Praze.
A 3rd-person singular feminine takes the bare participle pracovala, no auxiliary.
Studenti čekali venku.
Studenti čekali jsou venku.
Even in the 3rd-person plural the auxiliary is dropped; čekali stands alone.

Common mistakes

Adding an auxiliary in the 3rd person
On dělal je domácí úkol.
On dělal domácí úkol.
The 3rd-person past drops the auxiliary entirely.
Using jsou with a 3rd-person plural past
Děti spaly jsou.
Děti spaly.
No auxiliary in the 3rd person, singular or plural.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — Conjugation -e- (psát, nést)

Přítomný čas — třída -e- (psát, nést)

Many Czech verbs belong to the -e- conjugation class, where the present-tense endings are -u, -eš, -e, -eme, -ete, -ou. This includes very common verbs like psát (to write), číst (to read), nést (to carry) and jít (to go). The tricky part is that the stem often changes before the endings: psát becomes píš- (píšu, píšeš), číst becomes čt- (čtu, čteš). You learn these stems as you go. Notice the first person ends in -u and the third person plural in -ou, both with the -u- vowel, while the middle forms use -e-.

Key rule

The -e- class takes endings -u/-eš/-e/-eme/-ete/-ou on the present stem, which is often different from the infinitive (psát → píšu, číst → čtu).

Examples

Píšu dopis babičce.
Píšám dopis babičce.
psát uses the present stem píš- with -e- class endings, not the -a- class ending -ám.
Čteš tu knihu?
Čítáš tu knihu?
číst has the present stem čt-: čtu, čteš, čte. The form čítáš belongs to a different verb (a frequentative).
Petr nese těžkou tašku.
Petr nesá těžkou tašku.
nést is an -e- class verb: nesu, neseš, nese. The ending is -e, not the -a- class -á.

Common mistakes

Applying -a- class endings to an -e- class verb
Píšám esemesku.
Píšu esemesku.
psát is an -e- class verb (stem píš-), so the 1st person is píšu, not the -a- class píšám.
Keeping the infinitive stem instead of the present stem
Čtěstu noviny.
Čtu noviny.
číst changes its stem to čt- in the present; the infinitive vowels disappear.

A1Verb tenses

vědět vs znát (two verbs for 'to know')

vědět a znát — dvě slovesa pro "vědět"

Czech has two verbs for English 'to know'. Use vědět to know a fact or piece of information (often followed by a clause: Vím, že... — I know that...). Use znát to know a person, place or thing you are familiar with (followed by a direct object in the accusative: Znám Petra — I know Petr). Vědět is irregular: vím, víš, ví, víme, víte, vědí. Znát is regular -a- class: znám, znáš, zná, známe, znáte, znají. Choosing the wrong one sounds clearly off to a Czech ear, so it is worth learning the pair early.

Key rule

Use vědět (vím, víš, ví…) for knowing facts and clauses, znát (znám, znáš, zná…) for being acquainted with a person or thing in the accusative.

Examples

Vím, že máš pravdu.
Znám, že máš pravdu.
Knowing that something is true is a fact, so it requires vědět, not znát.
Znáš mého kamaráda?
Víš mého kamaráda?
Knowing a person means being acquainted, so znát is used with the accusative object.
Nevím, kde bydlí.
Neznám, kde bydlí.
An indirect question about a fact takes vědět: nevím, kde...

Common mistakes

Using znát for a fact or clause
Znám, že přijde pozdě.
Vím, že přijde pozdě.
A že-clause expresses a fact, which requires vědět, not znát.
Using vědět for a person
Víš mou sestru?
Znáš mou sestru?
Knowing a person means acquaintance, so znát + accusative is correct.

A1Verb tenses

Present Tense — jít / jet (to go on foot / by vehicle)

Přítomný čas — jít a jet

Czech distinguishes how you go. Use jít for going on foot and jet for going by a vehicle (car, bus, train, bike). Both are -e- class verbs in the present: jít → jdu, jdeš, jde, jdeme, jdete, jdou; jet → jedu, jedeš, jede, jedeme, jedete, jedou. Notice how similar the forms look (jdu vs jedu), but the meaning differs sharply. You also use jít for going to an event or activity, even if you might technically take a bus (Jdu do kina — I'm going to the cinema), while jet stresses the journey by vehicle (Jedu do Prahy — I'm going to Prague).

Key rule

jít (jdu, jdeš, jde…) is for going on foot; jet (jedu, jedeš, jede…) is for going by a vehicle — both are -e- class but with different stems (jd- vs jed-).

Examples

Jdu domů pěšky.
Jedu domů pěšky.
Going on foot (pěšky) requires jít, not jet.
Zítra jedu do Brna vlakem.
Zítra jdu do Brna vlakem.
Travel by train (vlakem) is by vehicle, so jet is required.
Jdeš na oběd?
Jedeš na oběd?
Going to lunch nearby is normally on foot, so jít is the natural choice.

Common mistakes

Using jet for going on foot
Jedu do parku pěšky.
Jdu do parku pěšky.
pěšky (on foot) is incompatible with jet, which means by vehicle.
Using jít with a means of transport
Jdu do práce autem.
Jedu do práce autem.
autem (by car) forces jet; jít cannot combine with a vehicle.

A1Verb tenses

Past Tense — l-Participle + být Auxiliary

Minulý čas — příčestí činné a sloveso být

The Czech past tense is built from two parts: the l-participle of the main verb (dělal, psal, byl) plus the present-tense auxiliary být in the 1st and 2nd persons. So 'I did' is dělal jsem, 'you did' is dělal jsi, 'we did' is dělali jsme. In the 3rd person there is NO auxiliary: 'he did' is just dělal, 'they did' is dělali. The auxiliary jsem/jsi/jsme/jste is an unstressed clitic that wants to sit in the second position of the clause, so word order matters: Včera jsem byl doma, not *Včera byl jsem doma.

Key rule

Past = l-participle + auxiliary jsem/jsi/jsme/jste (1st & 2nd person only); the 3rd person has no auxiliary, and the auxiliary is a 2nd-position clitic.

Examples

Včera jsem byl doma.
Včera byl jsem doma.
The auxiliary jsem is a clitic and must stand in second position, after Včera.
Co jsi dělal o víkendu?
Co dělal jsi o víkendu?
The auxiliary jsi follows the first word Co, not the participle.
Petr napsal dopis.
Petr napsal jsi dopis.
In the 3rd person there is no auxiliary; the participle napsal stands alone.

Common mistakes

Adding an auxiliary in the 3rd person
On dělal jsi úkol.
On dělal úkol.
The 3rd person past has no auxiliary; the participle alone expresses the past.
Putting the auxiliary in the wrong position
Včera psal jsem dopis.
Včera jsem psal dopis.
jsem is a 2nd-position clitic, so it follows the first word Včera, not the participle.

A1Verb tenses

Past Tense — Gender & Number Agreement

Minulý čas — shoda v rodě a čísle

Unlike the present tense, the Czech past-tense participle agrees with the subject's gender and number. In the singular: masculine -l (dělal), feminine -la (dělala), neuter -lo (dělalo). In the plural the standard literary endings are -li for masculine animate (muži dělali), -ly for feminine and masculine inanimate (ženy dělaly), and -la for neuter (auta stála). So 'I worked' is dělal jsem if a man says it, but dělala jsem if a woman says it. The auxiliary stays the same; only the participle changes its ending.

Key rule

The past participle agrees in gender/number: sg -l/-la/-lo, pl -li (masc. animate) / -ly (fem. & masc. inanimate) / -la (neuter); the auxiliary never changes for gender.

Examples

Jana byla unavená.
Jana byl unavená.
A feminine subject (Jana) requires the feminine participle byla, not the masculine byl.
Byla jsem ve škole. (says a woman)
Byl jsem ve škole. (says a woman)
A female speaker uses the feminine participle byla even in the 1st person.
Muži pracovali na zahradě.
Muži pracovaly na zahradě.
A masculine animate plural subject takes -li: pracovali.

Common mistakes

Masculine participle with a feminine subject
Maminka vařil oběd.
Maminka vařila oběd.
A feminine subject needs the -la ending: vařila.
Using -li for a feminine plural subject
Holky tancovali celou noc.
Holky tancovaly celou noc.
A feminine plural subject takes -ly in standard written Czech: tancovaly.

A1Verb usage

být — Uses (identity, state, location)

být — užití (totožnost, stav, místo)

The verb být (to be) is your most important Czech verb. Use it for three everyday jobs: identity (saying who or what someone is — Jsem student), state or quality (saying how someone is — Je unavený), and location (saying where someone or something is — Petr je doma). Unlike Russian or Ukrainian, Czech KEEPS this verb in the present tense — you must say it out loud. The forms are jsem, jsi, je, jsme, jste, jsou. For identity you can follow být with a noun in the nominative; for state with an adjective; for location with a place word or a prepositional phrase.

Key rule

být (jsem/jsi/je/jsme/jste/jsou) links a subject to a noun (identity), an adjective (state) or a place (location), and is NEVER dropped in the present.

Examples

Jsem student.
Já student.
Identity: the present copula jsem cannot be dropped, unlike in Russian or Ukrainian.
Petr je doma.
Petr doma.
Location: být (je) is required even when a place word follows.
Jsme unavení.
Jsme unavený.
State: the adjective agrees with a plural subject (unavení), not the singular unavený.

Common mistakes

Dropping the present copula (Russian/Ukrainian interference)
On doma.
On je doma.
Czech, unlike Russian, keeps být in the present tense; the copula is obligatory.
Using *neje instead of irregular není
Maminka neje doma.
Maminka není doma.
The 3rd-person singular negative of být is the suppletive form není.

A1Verb usage

to je / to jsou — Demonstrative Existential

to je / to jsou — ukazovací věta

To je and to jsou are pointing-out sentences: you use them to identify or present someone or something, like English 'This is…' or 'These are…'. The little word to is fixed — it does not change for gender, so it works for a man, a woman, a thing or a plural: To je můj bratr, To je moje sestra, To je kniha. The only thing that changes is the verb: singular uses je, and plural (when you point at more than one thing) uses jsou — To jsou knihy, To jsou moji rodiče. Keep to first, then the verb, then the noun in the nominative.

Key rule

Use frozen neuter to + je (singular) or jsou (plural) to point things out; to never changes for gender, and the named noun stays in the nominative.

Examples

To je můj bratr.
Ten je můj bratr.
The presenting subject is the frozen neuter to, not the masculine ten.
To jsou knihy.
To je knihy.
A plural predicate noun requires the plural verb jsou.
To je moje sestra.
Ta je moje sestra.
Even with a feminine noun, the subject stays to, not ta.

Common mistakes

Inflecting to to match the noun's gender
Ta je moje matka.
To je moje matka.
In presenting sentences to is a frozen neuter subject and does not agree with the predicate noun.
Keeping je with a plural noun
To je moji kamarádi.
To jsou moji kamarádi.
The verb agrees in number with the predicate; a plural noun requires jsou.

A1Verb usage

mít — Possession, Age & Obligation

mít — vlastnictví, věk a povinnost

The verb mít (to have) covers three very common ideas in Czech. First, POSSESSION: mám auto means 'I have a car' — the thing you have goes into the accusative. Second, AGE: Czech says age with mít plus a number plus let — mám dvacet let literally means 'I have twenty years'. Third, soft OBLIGATION: mít plus an infinitive means you are supposed to or are meant to do something — mám jít k doktorovi, 'I'm supposed to go to the doctor'. The forms are mám, máš, má, máme, máte, mají. Negation is nemám, nemáš, and so on.

Key rule

mít (mám/máš/má/máme/máte/mají) expresses possession (object in the accusative), age (mít + number + let) and soft obligation (mít + infinitive).

Examples

Mám nové auto.
Mám nové auta.
Possession: singular neuter auto stays in the accusative singular auto, not the plural auta.
Mám sestru.
Mám sestra.
The possessed feminine -a noun goes into the accusative: sestra → sestru.
Mám dvacet let.
Jsem dvacet let.
Age uses mít plus let, not být.

Common mistakes

Using být for age (English/Russian interference)
Jsem dvacet let.
Mám dvacet let.
Czech expresses age with mít plus let, not with the verb být.
Leaving the possessed noun in the nominative
Mám sestra.
Mám sestru.
The object of mít takes the accusative; feminine sestra becomes sestru.

A1Verb usage

chtít (to want) — Forms + Infinitive / Accusative

chtít — tvary + infinitiv / akuzativ

chtít means 'to want', and it is irregular, so learn its forms by heart: chci, chceš, chce, chceme, chcete, chtějí. You can use chtít in two ways. With an infinitive, it says you want to DO something — Chci spát, 'I want to sleep'. With a noun in the accusative, it says you want a THING — Chci kávu, 'I want a coffee'. The negative is nechci, nechceš, nechce, and so on. To be polite, Czech often softens 'I want' to 'I would like' using the conditional Chtěl bych, but the plain chci is still correct for ordinary statements.

Key rule

chtít is irregular (chci/chceš/chce/chceme/chcete/chtějí); use it with an infinitive (want to do) or with an accusative noun (want a thing), and soften to Chtěl bych for politeness.

Examples

Chci spát.
Chci spím.
After chtít use the infinitive spát, not a finite verb.
Chci kávu.
Chci káva.
The wanted thing takes the accusative: káva → kávu.
Chci jít domů.
Chcu jít domů.
Standard literary 1st-person singular is chci, not the colloquial *chcu.

Common mistakes

Colloquial *chcu for chci
Chcu domů.
Chci domů.
The standard literary 1st-person singular is chci; *chcu is obecná Czech.
Finite verb instead of infinitive after chtít
Chci jdu ven.
Chci jít ven.
chtít governs an infinitive: jít, not the finite jdu.

A1Verb usage

muset (must) — Forms + Infinitive

muset — tvary + infinitiv

muset means 'must' or 'have to', and it always comes with an infinitive — the second verb in its base 'to do' form. The forms are musím, musíš, musí, musíme, musíte, musí (or musejí). So Musím pracovat means 'I have to work' and Musíme jít means 'We have to go'. To say you DON'T have to do something, use nemusím — Nemusím pracovat means 'I don't have to work' (it is permission to skip, not a ban). The thing you must do is always an infinitive: musím jít, musíš počkat, musí studovat.

Key rule

muset (musím/musíš/musí/musíme/musíte/musí) + bare infinitive expresses necessity; nemusím means 'don't have to', NOT 'must not' (that is nesmět).

Examples

Musím pracovat.
Musím pracuji.
muset takes a bare infinitive (pracovat), not a finite verb.
Musíme jít domů.
Musíme že jdeme domů.
No linking word; the modal is followed directly by the infinitive jít.
Nemusíš čekat.
Nesmíš čekat, jestli nechceš.
'You don't have to wait' is nemusíš; nesmíš would mean 'you are forbidden to wait'.

Common mistakes

Treating nemusím as 'must not'
Nemusíš kouřit! (intended: smoking is forbidden)
Nesmíš kouřit!
nemusíš means 'you don't have to'; prohibition ('must not') is nesmíš.
Finite verb after muset instead of infinitive
Musím jdu.
Musím jít.
Modal muset is followed by the infinitive jít, not the finite jdu.

A1Verb usage

moci (can) — Forms + Infinitive

moci — tvary + infinitiv

moci (also written moct) means 'can' — both being ABLE to do something and being ALLOWED to. Like other modals, it takes an infinitive. The everyday present forms are můžu, můžeš, může, můžeme, můžete, můžou. So Můžu jít? asks 'Can I go?' and Nemůžu přijít means 'I can't come'. Watch the vowel: the forms have ů (with the little ring) — můžu, může — and ž with a háček. The negative simply adds ne-: nemůžu, nemůžeš, nemůže. Use moci to ask permission politely (Můžu se zeptat?) and to talk about ability (Můžeš mi pomoct?).

Key rule

moci/moct (můžu/můžeš/může/můžeme/můžete/můžou) + bare infinitive expresses ability and permission; mind the ring vowel ů and the háček ž, and form the negative with ne- (nemůžu).

Examples

Můžu jít?
Můžu jdu?
moci takes a bare infinitive (jít), not a finite verb.
Nemůžu přijít.
Nemužu přijít.
The vowel is the ring ů (nemůžu), not plain u.
Můžeš mi pomoct?
Můžeš mi pomáháš?
After moci comes the infinitive pomoct, not the finite pomáháš.

Common mistakes

Dropping the ring vowel ů
Nemužu ti pomoct.
Nemůžu ti pomoct.
The forms of moci carry the ring vowel ů: nemůžu.
Finite verb after moci instead of infinitive
Můžu pomáhám.
Můžu pomoct.
Modal moci is followed by the infinitive pomoct.

A1Verb usage

jmenovat se — Introducing & Naming Oneself

jmenovat se — představování

To say your name in Czech you use the reflexive verb jmenovat se, literally 'to call oneself'. The se is part of the verb and cannot be left out. The forms are jmenuji se (or jmenuju se), jmenuješ se, jmenuje se, jmenujeme se, jmenujete se, jmenují se. So Jmenuji se Petr means 'My name is Petr', and the question 'What is your name?' is Jak se jmenuješ? (informal) or Jak se jmenujete? (polite). Note the word order: in a question the se usually jumps to second position — Jak se jmenuješ?, not *Jak jmenuješ se?

Key rule

jmenovat se (jmenuji/jmenuješ/jmenuje… se) says one's name; the reflexive se is obligatory and sits in second position (Jak se jmenuješ?), with the name in the nominative.

Examples

Jmenuji se Petr.
Jmenuji Petr.
The reflexive se is obligatory and cannot be omitted.
Jak se jmenuješ?
Jak jmenuješ se?
In the question se moves to second position, right after Jak.
Jak se jmenujete?
Jak se jmenuješ, pane Nováku?
Addressing someone politely (vy) requires jmenujete; the ty-form clashes with the vocative pane Nováku.

Common mistakes

Omitting the reflexive se
Jmenuji Anna.
Jmenuji se Anna.
jmenovat se is reflexive; se is an obligatory part of the verb.
se placed at the end of the question
Jak jmenuješ se?
Jak se jmenuješ?
The clitic se occupies second position, immediately after Jak.

A1Verb usage

Verbs of Preference (mít rád, líbit se)

Slovesa záliby (mít rád, líbit se)

Czech has two main ways to say you like something, and they work differently. mít rád means a lasting liking — for people, food, hobbies. It is mít plus the adjective rád, which agrees with the LIKER: a man says mám rád, a woman says mám ráda; the thing liked is in the accusative — Mám rád kávu. líbit se is for first impressions and visual or sensory appeal ('it pleases me'). Here the person who likes is in the dative and the thing liked is the subject — Líbí se mi to, 'I like it / it appeals to me'. So mít rád = settled taste, líbit se = it strikes me as nice.

Key rule

mít rád (rád/ráda/rádi agrees with the liker; liked thing in accusative) = settled liking; líbit se (liker in dative, liked thing is the subject) = something appeals to you.

Examples

Mám rád kávu.
Mám rád káva.
With mít rád the liked thing is in the accusative: káva → kávu.
Eva má ráda čaj.
Eva má rád čaj.
rád agrees with the female liker: ráda.
Líbí se mi to město.
Líbím se to město.
With líbit se the liker is in the dative (mi) and the thing is the subject; the verb is líbí.

Common mistakes

Using the accusative with líbit se
Líbí se mi tu knihu.
Líbí se mi ta kniha.
With líbit se the liked thing is the SUBJECT (nominative ta kniha), not an accusative object.
rád not agreeing with the liker
Anna má rád psy.
Anna má ráda psy.
rád agrees in gender with the one who likes: a woman says ráda.

A1Verb usage

Reflexive Verbs with se / si (Basic)

Zvratná slovesa se / si — základy

Many everyday Czech verbs come with a little reflexive word: se or si. Some verbs use se (mýt se 'to wash oneself', učit se 'to study', dívat se 'to watch'), others use si (dát si 'to have/order', povídat si 'to chat'). Roughly, se points the action back to the subject (washing yourself), while si often means doing something for yourself or having something. The key word-order rule: se and si are clitics that jump to SECOND position in the sentence, not next to the verb — Ráno se myju, Dám si kávu. With a verb of motion or a long phrase you still keep se/si in second position.

Key rule

Reflexive verbs carry a fixed se or si (se = reflexive/standard; si = dative 'for oneself'); the particle is a second-position clitic (Ráno se myju, Dám si kávu), never glued to the verb or left at the end.

Examples

Ráno se myju.
Ráno myju se.
se is a second-position clitic and goes after the first unit ráno, not after the verb.
Dám si kávu.
Dám kávu si.
si occupies second position right after the verb, before the object kávu.
Učím se česky.
Učím česky se.
The clitic se cannot be stranded at the end; it stays in second position.

Common mistakes

Gluing se/si to the verb instead of second position
Ráno myju se.
Ráno se myju.
se is a clitic that goes to second position, after the first sentence unit.
Stranding the clitic at the end
Učím česky se.
Učím se česky.
Clitics never sit at the end of the clause; se stays in second position.

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A1 Czech Grammar — 76 Topics & Common Mistakes

Three Grammatical Genders (m./f./n.)

Subject–Verb Agreement (Person & Number)

Plural Formation — Basic Nominative Endings

Adjective Agreement with the Noun (Basic)

Demonstratives ten / ta / to (Article-like) + Agreement

Possessives jeho / její / jejich

Possessives můj / tvůj / náš / váš — Basic Agreement

Nominative (1st Case) — Subject and Naming

The Seven Cases & Paradigm Classes — Overview

Accusative (4th Case) — Direct Object (Basic)

Accusative — Animate Masculine = Genitive

Genitive (2nd Case) — Possession & 'of' (Basic)

Dative (3rd Case) — Indirect Object (Basic)

Locative (6th Case) — Location with v/na (Basic)

Instrumental (7th Case) — Means & 'with' (Basic)

Vocative (5th Case) — Direct Address (Introduction)

The Czech Alphabet & Diacritics

Basic Capitalization

Phonemic Vowel Length (á é í ó ú ů ý)

Háček Consonants (č š ž ř ě ň ď ť)

The Digraph ch

Word Stress on the First Syllable

ů vs ú — When to Write the Ring

The Czech ř Sound

i / y — Hard vs Soft (Introduction)

The Vowel ě and di/ti/ni Softening

Syllabic r and l (prst, vlk, krk)

o + Locative (about, regarding)

v / na + Locative (location: in / on / at)

na / v + Accusative (direction: onto / into)

do / z + Genitive (into / out of, to / from)

od / u + Genitive (from someone / at someone's)

s / se + Instrumental (with — accompaniment)

pro + Accusative / bez + Genitive (for / without)

Subject Pronouns — Nominative

Dropping Subject Pronouns (Pro-Drop)

Interrogatives kdo / co + Declension

Personal Pronouns — Accusative (Basic)

Personal Pronouns — Dative (Basic)

Reflexive Pronoun se / si (No Nominative)

Greetings & Farewells (dobrý den, ahoj, na shledanou)

Basic Politeness (prosím, děkuji, promiňte)

Tykání vs Vykání — Pragmatic Basics

Recognising International Cognates

Cardinal Numbers 1–20

Days, Months and Seasons

Tens, Hundreds and Counting Above 20

Numbers + Noun — Case Pattern (Introduction)

Telling Time — Basic (Kolik je hodin?)

Basic Word Order (flexible SVO)

Basic Negation with ne- on the Verb

Yes/No Questions by Intonation & Inversion

Question Words (kdo, co, kde, kam, kdy, jak, proč)

Double Negation (Obligatory in Czech)

Basic Coordination: a, i, ale, nebo

Basic Subordination: že, protože, když

Present Tense — být (to be), Copula Kept

Present Tense — mít (to have)

Present Tense — Conjugation -á- (dělat)

Present Tense — Conjugation -uje- (pracovat)

Present Tense — Conjugation -í- (mluvit, prosit)

Past Tense — 3rd Person Drops the Auxiliary

Present Tense — Conjugation -e- (psát, nést)

vědět vs znát (two verbs for 'to know')

Present Tense — jít / jet (to go on foot / by vehicle)

Past Tense — l-Participle + být Auxiliary

Past Tense — Gender & Number Agreement

být — Uses (identity, state, location)

to je / to jsou — Demonstrative Existential

mít — Possession, Age & Obligation

chtít (to want) — Forms + Infinitive / Accusative

muset (must) — Forms + Infinitive

moci (can) — Forms + Infinitive

jmenovat se — Introducing & Naming Oneself

Verbs of Preference (mít rád, líbit se)

Reflexive Verbs with se / si (Basic)