Czech Present Tense Verbs
Czech has one present tense — no separate "I do / I am doing." Mluvím covers both "I speak" and "I am speaking." The endings tell you who is doing the action, so, as with být, you usually drop the pronoun.
Most beginner verbs fall into one of two patterns, named after the "I" ending: the -ám type and the -ím type.
Endings Carry the Person
Both patterns share the same set of "person" slots — only the vowel differs:
The -ám Pattern: dělat
Dělat (to do / make) is the model for a huge family of verbs. Learn its six forms and you can conjugate snídat (have breakfast), čekat (wait), hledat (look for), and many more.
Co děláš? — Dělám večeři.
What are you doing? — I'm making dinner.
Note: děláš (ty) and dělám (já) — same verb, different ending, no pronoun needed.
The -ím Pattern: mluvit
Mluvit (to speak) is the model for the -ím family. Languages take the ending -y: mluvím česky (I speak Czech), anglicky (English), německy (German).
Mluvíte anglicky? — Trochu. Mluvím hlavně česky.
Do you speak English? — A little. I mainly speak Czech.
Note: mluvíte is the polite/plural 'you'; a friend gets mluvíš.
Everyday Verbs: mít, bydlet
Two verbs you'll reach for constantly. Mít (to have) is slightly irregular; bydlet (to live/reside) follows the -ím pattern.
Bydlím v Praze a mám tam malý byt.
I live in Prague and I have a small flat there.
Note: bydlím v Praze — 'in Prague' puts the city in the locative case (Praha → Praze).
Negation With ne-
You've seen it with být and mít — the rule is universal. To negate any verb, glue ne- to the front:
Nemluvím moc dobře, ale rozumím.
I don't speak very well, but I understand.
Note: One prefix negates the whole verb — no extra 'not' word floating around.
Next, tackle the verbs that make Czech learners nervous — the verbs of motion, where "go" splits in two.