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:
| Person | -ám type (dělat) | -ím type (mluvit) |
|---|---|---|
| já | dělám | mluvím |
| ty | děláš | mluvíš |
| on/ona/ono | dělá | mluví |
| my | děláme | mluvíme |
| vy | děláte | mluvíte |
| oni | dělají | mluví |
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.
| Person | mít | bydlet |
|---|---|---|
| já | mám | bydlím |
| ty | máš | bydlíš |
| on/ona | má | bydlí |
| my | máme | bydlíme |
| vy | máte | bydlíte |
| oni | mají | bydlí |
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:
| Positive | Negative | English |
|---|---|---|
| dělám | nedělám | I'm not doing |
| mluvím | nemluvím | I don't speak |
| mám | nemám | I don't have |
| bydlím | nebydlím | I don't live |
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.
Hear the endings do their work — tap the speakers to listen:
💬 After work
Co děláš večer?
What are you doing tonight?
Nic moc. Proč?
Nothing much. Why?
Nechceš jít na jedno?
Fancy going for a beer?
Jasně! Končím v šest.
Sure! I finish at six.
Jít na jedno — "to go for one (beer)" — is a phrase worth learning whole; nobody expects it to stay at one.
Common Mistakes
- Adding pronouns to every sentence. Já dělám, já mluvím, já bydlím sounds robotic. The ending already says who — keep já for contrast.
- Trusting the infinitive to predict the present. Psát gives píšu, not psám. Learn each verb as a pair: infinitive + já form.
- Translating "I am working" with být. There's no já jsem dělám — the one Czech present covers both: dělám.
- Inviting with a bare positive. Czech softens invitations with the negative: Nechceš jít…? ("don't you want to go?") is friendlier than Chceš jít?
- Forgetting oni varies. They-forms differ by class: dělají, mluví, pijou/pijí. Learn each verb's oni form with its row.
What You Can Do Now
You can say what you do, where you live and work, what you want and don't want — and invite a friend out the natural Czech way (Nechceš jít na jedno?). Next, tackle the verbs that make Czech learners nervous — the verbs of motion, where "go" splits in two.