First Czech Sentence Patterns
A handful of patterns produce hundreds of real sentences. Learn these four and you can point things out, say what you have, ask simple questions, and say no.
To je — This Is
To je… ("this is / that is") is the all-purpose opener. It never changes for gender — to stays to whether what follows is masculine, feminine, or neuter.
To je moje káva.
This is my coffee.
Note: to je works for anything: To je Petr. To je problém. To je dobré.
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| To je můj bratr. | This is my brother. |
| To je Praha. | This is Prague. |
| Co je to? | What is this? |
| To není pravda. | That's not true. |
Mám — I Have
Where Russian says "by me there is," Czech simply has a verb: mít (to have). Mám = "I have."
| Form | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mám | I have | Mám čas. — I have time. |
| máš | you have | Máš psa? — Do you have a dog? |
| má | he/she has | Má sestru. — He has a sister. |
| máme | we have | Máme byt. — We have a flat. |
| máte | you have (formal/plural) | Máte čas? — Do you have time? |
| mají | they have | Mají děti. — They have kids. |
Asking Questions
Two easy tools cover most beginner questions.
1. Yes/no questions — just say the statement with rising intonation, or move the verb to the front. No helper word needed.
Máš čas? / Máte čas?
Do you have time?
Note: Same words as the statement Máš čas — the melody (or word order) asks the question.
2. Question words — put the question word first:
| Czech | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Kdo? | Who? | Kdo je to? — Who is it? |
| Co? | What? | Co je to? — What is it? |
| Kde? | Where? | Kde je nádraží? — Where's the station? |
| Kdy? | When? | Kdy? — When? |
| Proč? | Why? | Proč ne? — Why not? |
| Kolik? | How much/many? | Kolik to stojí? — How much is it? |
Negation Glues to the Verb
This is one of Czech's friendliest rules: to say not, attach ne- to the front of the verb. One word — no separate particle floating around.
| Positive | Negative | English |
|---|---|---|
| mám | nemám | I don't have |
| vím | nevím | I don't know |
| rozumím | nerozumím | I don't understand |
| mluvím | nemluvím | I don't speak |
Nerozumím, mluvte prosím pomaleji.
I don't understand, please speak slower.
Note: ne + rozumím → nerozumím. The two lifesaver phrases in one line.
Nevím a nemám čas.
I don't know and I don't have time.
Note: Every verb negates the same way — just add ne-.
All the patterns in one exchange — tap the speakers to listen:
💬 At the stánek
Dobrý den. Co je to?
Good day. What is this?
To je trdelník, se skořicí.
That's a trdelník, with cinnamon.
Máte také kávu?
Do you also have coffee?
Máme. Kávu i čaj.
We do. Coffee and tea.
Tak jeden trdelník a jednu kávu, prosím.
One trdelník and one coffee then, please.
Common Mistakes
- Putting ne after the verb. Czech negation sits on the front of the verb: nerozumím, never rozumím ne.
- Writing ne as a separate word. Unlike its neighbours, Czech glues it on: nemám, nevím, nemluvím — one word each.
- Avoiding double negatives. With nikdy, nic, nikdo the verb still carries ne-: Nikdy nic nevím is correct Czech.
- Answering Máte…? with just ano. Natural Czech repeats the verb: Máte kávu? — Máme. A bare ano sounds clipped.
- Hunting for a "there is" word. Czech just states the thing: Na stole je káva — no dummy "there" exists.
What You Can Do Now
You can point at anything (To je…), say what you have and don't have, ask real questions, and defuse a too-fast conversation with Nerozumím, mluvte prosím pomaleji. That's a working survival kit. Next up: start controlling nouns with noun gender, the key that makes the rest of Czech click.