Present Participle (Příčestí přítomné)
The present participle in Czech is used mostly as an adjective or adverbial form.
It describes someone or something performing an action right now.
It is much less common than in English and is mostly used in written or formal style.
Mood:
- The participle itself does not carry a mood.
- It is a non-finite verb form.
Aspect:
- Formed from imperfective verbs (ongoing or repeated actions).
- Rarely from perfective verbs.
Voice:
- Active voice: it always describes the subject as the doer of the action.
Formation
Formed from the 3rd person plural present tense stem + suffix -ící (masculine nominative singular).
It declines like an adjective.
Example verb: pracovat (“to work”)
- 3rd person plural present: pracují
- Drop -í → base: pracuj-
- Add -ící → pracující
| Gender/Number | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | pracující | working man (pracující muž) |
| feminine singular | pracující | working woman (pracující žena) |
| neuter singular | pracující | working child (pracující dítě) |
| plural | pracující | working people (pracující lidé) |
Usage
Adjectival usage
- pracující lidé (working people)
- čtoucí studenti (students reading)
Describing ongoing action
- Muž nesoucí tašku (the man carrying a bag)
In formal or literary texts
- Used more in writing than in everyday speech.
Examples
- Student pracující v knihovně. (A student working in the library.)
- Děti čtoucí knihu. (Children reading a book.)
- Žena nesoucí květiny. (A woman carrying flowers.)
Notes
- The present participle is not used as often as in English.
- In everyday speech, Czech often uses a relative clause instead:
- Muž, který nese tašku (The man who is carrying a bag).
- It is declined like a normal adjective (pracující, pracujícího, pracujícímu, etc.).
Irregular Verbs
Some verbs have irregular stems for the participle:
- být (to be) → jsoucí (very rare, archaic, “being”)
- mít (to have) → mající
- jít (to go) → jdoucí
