Present Tense (Přítomný čas)
The present tense in Czech is used for actions happening now, for habits, or for general truths.
Important: Only imperfective verbs (verbs that describe ongoing or repeated actions) can be used in the present tense.
Perfective verbs (verbs that describe one-time, completed actions) use the same forms to talk about the future.
Mood:
- Indicative mood = real situations, facts, everyday speech
Aspect:
- Imperfective = ongoing, repeated, or incomplete actions
- Perfective = one-time, completed actions
Explanation: In Czech, every verb is either imperfective or perfective. This choice changes whether you focus on the process (imperfective) or the completion (perfective).
Voice:
- Active voice is the standard in everyday Czech present tense.
Formation
Let’s take the verb pracovat (“to work”), which is imperfective.
Conjugation in the present tense looks like this:
| Person | Ending (pracovat) | Example Form |
|---|---|---|
| já (I) | -uji / -u | pracuji (I work) |
| ty (you sg.) | -uješ | pracuješ (you work) |
| on/ona/ono (he/she/it) | -uje | pracuje (he/she works) |
| my (we) | -ujeme | pracujeme (we work) |
| vy (you pl./formal) | -ujete | pracujete (you work) |
| oni/ony (they) | -ují | pracují (they work) |
- Affirmative: Já pracuji (I work / I am working)
- Negative: Já nepracuji (I do not work / I am not working)
- Interrogative: Pracuješ? (Do you work? / Are you working?)
Usage
- Actions happening now
- Teď pracuji. (I am working now.)
- Habitual or repeated actions
- Každý den pracuji od osmi. (I work every day from 8.)
- General truths
- Lidé pracují, aby vydělali peníze. (People work to earn money.)
- Future meaning with perfective verbs
- Napíšu dopis. (I will write a letter.)
Examples
- Affirmative: Pracuji v kanceláři. (I work in an office.)
- Negative: Nepracuje o víkendu. (He does not work on weekends.)
- Interrogative: Pracujete tady? (Do you work here?)
Notes
- Imperfective verbs → used for true present actions.
- Perfective verbs → their “present” forms actually mean future.
- Negatives are formed with the prefix ne-.
- pracuji → nepracuji (I work → I don’t work).
Common Time Expressions
| Expression | Example |
|---|---|
| teď (now) | Teď pracuji. (I am working now.) |
| každý den (every day) | Každý den pracuji od osmi. (I work every day from 8.) |
| obvykle (usually) | Obvykle pracuje doma. (He usually works at home.) |
| vždy (always) | Vždy pracujeme spolu. (We always work together.) |
| někdy (sometimes) | Někdy pracují večer. (They sometimes work in the evening.) |
Irregular Verbs
Most Czech verbs follow predictable patterns, but some verbs are irregular in the present tense:
být (to be)
- já jsem (I am), ty jsi, on/ona je, my jsme, vy jste, oni jsou
mít (to have)
- já mám, ty máš, on/ona má, my máme, vy máte, oni mají
jít (to go on foot)
- já jdu, ty jdeš, on/ona jde, my jdeme, vy jdete, oni jdou
vědět (to know a fact)
- já vím, ty víš, on/ona ví, my víme, vy víte, oni vědí
chtít (to want)
- já chci, ty chceš, on/ona chce, my chceme, vy chcete, oni chtějí
Learners should memorize these irregular verbs early, as they are extremely common in everyday Czech.
