Verbs and Tenses: Present

In this lesson, you will learn how to build and apply the present tense in Czech. The present tense is used to talk about actions happening in the present or actions that occur on a regular basis. It is an essential part of daily-life conversations.

Building the Present Tense

To form the present tense in Czech, you need to consider the verb conjugation based on whether it is a regular or irregular verb.

Regular Verbs

Most Czech verbs follow a regular pattern when conjugated in the present tense. Here is an overview of how to conjugate regular verbs:

1. Identify the verb stem: The verb stem is the base of the verb without any conjugation endings. For regular verbs, the stem is formed by removing the -t from the infinitive ending. For example:

   • infinitive: mluvit (to speak)
   • stem: mluvi-

2. Add the appropriate endings: Attach the appropriate endings to the verb stem based on the subject pronoun. Here are the endings for regular verbs:

   Subject Pronoun	Ending
   Já (I)	-u
   Ty (You - informal singular)	-eš
   On/Ona/Ono (He/She/It)	-í
   My (We)	-íme
   Vy (You - formal singular/plural)	-íte
   Oni/Ony/Ona (They)	-í

   Using the verb mluvi-:

   Subject Pronoun	Verb Ending	Conjugated Verb
   Já	-u	mluvím
   Ty	-eš	mluvíš
   On/Ona/Ono	-í	mluví
   My	-íme	mluvíme
   Vy	-íte	mluvíte
   Oni/Ony/Ona	-í	mluví

Irregular Verbs

Some commonly used verbs in Czech have irregular conjugations in the present tense. Here are a few examples of irregular verbs and their conjugations:

• být (to be):

  • Já: jsem (I am)
  • Ty: jsi (You are - informal singular)
  • On/Ona/Ono: je (He/She/It is)
  • My: jsme (We are)
  • Vy: jste (You are - formal singular/plural)
  • Oni/Ony/Ona: jsou (They are)

• mít (to have):

  • Já: mám (I have)
  • Ty: máš(You have - informal singular)
  • On/Ona/Ono: má (He/She/It has)
  • My: máme (We have)
  • Vy: máte (You have - formal singular/plural)
  • Oni/Ony/Ona: mají (They have)

Using Present Tense in Daily-Life Contexts

Now that you understand how to conjugate verbs in the present tense, let's explore how to use them in everyday conversations. Here are a few common situations where the present tense is applied:

1. Describing daily routines:

   • Já vstávám brzy. (I wake up early.)
   • On pracuje ve škole. (He works at the school.)

2. Expressing habits or ongoing actions:

   • Ty čteš knihu. (You are reading a book.)
   • My vaříme večeři. (We are cooking dinner.)

3. Talking about future plans:

   • Ona jdou do divadla zítra. (She is going to the theater tomorrow.)
   • Vy cvičíte ve fitku později. (You are exercising in the gym later.)

Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to build and apply the present tense in Czech. You discovered the conjugation patterns for regular verbs and encountered some common irregular verbs. By mastering the present tense, you have gained the ability to express current actions, regular habits, and future plans in your daily-life conversations. Keep practicing and using verbs in the present tense to strengthen your proficiency in Czech.