Learning Czech can be exciting — and occasionally overwhelming — especially when it comes to verbs. But here’s the good news: Czech only has one present tense. That’s right! While English has present simple, present continuous, and present perfect, Czech keeps it simple.
Let’s dive into how it works.
Watch the Full Video Explanation
If you prefer a visual explanation with more examples, watch my video below:
Only One Present Tense
In Czech, the same form covers all those English present tenses. For example:
I do homework every day. → Já dělám domácí úkol každý den.
I’m doing homework right now. → Já teď dělám domácí úkol.
I’ve been doing homework for two hours. → Já dělám ten domácí úkol už dvě hodiny.
One tense. One conjugation. Sounds good so far, right?
Negatives and Questions Are Easy
Forming negatives and questions in Czech is refreshingly simple.
To make a negative:
Just add “ne-” before the verb.
Já dělám → Já nedělám (I’m not doing…)
Ty děláš → Ty neděláš (You’re not doing…)
To ask a question:
Simply change the intonation (no need for helper verbs like do/does).
Ty děláš domácí úkol. → Ty děláš domácí úkol?
Spoken Czech relies heavily on tone — no structural changes needed!
Omitting Subject Pronouns in Czech
One unique feature of Czech — and many Slavic languages — is that you don’t always need to say the subject (like I, you, he, etc.) in a sentence. Why?
Because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action.
Let’s look at this example:
Já dělám domácí úkol. (I’m doing homework.)
Dělám domácí úkol. (Doing homework — “I” is implied.)
In English, dropping “I” would sound incomplete. But in Czech, it’s perfectly natural and common, because the ending -ám clearly signals the first person singular — já (I).
So Why Do Endings Matter So Much?
Each person (I, you, he/she, we…) has its own specific verb ending. That’s why Czech learners spend time memorizing conjugation patterns — once you know them, you can often leave out the pronoun entirely.
Here’s a quick overview using the verb dělat (to do):
| Person | Pronoun | Conjugated Verb | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | já | dělám | I do / I’m doing |
| 2nd person singular | ty | děláš | You do / You’re doing |
| 3rd person singular | on/ona/to | dělá | He/She/It does / is doing |
| 1st person plural | my | děláme | We do / We’re doing |
| 2nd person plural | vy | děláte | You (plural/formal) do |
| 3rd person plural | oni/ony/ona | dělají | They do / They’re doing |
Now let’s see how this plays out in sentences:
Full version (with pronouns):
Já dělám domácí úkol.
Ty děláš večeři.
On dělá kávu.
Natural Czech (without pronouns):
Dělám domácí úkol.
Děláš večeři.
Dělá kávu.
The subject is still clear, thanks to those verb endings.
4 Verb Groups in Present Tense
To conjugate Czech verbs in the present tense, we first look at their infinitive endings. These endings help us place the verb into one of four groups, each with its own pattern of conjugation.
Let’s break them down one by one — each group with its own explanation, example table, and common verbs.
Group 1: Verbs Ending in -AT
This is the most regular and common group.
Example Verb: dělat (to do)
To conjugate it, remove the -at and add the appropriate ending.
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| já | dělám | I do / I am doing |
| ty | děláš | you do |
| on/ona/to | dělá | he/she/it does |
| my | děláme | we do |
| vy | děláte | you (plural/formal) do |
| oni/ony/ona | dělají | they do |
Other common Group 1 verbs:
hledat – to look for
snídat – to have breakfast
poslouchat – to listen
začínat – to start
čekat – to wait
Group 2: Verbs Ending in -OVAT
These verbs keep the stem and get -uj / -uje endings.
Example Verb: pracovat (to work)
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| já | pracuju / pracuji | I work / I’m working |
| ty | pracuješ | you work |
| on/ona/to | pracuje | he/she/it works |
| my | pracujeme | we work |
| vy | pracujete | you (plural/formal) work |
| oni/ony/ona | pracujou / pracují | they work |
Other Group 2 verbs:
cestovat – to travel
studovat – to study
opakovat – to repeat
sportovat – to play sports
Group 3: Verbs Ending in -IT, -ET, -ĚT
This group includes a variety of verbs with soft consonant endings. These are often “standard” Czech verbs used frequently in everyday life.
Example Verb: mluvit (to speak)
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| já | mluvím | I speak |
| ty | mluvíš | you speak |
| on/ona/to | mluví | he/she/it speaks |
| my | mluvíme | we speak |
| vy | mluvíte | you (plural/formal) speak |
| oni/ony/ona | mluví | they speak |
Other Group 3 verbs:
končit – to finish
vařit – to cook
uklízet – to clean
letět – to fly
rozumět – to understand
Group 4: “Irregular” Verbs (Unpredictable Infinitives, Regular Patterns)
Group 4 verbs are traditionally called irregular, but this can be misleading. Most of these verbs do follow consistent patterns — the irregularity comes from the fact that:
Their infinitive endings don’t always tell you what pattern they follow, and
Some verbs undergo stem changes during conjugation.
These verbs tend to be short and very common, and while they don’t fit into the first three groups based on infinitive endings, once you know their pattern, they’re perfectly regular within that pattern.
Let’s look at some examples:
psát (to write) – stem changes to píš-
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| já | píšu |
| ty | píšeš |
| on/ona/to | píše |
| my | píšeme |
| vy | píšete |
| oni | píšou |
jít (to go – on foot) – stem changes to jd-
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| já | jdu |
| ty | jdeš |
| on/ona/to | jde |
| my | jdeme |
| vy | jdete |
| oni | jdou |
pít (to drink) – stem shortens from pít to pij-
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| já | piju |
| ty | piješ |
| on/ona/to | pije |
| my | pijeme |
| vy | pijete |
| oni | pijou |
Other Group 4 verbs:
hrát (to play)
číst (to read)
brát (to take)
spát (to sleep)
plavat (to swim)
Special Cases: Verbs with Misleading Infinitive Endings
Some verbs look like they belong to a group based on their infinitive, but they follow a different pattern entirely. These can trip up even advanced learners.
mít (to have)
Infinitive ending: -ít → looks like Group 3
BUT it follows the pattern of Group 1.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| já | mám |
| ty | máš |
| on/ona/to | má |
| my | máme |
| vy | máte |
| oni | mají |
jíst (to eat)
Infinitive ending: -st → looks irregular
BUT it follows a Group 3-like pattern.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| já | jím |
| ty | jíš |
| on/ona/to | jí |
| my | jíme |
| vy | jíte |
| oni | jí |
Summary of Czech Verbs in Present Tense
Czech verbs are grouped into 4 main patterns, based on the infinitive ending:
Group 1: Verbs ending in -at (e.g. dělat) – very regular and common.
Group 2: Verbs ending in -ovat (e.g. pracovat) – use -uj forms.
Group 3: Verbs ending in -it, -et, -ět (e.g. mluvit) – typically softer sounds, common in daily speech.
Group 4: So-called “irregular” verbs – ending in -át, -at, -ít, -ét, -st, -out, they are typically quite short and often involve stem changes.
Every verb must be conjugated for person (I, you, he/she, etc.). Each person has a specific verb ending, which means you can usually omit the subject pronoun — the verb itself tells you who is doing the action.
Learning the correct conjugation endings is crucial. These endings differ by verb group, so focus on mastering one group at a time with examples.
Don’t panic about irregular verbs! Most of them follow regular patterns — once you learn their stems and changes, they’re not so scary.
Watch out for “false friends” among verbs — some look like they belong to a group based on their infinitive ending, but conjugate according to a different group (e.g. mít looks like a Group 3 verb but acts like Group 1).
Practice is everything. Conjugation rules make Czech feel more structured, but you’ll need time and repetition to recognize which group a verb belongs to — and which endings go with it.
Download materials from the video here:
Test Your Knowledge
Choose the correct form of the verb: