Conjugation (-uji/-ujes) in Czech

Overview

The -uji/-ujes conjugation pattern is characteristic of verbs with infinitives ending in -ovat, which is one of the most productive verb-forming suffixes in Czech. These verbs follow the endings -uji, -ujes, -uje, -ujeme, -ujete, -uji. This class includes many modern and borrowed verbs, making it especially important for building vocabulary.

At the A1 level, you will encounter verbs like kupovat (to buy), pracovat (to work), cestovat (to travel), and studovat (to study). The pattern is highly regular: simply replace -ovat with the appropriate -uj- ending. This predictability makes it one of the easier conjugation classes once you recognize it.

The -ovat suffix is also the primary way Czech creates new verbs from foreign roots, so as your vocabulary grows, you will find more and more verbs in this class.

How It Works

Present Tense Endings

Person	Ending	Example: kupovat (to buy)
ja	-uji / -uju	kupuji / kupuju
ty	-ujes	kupujes
on/ona/ono	-uje	kupuje
my	-ujeme	kupujeme
vy	-ujete	kupujete
oni/ony/ona	-uji / -ujou	kupuji / kupujou

Standard vs. Colloquial Forms

The 1st person singular and 3rd person plural have two variants:

• Standard/literary: kupuji (I buy), kupuji (they buy)
• Colloquial: kupuju (I buy), kupujou (they buy)

Both are widely understood, but written Czech prefers the -uji forms.

Common Verbs in This Pattern

Infinitive	Meaning	3rd sg.
pracovat	to work	pracuje
kupovat	to buy	kupuje
cestovat	to travel	cestuje
studovat	to study	studuje
milovat	to love	miluje
potrebovat	to need	potrebuje
existovat	to exist	existuje
organizovat	to organize	organizuje

Examples in Context

Czech	English	Note
Kupuji mleko.	I'm buying milk.	Standard form
Pracujes tady?	Do you work here?	Question
Cestujeme po Evrope.	We travel around Europe.	po + locative
Miluji se.	They love each other.	Reflexive use
Studuje medicinu.	He/She studies medicine.	Accusative object
Potrebuji pomoc.	I need help.	potrebovat
Kupuju chleb.	I'm buying bread.	Colloquial variant
Organizujete akci?	Are you organizing the event?	Formal/plural
Miluje svou zenu.	He loves his wife.	With possessive
Existuje reseni.	A solution exists.	Existential use

Common Mistakes

Confusing -ovat Verbs with -at Verbs

• Wrong: Pracovam. (applying -am/-as pattern)
• Right: Pracuji. or Pracuju.
• Why: -ovat verbs follow the -uji/-ujes pattern, not -am/-as. The -ov- drops and is replaced by -uj-.

Mixing Standard and Colloquial in Formal Writing

• Wrong: Kupuju in a formal essay
• Right: Kupuji in formal writing
• Why: The -uju/-ujou forms are colloquial. Use -uji in written and formal contexts.

Forgetting the Pattern for New Loanwords

• Wrong: Struggling with how to conjugate emailovat (to email)
• Right: Emailuji, emailujes, emailuje... -- the pattern is completely regular
• Why: All -ovat verbs follow the same pattern, even newly created ones.

Usage Notes

The -ovat suffix is Czech's main tool for integrating foreign verbs. English verbs entering Czech almost always get -ovat: parkovat (to park), surfovat (to surf), chatovat (to chat). This makes the -uji/-ujes pattern increasingly important in modern Czech.

Practice Tips

1. Spot the -ovat verbs: When reading Czech, identify -ovat verbs and practice conjugating them. The pattern is always the same.
2. International vocabulary: Many -ovat verbs are cognates of English words (organizovat, telefonovat, rezervovat). Use this to build vocabulary quickly.
3. Standard/colloquial toggle: Practice both -uji and -uju forms so you can switch between formal and informal registers.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Personal Pronouns -- subject pronouns for conjugation