Question Formation in Czech

In Brief

Czech does not need an equivalent of English do to make a question. A yes/no question can have the same words as a statement, with the speaker's intonation and the question mark showing the difference: Mluvíš česky. means “You speak Czech,” while Mluvíš česky? means “Do you speak Czech?” For information questions, put a question word such as kde (“where”) or proč (“why”) near the beginning: Kde bydlíš?

Overview

Question formation is an A1 skill that lets you move from naming things to having a real conversation. In Czech, you can ask whether something is true, request a particular piece of information, or ask a very short follow-up such as Proč? (“Why?”). The basic patterns are simpler than their English equivalents because Czech has no special question auxiliary like do/does.

There are two main kinds of question. A yes/no question asks for confirmation and can be answered with ano (“yes”) or ne (“no”). An information question asks for a missing person, thing, place, time, manner, or reason by using a question word. Czech word order is flexible, but that does not mean random: speakers normally put the question word early and arrange the rest according to what is already known and what they want to emphasize.

English speakers should pay particular attention to two differences. First, do not translate do in “Where do you live?”: Czech simply says Kde bydlíš? Second, Czech verb endings often make the subject clear, so a pronoun such as ty (“you”) is usually unnecessary. Mluvíš česky? is more neutral than Ty mluvíš česky?, which can emphasize or contrast “you.”

How It Works

Yes/no questions: keep the verb you already have

The simplest pattern is:

(subject) + verb + the rest of the sentence + ?

The subject is the person or thing doing or experiencing what the verb describes. It is in parentheses because Czech often leaves it unspoken when the verb ending identifies it.

Czech	English	Note
Pracuješ dnes.	You are working today.	Statement
Pracuješ dnes?	Are you working today?	Same words; question intonation
Petr je doma.	Petr is at home.	Statement with an expressed subject
Je Petr doma?	Is Petr at home?	Verb-first order is possible, but not obligatory

In speech, intonation helps the listener recognize a yes/no question. In writing, use a question mark. Moving the verb to the beginning is possible in many questions, especially with být (“to be”), but Czech does not require the fixed subject–verb inversion found in English “Is Petr home?” Both Petr je doma? and Je Petr doma? can work; the first often sounds like confirmation of something just mentioned, while the second is a neutral way to ask.

Do not add an invented equivalent of English do. The finite verb—that is, the verb form marked for person and tense—already carries the sentence:

• Mluvíš česky? — “Do you speak Czech?”
• Máte čas? — “Do you have time?” or “Have you got time?”
• Rozumí? — “Does he/she understand?”

Information questions

An information question normally begins with the item you want to find out. The most important A1 question words are:

Czech	Basic meaning	What it asks about
co	what	a thing, action, or idea
kdo	who	a person
kde	where	location: being in a place
kdy	when	time
jak	how; what … like	manner, condition, or name in set expressions
proč	why	reason
kolik	how many; how much	number, amount, age, or price
jaký / jaká / jaké	what kind of; what … like	quality or type
který / která / které	which	selection from known possibilities

The beginner pattern is:

question word + verb + the rest + ?

For example, Kde bydlíš? literally follows “Where live-you?”, but natural English needs “Where do you live?” Czech does not. Similarly, Co děláš? is “What are you doing?” and Kdy přijdeš? is “When will you come?” or “When are you coming?” depending on context.

If the question word itself is the subject, it directly takes the subject's place:

• Kdo mluví? — “Who is speaking?”
• Co se stalo? — “What happened?”

There is no extra pronoun: not “Who he is speaking?” The question word kdo already means the unknown person.

Choosing the right “where” word

English uses where for both position and movement, but Czech usually makes a three-way distinction:

Czech	Meaning	Typical question
kde	where, at what place	Kde bydlíš? — Where do you live?
kam	where to, in what direction	Kam jdeš? — Where are you going?
odkud	where from, from what origin	Odkud jste? — Where are you from?

At A1, remember the practical contrast: use kde for staying or being somewhere and kam for movement toward a destination. The verb matters: Kde pracuješ? asks where you work, while Kam jedeš? asks where you are going.

Jaký versus který

Both can correspond to English what or which, but they ask different things:

• Jaký film máš rád? — “What kind of film do you like?” The answer describes a type or quality.
• Který film chceš vidět? — “Which film do you want to see?” The answer selects one from a set.

These words behave like adjectives: they change their endings to match the noun they describe. An adjective is a word that gives information about a noun—a person, place, thing, or idea. You will therefore meet forms such as jaký film (masculine), jaká kniha (feminine), and jaké město (neuter). Beginners can learn common phrases first and study the full set of endings with adjective agreement and cases later.

Pronouns and small unstressed words

Czech often omits subject pronouns because the ending of the verb identifies the person:

• Jak se jmenuješ? — “What's your name?”
• Kdy přijedete? — “When will you arrive?”

In Jak se jmenuješ?, se is a clitic (a short unstressed word that leans on another word for pronunciation). Czech clitics usually gather near the beginning of the clause, often after the first meaningful element. That is why Jak se jmenuješ? is the normal order, not Jak jmenuješ se? For now, it is best to learn the entire question as a pattern.

Examples in Context

Czech	English	Note
Mluvíš česky?	Do you speak Czech?	Neutral yes/no question; no equivalent of do
Máte rezervaci?	Do you have a reservation?	Plural or polite “you”
Je tady volno?	Is this seat free?	Literally “Is it free here?”
Kdo je to?	Who is that?	kdo asks about a person
Co děláš večer?	What are you doing this evening?	co asks about an activity
Kde bydlíš?	Where do you live?	Fixed location
Kam teď jdeš?	Where are you going now?	Destination
Odkud jste?	Where are you from?	Origin; polite or plural “you”
Kdy začíná film?	When does the film start?	Time
Jak se jmenuješ?	What's your name?	Common set expression with se
Proč se učíš česky?	Why are you learning Czech?	Reason
Kolik to stojí?	How much does it cost?	Price
Jaká je Praha?	What is Prague like?	Asks for a description
Který vlak jede do Brna?	Which train goes to Brno?	Choice among trains
Nechceš kávu?	Would you like some coffee?	A negative question used as an offer

Notice that the best English translation does not always copy the Czech form. Nechceš kávu? literally resembles “Don't you want coffee?”, but in a friendly context it is a natural offer: “Would you like some coffee?” Learn what the whole question does in conversation, not just what each word means separately.

Common Mistakes

Adding English do

• Wrong: Děláš mluvíš česky?
• Right: Mluvíš česky?
• Why: Czech does not insert a helper verb corresponding to do/does. Use the ordinary conjugated verb and question intonation.

Forcing English inversion into every question

• Awkward as a mechanical rule: always moving the verb before the subject
• Neutral: Petr pracuje dnes? or Pracuje Petr dnes?, depending on context and focus
• Why: Czech word order is guided by context and emphasis, not by a mandatory English-style inversion rule. With a pronoun subject, the most neutral question often omits the pronoun entirely: Pracuješ dnes?

Using kde for every kind of “where”

• Wrong: Kde jdeš? when asking for a destination
• Right: Kam jdeš?
• Why: kde asks about location; kam asks about movement toward a place. Use odkud for movement or origin from a place.

Keeping se at the end

• Wrong: Jak jmenuješ se?
• Right: Jak se jmenuješ?
• Why: The unstressed se normally appears near the beginning of the clause. Treat Jak se jmenuješ? as one reusable pattern.

Confusing jaký and který

• Misleading: Jaký autobus jede do centra? when choosing from buses at a stop
• Better: Který autobus jede do centra?
• Why: jaký asks about kind or quality; který selects from particular possibilities. Context can blur the boundary, but this distinction is a reliable starting point.

Always stating the subject pronoun

• Overemphatic in a neutral context: Ty mluvíš česky?
• Neutral: Mluvíš česky?
• Why: The ending -íš already signals informal singular “you.” Add ty when you mean “you, as opposed to someone else,” or when surprise makes the emphasis natural.

Usage Notes

The short answers are ano (“yes”) and ne (“no”), but everyday Czech often uses the verb as well: Ano, mluvím (“Yes, I do/speak”) or Ne, nemluvím (“No, I don't/speak”). Czech forms verbal negation by adding ne- to the verb, as in mluvím → nemluvím.

Formal address changes the verb form, not the question pattern. Use second-person plural forms when speaking politely to one adult: Mluvíte anglicky? (“Do you speak English?”), Jak se jmenujete? (“What's your name?”). The same forms also address more than one person, so context tells you whether the meaning is polite singular or plural.

Single question words can stand alone when the missing information is obvious: Kdo? (“Who?”), Kde? (“Where?”), Kdy? (“When?”), and Proč? (“Why?”). These are normal conversational follow-ups, not incomplete Czech.

In speech, prosím? can mean “Pardon?” or “Sorry, what did you say?” It is often more polite than repeating Co? (“What?”), which may sound abrupt if used alone with a stranger.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these points at A1, but they explain forms you will soon encounter.

Question words change form with case

Czech cases are ending patterns that show what role a noun or pronoun has in a sentence—for example, who acts, whom someone sees, or to whom something is given. As its role changes, kdo can become koho or komu, and co can become čeho or čemu:

• Koho hledáš? — “Who are you looking for?”
• Komu píšeš? — “Who are you writing to?”
• Čeho se bojíš? — “What are you afraid of?”
• O čem mluvíte? — “What are you talking about?”

A preposition normally comes directly before the appropriate question form: s kým? (“with whom?”), o čem? (“about what?”), pro koho? (“for whom?”). Do not try to place the preposition at the end as English often does.

Indirect questions use jestli or zda

A direct question stands on its own: Přijde? (“Will he/she come?”). Inside a larger sentence, a yes/no question is commonly introduced by jestli or the more formal zda:

• Nevím, jestli přijde. — “I don't know whether he/she will come.”
• Zeptal se, zda máme čas. — “He asked whether we had time.”

With a question word, keep that word: Nevím, kde bydlí (“I don't know where he/she lives”). Unlike English, Czech does not need to switch from question inversion to statement order, because direct questions did not require that inversion in the first place.

Word order can mark focus

Because Czech has flexible word order, the last important element often receives strong focus. Compare a neutral Kdy přijede Petr? (“When will Petr arrive?”) with Kdy Petr přijede?, where the context may make Petr already known and put more weight on the arrival. Intonation and context matter, so there is no useful one-line translation for every ordering. As a learner, begin with the question word first and natural verb placement; develop finer word-order choices through listening.

Negative questions can also carry a social meaning. Nejdeš s námi? may be a genuine “Aren't you coming with us?”, but it can also work as an invitation: “Won't you come with us?” Likewise, Nechceš…? is a common gentle way to offer or suggest something.

Practice Tips

1. Turn statements into questions without adding words. Write five present-tense statements, such as Bydlíš v Praze, then add question intonation aloud and a question mark in writing: Bydlíš v Praze? This directly breaks the English habit of adding do.
2. Build one answer into several questions. From Eva pracuje v Brně v pondělí (“Eva works in Brno on Monday”), ask Kdo pracuje v Brně?, Kde Eva pracuje?, and Kdy Eva pracuje? This helps each question word become linked to the information it replaces.
3. Practice place questions as a set. For every new place verb, ask whether it needs kde, kam, or odkud: Kde jsi? Kam jdeš? Odkud jedeš? Say the three aloud together until the location–destination–origin contrast feels automatic.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: I-Class Conjugation — helps you recognize and form verb endings in questions such as Mluvíš česky?