A1 Verb Conjugation 1 min read Leicht

The -at Conjugation Pattern

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Most Czech verbs ending in -at follow a predictable pattern by dropping the -at and adding specific endings for each person.

  • Drop the -at suffix from the infinitive: 'dělat' becomes 'děl-'.
  • Add the correct ending based on the subject (e.g., -ám for 'já').
  • Remember that Czech often drops the subject pronoun because the verb ending shows who is speaking.
Infinitive (-at) + Ending = Conjugated Verb

Meanings

This pattern covers the most common group of Czech verbs, used to describe actions in the present tense.

1

Present Action

Describing an action happening right now or a habitual action.

“Já čtu knihu.”

“On hledá klíče.”

2

General Truth

Stating facts or general states.

“Ona mluví česky.”

“Oni pracují v Praze.”

Conjugation of 'dělat' (to do/make)

Person Pronoun Ending Example
1st Sing. Já -ám dělám
2nd Sing. Ty -áš děláš
3rd Sing. On/Ona/Ono -á dělá
1st Plur. My -áme děláme
2nd Plur. Vy -áte děláte
3rd Plur. Oni/Ony -ají dělají

Reference Table

Reference table for The -at Conjugation Pattern
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Stem + Ending Dělám
Negative Ne- + Stem + Ending Nedělám
Question Stem + Ending + ? Děláš?
Negative Question Ne- + Stem + Ending + ? Neděláš?
1st Plural Stem + -áme Děláme
3rd Plural Stem + -ají Dělají

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Dělám to.

Dělám to. (General)

Neutral
Dělám to.

Dělám to. (General)

Informell
Dělám to.

Dělám to. (General)

Umgangssprache
Dělám to.

Dělám to. (General)

The -at Verb Family

Infinitive

Singular

  • dělám I do
  • děláš you do
  • dělá he/she does

Plural

  • děláme we do
  • děláte you do
  • dělají they do

Pronoun vs. Verb Ending

Pronoun
Já I
Ty You
Ending
-ám 1st person
-áš 2nd person

How to conjugate

1

Does it end in -at?

YES
Remove -at
NO
Use different rule
2

Who is the subject?

YES
Add matching suffix
NO
Check again

Common -at verbs

☀️

Daily

  • • dělat
  • • pracovat
  • • plavat
💬

Communication

  • • mluvit
  • • ptát se
  • • hledat
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Examples by Level

1

Já dělám úkol.

I am doing homework.

2

Ty plaveš v bazénu.

You are swimming in the pool.

3

On hledá klíče.

He is looking for keys.

4

My čekáme na vlak.

We are waiting for the train.

1

Nedělám to rád.

I don't like doing that.

2

Co děláte v Praze?

What are you doing in Prague?

3

Oni mluví česky.

They speak Czech.

4

Plaveš dnes?

Are you swimming today?

1

Pracuji na novém projektu.

I am working on a new project.

2

Čekají na odpověď od šéfa.

They are waiting for an answer from the boss.

3

Hledáš něco konkrétního?

Are you looking for something specific?

4

Děláme všechno pro to, aby to fungovalo.

We are doing everything so that it works.

1

Předpokládám, že to bude trvat dlouho.

I assume it will take a long time.

2

Očekáváme, že se situace zlepší.

We expect the situation to improve.

3

Hledáte-li kvalitu, jste na správném místě.

If you are looking for quality, you are in the right place.

4

Mluvíte-li o tom, musíte být upřímní.

If you are talking about it, you must be honest.

1

Zpochybňuji jejich rozhodnutí.

I question their decision.

2

Vyžadujeme okamžitou nápravu.

We demand immediate correction.

3

Představují nám novou strategii.

They are presenting a new strategy to us.

4

Omlouvám se za pozdní reakci.

I apologize for the late reaction.

1

Ztělesňují ideály naší generace.

They embody the ideals of our generation.

2

Předurčují náš budoucí vývoj.

They predetermine our future development.

3

Vyzdvihují důležitost vzdělání.

They highlight the importance of education.

4

Zpochybňují-li fakta, ztrácejí důvěryhodnost.

If they question facts, they lose credibility.

Easily Confused

The -at Conjugation Pattern vs. The -it conjugation

Learners try to use -ám endings for -it verbs.

The -at Conjugation Pattern vs. The -et conjugation

Learners mix up vowel shifts.

The -at Conjugation Pattern vs. Reflexive verbs

Learners forget the 'se' or 'si'.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Já dělat

✓

Já dělám

You must remove the -at suffix.
✗

Oni dělá

✓

Oni dělají

The 3rd person plural ending is -ají.
✗

Ty dělám

✓

Ty děláš

Match the ending to the subject.
✗

My dělá

✓

My děláme

The 1st person plural ending is -áme.
✗

Nedělat

✓

Nedělám

You must conjugate even in the negative.
✗

Děláš ty?

✓

Děláš?

Pronouns are usually omitted.
✗

Oni dělají úkol.

✓

Dělají úkol.

Pronoun omission is natural.
✗

Pracuju

✓

Pracuji

In formal writing, use -i instead of -u.
✗

Hledajíme

✓

Hledáme

Don't double up the suffix.
✗

Mluvíme

✓

Mluvíme

Wait, this is an -it verb, not -at!
✗

Zpochybňují

✓

Zpochybňují

Correct, but ensure the stem is stable.
✗

Předurčují

✓

Předurčují

Correct, but watch for vowel length.

Sentence Patterns

Já ___ (dělat) úkol.

My ___ (pracovat) v Praze.

Oni ___ (hledat) klíče.

Vy ___ (čekat) na autobus?

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Dělám to teď.

Job Interview very common

Pracuji v marketingu.

Social Media common

Plavu v moři!

Travel common

Čekám na letadlo.

Food Delivery App occasional

Hledám pizzu.

University common

Dělám zkoušku.

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💡

Drop the Pronoun

You don't need 'Já' or 'Ty'. The verb ending already tells the listener who you are talking about.
⚠️

Check the Infinitive

Always look at the full infinitive. If it's not -at, don't use these endings!
🎯

Listen for the -á

The 'á' sound is the signature of the -at group. If you hear it, you're likely dealing with this pattern.
💬

Be Direct

Czechs appreciate when you use the correct verb form immediately. Don't be afraid to make mistakes!

Smart Tips

Check the last two letters. If it's -at, you know exactly how to conjugate it!

I don't know how to conjugate 'plavat'. → It ends in -at, so it's 'plavu' (wait, check stem) -> 'plavám'!

Focus on the ending, not the pronoun.

Já dělám... → Dělám...

Use the full form for formal emails.

Pracuju na tom. → Pracuji na tom.

Listen for the ending to identify the subject.

I'm confused who is speaking. → I heard '-áme', so they are talking about 'we'.

Aussprache

děl-AA-m

Vowel Length

The 'á' is long. Hold it for twice as long as 'a'.

DĚ-lám

Stress

Stress is always on the first syllable.

Question

Děláš? ↑

Rising intonation at the end indicates a question.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of the 'AT' as a 'CAT'. You have to remove the CAT to feed the verb with new endings.

Visual Association

Imagine a cat sitting on a word. You shoo the cat away (remove -at) and put a hat (the ending) on the word instead.

Rhyme

Drop the at, add the ending, now your Czech is never ending!

Story

I was walking in Prague and saw a sign that said 'Dělat'. I realized I needed to feed the verb, so I took the 'at' away and gave it an 'ám' hat. Suddenly, the verb started dancing because it was finally conjugated!

Word Web

dělatplavathledatčekatpracovatptát

Herausforderung

Write down 5 verbs ending in -at and conjugate them for 'Já' and 'My' in 5 minutes.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Czechs value directness. Using the correct verb form shows you respect their language.

Slovak is very similar; this conjugation pattern is largely identical.

Expatriates often struggle with the 'ty' vs 'vy' distinction when conjugating.

The -at conjugation stems from Proto-Slavic *a-stem verbs.

Conversation Starters

“

Co děláš?

“

Pracuješ v Praze?

“

Čekáš na někoho?

“

Hledáš novou práci?

Journal Prompts

Describe what you do every morning.
Write about a project you are working on.
Explain why you are looking for a new hobby.
Discuss the importance of hard work in your life.
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Test Yourself

Conjugate 'dělat' for 'Já'.

Já ___ úkol.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dělám
1st person singular is -ám.
Which is the correct 3rd person plural? Multiple Choice

Oni ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dělají
3rd person plural is -ají.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ty dělám.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ty děláš
2nd person singular is -áš.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Já dělám úkol
Standard SVO order.
Translate to Czech. Übersetzung

We are working.

Answer starts with: Pra...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Pracujeme
1st person plural is -áme.
Match the person to the ending. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -áš
2nd person singular is -áš.
Conjugate 'plavat' for 'Vy'. Conjugation Drill

Vy ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: plavete
2nd person plural is -áte.
Build a sentence with 'hledat' and 'my'. Sentence Building

My ___ klíče.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: hledáme
1st person plural is -áme.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Conjugate 'dělat' for 'Já'.

Já ___ úkol.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dělám
1st person singular is -ám.
Which is the correct 3rd person plural? Multiple Choice

Oni ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dělají
3rd person plural is -ají.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ty dělám.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ty děláš
2nd person singular is -áš.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

úkol / dělám / Já

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Já dělám úkol
Standard SVO order.
Translate to Czech. Übersetzung

We are working.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Pracujeme
1st person plural is -áme.
Match the person to the ending. Match Pairs

1st Sing -> -ám, 2nd Sing -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: -áš
2nd person singular is -áš.
Conjugate 'plavat' for 'Vy'. Conjugation Drill

Vy ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: plavete
2nd person plural is -áte.
Build a sentence with 'hledat' and 'my'. Sentence Building

My ___ klíče.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: hledáme
1st person plural is -áme.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

It's more natural to drop it, but you can keep it for emphasis.

Then it belongs to a different conjugation group like -it or -et.

It's neutral. It works in all situations.

The 'j' is part of the ending for the 3rd person plural.

No, the past tense uses a completely different system.

Very few, but most are perfectly regular.

Just add 'ne-' to the front: 'nedělám'.

Yes, this is standard Czech.

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

-ar verbs

Czech drops the subject pronoun more frequently than Spanish.

German moderate

Weak verbs

German requires subject pronouns; Czech does not.

French moderate

-er verbs

Czech endings are phonetically distinct; French endings often sound the same.

Japanese low

Godan verbs

Czech conjugates for person; Japanese does not.

Arabic low

Verb roots

Arabic uses root patterns; Czech uses suffix replacement.

Chinese none

None

Chinese has no conjugation; Czech is highly inflected.

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