Bedeutung
Demanding physical or mental labor.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The concept of 'dřina' (hard toil) is often romanticized in Czech literature and film as a sign of honest character. There is a strong tradition of 'DIY' (do it yourself) in Czechia, meaning many people perform 'těžká práce' on their weekend cottages (chaty). In Czech offices, admitting something is 'těžká práce' is not seen as a weakness, but as a realistic assessment of a project's scope. During the industrial revolution, the Czech lands were the 'workshop' of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, cementing the phrase in the national vocabulary.
Use 'fakt'
Add 'fakt' (really) to sound more natural: 'To je fakt těžká práce!'
Case Alert
Always remember 'mám těžkou práci' (accusative) vs 'to je těžká práce' (nominative).
Bedeutung
Demanding physical or mental labor.
Use 'fakt'
Add 'fakt' (really) to sound more natural: 'To je fakt těžká práce!'
Case Alert
Always remember 'mám těžkou práci' (accusative) vs 'to je těžká práce' (nominative).
The 'Psychicky' trick
If you are stressed but not physically tired, say 'Je to psychicky těžká práce'.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of 'těžká práce'.
Můj bratr má velmi ______ ______ na stavbě.
After the verb 'mít' (to have), we use the accusative case.
Which sentence is more natural in Czech?
How do you say 'It was hard work'?
'Těžká práce' is the standard collocation for 'hard work'.
Match the register with the correct phrase.
Registers: 1. Formal, 2. Neutral, 3. Slang
Formal uses 'náročná', neutral uses 'těžká', and slang uses 'makačka'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Proč jsi tak unavený? B: Protože ______.
'I was doing hard work' explains the tiredness correctly with the right grammar.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Těžká vs. Lehká
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenMůj bratr má velmi ______ ______ na stavbě.
After the verb 'mít' (to have), we use the accusative case.
How do you say 'It was hard work'?
'Těžká práce' is the standard collocation for 'hard work'.
Ordne jedem Element links seinen Partner rechts zu:
Formal uses 'náročná', neutral uses 'těžká', and slang uses 'makačka'.
A: Proč jsi tak unavený? B: Protože ______.
'I was doing hard work' explains the tiredness correctly with the right grammar.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenYes, but 'těžká zkouška' is more specific. However, saying 'Příprava na zkoušku byla těžká práce' is perfectly natural.
Yes, it is neutral and polite. It's a standard way to describe effort.
'Dřina' is more informal and implies a higher level of exhaustion or even suffering.
You say 'Jsem pracovitý' or 'Jsem pracant' (informal). You don't usually use 'těžká práce' to describe a person.
It depends on the noun. Since 'práce' is feminine, it is 'těžká'. If the noun were masculine (like 'úkol'), it would be 'těžký'.
Absolutely. 'Domácí práce' (housework) can definitely be 'těžká práce'.
This is mostly due to the influence of English media and translations. It's becoming more common but 'těžká' remains more traditional.
The plural is 'těžké práce', but it's rarely used unless referring to different types of difficult jobs.
Yes, 'makačka' is the most common slang term for a difficult task.
In a literal sense, yes. But in collocations like this, it almost always means 'difficult'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
Dřít jako kůň
similarTo work like a horse.
Lehká práce
contrastEasy work.
Mravenčí práce
specialized formMeticulous/Ant-like work.
Špinavá práce
similarDirty work.
