Overview
The verb 'běhat' (to run) is an imperfective verb in Czech, meaning it describes an ongoing, repeated, or habitual action, rather than a single completed action. Its perfective counterpart is 'zaběhnout' (to run a specific distance, to run for a while) or 'doběhnout' (to finish running, to reach by running).
Conjugation in Present Tense: The present tense conjugation of 'běhat' follows a common pattern for verbs ending in '-at'. Notice the 'á' vowel stem throughout, which is characteristic.
- já běhám (I run) - The first person singular ends in -ám.
- ty běháš (you run - informal singular) - The second person singular ends in -áš.
- on/ona/ono běhá (he/she/it runs) - The third person singular ends in -á.
- my běháme (we run) - The first person plural ends in -áme.
- vy běháte (you run - formal singular or plural) - The second person plural ends in -áte.
- oni/ony/ona běhají (they run - masculine animate/feminine/neuter plural) - The third person plural ends in -ají.
Conjugation in Past Tense: The past tense is formed using the past participle (derived from the verb stem) and the past tense of the verb 'být' (to be) for the first and second persons, although the 'být' forms are often omitted in spoken Czech for these persons. For the third person, only the participle is used. The participle changes according to gender and number.
- běhal (masculine singular), běhala (feminine singular), běhalo (neuter singular)
- běhali (masculine animate plural), běhaly (feminine/neuter plural)
Examples: 'Já jsem běhal/a' (I ran), 'Ty jsi běhal/a' (You ran), 'On běhal' (He ran), 'My jsme běhali/y' (We ran).
Conjugation in Future Tense: The future tense of imperfective verbs like 'běhat' is formed by combining the future tense of the verb 'být' (to be) with the infinitive of 'běhat'.
* **budou běhat** (they will run)
Imperative: The imperative forms are used to give commands or make requests.
* **běhejte!** (Run! - formal singular or plural)
Usage and Context: 'Běhat' is a very common verb and can be used in various contexts:
- Physical activity: 'Rád běhám každé ráno.' (I like to run every morning.)
- Children playing: 'Děti běhají po zahradě.' (Children are running in the garden.)
- Figurative use: 'Čas běží rychle.' (Time runs quickly - meaning passes quickly.)
- Running an errand/business: While 'běhat' can imply being busy, specific phrases like 'vyřizovat záležitosti' are more common for running errands.
Understanding the imperfective nature is crucial. 'Běhat' describes the act of running itself, its duration, or its repetition. If you want to express the completion of a run or reaching a destination by running, you would use a perfective verb like 'doběhnout' (to finish running, to reach by running) or 'přeběhnout' (to run across).
Beispiele
Rád běhám v parku.
Hobby, sportI like to run in the park.
Děti běhají po zahradě.
Children, activityChildren are running in the garden.
Musíš běhat rychleji!
Instruction, commandYou have to run faster!
Včera jsem běhal maraton.
Sport, past eventYesterday I ran a marathon.
Budu běhat každé ráno.
Future plans, routineI will run every morning.
Häufige Kollokationen
So verwendest du es
The verb 'běhat' is an imperfective verb, meaning it describes an ongoing, habitual, or repeated action. Its perfective counterpart is 'zaběhnout' (to run for a short distance, to pop out for a run) or 'doběhnout' (to finish running, to reach by running). When talking about the act of running in general or running as a regular activity, 'běhat' is the appropriate choice. For instance, 'Rád běhám v lese' means 'I like to run in the forest.' If you are describing a single, completed act of running to a destination, you would use a perfective form like 'doběhl domů' (he ran home). It can also be used in various idiomatic expressions, such as 'běhat na schůzky' (to rush to meetings) or 'běhat po úřadech' (to go from office to office, dealing with bureaucracy).
Beginners often confuse 'běhat' (to run, imperfective) with 'běžet' (to be running, perfective). Remember that 'běhat' implies a repeated or habitual action, while 'běžet' implies a single, ongoing action.
Tipps
Contextual usage
'Běhat' often implies a more general or habitual running activity, while 'běžet' is used for a single, completed act of running or running towards a specific goal. For example, 'Běhám každé ráno' (I run every morning) uses 'běhat', but 'Běžím k autobusu' (I am running to the bus) uses 'běžet'.
Aspectual pairs
'Běhat' is an imperfective verb, meaning it describes an ongoing, repeated, or habitual action. Its perfective counterpart for a single completed action is 'zaběhnout' (to run a certain distance) or 'přeběhnout' (to run across/over). However, 'běžet' is often used as a near-perfective equivalent in many contexts for a single instance of running.
Common phrases
'Běhat pro zdraví' (to run for health), 'běhat závody' (to run races), 'běhat s někým' (to run with someone).
Wortherkunft
The Czech verb 'běhat' (to run) has a rich history rooted in Proto-Slavic and Indo-European origins. Its journey through language provides a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of Slavic tongues. At its most ancient, 'běhat' can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*bheh₂-' or '*bʰeǵʰ-', meaning 'to flee, to run'. This root is remarkably productive and has given rise to a multitude of words across various Indo-European language families, indicating the fundamental importance of the concept of running or fleeing to early human societies. Examples of cognates in other Indo-European languages include Sanskrit 'bhajati' (flees), Greek 'pheugein' (to flee), and even Germanic roots that lead to words like English 'to flee'. Moving into Proto-Slavic, the root evolved into '*běgati'. This Proto-Slavic form is crucial as it is the direct ancestor of 'běhat' and its counterparts in other Slavic languages. The suffix '-ati' is a common verbal suffix in Slavic languages, indicating iterative or imperfective aspect, meaning the action is ongoing, habitual, or repeated. Thus, '*běgati' implied a continuous or repeated act of running. From Proto-Slavic '*běgati', the word developed into Old Church Slavonic 'běgati' (бѣгати), maintaining a very similar form and meaning. Old Church Slavonic, being the first literary Slavic language, preserved many features of Proto-Slavic and served as a significant influence on the development of various Slavic languages, including Czech. As Old Czech began to emerge and differentiate from Common Slavic, the word continued its evolution. The 'g' sound in '*běgati' often underwent palatalization or other phonetic shifts in different Slavic languages. In Czech, the 'g' often transformed into an 'h' or disappeared entirely in certain contexts, which is a characteristic feature of Czech phonology. In the case of 'běhat', the 'g' often became 'h' or was simply lost before a vowel, leading to the form we see today. The iterative aspect, as indicated by the '-at' suffix, remains a key feature of 'běhat'. Czech, like many Slavic languages, distinguishes between perfective and imperfective verbs. 'Běhat' is an imperfective verb, denoting an action that is ongoing, habitual, or repeated. Its perfective counterpart is 'uběhnout' (to run a certain distance, to run away) or 'zaběhnout' (to run in, to stop by for a moment). Over the centuries, the core meaning of 'běhat' has remained consistent: 'to run'. However, like many verbs, it has developed various nuances and idiomatic expressions. For example, 'běhat kolem něčeho' (to run around something) can mean to avoid a topic, or 'běhat na lyžích' (to run on skis) means to cross-country ski. In summary, 'běhat' is a testament to the enduring power of language roots. From its Proto-Indo-European origins signifying flight and movement, through its Proto-Slavic and Old Church Slavonic forms emphasizing continuous action, to its modern Czech iteration, 'běhat' has consistently conveyed the fundamental human experience of running, a concept deeply ingrained in our linguistic and physical history.
Kultureller Kontext
In Czech culture, physical activity and outdoor pursuits are generally valued, and 'běhat' (to run) often conjures images of recreational jogging in parks, competitive sports, or even children playing freely. It's a common activity for maintaining health and fitness, especially with numerous scenic routes and national parks encouraging outdoor activities. Running events, from local fun runs to marathons, are popular and often bring communities together. The word can also be used metaphorically to describe things that are operating or functioning, much like in English one might say 'the engine is running.'
Merkhilfe
Associate 'běhat' with the English word 'beast' (imagine a beast running).
Häufig gestellte Fragen
4 Fragen'Běhat' is a Czech verb that primarily means 'to run'. It's an imperfective verb, meaning it describes an ongoing or repeated action, rather than a single completed event. This is a fundamental verb for expressing movement on foot in Czech.
The present tense conjugation of 'běhat' is as follows: já běžím (I run), ty běžíš (you run, singular informal), on/ona/ono běží (he/she/it runs), my běžíme (we run), vy běžíte (you run, plural/formal), oni/ony/ona běží (they run). Notice the stem change from 'běh-' to 'běž-' in the conjugated forms.
Yes, 'běhat' can be used metaphorically. For example, 'běhat po úřadech' means 'to run around to offices' (to deal with bureaucracy). 'Běhat do kolečka' means 'to run in circles' (to be unproductive). It can also describe the operation of machinery, like 'motor běží' (the engine is running).
Some common phrases include 'běhat maraton' (to run a marathon), 'běhat pro zdraví' (to run for health), 'běhat po lese' (to run in the forest), and 'běhat na lyžích' (to cross-country ski, literally 'to run on skis'). It's often followed by prepositions like 'po' (around, over), 'do' (into), or 'na' (on, to).
Teste dich selbst 3 Fragen
/ 3 correct
Perfect score!
Contextual usage
'Běhat' often implies a more general or habitual running activity, while 'běžet' is used for a single, completed act of running or running towards a specific goal. For example, 'Běhám každé ráno' (I run every morning) uses 'běhat', but 'Běžím k autobusu' (I am running to the bus) uses 'běžet'.
Aspectual pairs
'Běhat' is an imperfective verb, meaning it describes an ongoing, repeated, or habitual action. Its perfective counterpart for a single completed action is 'zaběhnout' (to run a certain distance) or 'přeběhnout' (to run across/over). However, 'běžet' is often used as a near-perfective equivalent in many contexts for a single instance of running.
Common phrases
'Běhat pro zdraví' (to run for health), 'běhat závody' (to run races), 'běhat s někým' (to run with someone).
Beispiele
5 von 5Rád běhám v parku.
I like to run in the park.
Děti běhají po zahradě.
Children are running in the garden.
Musíš běhat rychleji!
You have to run faster!
Včera jsem běhal maraton.
Yesterday I ran a marathon.
Budu běhat každé ráno.
I will run every morning.
