A0 Basic Verbs 1 min read Fácil

Present Tense of 'Být'

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Pratique

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The verb 'být' is the foundation of Czech; memorize these six forms to describe who you are and where you are.

  • Use 'jsem' for 'I am' (e.g., 'Jsem student').
  • Use 'jsi' for 'you are' (singular) (e.g., 'Jsi doma?').
  • Use 'je' for 'he/she/it is' (e.g., 'To je dobré').
Subject + být (conjugated) + Adjective/Noun

Present Tense of Být

Person Singular Plural
1st
jsem
jsme
2nd
jsi
jste
3rd
je
jsou

Meanings

The verb 'být' functions as the primary copula in Czech, linking a subject to a state, identity, or location.

1

Identity

Defining who or what someone is.

“Jsem učitel.”

“On je lékař.”

2

Location

Describing where someone or something is.

“Jsem v Praze.”

“Kde jsi?”

3

State/Condition

Describing how someone feels or the state of an object.

“Jsem unavený.”

“Je to hezké.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Present Tense of 'Být'
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + být
Jsem šťastný.
Negative
Subject + nej- + být
Nejsem šťastný.
Question
být + Subject?
Jsi šťastný?
3rd Person
je/jsou
On je doma.
Formal
jste
Jste připraven?
Plural
jsme/jsou
Jsme tady.

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
Nacházím se doma.

Nacházím se doma. (Location)

Neutro
Jsem doma.

Jsem doma. (Location)

Informal
Jsem doma.

Jsem doma. (Location)

Gíria
Jsem doma.

Jsem doma. (Location)

The Být Web

Být

Identity

  • Jsem I am

Location

  • Jsme We are

State

  • Je It is

Singular vs Plural

Singular
jsem I am
Plural
jsme We are

Negative Formation

1

Is it positive?

YES
Use base form
NO
Add 'ne-' prefix

Usage Categories

💡

Usage

  • • Identity
  • • Location
  • • Condition
Cadastre-se grátis para ler a explicação completa

Exemplos por nível

1

Jsem student.

I am a student.

2

Jsi doma?

Are you at home?

3

To je dobré.

That is good.

4

Jsme v Praze.

We are in Prague.

1

Nejsem unavený.

I am not tired.

2

Kde jste vy?

Where are you (plural)?

3

Jsou to moji přátelé.

They are my friends.

4

Nejsme připraveni.

We are not ready.

1

Je možné, že přijdou pozdě.

It is possible that they will come late.

2

Byli byste tak laskaví?

Would you be so kind?

3

Nejsou to jen slova.

These are not just words.

4

Jsi si jistý?

Are you sure?

1

Je to otázka priorit.

It is a question of priorities.

2

Jsou-li splněny podmínky, můžeme začít.

If the conditions are met, we can start.

3

Nebyli jsme si vědomi rizik.

We were not aware of the risks.

4

To je přesně to, co jsem hledal.

That is exactly what I was looking for.

1

Je tomu tak, jak jsi říkal.

It is as you said.

2

Nejsou-li lidé spokojeni, odcházejí.

If people are not satisfied, they leave.

3

Být či nebýt, to je otázka.

To be or not to be, that is the question.

4

Jsou to úvahy nad rámec zadání.

These are considerations beyond the scope of the task.

1

Je to vskutku pozoruhodný jev.

It is indeed a remarkable phenomenon.

2

Nejsou-liž to pravdivá slova?

Are these not true words?

3

Budiž to bráno jako fakt.

Let it be taken as a fact.

4

Jsou-li tyto předpoklady správné, pak...

If these assumptions are correct, then...

Fácil de confundir

Present Tense of 'Být' vs Být vs Mít

Learners mix up 'to be' and 'to have'.

Present Tense of 'Být' vs Je vs Jsou

Mixing singular and plural.

Present Tense of 'Být' vs Jsi vs Jste

Mixing singular informal and plural/formal.

Erros comuns

✗

Já jsem jsi

✓

Jsi

Don't mix pronouns and conjugations.
✗

On jsou

✓

On je

Subject-verb number agreement error.
✗

Jsem doma

✓

Jsem doma

Actually correct, but learners often add 'já'.
✗

Jsem unaven

✓

Jsem unavený

Missing gender agreement.
✗

Ne-jsem

✓

Nejsem

The negative prefix is attached.
✗

Jsou vy

✓

Vy jste

Word order confusion.
✗

To je hezká

✓

To je hezké

Adjective must agree with 'to' (neuter).
✗

Byli jsme v Praze

✓

Byli jsme v Praze

This is past tense, not present.
✗

Je to zajímavý

✓

Je to zajímavé

Agreement with 'to'.
✗

Jsou tam lidé

✓

Jsou tam lidé

Correct, but learners often use 'je'.
✗

Být je důležité

✓

Být je důležité

Correct, but watch for stylistic redundancy.
✗

Nejsou-liž

✓

Nejsou-liž

Correct, but rarely used in speech.
✗

Je to pravda

✓

Je to pravda

Correct, but consider 'Toť pravda' for emphasis.
✗

Jsou to oni

✓

Jsou to oni

Correct, but watch for case agreement.

Padrões de frases

Jsem ___.

Kde ___?

To ___ dobré.

My ___ v Praze.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Jsem v Praze!

Job Interview very common

Jsem připraven na tuto roli.

Texting constant

Kde jsi?

Travel common

Jsme v hotelu.

Food Delivery occasional

To je moje objednávka.

Academic common

Je to vědecký fakt.

Cadastre-se grátis para ver todos os exemplos
💡

Drop the pronoun

You don't need 'já' or 'ty'. The verb says it all!
⚠️

Gender matters

Adjectives must match your gender.
🎯

Negative prefix

Just add 'ne-' to the start.
💬

Formal 'jste'

Use 'jste' for respect.

Smart Tips

Drop the subject pronoun.

Já jsem student. → Jsem student.

Always check the subject's gender before adding an adjective.

Jsem unavený (said by a woman). → Jsem unavená (said by a woman).

Use 'jste' for formal address.

Jsi připraven? (to a stranger). → Jste připraven? (to a stranger).

Don't add 'ne' as a separate word.

Ne jsem doma. → Nejsem doma.

Pronúncia

/jsem/

Jsem

Pronounced like 'ysem'.

/jsi/

Jsi

Pronounced like 'ysee'.

Question

Jsi doma? ↑

Rising intonation for yes/no questions.

Memorize

Mnemônico

Jsem, jsi, je; jsme, jste, jsou. Remember: 'J' starts them all, just change the end!

Associação visual

Imagine a mirror. When you look at it, you say 'Jsem' (I am). When you point at a group, you say 'Jsou' (They are).

Rhyme

Jsem, jsi, je, to je hra, jsme, jste, jsou, už to jde!

Story

I look in the mirror and say 'Jsem' (I am). I point to my friend and say 'Jsi' (You are). We point to the house and say 'Je' (It is). We are all happy!

Word Web

jsemjsijejsmejstejsounejsem

Desafio

Write 6 sentences about yourself using each form of 'být' in 5 minutes.

Notas culturais

Czechs often drop the pronoun 'já' or 'ty' to sound more natural.

Some dialects might use slightly different vowel lengths.

In formal settings, use 'jste' for both plural and singular respect.

The verb 'být' comes from Proto-Slavic *byti.

Iniciadores de conversa

“

Kde jsi?

“

Jsi student?

“

Jsou tvoji přátelé v Praze?

“

Je to důležité?

Temas para diário

Describe yourself in 3 sentences.
Where are you and your friends right now?
What is your favorite food and why is it good?
Discuss a place you are not at today.

Erros comuns

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct form.

Já ___ student.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jsem
1st person singular is 'jsem'.
Pick the right form. Múltipla escolha

Oni ___ doma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jsou
3rd person plural is 'jsou'.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Já jsi šťastný.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Já jsem šťastný
1st person is 'jsem'.
Order the words. Sentence Building

doma / jsi / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jsi doma?
Standard question order.
What is the 2nd person singular? Conjugation Drill

Být (2nd sing)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jsi
Memorize the table.
Match the person to the form. Match Pairs

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

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jsme
1st person plural is 'jsme'.
Make it negative. Sentence Transformation

Jsem doma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nejsem doma
Add 'ne-' to the verb.
Pick the formal form. Múltipla escolha

Pane Nováku, ___ připraven?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jste
Formal uses 'jste'.

Score: /8

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Fill in the correct form.

Já ___ student.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jsem
1st person singular is 'jsem'.
Pick the right form. Múltipla escolha

Oni ___ doma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jsou
3rd person plural is 'jsou'.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Já jsi šťastný.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Já jsem šťastný
1st person is 'jsem'.
Order the words. Sentence Building

doma / jsi / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jsi doma?
Standard question order.
What is the 2nd person singular? Conjugation Drill

Být (2nd sing)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jsi
Memorize the table.
Match the person to the form. Match Pairs

My

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jsme
1st person plural is 'jsme'.
Make it negative. Sentence Transformation

Jsem doma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nejsem doma
Add 'ne-' to the verb.
Pick the formal form. Múltipla escolha

Pane Nováku, ___ připraven?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jste
Formal uses 'jste'.

Score: /8

Perguntas frequentes (8)

No, you can drop them to sound more natural.

Add 'ne-' to the start of the verb.

It is for plural and formal singular.

Czech doesn't change the verb for gender in the 3rd person.

Být is 'to be', mít is 'to have'.

Yes, it is the standard way to say where someone is.

Yes, it is the most irregular verb in Czech.

Use the same word order but raise your voice at the end.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Cadastre-se grátis para praticar

In Other Languages

Spanish partial

ser/estar

Czech does not have two separate verbs for 'to be'.

French moderate

être

Czech conjugation is more synthetic.

German moderate

sein

Czech verb endings are more distinct.

Japanese low

desu/iru/aru

Czech does not distinguish animate/inanimate for 'to be'.

Arabic low

kāna

Czech always requires the verb.

Chinese low

shì

Czech 'být' is more versatile.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Connected Grammar

Personal Pronouns

Prerequisite

You need to know who you are talking about.

Present Tense of Mít

Similar

It is the next most common verb.

Gender Agreement

Builds On

Adjectives must match the subject.

Past Tense of Být

Advanced Form

It is the next step in verb conjugation.

Next
Negative 'Být' (Nejsem)
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