Verbs and the Cases They Govern

01

Verbs That Take the Dative

A large group puts its object in the dative. Most of them involve doing something for or towards a person, but the connection is loose and several of them look transitive in English.

• rozumět - to understand
• věřit - to believe
• pomoct - to help
• volat - to call

• Nerozumím té větě.

  I don't understand that sentence.

• Můžete mi pomoct?

  Can you help me?

02

Verbs That Take the Genitive

A smaller group takes the genitive. Several of them are reflexive, and the group includes some of the most everyday verbs in the language.

• bát se - to be afraid of
• ptát se - to ask about
• všimnout si - to notice
• zúčastnit se - to take part in

• Bojím se psů.

  I'm afraid of dogs.

• Zúčastnil jsem se kurzu.

  I took part in a course.

03

Verbs That Take the Instrumental

The instrumental turns up after verbs of speaking a language, of moving a part of the body, and of becoming something.

• mluvit - to speak (a language)
• stát se - to become

• Jakými jazyky mluvíte?

  What languages do you speak?

• Stal se učitelem.

  He became a teacher.

04

Verbs That Need a Preposition

Others take a preposition, and then the preposition decides the case. These pairs have to be learned as units, since the Czech preposition rarely matches the English one.

• čekat na + accusative - to wait for
• těšit se na + accusative - to look forward to
• dívat se na + accusative - to look at
• mluvit o + locative - to talk about

• Čekám na autobus.

  I'm waiting for the bus.

• Těším se na dovolenou.

  I'm looking forward to the holiday.

05

Two Objects at Once

Verbs of giving, sending and telling take the person in the dative and the thing in the accusative, the same division English makes with to.

• Dal jsem dárek otci.

  I gave my father a present.

• Pošlu ti pohlednici.

  I'll send you a postcard.

06

The Case Survives Negation

Negating the verb changes nothing about the case it governs. Whatever it took when positive, it still takes, and there is no shift into the genitive as older grammars sometimes suggest.

• Nerozumím ti.

  I don't understand you.

• Nebojím se.

  I'm not afraid.

07

Learn the Pair, Not the Verb

Because the case cannot be predicted, the useful unit to memorise is the verb together with a short phrase showing what follows it. A verb learned bare will be a verb you cannot yet use in a sentence.

• rozumět + dative - rozumím ti
• bát se + genitive - bojím se psů
• čekat na + accusative - čekám na autobus

• Jak ti chutnalo jídlo?

  How did you like the food?

08

Two Cases in One Sentence

Some verbs take two objects in two different cases at once. Ptát se puts the person asked in the genitive and the thing asked about after na in the accusative.

• Ptal se mě na cestu.

  He asked me the way.