Welcome to Lesson 47 of your Czech language journey!
This lesson teaches the Czech verb for "to take": brát and vzít. Beru to. "I'll take it." Vezmi si deštník. "Take an umbrella." It is the verb for reaching out and getting hold of something, carrying it along, accepting it, swallowing it as medicine, or taking someone by the hand or to a place. In one special use it also means "to marry".
Czech does not have one verb "take" but a pair of verbs, because almost every Czech verb exists in two aspects. Brát is the imperfective: taking as a process, a habit or something repeated, or "I take" as a decision on the spot. Vzít is the perfective: taking as a single, completed act. The two are one dictionary entry, and a Czech speaker chooses between them in every sentence. The rule of thumb for this lesson: if the taking is finished, or will be finished, in one movement (Vzal jsem si klíče. "I took my keys."), use vzít; if it goes on, is repeated, or is only a general truth (Petr si vždycky bral dva cukry. "Petr always took two sugars."), use brát.
Grammar: both verbs are irregular enough that the present tense must be learned by heart. Brát: beru, bereš, bere, bereme, berete, berou; the past is bral, brala, brali; the future is budu brát. Vzít: vezmu, vezmeš, vezme, vezmeme, vezmete, vezmou; the past is vzal, vzala, vzali. A very important point: the forms vezmu, vezmeš… look like a present tense, but because vzít is perfective they mean the future: Vezmu si to is "I will take it". There is no perfective "present".
Most of the time Czech adds the little word si to these verbs: vzít si, brát si. It marks that you take something for yourself, for your own use or for your own company: Vezmi si čepici. "Take a cap (for yourself)." With se instead, the verb means "to marry": Vzali se loni. "They married last year."
Etymology: brát comes from Common Slavic bьrati, which goes back to the Indo-European root bʰer- "to carry, to bear", the root of Latin ferre, Greek phérein and English bear. Vzít comes from Common Slavic vъzęti. The prefixes of Czech make many verbs from brát: sebrat "pick up, collect", vybrat "choose, select", přibrat "put on (weight)", odebrat "take away, order". Where English says "take" for "last", Czech does not use brát at all: Cesta trvá hodinu. "The journey takes an hour." The verb there is trvat.
Orthography: brát and vzít each have a long vowel with the čárka (á, í) in the infinitive, and it must not be dropped. The cluster vz- at the start of vzít, vzal, vzali is pronounced together, [vz], with no vowel between. In the imperative vezmi, but vezměte: after m, the letter ě is pronounced [ɲɛ] and the spelling changes with it. The reflexive si is written as a separate word.
Frequently Asked Question: What does "brát" or "vzít" mean in Czech?
Both mean "to take". Brát is the imperfective, for an action that is repeated, going on, or announced in the moment (Beru! "I'll take it!", "Deal!"), and vzít is the perfective, for one completed action (Vzal jsem si to. "I took it."). Both are also used for "to marry" with a reflexive: vzít si někoho "to marry someone", brát se "to be getting married".
Key Takeaways:
- Brát (imperfective) and vzít (perfective) are one verb in two aspects: Berte tyto léky třikrát denně. "Take these pills three times a day." / Vezmu si to. "I'll take it." - The present of brát is beru, bereš, bere, bereme, berete, berou. The forms vezmu, vezmeš, vezme, vezmeme, vezmete, vezmou are the future of vzít, never a present. - The imperatives are ber, berte and vezmi, vezměte. Use vezmi si for "take (one for yourself)". - Vzít si + accusative of a person = "to marry": Eliška si vzala Tomáše. Czech does not use brát for "last, take time" (trvat) or for "take a photograph" (udělat fotku, vyfotit). - Useful fixed phrases: vzít s sebou "take along", brát vážně "take seriously", vzít zpět "take back", Beru! "Deal!"
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The forms of brát and vzít:
brát /braːt/ – to take (imperfective infinitive)
beru /ˈbɛru/ – I take
bereš /ˈbɛrɛʃ/ – you take (singular, informal)
bere /ˈbɛrɛ/ – he/she/it takes
bereme /ˈbɛrɛmɛ/ – we take
berete /ˈbɛrɛtɛ/ – you take (plural, or formal singular)
berou /ˈbɛrou̯/ – they take
bral /bral/ – he took; brala /ˈbrala/ – she took; brali /ˈbralɪ/ – they took
ber /bɛr/, berte /ˈbɛrtɛ/ – take! (imperfective imperative)
vzít /vziːt/ – to take (perfective infinitive)
vezmu /ˈvɛzmu/ – I will take
vezmeš /ˈvɛzmɛʃ/ – you will take (singular, informal)
vezme /ˈvɛzmɛ/ – he/she/it will take
vezmeme /ˈvɛzmɛmɛ/ – we will take
vezmete /ˈvɛzmɛtɛ/ – you will take (plural, or formal singular)
vezmou /ˈvɛzmou̯/ – they will take
vzal /vzal/ – he took; vzala /ˈvzala/ – she took; vzali /ˈvzalɪ/ – they took
vezmi /ˈvɛzmɪ/, vezměte /ˈvɛzmɲɛtɛ/ – take! (perfective imperative)
Related words:
vézt /vɛːst/ – to convey, to drive someone or something (veze /ˈvɛzɛ/ – he/she drives, carries)
trvat /ˈtr̩vat/ – to last, to take (time)
sebrat /ˈsɛbrat/ – to pick up, to collect
vybrat /ˈvɪbrat/ – to choose
přibrat /ˈpr̝̊ɪbrat/ – to put on (weight)
s sebou /s ˈsɛbou̯/ – along, with oneself
Sounds to watch:
- brát has a long á [braːt], and vzít has a long í [vziːt]. In the finite forms the vowel is short: bral [bral], vzal [vzal], ber [bɛr]. Do not lengthen them. - vz- is a consonant cluster: vzít [vziːt], vzal [vzal], vzali [ˈvzalɪ]. The v and z are both voiced, and there is no vowel between them. Do not say "veh-zeet". - ě after m gives [ɲɛ]: vezměte [ˈvɛzmɲɛtɛ]. Compare vezme [ˈvɛzmɛ], where the e is plain. - e in beru, bere, vezme is a short open [ɛ], as in "bed". r is rolled with the tip of the tongue. - ř in přibrat is the Czech trilled fricative [r̝], voiceless after p: [ˈpr̝̊ɪbrat]. - Stress falls on the first syllable: BE-ru, BE-re-me, VEZ-mu, VEZ-mi, NE-beru, NE-vezmu. A prefix takes the stress: SE-brat.
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47.1a Beru I-take to it.
47.1b Beru /ˈbɛru/ take.1SG.PRES.IMPERF to /tɔ/ it.N.SG.ACC
47.2a Vezmu I-will-take si for-myself to it.
47.2b Vezmu /ˈvɛzmu/ take.1SG.FUT.PERF si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) to /tɔ/ it.N.SG.ACC
47.3a Vezmi take to it!
47.3b Vezmi /ˈvɛzmɪ/ take.IMP.2SG.PERF to /tɔ/ it.N.SG.ACC
47.4a Vezměte take si for-yourselves, prosím please.
47.4b Vezměte /ˈvɛzmɲɛtɛ/ take.IMP.2PL.PERF(=formal) si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) prosím /ˈprɔsiːm/ please
47.5a Bereš you-take to it?
47.5b Bereš /ˈbɛrɛʃ/ take.2SG.PRES.IMPERF to /tɔ/ it.N.SG.ACC
47.6a Vezmi take si for-yourself deštník umbrella, bude it-will pršet rain.
47.6b Vezmi /ˈvɛzmɪ/ take.IMP.2SG.PERF si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) deštník /ˈdɛʃtɲiːk/ umbrella.M.SG.ACC bude /ˈbudɛ/ be.3SG.FUT(AUX) pršet /ˈpr̩ʃɛt/ rain.INF.IMPERF
47.7a Kolik how-many si for-myself můžu I-can vzít to-take?
47.7b Kolik /ˈkɔlɪk/ how-many si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) můžu /ˈmuːʒu/ can.1SG.PRES vzít /vziːt/ take.INF.PERF
47.8a Vzal took jsem I-am si for-myself klíče keys a and odešel left.
47.8b Vzal /vzal/ take.PAST.M.SG.PERF jsem /jsɛm/ be.1SG.AUX si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) klíče /ˈkliːtʃɛ/ key.M.PL.ACC a /a/ and odešel /ˈɔdɛʃɛl/ leave.PAST.M.SG.PERF
47.9a Bral took jsem I-am to it jako as kompliment compliment.
47.9b Bral /bral/ take.PAST.M.SG.IMPERF jsem /jsɛm/ be.1SG.AUX to /tɔ/ it.N.SG.ACC jako /ˈjakɔ/ as kompliment /ˈkɔmplɪmɛnt/ compliment.M.SG.ACC
47.10a Na for cestu journey si for-myself vezmu I-will-take knihu book a and svačinu snack.
47.10b Na /na/ for(+ACC) cestu /ˈtsɛstu/ journey.F.SG.ACC si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) vezmu /ˈvɛzmu/ take.1SG.FUT.PERF knihu /ˈknɪɦu/ book.F.SG.ACC a /a/ and svačinu /ˈsvatʃɪnu/ snack.F.SG.ACC
47.11a Kdyby if bylo it-were hezky nice, vzali took bychom we-would děti children na on výlet trip.
47.11b Kdyby /ˈɡdɪbɪ/ if.COND bylo /ˈbɪlɔ/ be.PAST.N.SG hezky /ˈɦɛskɪ/ nice(ADV) vzali /ˈvzalɪ/ take.PAST.M.PL.PERF bychom /ˈbɪxɔm/ COND.1PL děti /ˈɟɛcɪ/ child.PL.ACC na /na/ on(+ACC) výlet /ˈviːlɛt/ trip.M.SG.ACC
47.12a Rodiče parents mě me vzali took k to doktorovi doctor.
47.12b Rodiče /ˈrɔɟɪtʃɛ/ parent.M.PL.NOM mě /mɲɛ/ I.ACC(clitic) vzali /ˈvzalɪ/ take.PAST.M.PL.PERF k /k/ to(+DAT) doktorovi /ˈdɔktɔrɔvɪ/ doctor.M.SG.DAT
47.13a Eliška Eliška si for-herself loni last-year vzala took Tomáše Tomáš a and přestěhovali moved se themselves do to Plzně Plzeň.
47.13b Eliška /ˈɛlɪʃka/ Eliška.F.SG.NOM si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) loni /ˈlɔɲɪ/ last-year vzala /ˈvzala/ take(=marry).PAST.F.SG.PERF Tomáše /ˈtɔmaːʃɛ/ Tomáš.M.SG.ACC a /a/ and přestěhovali /ˈpr̝̊ɛscɛɦɔvalɪ/ move.PAST.M.PL.PERF se /sɛ/ REFL.ACC do /dɔ/ to(+GEN) Plzně /ˈpl̩zɲɛ/ Plzeň.F.SG.GEN
47.14a Berte take tyto these léky medicines třikrát three-times denně daily.
47.14b Berte /ˈbɛrtɛ/ take.IMP.2PL.IMPERF(=formal) tyto /ˈtɪtɔ/ this.M.PL.INAN.ACC léky /ˈlɛːkɪ/ medicine.M.PL.ACC třikrát /ˈtr̝̊ɪkraːt/ three-times denně /ˈdɛɲɛ/ daily
47.15a Člověk a-person nemůže cannot brát to-take všechno everything tak so vážně seriously.
47.15b Člověk /ˈtʃlɔvjɛk/ person.M.SG.NOM nemůže /ˈnɛmuːʒɛ/ NEG-can.3SG.PRES brát /braːt/ take.INF.IMPERF všechno /ˈfʃɛxnɔ/ everything.N.SG.ACC tak /tak/ so vážně /ˈvaːʒɲɛ/ seriously
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47.1 Beru to. → "I'll take it."
47.2 Vezmu si to. → "I'll take it."
47.3 Vezmi to! → "Take it!"
47.4 Vezměte si, prosím. → "Please, help yourselves." (formal or plural)
47.5 Bereš to? → "Are you taking it?"
47.6 Vezmi si deštník, bude pršet. → "Take an umbrella, it's going to rain."
47.7 Kolik si můžu vzít? → "How many may I take?"
47.8 Vzal jsem si klíče a odešel. → "I took my keys and left." (a man speaking)
47.9 Bral jsem to jako kompliment. → "I took it as a compliment." (a man speaking)
47.10 Na cestu si vezmu knihu a svačinu. → "For the journey I'll take a book and a snack."
47.11 Kdyby bylo hezky, vzali bychom děti na výlet. → "If the weather were nice, we would take the children on a trip."
47.12 Rodiče mě vzali k doktorovi. → "My parents took me to the doctor."
47.13 Eliška si loni vzala Tomáše a přestěhovali se do Plzně. → "Last year Eliška married Tomáš, and they moved to Plzeň."
47.14 Berte tyto léky třikrát denně. → "Take these medicines three times a day."
47.15 Člověk nemůže brát všechno tak vážně. → "You can't take everything so seriously."
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47.1 Beru to.
47.2 Vezmu si to.
47.3 Vezmi to!
47.4 Vezměte si, prosím.
47.5 Bereš to?
47.6 Vezmi si deštník, bude pršet.
47.7 Kolik si můžu vzít?
47.8 Vzal jsem si klíče a odešel.
47.9 Bral jsem to jako kompliment.
47.10 Na cestu si vezmu knihu a svačinu.
47.11 Kdyby bylo hezky, vzali bychom děti na výlet.
47.12 Rodiče mě vzali k doktorovi.
47.13 Eliška si loni vzala Tomáše a přestěhovali se do Plzně.
47.14 Berte tyto léky třikrát denně.
47.15 Člověk nemůže brát všechno tak vážně.
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These are the grammar rules for brát and vzít in Czech:
1. One meaning, two aspects
- Brát is imperfective. It names the taking as an activity, a habit, a repetition or an announcement made in the moment: Petr si vždycky bral dva cukry (Genre Section, 47.23); Berte tyto léky třikrát denně (47.14); Beru to (47.1). - Vzít is perfective. It names the taking as one completed act, and so it is the verb of "I took it" and "I will take it": Vzal jsem si klíče (47.8); Vezmu si to (47.2); Vzali bychom děti na výlet (47.11). - The two can mean the same thing in a shop: Beru to and Vezmu si to are both "I'll take it". The first is colloquial and quicker; the second is the plain, neutral form. - Imperfective can also be a question or general statement: Bereš to? (47.5); Člověk nemůže brát všechno tak vážně (47.15).
2. Conjugation
Brát, present (imperfective):
- beru, bereš, bere - bereme, berete, berou
Brát, past: bral, brala, bralo; brali (masculine animate plural), braly (other plurals). With the auxiliary in the first and second person: bral jsem, brala jsi, brali jsme (47.9). In the third person the auxiliary is dropped: bral, brala, brali.
Brát, future: budu brát, budeš brát, bude brát, budeme brát, budete brát, budou brát (47.30).
Brát, imperative: ber, berte (47.14).
Vzít, "present" forms with future meaning (perfective):
- vezmu, vezmeš, vezme - vezmeme, vezmete, vezmou
Vzít, past: vzal, vzala, vzalo; vzali (masculine animate plural), vzaly (other plurals): vzal jsem (47.8), vzali bychom (47.11), vzala (47.13). As with brát, the auxiliary is dropped in the third person.
Vzít, imperative: vezmi, vezměte (47.3, 47.4, 47.6).
Other forms (Internetová jazyková příručka of the Czech Language Institute): the passive participle of brát is brán, the verbal noun is braní; the passive participle of vzít is vzat, the verbal noun is vzetí. The transgressives (literary forms, Section F) are bera, berouc, berouce for brát, and vzav, vzavši, vzavše for vzít.
3. Si: taking for oneself
Vzít si and brát si are the normal forms when you take something for your own use or company: Vezmi si deštník (47.6); Kolik si můžu vzít? (47.7); Na cestu si vezmu knihu (47.10). The si is a dative reflexive clitic and stays near the second position of the clause: it comes straight after the first stressed word or phrase: Vzal jsem si klíče, Karel si vzal čaj (47.22).
Without si the verb simply names the act of taking, often from someone else or to give it to someone: Vzal mu batoh (47.20). "He took his rucksack (for him)." Compare Vzal si batoh. "He took the rucksack (for himself)."
4. Constructions
- vzít + accusative: vzít klíče, vzít knihu. - vzít + accusative of a person + k + dative = to take someone to a person: Rodiče mě vzali k doktorovi (47.12). - vzít + accusative of a person + za + accusative = to take someone by a part of the body: Vzal ji za ruku. "He took her by the hand." - vzít někomu něco (dative of the person) = to take something from someone or to take it off their hands: Petr mu vzal batoh (47.20). - vzít z/ze + genitive = to take out of, to take from: vzít z ovoce (Section F). - vzít s sebou = to take along: Vezmi to s sebou. "Take it with you." - vzít si + accusative of a person = to marry: Eliška si vzala Tomáše (47.13). A man says Tomáš si vzal Elišku. A couple marrying each other: Vzali se loni. "They married last year." Brát se is the imperfective: Budou se brát v červnu. "They will marry in June." - brát + na + accusative in a fixed phrase: brát na lehkou váhu "to take lightly" (47.30).
5. What Czech does not say with brát
English "take" is much wider than Czech brát. These are some English uses for which Czech uses another verb:
- It takes an hour → Trvá to hodinu. (trvat), never bere to hodinu. - take a photograph → udělat fotku, vyfotit. - take a seat → posadit se, sednout si. - take care of → starat se o + accusative. - take the bus → jet autobusem: Pojedu autobusem. "I'll take the bus." - take a person somewhere in a vehicle → vézt, vozit: Vezu děti do školy. "I'm taking the children to school (by car)."
Be careful with the vehicle verb. Vezu, veze, vezeme are forms of vézt "to convey". They look like vezmu, vezme, vezmeme (vzít), but the meaning is different.
6. Fixed phrases
- Beru! = "Deal!", "I'm in." (colloquial) - brát vážně = to take seriously (47.15, 47.26) - brát na lehkou váhu = to take lightly (47.30) - vzít si k srdci = to take to heart - vzít zpět = to take back: Beru to zpět. "I take it back." - vzít nohy na ramena = to take to one's heels - vzít s sebou = to take along - brát léky = to take medication: Beru léky na tlak. "I take medicine for blood pressure."
7. Words built on brát and vzít
- sebrat – to pick up, to collect; vybrat – to choose, to withdraw; přibrat – to put on weight; odebrat – to take away, to order, to subscribe to - výběr – choice, selection; braní – taking - vzetí – taking (verbal noun), as in vzetí do vazby "taking into custody"
Common Mistakes English Speakers Make:
- Using vezmu as a present tense: Každý den vezmu léky. → Každý den beru léky. - Using brát for one finished act: Bral jsem si klíče a odešel. → Vzal jsem si klíče a odešel. - Using brát for "last": To bere hodinu. → To trvá hodinu. - Confusing vzít and vézt: Vezmu děti do školy autem. → Vezu děti do školy autem. - Leaving out si: Vezmi deštník (acceptable, but loses "for yourself") → Vezmi si deštník. - Forgetting the ě after m: vezmte → vezměte. - Writing the infinitive without the long vowel: brat, vzit → brát, vzít. - Using the wrong case with "marry": Eliška vzala Tomáš. → Eliška si vzala Tomáše (accusative).
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Frequency and register
Brát and vzít are among the most frequent verbs in Czech. Both are neutral in register. The colloquial Beru! ("Deal!", "I'm in") is heard in the shop and among friends but is not written in formal letters.
Ordering food
When ordering in a restaurant, Czechs usually say Dám si… ("I'll have…", from dát si), not Vezmu si…. Vezmu si is for taking something from a shelf or a table, or for taking something along. For takeaway food, signs say s sebou: pizza s sebou.
Marriage
Czech uses vzít se, brát se and vzít si někoho in everyday speech for getting married. The more formal verbs are oženit se (of a man) and provdat se (of a woman).
Medicine
Doctors and pharmacists say Berte… (the polite imperative) for the instruction: Berte tyto léky třikrát denně (47.14) is the sort of sentence you see on a prescription. Between friends you say Bereš nějaké léky? "Are you on any medication?"
Ty and vy
Vezmi si is the form for a friend, a child or a colleague on first-name terms; Vezměte si is both the plural "all of you take" and the polite form for one person addressed with vy. The shop assistant, the doctor and the stranger are addressed with vezměte si and berte. The change from vy to ty is made by the older or higher-ranking person: Můžeme si tykat? "May we use ty?"
Sayings and everyday expressions
- Beru! – Deal! I'm in! - Vezmi si příklad z něj. – Take him as an example. (literally, "take an example from him") - Vzít nohy na ramena. – To run away. (literally, "to take legs on shoulders") - Vzít si něco k srdci. – To take something to heart. - Nic si z toho nedělej. – Don't take it to heart. (literally, "make nothing of it") - Brát někoho vážně. – To take someone seriously.
The same root in other words
Brát gives Czech many everyday words. Výběr is a choice or a selection, and výběrové řízení is a competition for a job, literally "selection procedure". Sběr is a collection (sběr papíru "paper collection"), from sebrat. All have to do with taking, picking and choosing.
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Genesis 3:6 in the Bible of Kralice (Bible kralická, 1579–1594; one-volume edition 1613), in the text given by Bibleserver (BKR) and by Czech Wikisource (Bible kralická, edition of 1918). It is the verse between the two parts of Genesis 3 quoted in Lesson 46, where the serpent promised that the woman would be like the gods, vědouce "knowing" good and evil. Here the woman looks at the tree and acts: she vzala "took" of its fruit, and ate. The verb vzít is perfective, and it names the single act. The English translation is that of the King James Version.
Part F-A: Interlinear Analysis
F.1a Viduci seeing tedy then žena woman, že that dobrý good jest is strom tree k for jídlu food i and příjemný pleasant očima to-the-eyes,
F.1b Viduci /ˈvɪdutsɪ/ see.PRES.TRANSGR.F.SG(archaic) tedy /ˈtɛdɪ/ then žena /ˈʒɛna/ woman.F.SG.NOM že /ʒɛ/ that.CONJ dobrý /ˈdɔbriː/ good.M.SG.NOM jest /jɛst/ be.3SG.PRES(archaic) strom /strɔm/ tree.M.SG.NOM k /k/ to(+DAT) jídlu /ˈjiːdlu/ food.N.SG.DAT i /ɪ/ and příjemný /ˈpr̝̊iːjɛmniː/ pleasant.M.SG.NOM očima /ˈɔtʃɪma/ eye.PL.INS
F.2a a and k for nabytí acquiring rozumnosti of-understanding strom tree žádostivý desirable, vzala she-took z from ovoce fruit jeho its a and jedla she-ate;
F.2b a /a/ and k /k/ to(+DAT) nabytí /ˈnabɪciː/ acquiring.N.SG.DAT rozumnosti /ˈrɔzumnɔscɪ/ understanding.F.SG.GEN strom /strɔm/ tree.M.SG.NOM žádostivý /ˈʒaːdɔstɪviː/ desirable.M.SG.NOM vzala /ˈvzala/ take.PAST.F.SG.PERF z /z/ from(+GEN) ovoce /ˈɔvɔtsɛ/ fruit.N.SG.GEN jeho /ˈjɛɦɔ/ its.N.SG.GEN a /a/ and jedla /ˈjɛdla/ eat.PAST.F.SG.IMPERF
F.3a dala she-gave také also i even muži husband svému her-own s with sebou herself, a and on he jedl ate.
F.3b dala /ˈdala/ give.PAST.F.SG.PERF také /ˈtakɛː/ also i /ɪ/ even muži /ˈmuʒɪ/ man.M.SG.DAT svému /ˈsvɛːmu/ own.M.SG.DAT s /s/ with(+INS) sebou /ˈsɛbou̯/ self.INS a /a/ and on /ɔn/ he.M.SG.NOM jedl /jɛdl̩/ eat.PAST.M.SG.IMPERF
Part F-B: Natural Text with Translation
F.1 Viduci tedy žena, že dobrý jest strom k jídlu i příjemný očima, → "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes,"
F.2 a k nabytí rozumnosti strom žádostivý, vzala z ovoce jeho a jedla; → "and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,"
F.3 dala také i muži svému s sebou, a on jedl. → "and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
Part F-C: Original Czech Text
Viduci tedy žena, že dobrý jest strom k jídlu i příjemný očima, a k nabytí rozumnosti strom žádostivý, vzala z ovoce jeho a jedla; dala také i muži svému s sebou, a on jedl.
Part F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Vzala z ovoce jeho a jedla: vzít is here "to take (a part) from" a thing, with z and the genitive: vzala z ovoce, "she took of the fruit". Modern Czech would more naturally say Vzala si z ovoce, with the reflexive si of Section D. The Kralice text has no si here: the sentence is complete without it.
The two verbs vzala and jedla are both feminine singular past forms with the subject žena. They have no auxiliary, which is the rule for the third person, and the two verbs are joined by a. The first is perfective (the single act of taking), the second is imperfective (jíst "to eat", an activity that takes time). Together they give the sequence "she took, and ate".
Viduci is the old present transgressive of vidět "to see", feminine singular (the modern form is vidouc). It is the same kind of form as vědouce in Lesson 46: a participle that tells what someone does at the same time as the main verb, "seeing". In modern Czech it would be a clause: Když žena viděla, že… "When the woman saw that…".
Jest is the old third-person singular of být, today je. Jídlu is the dative of jídlo "food", after k. Očima is the instrumental of oko "eye", used in the sense "to the eyes", "in the eyes" (an instrumental of respect). K nabytí rozumnosti is "for the acquiring of understanding", with a verbal noun, nabytí, and a genitive.
Dala také i muži svému s sebou: s sebou is "with herself", "along with her", the same phrase you meet in vzít s sebou. Muži is the dative of muž, here "husband". Svému is the reflexive possessive, "her own".
The Bible of Kralice was translated from the original languages by the Unity of the Brethren (Jednota bratrská) and printed at Kralice nad Oslavou in Moravia.
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Verbs are taught through narrative. This short story, told in the past tense, follows a young man on a weekend walk in the mountains. It uses brát and vzít in their past forms, in the imperative, in the conditional and in the future, so that you can hear the difference between the two aspects in context.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
47.16a Karel Karel se himself chystal was-getting-ready na for hory mountains a and bral was-taking si for-himself do into batohu rucksack všechno everything, co what potřeboval he-needed.
47.16b Karel /ˈkarɛl/ Karel.M.SG.NOM se /sɛ/ REFL.ACC chystal /ˈxɪstal/ prepare.PAST.M.SG.IMPERF na /na/ for(+ACC) hory /ˈɦɔrɪ/ mountain.F.PL.ACC a /a/ and bral /bral/ take.PAST.M.SG.IMPERF si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) do /dɔ/ into(+GEN) batohu /ˈbatɔɦu/ rucksack.M.SG.GEN všechno /ˈfʃɛxnɔ/ everything.N.SG.ACC co /tsɔ/ what.REL potřeboval /ˈpɔtr̝̊ɛbɔval/ need.PAST.M.SG.IMPERF
47.17a Nakonec in-the-end si for-himself vzal he-took teplou warm bundu jacket, svačinu snack a and mapu map.
47.17b Nakonec /ˈnakɔnɛts/ finally si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) vzal /vzal/ take.PAST.M.SG.PERF teplou /ˈtɛplou̯/ warm.F.SG.ACC bundu /ˈbundu/ jacket.F.SG.ACC svačinu /ˈsvatʃɪnu/ snack.F.SG.ACC a /a/ and mapu /ˈmapu/ map.F.SG.ACC
47.18a Maminka mum mu to-him řekla said: „Vezmi take si for-yourself i also čepici cap, v in noci night bývá it-is-usually zima cold.“
47.18b Maminka /ˈmamɪŋka/ mum.F.SG.NOM mu /mu/ he.M.SG.DAT(clitic) řekla /ˈr̝ɛkla/ say.PAST.F.SG.PERF: „Vezmi /ˈvɛzmɪ/ take.IMP.2SG.PERF si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) i /ɪ/ also čepici /ˈtʃɛpɪtsɪ/ cap.F.SG.ACC v /v/ in(+LOC) noci /ˈnɔtsɪ/ night.F.SG.LOC bývá /ˈbiːvaː/ be.3SG.PRES.HABIT zima /ˈzɪma/ cold.F.SG.NOM“
47.19a Karel Karel se himself usmál smiled a and vzal took si for-himself čepici cap.
47.19b Karel /ˈkarɛl/ Karel.M.SG.NOM se /sɛ/ REFL.ACC usmál /ˈusmaːl/ smile.PAST.M.SG.PERF a /a/ and vzal /vzal/ take.PAST.M.SG.PERF si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) čepici /ˈtʃɛpɪtsɪ/ cap.F.SG.ACC
47.20a Na at zastávce stop v in horách mountains ho him čekal waited-for kamarád friend Petr, který who mu to-him hned at-once vzal took těžký heavy batoh rucksack.
47.20b Na /na/ at(+LOC) zastávce /ˈzastaːftsɛ/ stop.F.SG.LOC v /v/ in(+LOC) horách /ˈɦɔraːx/ mountain.F.PL.LOC ho /ɦɔ/ he.M.SG.ACC(clitic) čekal /ˈtʃɛkal/ wait-for.PAST.M.SG.IMPERF kamarád /ˈkamaraːt/ friend.M.SG.NOM Petr /ˈpɛtr̩/ Petr.M.SG.NOM který /ˈktɛriː/ who.M.SG.NOM mu /mu/ he.M.SG.DAT(clitic) hned /ɦnɛt/ at-once vzal /vzal/ take.PAST.M.SG.PERF těžký /ˈcɛʃkiː/ heavy.M.SG.ACC batoh /ˈbatɔx/ rucksack.M.SG.ACC
47.21a Na at chatě cabin Petr Petr řekl said: „Vezmi take si for-yourself, co what chceš you-want, je is tu here čaj tea i and polévka soup.“
47.21b Na /na/ at(+LOC) chatě /ˈxacɛ/ cabin.F.SG.LOC Petr /ˈpɛtr̩/ Petr.M.SG.NOM řekl /ˈr̝ɛkl̩/ say.PAST.M.SG.PERF: „Vezmi /ˈvɛzmɪ/ take.IMP.2SG.PERF si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) co /tsɔ/ what.REL chceš /xtsɛʃ/ want.2SG.PRES.IMPERF je /jɛ/ be.3SG.PRES tu /tu/ here čaj /tʃaj/ tea.M.SG.NOM i /ɪ/ and polévka /ˈpɔlɛːfka/ soup.F.SG.NOM“
47.22a Karel Karel si for-himself vzal took čaj tea, ale but cukr sugar si for-himself nevzal didn't-take.
47.22b Karel /ˈkarɛl/ Karel.M.SG.NOM si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) vzal /vzal/ take.PAST.M.SG.PERF čaj /tʃaj/ tea.M.SG.ACC ale /ˈalɛ/ but cukr /tsukr̩/ sugar.M.SG.ACC si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) nevzal /ˈnɛvzal/ NEG-take.PAST.M.SG.PERF
47.23a Petr Petr si for-himself naopak on-the-contrary vždycky always bral used-to-take dva two cukry sugars.
47.23b Petr /ˈpɛtr̩/ Petr.M.SG.NOM si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) naopak /ˈnaɔpak/ on-the-contrary vždycky /ˈvʒdɪtskɪ/ always bral /bral/ take.PAST.M.SG.IMPERF(=habitual) dva /dva/ two.M.ACC cukry /ˈtsukrɪ/ sugar.M.PL.ACC
47.24a Ráno in-the-morning si for-himself Petr Petr vzal took mapu map a and ukázal showed na on ní it dvě two cesty routes.
47.24b Ráno /ˈraːnɔ/ morning(ADV) si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) Petr /ˈpɛtr̩/ Petr.M.SG.NOM vzal /vzal/ take.PAST.M.SG.PERF mapu /ˈmapu/ map.F.SG.ACC a /a/ and ukázal /ˈukaːzal/ show.PAST.M.SG.PERF na /na/ on(+LOC) ní /ɲiː/ she.F.SG.LOC dvě /dvjɛ/ two.F.ACC cesty /ˈtsɛstɪ/ route.F.PL.ACC
47.25a „Já I bych would vzal take tu that delší longer cestu route, bude it-will pršet rain,“ řekl said Petr Petr.
47.25b „Já /jaː/ I.NOM bych /bɪx/ COND.1SG vzal /vzal/ take.PAST.M.SG.PERF tu /tu/ that.F.SG.ACC delší /ˈdɛlʃiː/ longer.F.SG.ACC cestu /ˈtsɛstu/ route.F.SG.ACC bude /ˈbudɛ/ be.3SG.FUT(AUX) pršet /ˈpr̩ʃɛt/ rain.INF.IMPERF,“ řekl /ˈr̝ɛkl̩/ say.PAST.M.SG.PERF Petr /ˈpɛtr̩/ Petr.M.SG.NOM
47.26a Karel Karel to it nebral didn't-take vážně seriously a and vzali took to it zkratkou by-shortcut.
47.26b Karel /ˈkarɛl/ Karel.M.SG.NOM to /tɔ/ it.N.SG.ACC nebral /ˈnɛbral/ NEG-take.PAST.M.SG.IMPERF vážně /ˈvaːʒɲɛ/ seriously a /a/ and vzali /ˈvzalɪ/ take.PAST.M.PL.PERF to /tɔ/ it.N.SG.ACC zkratkou /ˈskratkou̯/ shortcut.F.SG.INS
47.27a Po after hodině hour začalo began pršet to-rain a and Karel Karel si to-himself pomyslel thought, že that měl he-should vzít to-take pláštěnku raincoat.
47.27b Po /pɔ/ after(+LOC) hodině /ˈɦɔɟɪɲɛ/ hour.F.SG.LOC začalo /ˈzatʃalɔ/ begin.PAST.N.SG.PERF pršet /ˈpr̩ʃɛt/ rain.INF.IMPERF a /a/ and Karel /ˈkarɛl/ Karel.M.SG.NOM si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT pomyslel /ˈpɔmɪslɛl/ think.PAST.M.SG.PERF že /ʒɛ/ that.CONJ měl /mɲɛl/ have.PAST.M.SG(=should) vzít /vziːt/ take.INF.PERF pláštěnku /ˈplaːʃcɛŋku/ raincoat.F.SG.ACC
47.28a Petr Petr se himself usmál smiled: „Mám I-have dvě two, vezmi take si for-yourself jednu one.“
47.28b Petr /ˈpɛtr̩/ Petr.M.SG.NOM se /sɛ/ REFL.ACC usmál /ˈusmaːl/ smile.PAST.M.SG.PERF: „Mám /maːm/ have.1SG.PRES dvě /dvjɛ/ two.F.ACC vezmi /ˈvɛzmɪ/ take.IMP.2SG.PERF si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) jednu /ˈjɛdnu/ one.F.SG.ACC“
47.29a Karel Karel si for-himself jednu one vzal took a and poděkoval thanked.
47.29b Karel /ˈkarɛl/ Karel.M.SG.NOM si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) jednu /ˈjɛdnu/ one.F.SG.ACC vzal /vzal/ take.PAST.M.SG.PERF a /a/ and poděkoval /ˈpɔɟɛkɔval/ thank.PAST.M.SG.PERF
47.30a Večer in-the-evening na at chatě cabin řekl said Karel Karel: „Příště next-time si for-myself vezmu I-will-take pláštěnku raincoat a and Petrova Petr's slova words nebudu I-will-not brát to-take na on lehkou light váhu weight.“
47.30b Večer /ˈvɛtʃɛr/ evening(ADV) na /na/ at(+LOC) chatě /ˈxacɛ/ cabin.F.SG.LOC řekl /ˈr̝ɛkl̩/ say.PAST.M.SG.PERF Karel /ˈkarɛl/ Karel.M.SG.NOM: „Příště /ˈpr̝̊iːʃcɛ/ next-time si /sɪ/ REFL.DAT(clitic) vezmu /ˈvɛzmu/ take.1SG.FUT.PERF pláštěnku /ˈplaːʃcɛŋku/ raincoat.F.SG.ACC a /a/ and Petrova /ˈpɛtrɔva/ Petr's.N.PL.ACC slova /ˈslɔva/ word.N.PL.ACC nebudu /ˈnɛbudu/ NEG-be.1SG.FUT(AUX) brát /braːt/ take.INF.IMPERF na /na/ on(+ACC) lehkou /ˈlɛɦkou̯/ light.F.SG.ACC váhu /ˈvaːɦu/ weight.F.SG.ACC“
Part B: Natural Sentences
47.16 Karel se chystal na hory a bral si do batohu všechno, co potřeboval. → "Karel was getting ready for the mountains and was putting into his rucksack everything he needed."
47.17 Nakonec si vzal teplou bundu, svačinu a mapu. → "In the end he took a warm jacket, a snack and a map."
47.18 Maminka mu řekla: „Vezmi si i čepici, v noci bývá zima.“ → "His mum said to him: 'Take a cap as well, it's usually cold at night.'"
47.19 Karel se usmál a vzal si čepici. → "Karel smiled and took the cap."
47.20 Na zastávce v horách ho čekal kamarád Petr, který mu hned vzal těžký batoh. → "At the stop in the mountains his friend Petr was waiting for him, and at once took his heavy rucksack."
47.21 Na chatě Petr řekl: „Vezmi si, co chceš, je tu čaj i polévka.“ → "At the cabin Petr said: 'Help yourself to what you want, there is tea and soup.'"
47.22 Karel si vzal čaj, ale cukr si nevzal. → "Karel took tea, but did not take sugar."
47.23 Petr si naopak vždycky bral dva cukry. → "Petr, on the other hand, always took two sugars."
47.24 Ráno si Petr vzal mapu a ukázal na ní dvě cesty. → "In the morning Petr took the map and showed two routes on it."
47.25 „Já bych vzal tu delší cestu, bude pršet,“ řekl Petr. → "'I would take the longer route, it's going to rain,' said Petr."
47.26 Karel to nebral vážně a vzali to zkratkou. → "Karel did not take it seriously, and they took the shortcut."
47.27 Po hodině začalo pršet a Karel si pomyslel, že měl vzít pláštěnku. → "After an hour it began to rain, and Karel thought that he should have taken a raincoat."
47.28 Petr se usmál: „Mám dvě, vezmi si jednu.“ → "Petr smiled: 'I have two, take one.'"
47.29 Karel si jednu vzal a poděkoval. → "Karel took one and thanked him."
47.30 Večer na chatě řekl Karel: „Příště si vezmu pláštěnku a Petrova slova nebudu brát na lehkou váhu.“ → "In the evening at the cabin Karel said: 'Next time I'll take a raincoat, and I won't take Petr's words lightly.'"
Part C: Czech Text Only
47.16 Karel se chystal na hory a bral si do batohu všechno, co potřeboval.
47.17 Nakonec si vzal teplou bundu, svačinu a mapu.
47.18 Maminka mu řekla: „Vezmi si i čepici, v noci bývá zima.“
47.19 Karel se usmál a vzal si čepici.
47.20 Na zastávce v horách ho čekal kamarád Petr, který mu hned vzal těžký batoh.
47.21 Na chatě Petr řekl: „Vezmi si, co chceš, je tu čaj i polévka.“
47.22 Karel si vzal čaj, ale cukr si nevzal.
47.23 Petr si naopak vždycky bral dva cukry.
47.24 Ráno si Petr vzal mapu a ukázal na ní dvě cesty.
47.25 „Já bych vzal tu delší cestu, bude pršet,“ řekl Petr.
47.26 Karel to nebral vážně a vzali to zkratkou.
47.27 Po hodině začalo pršet a Karel si pomyslel, že měl vzít pláštěnku.
47.28 Petr se usmál: „Mám dvě, vezmi si jednu.“
47.29 Karel si jednu vzal a poděkoval.
47.30 Večer na chatě řekl Karel: „Příště si vezmu pláštěnku a Petrova slova nebudu brát na lehkou váhu.“
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
This narrative shows brát and vzít in the past, the imperative, the conditional and the future, and sets the two aspects side by side.
Aspect in the past. Brát in the past is the taking as a process or a habit: bral si do batohu všechno (47.16), "was taking, was putting in", an action in progress while Karel got ready; si vždycky bral dva cukry (47.23), "always took", a habit; nebral to vážně (47.26), "did not take it seriously", a state of mind that lasted. Vzít in the past is one finished act: nakonec si vzal bundu (47.17), vzal si čepici (47.19), vzal mu batoh (47.20), vzal čaj (47.22), jednu vzal (47.29). The story moves forward through vzít and rests in the places where brát is used.
Imperative. Vezmi si i čepici (47.18), vezmi si, co chceš (47.21), vezmi si jednu (47.28): the perfective imperative is the usual way to offer, to advise and to say "go ahead, take it". The speakers are a mother (47.18) and a friend (47.21, 47.28), all on ty terms. A person addressed with vy would hear vezměte si.
Conditional. Já bych vzal tu delší cestu (47.25): the conditional is the past participle with the conditional auxiliary bych, bys, by, bychom, byste, by. Vzali bychom (47.11) is the same in the plural. The conditional is used for polite advice: "I would take…".
Future. Příště si vezmu pláštěnku (47.30): the perfective forms vezmu… are the future. Nebudu brát (47.30) is the imperfective future: budu + infinitive of brát. Nebudu brát is "I will not be taking (as a rule)": Karel resolves a general habit, not one single act.
Vzít si and the pronoun in the middle of the sentence: si stands in second position after the first word or phrase: Nakonec si vzal… (47.17), Ráno si Petr vzal mapu (47.24), Karel si jednu vzal (47.29). In 47.22 Karel si vzal čaj, ale cukr si nevzal, it appears twice, once in each clause.
Vzít někomu něco: Petr mu vzal batoh (47.20). The dative mu is the person relieved of the load. Vzít někomu něco can also mean "to take something away from someone", and the context decides; here it is a friendly help.
Vzít to zkratkou (47.26): the verb with to and an instrumental of the way, "to take it by a shortcut", is an ordinary idiom for choosing a quicker way. Vzali is masculine animate plural, because Karel and Petr are men.
Měl vzít (47.27): the past participle of mít followed by an infinitive is "should have". Měl vzít pláštěnku is "he should have taken a raincoat". Brát na lehkou váhu (47.30): "to take lightly", literally "to take on a light weight". The opposite is brát vážně (47.26).
Numbers: dva cukry (masculine), dvě cesty and dvě (pláštěnky) (feminine), jednu (pláštěnku) (feminine accusative).
Formal and informal speech in the story: all the characters are on ty terms, and the imperatives are vezmi si, not vezměte si.
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Long vowels
The čárka (acute accent) marks length: brát [braːt], vzít [vziːt], léky [ˈlɛːkɪ], třikrát [ˈtr̝̊ɪkraːt], příjemný [ˈpr̝̊iːjɛmniː], mám [maːm], vážně [ˈvaːʒɲɛ]. Length is part of the word and can change meaning, so learn each long vowel with its word. The ring (kroužek) ů is long and appears only inside or at the end of words: můžu [ˈmuːʒu].
The cluster vz-
At the beginning of vzít, vzal, vzali, the letters v and z make a cluster: [vz-]. There is no vowel between them. In vezmu there is a vowel (e) between the v and the z: [ˈvɛzmu]. Do not confuse vzal "took" with veze "he conveys".
ě
The letter ě marks a soft consonant before it. After m it gives [mɲɛ]: vezměte [ˈvɛzmɲɛtɛ], měl [mɲɛl]. After t, d, n it softens the consonant: pláštěnku [ˈplaːʃcɛŋku], přestěhovali [ˈpr̝̊ɛscɛɦɔvalɪ], poděkoval [ˈpɔɟɛkɔval], denně [ˈdɛɲɛ], vážně [ˈvaːʒɲɛ], chatě [ˈxacɛ]. After v it adds a [j]: dvě [dvjɛ].
Voicing assimilation
Czech consonant clusters take their voicing from the last consonant. In hezky the z is [s]: [ˈɦɛskɪ]. In zkratkou the z is [s]: [ˈskratkou̯]. In těžký the ž is [ʃ]: [ˈcɛʃkiː]. In kdyby the k is [ɡ]: [ˈɡdɪbɪ]. The preposition v is [f] before a voiceless consonant and [v] before a vowel or a voiced consonant: v noci [v ˈnɔtsɪ], v horách [v ˈɦɔraːx]. Nasals and l, r are not affected.
Final devoicing
A voiced consonant at the end of a word becomes voiceless: batoh [ˈbatɔx], kamarád [ˈkamaraːt], výlet [ˈviːlɛt], nakonec [ˈnakɔnɛts], hned [ɦnɛt]. Nasals and l, r are not affected: Karel [ˈkarɛl], jsem [jsɛm].
ř
The letter ř (třikrát, příště, přestěhovali, přibrat, řekl, pršet) is the trilled fricative [r̝]. After a voiceless consonant it is voiceless: třikrát [ˈtr̝̊ɪkraːt], příště [ˈpr̝̊iːʃcɛ]. At the start of a word it is voiced: řekl [ˈr̝ɛkl̩].
Syllabic r and l
In Czech, r and l can carry a syllable between consonants: pršet [ˈpr̩ʃɛt], Petr [ˈpɛtr̩], cukr [tsukr̩], trvat [ˈtr̩vat], Plzně [ˈpl̩zɲɛ], řekl [ˈr̝ɛkl̩], jedl [jɛdl̩].
Stress and clitics
Stress falls on the first syllable of a word: BE-ru, VEZ-mu, CHYS-tal. The little words si, se, mu, ho, mi, ti are clitics and have no stress of their own: vzal si [ˈvzal sɪ].
Reflexive si and the spelling
The reflexive si is a separate word: vzít si, brát si. The negative ne- is written together with the verb: nevzal, nebral, nebudu, nemůže. Quotation marks
Czech places the opening quotation mark low, „, and the closing one high, “: „Vezmi si i čepici,“ řekla maminka.
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