Asking questions

A1 — Větná stavba

Forming questions in Czech: yes/no questions by intonation, question words kdo/co/kde/kdy/jak/proč/kolik

Can form yes/no questions using intonation and information questions using kdo, co, kde, kdy, jak, proč, kolik

Examples

Mluvíš česky? — Do you speak Czech?
Kde bydlíte? — Where do you live?
Kolik to stojí? — How much does it cost?

Sentence structureA1

Asking questions

Forming questions in Czech: yes/no questions by intonation, question words kdo/co/kde/kdy/jak/proč/kolik

Learning Goal

Can form yes/no questions using intonation and information questions using kdo, co, kde, kdy, jak, proč, kolik

Exam Skills:ListeningSpeaking

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Mluvíš česky?

Do you speak Czech?

Kde bydlíte?

Where do you live?

Kolik to stojí?

How much does it cost?

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Making a question in Czech is easier than in English. There is no "do", nothing changes places, and the question words sit at the front just as "who" and "where" do.

Yes/no questions: just raise your voice

Take the statement and let the intonation rise at the end. That is all.

Statement	Question
Máš čas. - You have time.	Máš čas? - Do you have time?
Mluvíte anglicky. - You speak English.	Mluvíte anglicky? - Do you speak English?
Je to daleko. - It's far.	Je to daleko? - Is it far?

English speakers often hunt for a Czech "do" or try to swap words around. There is nothing to find: Máš čas? is the whole question. And where English needs a tag that changes every time ("isn't it?", "don't you?", "aren't they?"), Czech uses one word for all: Jsi z Brna, že? or ..., ne?

Question words

Czech	English	Example
kdo	who	Kdo je to?
co	what	Co děláš?
kde	where (location)	Kde bydlíš?
kam	where (to)	Kam jdeš?
odkud	where from	Odkud jste?
kdy	when	Kdy jede vlak?
jak	how	Jak se máš?
proč	why	Proč se učíš česky?
kolik	how much, how many	Kolik to stojí?

Two places where one English word becomes two Czech ones. First, "where": kde asks about a place, kam about a direction. "Where are you going?" is Kam jdeš?, and *Kde jdeš? is a giveaway. Second, "what/which": jaký asks what something is like (Jaký je ten film?), který picks one from a set (Která tramvaj jede na Hrad? - Dvaadvacítka.).

The small words keep their place

After a question word, light words like se and jsi still go second: Jak se jmenuješ?, Kde jsi byl? And when you did not catch something, the polite Czech "Sorry?" is a single word: Prosím?

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Learners try to invert word order for yes/no questions (like English/German) instead of using intonation alone. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English inverts subject-verb for questions ('Are you...?', 'Do you...?'). Czech keeps declarative word order and just raises intonation. No 'do' auxiliary exists.

Common Error Patterns

Inverting subject-verb order for yes/no questions instead of using intonation

Czech yes/no questions keep statement word order — just raise your intonation: Máš čas? (not *Máš ty čas?)

Placing the question word anywhere other than sentence-initial position

Question words always come first: Kde bydlíš? Kolik to stojí? Never *Bydlíš kde?

Mluvíš česky?

Do you speak Czech?

Yes/no question: same word order as the statement (Mluvíš česky.), only intonation rises. No inversion, no auxiliary 'do'.

Kde bydlíte?

Where do you live?

Question word kde (where) at the start, verb bydlíte follows. Vy-form (formal). No auxiliary verb needed.

Kolik to stojí?

How much does it cost?

Kolik (how much/many) is essential for shopping. The verb stojí (costs) follows directly — no inversion or auxiliary.

Quick check (4)

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Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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1. Getting to know each other

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Asking questions?: Making a question in Czech is easier than in English. There is no "do", nothing changes places, and the question words sit at the front just as "who" and "where" do.
How do you form Asking questions?: Take the statement and let the intonation rise at the end. That is all. English speakers often hunt for a Czech "do" or try to swap words around. There is nothing to find: Máš čas? is the whole question. And where English needs a tag that changes every time ("isn't it?", "don't you?", "aren't they?"), Czech uses one word for all: Jsi z Brna, že? or ..., ne? Two places where one English word becomes two Czech ones. First, "where": kde asks about a place, kam about a direction. "Where are you going?" is Kam jdeš? , and *Kde jdeš? is a giveaway. Second, "what/which": jaký asks what something is like ( Jaký je ten film? ), který picks one from a set ( Která tramvaj jede na Hrad? - Dvaadvacítka.
What are common mistakes with Asking questions?: Learners try to invert word order for yes/no questions (like English/German) instead of using intonation alone. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English inverts subject-verb for questions ('Are you...?', 'Do you...?'). Czech keeps declarative word order and just raises intonation. No 'do' auxiliary exists.

Statement

Question

Máš čas. - You have time.

Máš čas? - Do you have time?

Mluvíte anglicky. - You speak English.

Mluvíte anglicky? - Do you speak English?

Je to daleko. - It's far.

Je to daleko? - Is it far?

Czech

English

Example

kdo

who

Kdo je to?

what

Co děláš?

kde

where (location)

Kde bydlíš?

kam

where (to)

Kam jdeš?

odkud

where from

Odkud jste?

kdy

when

Kdy jede vlak?

jak

how

Jak se máš?

proč

why

Proč se učíš česky?

kolik

how much, how many

Kolik to stojí?

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Asking questions?

Making a question in Czech is easier than in English. There is no "do", nothing changes places, and the question words sit at the front just as "who" and "where" do.

How do you form Asking questions?

Take the statement and let the intonation rise at the end. That is all. English speakers often hunt for a Czech "do" or try to swap words around. There is nothing to find: Máš čas? is the whole question. And where English needs a tag that changes every time ("isn't it?", "don't you?", "aren't they?"), Czech uses one word for all: Jsi z Brna, že? or ..., ne? Two places where one English word becomes two Czech ones. First, "where": kde asks about a place, kam about a direction. "Where are you going?" is Kam jdeš? , and *Kde jdeš? is a giveaway. Second, "what/which": jaký asks what something is like ( Jaký je ten film? ), který picks one from a set ( Která tramvaj jede na Hrad? - Dvaadvacítka.

What are common mistakes with Asking questions?

Learners try to invert word order for yes/no questions (like English/German) instead of using intonation alone. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English inverts subject-verb for questions ('Are you...?', 'Do you...?'). Czech keeps declarative word order and just raises intonation. No 'do' auxiliary exists.