Most adverbs modify a single word — rychle "quickly" tells you how someone ran, velmi "very" tells you how big something is. Sentence adverbs are different: they don't modify any one word, they colour the whole statement with the speaker's attitude toward it. Bohužel nepřijdu doesn't mean "I'll arrive unfortunately"; it means "unfortunately — and I'm sorry to report this — I won't come." These little words are how Czech marks certainty, doubt, hearsay, regret, and relief, and using them fluidly is one of the fastest ways to stop sounding like a textbook. Because they sit on top of the sentence rather than inside it, they're mobile: many can open the sentence, sit after the verb, or float to a comfortable spot in the clitic zone.
What a sentence adverb does
A sentence adverb takes the entire proposition — the fact being asserted — and adds a layer of speaker stance on top. Compare a bare statement with its stanced versions:
Přijde.
He'll come. (a plain fact)
Asi přijde.
He'll probably come. (I'm fairly sure but not certain)
Bohužel přijde.
Unfortunately he'll come. (I'd rather he didn't)
The verb and the fact are identical in all three; only the speaker's relationship to that fact changes. English does the same job with sentence-initial adverbs and phrases — probably, unfortunately, apparently, of course — so the concept is familiar. The work for you is learning which Czech word carries which shade, and where it likes to sit.
Degrees of certainty: asi, snad, možná, určitě, jistě
Czech grades how sure you are with a small family of adverbs. Learn them as a scale from "just guessing" to "dead certain":
| Adverb | English | Certainty |
|---|---|---|
| možná | maybe, perhaps | genuinely open (~50/50) |
| snad | hopefully, perhaps | hoped-for, uncertain |
| asi | probably, I suppose | likely, a good guess |
| určitě | certainly, definitely | fully confident |
| jistě | surely, of course | confident, a touch formal |
| rozhodně | definitely, decidedly | emphatic, no doubt |
asi is the workhorse of everyday guessing — "probably, I reckon." It sits comfortably after the first element or right by the verb:
Asi máš pravdu, měli bychom vyrazit dřív.
You're probably right, we should set off earlier.
Tohle asi nebude fungovat.
This probably isn't going to work.
možná is your genuine "maybe," and unlike asi it moves freely to the very front and can stand alone as a one-word answer:
Možná zítra, ještě nevím.
Maybe tomorrow, I don't know yet.
Přijdeš na oslavu? — Možná.
Are you coming to the party? — Maybe.
snad carries a note of hope — "hopefully, let's hope." It's not neutral like asi; it leans on wishing something turns out well:
Snad to stihneme, vlak jede za deset minut.
Hopefully we'll make it, the train leaves in ten minutes.
určitě is the everyday "definitely" — the natural word for a confident promise or agreement. jistě means much the same but rings slightly more formal or bookish; a native speaker chatting will reach for určitě far more often.
Určitě přijdu, neboj se.
I'll definitely come, don't worry.
Jistě, rád vám pomůžu.
Certainly, I'll be glad to help you. (a shade formal / polite)
For English speakers, the trap is reaching for jistě because it looks like the "proper" word for "certainly." In casual speech it can sound stiff — the same way English "indeed, most assuredly" would. Default to určitě unless you're being deliberately polished. The overlap with the probability modal verbs (musí být, mohl by být) is covered on probability modals.
samozřejmě and ovšem: "of course"
samozřejmě is "of course, obviously" — presenting something as self-evident. ovšem is "of course / indeed" but also does duty as "however" in more formal writing, so mind the context.
Samozřejmě že ti pomůžu, na to se ani neptej.
Of course I'll help you, don't even ask.
Můžu si to půjčit? — Samozřejmě.
Can I borrow it? — Of course.
Emotional stance: bohužel, naštěstí
These two are pure speaker-emotion markers, and they're extremely common. bohužel = "unfortunately" (literally "for God's regret"); naštěstí = "luckily, fortunately." They typically open the sentence or slot in early, exactly like their English counterparts.
Bohužel to dnes nejde, mám plno.
Unfortunately it can't be done today, I'm fully booked.
Naštěstí jsme stihli poslední autobus.
Luckily we caught the last bus.
bohužel also stands alone as a soft "I'm afraid not," which is worth having ready as a polite refusal:
Máte ještě volný stůl? — Bohužel.
Do you still have a free table? — I'm afraid not.
prý: the reported-information marker
Here is the one with no English single-word equivalent. prý marks that you're passing on hearsay — you heard it, you didn't witness it, and you're not vouching for it. English needs a phrase: "supposedly, reportedly, apparently, they say, I hear."
Prý je nemocný, tak nepřijde.
He's reportedly ill, so he won't come.
Prý zítra bude pršet.
They say it's going to rain tomorrow.
Ten film je prý výborný.
That film is supposedly excellent.
The power of prý is that it inserts a whole layer of "someone told me, don't shoot the messenger" into a single syllable. Journalists and gossips alike lean on it. It has a dedicated page — see prý: the reportative particle — because it behaves like an evidential marker, a category English simply doesn't grammaticalise.
Emphasis and sincerity: opravdu, vážně, skutečně
opravdu and vážně both mean "really, truly," reinforcing that you mean what you say (or, as a question, expressing surprise). skutečně ("actually, genuinely") is a slightly more formal sibling.
Opravdu se mi to moc líbí.
I really do like it a lot.
Vážně? To jsem nevěděl.
Really? I didn't know that.
As a rising-intonation one-word question, Vážně? and Opravdu? are the everyday "Really?!" — a reaction so common you'll hear it in every conversation. The echo-question use is on rhetorical and echo questions.
Where they sit
Sentence adverbs are mobile, but they favour two spots: the very front of the clause (topicalising the stance) or right after the first stressed element / the verb. Emotional and reporting markers (bohužel, naštěstí, prý) love the front; certainty markers (asi, určitě) often nestle just after the verb or subject.
Bohužel se nám to nepodařilo.
Unfortunately we didn't manage it.
Ten nový kolega je prý moc šikovný.
The new colleague is reportedly very capable.
Note that prý and asi are unstressed and slot near the clitic zone (after the first accented word), while bohužel, naštěstí, možná, určitě are stressed and happily lead the sentence. This mirrors the general logic of the clitic second position.
Common Mistakes
❌ Přijde asi.
Odd placement — the unstressed asi doesn't sit at the very end; put it early: Asi přijde.
✅ Asi přijde.
He'll probably come.
❌ Jistě přijdu, neboj.
Not wrong, but stiff in casual speech — a friend would say určitě.
✅ Určitě přijdu, neboj.
I'll definitely come, don't worry.
❌ Řekl, že je nemocný, ale nevím jistě.
Loses the hearsay flavour — to flag it as secondhand, use prý.
✅ Je prý nemocný.
He's reportedly ill. (I'm only passing it on)
❌ Snad máš pravdu.
Wrong shade — snad hopes; for a neutral 'you're probably right' use asi.
✅ Asi máš pravdu.
You're probably right.
❌ Naštěstě jsme to stihli.
Misspelling — the word is naštěstí with í, from štěstí 'luck'.
✅ Naštěstí jsme to stihli.
Luckily we made it.
Key Takeaways
- Sentence adverbs comment on the whole statement, adding the speaker's stance rather than modifying one word.
- Certainty runs on a scale: možná (maybe) → snad (hopefully) → asi (probably) → určitě / jistě (certainly) → rozhodně (definitely).
- asi is the default "probably"; určitě the default "definitely" — reach for these before the more formal jistě.
- bohužel (unfortunately) and naštěstí (luckily) carry emotion; prý flags hearsay with no English one-word match.
- opravdu / vážně mean "really"; as one-word questions (Vážně?) they're the everyday "Really?!"
- These words are mobile: emotional/reporting markers open the sentence; unstressed asi / prý sit early, near the clitic zone.
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Start learning Czech→Related Topics
- prý: The Reportative ParticleB1 — Marking secondhand information — 'reportedly, they say'.
- Rhetorical and Echo QuestionsB2 — Questions that aren't really asking, plus surprise and clarification echoes.
- Phatic Talk and Small TalkA2 — Ritual openers, well-being exchanges, and conversational filler — what to say to keep a relationship warm.
- už versus ještě: 'already / still / yet / anymore'B1 — The tiny, ultra-frequent pair that marks whether a state has started or still persists — and the 2×2 grid that maps it onto English.
- Modals of Probability and ConjectureC1 — Using muset, moci, and měl by — plus probability adverbs — to express 'must be', 'might be', and 'can't be' about likelihood rather than obligation.