"To sell" splits into two Czech verbs: imperfective prodávat and perfective prodat. It is the exact mirror image of kupovat / koupit ("to buy") — the two pairs are commercial antonyms that pattern almost identically. Where this pair earns its own page is the shape of the split: it is a vowel-length pair. The imperfective lengthens the stem with the -áva- suffix (prodávat), while the perfective keeps the bare short root (prodat). Spot that long-versus-short contrast and you will recognize a whole family of Czech aspect pairs built the same way.
The two halves, conjugated side by side
Both verbs conjugate as Class V (-á-) — the 3rd singular ends in -á in each. What differs is the stem: the imperfective drags the long -áv- through every form, the perfective does not.
| Person | prodávat (imperfective) | prodat (perfective) |
|---|---|---|
| já | prodávám | prodám |
| ty | prodáváš | prodáš |
| on / ona / ono | prodává | prodá |
| my | prodáváme | prodáme |
| vy | prodáváte | prodáte |
| oni / ony | prodávají | prodají |
Present meaning vs. future meaning
Prodávám is a genuine present: what you do for a living, or what is happening now. Prodám looks present but points forward.
Prodávám ovoce a zeleninu na trhu.
I sell fruit and vegetables at the market (it's my job).
Prodám ti to auto za sto tisíc, platí?
I'll sell you the car for a hundred thousand, deal?
Zrovna teď prodávám poslední kousky, pospěšte si.
Right now I'm selling the last few pieces, hurry up.
You could not use prodám in that last sentence — it can only mean "I will sell," never "I'm selling right now." For an action unfolding in front of you, only the imperfective prodávám works.
What the verb governs: accusative + dative
Both verbs take the thing sold in the accusative (the direct object) and, optionally, the buyer in the dative (the person you sell to, with no preposition). The pattern is sell [accusative thing] [dative buyer] — identical to the government of kupovat / koupit.
Prodali jsme sousedovi starou pračku.
We sold our old washing machine to the neighbour.
Prodám ti svoje kolo levně, stejně ho nepoužívám.
I'll sell you my bike cheap, I don't use it anyway.
In Prodám ti kolo, kolo ("bike") is accusative and ti ("you") is the dative buyer. The case ending alone carries the "to you" — no preposition is needed.
The past tense
Both verbs form the past from the l-participle plus the auxiliary, agreeing in gender and number. The aspect difference survives: prodával jsem = "I was selling / used to sell" (process or habit); prodal jsem = "I sold (and the sale is done)."
| Subject | prodávat | prodat |
|---|---|---|
| masc. sg. | prodával jsem | prodal jsem |
| fem. sg. | prodávala jsem | prodala jsem |
| masc. anim. pl. | prodávali jsme | prodali jsme |
| fem. pl. | prodávaly jsme | prodaly jsme |
Dědeček celý život prodával ryby na náměstí.
Grandpa sold fish on the square his whole life.
Nakonec jsme ten byt prodali pod cenou.
In the end we sold the flat below its value.
The future tense
The two halves diverge here, exactly as aspect predicts:
- Imperfective future uses budu
- the imperfective infinitive: budu prodávat, budeš prodávat… — selling as an ongoing or repeated future activity.
- Perfective future is simply the perfective present: prodám already means "I will sell." You never say budu prodat.
Od jara budu prodávat na farmářských trzích.
From spring I'll be selling at the farmers' markets.
Prodáme dům, až se děti odstěhují.
We'll sell the house once the kids move out.
The imperative
The imperative splits by aspect too. Perfective prodej / prodejte tells someone to make one sale; imperfective prodávej / prodávejte suggests a repeated or ongoing activity — and negative commands strongly prefer the imperfective.
| prodávat | prodat | |
|---|---|---|
| ty | prodávej | prodej |
| my | prodávejme | prodejme |
| vy | prodávejte | prodejte |
Prodej to, dokud to má cenu.
Sell it while it's still worth something.
Neprodávej akcie ve spěchu, počkej na lepší kurz.
Don't sell your shares in a hurry, wait for a better price.
The antonym pair: kupovat / koupit
It is worth memorizing prodávat / prodat alongside its mirror, kupovat / koupit ("to buy"). A single transaction has both halves: one party sells, the other buys, and Czech keeps the aspect logic parallel across both verbs.
Koupil jsem to draho a prodal levně — špatný obchod.
I bought it dear and sold it cheap — a bad deal.
Common Mistakes
❌ Teď prodám poslední lístky.
Incorrect if you mean now — prodám is future, not present.
✅ Teď prodávám poslední lístky.
I'm selling the last tickets now.
❌ Zítra budu prodat auto.
Incorrect — a perfective never combines with budu.
✅ Zítra prodám auto.
Tomorrow I'll sell the car.
❌ Prodal jsem kolo pro souseda.
Unidiomatic — the buyer goes in the bare dative, not pro + accusative.
✅ Prodal jsem kolo sousedovi.
I sold the bike to my neighbour.
❌ Celé léto jsem prodal zmrzlinu.
Incorrect — a whole summer of selling is a process, so use the imperfective.
✅ Celé léto jsem prodával zmrzlinu.
I sold ice cream all summer (male speaker).
❌ Prodávám ti to auto zítra.
Odd — for one scheduled sale tomorrow, use the perfective prodám.
✅ Prodám ti to auto zítra.
I'll sell you that car tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
- prodávat = imperfective (process, habit, in progress); prodat = perfective (one completed sale).
- Imperfective present prodávám is a real present; perfective "present" prodám means "I will sell."
- The thing sold is accusative; the buyer is dative (no preposition) — same government as kupovat / koupit.
- The pair is a vowel-length type: long -áva- imperfective vs short -a- perfective root.
- Imperfective future = budu prodávat; perfective future = just prodám.
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Start learning Czech→Related Topics
- kupovat / koupit — to buyA1 — The prototypical Czech aspect pair: imperfective kupovat versus perfective koupit, conjugated side by side, with its accusative-plus-dative government.
- Aspect Pairs: The Core SystemA2 — How most Czech verbs come as a two-member aspect pair — one imperfective, one perfective — and how to learn, look up, and choose between them.
- Perfective Present = Future MeaningA2 — Why conjugating a perfective verb in the present yields a future meaning.
- Verbs Governing the DativeA2 — The dative is one fixed government class in the verb-valency system: a set of verbs whose object is lexically required to stand in the dative, not the accusative.
- platit / zaplatit — to payA2 — The aspect pair for paying: imperfective platit versus perfective zaplatit, conjugated side by side, with its za + accusative government and the restaurant idioms.