This is the aspect card for ztrácet / ztratit — the everyday verb for losing things: keys, your way, your patience, a match, time. The imperfective ztrácet describes losing as a process or a habit ("I keep losing things," "I was losing time"); the perfective ztratit packages a single completed loss ("I lost my keys"). The pair hides one small spelling twist — a c/t alternation between the two stems — but otherwise both members conjugate as tidy Class IV (-í-) verbs of the prosit type.
The pair at a glance
| Imperfective | Perfective | |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | ztrácet | ztratit |
| Meaning | to be losing, keep losing (process/habit) | to lose (one completed event) |
| Present | ztrácím ("I am losing") | ztratím ("I will lose") |
| Past | ztrácel | ztratil |
| Imperative | ztrácej | ztrať |
Present of ztrácet (Class IV, -í-)
Because ztrácet is imperfective, its present is a genuine present — I am losing, I keep losing. The perfective ztratit borrows the same endings but its "present" forms point to the future, since a perfective verb has no present in Czech.
| Person | ztrácet (present) | ztratit (future) |
|---|---|---|
| já | ztrácím | ztratím |
| ty | ztrácíš | ztratíš |
| on/ona/ono | ztrácí | ztratí |
| my | ztrácíme | ztratíme |
| vy | ztrácíte | ztratíte |
| oni/ony | ztrácejí / ztrácí | ztratí |
The 3rd-person plural of ztrácet has two living forms: the full ztrácejí (careful, standard) and the shorter ztrácí, identical to the singular, which dominates ordinary speech. Both are correct.
Pořád ztrácím klíče, mám jich doma asi pět sad.
I'm always losing my keys, I've got about five sets at home. (habit — imperfective ztrácím)
Jestli si nezavážeš tkaničky, ztratíš botu.
If you don't tie your laces, you'll lose a shoe. (one future event — perfective ztratíš)
Government: a plain accusative object
Both partners are straightforwardly transitive: the thing you lose goes in the accusative, with no preposition. Ztratit klíče (lose your keys), ztratit peněženku (lose your wallet), ztratit práci (lose your job), ztratit trpělivost (lose your patience).
Ztratil jsem peněženku i s občankou, musím to nahlásit.
I lost my wallet with my ID in it, I have to report it. (completed loss, male speaker — accusative peněženku)
Neztrácej zbytečně čas, autobus nepočká.
Don't waste time needlessly, the bus won't wait. (imperfective imperative neztrácej; čas = accusative)
Czech also uses this verb for abstract losses where English might prefer a different word: ztrácet naději (to be losing hope), ztratit hlavu (to lose one's head / panic), ztratit nit (to lose the thread of what you were saying).
Po té zprávě jsme začínali ztrácet naději.
After that news we were starting to lose hope. (process — imperfective ztrácet)
The reflexive: ztratit se = to get lost
Add the clitic se and the verb turns on itself: ztratit se means to lose oneself, i.e. to get lost, to disappear, to go missing. The imperfective ztrácet se describes the gradual version — fading away, repeatedly going missing.
Ztratili jsme se v centru Prahy, museli jsme se ptát na cestu.
We got lost in the centre of Prague, we had to ask for directions. (perfective ztratit se)
Pes se nám pořád ztrácí v lese, budeme ho muset vodit na vodítku.
Our dog keeps getting lost in the woods, we'll have to keep him on a lead. (habit — imperfective ztrácet se)
As a sharp command, Ztrať se! is a rude "Get lost! / Beat it!" — worth recognising, though it stings. (informal, rude)
Ztrať se a už se nevracej!
Get lost and don't come back! (informal, rude — perfective imperative ztrať se)
The imperatives: ztrácej vs ztrať
The imperfective imperative ztrácej / ztrácejte mostly shows up negated — neztrácej čas/naději/hlavu ("don't keep wasting / don't lose"). The perfective ztrať / ztraťte is rarer as a plain command and is most familiar in the reflexive ztrať se. Note the bare ztrať with a soft ť — the -i- of the stem drops in the imperative.
Neztrácejte hlavu, všechno se to dá vyřešit.
Don't lose your heads, this can all be sorted out. (imperfective imperative neztrácejte)
The past tense and gender agreement
Both partners form the past from the l-participle, which agrees with the subject in gender and number. With já / ty / my / vy the auxiliary být (jsem, jsi, jsme, jste) joins it; the 3rd person has no auxiliary.
Ztratila jsem cestou domů rukavici, byla úplně nová.
I lost a glove on the way home, it was brand new. (female speaker — note the -a ending ztratila and the auxiliary jsem)
Celý zápas jsme ztráceli míč ve středu pole.
The whole match we kept losing the ball in midfield. (process across the match — imperfective ztráceli)
Common Mistakes
❌ Ztrácel jsem včera klíče a nemůžu je najít.
Aspect mismatch — one finished loss yesterday needs the perfective ztratit, not the process verb.
✅ Ztratil jsem včera klíče a nemůžu je najít.
I lost my keys yesterday and I can't find them.
❌ Pořád ztratím věci.
Aspect mismatch — 'always / keep' signals a habit, which requires the imperfective ztrácím.
✅ Pořád ztrácím věci.
I keep losing things.
❌ Ztratil jsem v Praze.
Incomplete — without the reflexive se, ztratit needs an accusative object; to say 'I got lost' you need ztratit se.
✅ Ztratil jsem se v Praze.
I got lost in Prague.
❌ Neztracej čas.
Spelling — the imperfective stem keeps its long á and the c: neztrácej, not neztracej.
✅ Neztrácej čas.
Don't waste time.
❌ Ztracím trpělivost.
Spelling — the imperfective keeps its long á: ztrácím, not ztracím. The verb choice is right (losing patience is an ongoing process); only the accent is missing.
✅ Ztrácím trpělivost.
I'm losing my patience.
Key Takeaways
- ztrácet (imperfective) = be losing / keep losing (process, habit); ztratit (perfective) = lose (one completed event).
- Both are Class IV (-í-): ztrácím… / ztratím…; imperatives ztrácej / ztrať.
- Watch the c/t stem swap — ztrácet vs ztratit — the same pattern as vracet/vrátit.
- Government is a plain accusative (ztratit klíče); no preposition.
- Add se for ztratit se = to get lost; the curt Ztrať se! means "Get lost!" (informal, rude).
Now practice Czech
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Czech→Related Topics
- hledat / najít — to look for / to findA2 — The functional aspect pair where the perfective adds the result: hledat (look for, process) versus najít (find, result), with najít's jít-based present and the past našel / našla.
- Class IV: -í- Verbs (prosit, trpět, sázet)A2 — The -í- present class, where three different infinitive endings all feed one tidy paradigm.
- 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.
- Verbs Governing the AccusativeA2 — The accusative is the default object case in Czech: the vast majority of transitive verbs put their direct object in the accusative, and only a marked minority demand the dative, genitive, or instrumental instead.
- Forming Imperfectives with SuffixesB2 — How secondary imperfectives are derived with -ovat, -ávat, -vat.