umět — to know how, to be able to (skill) | Czech Grammar

Umět means "to know how to" — to have a learned, internalized skill. English collapses three different Czech verbs into one word, "can": umět (you have the skill), moci/moct (it's physically possible or you're allowed), and smět (you have permission). Getting these apart is one of the first real hurdles for English speakers, and umět is the one English most often gets wrong. The full three-way decision is laid out at moci vs umět vs znát/vědět; this page conjugates umět and pins down its meaning.

Conjugation class

Umět is a Class IV (-í-/-ě-) verb. Drop the infinitive -ět to reach the stem um-, then add -ím, -íš, -í, -íme, -íte. The 3rd-person plural has two standard forms: the shorter umí and the fuller umějí — both correct, with umějí favoured in careful writing.

Person	Present
já	umím
ty	umíš
on / ona / ono	umí
my	umíme
vy	umíte
oni / ony / ona	umí / umějí

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The negative is regular: neumím, neumíš, …, neumí / neumějí. Neumím is the everyday way to say "I can't (don't have the skill)" — Neumím tancovat = "I can't dance" (because I never learned, not because the dance floor is full).

Umím trochu vařit, ale nejsem žádný kuchař.

I can cook a bit, but I'm no chef.

Umíš to spravit?

Do you know how to fix it?

Government 1: umět + accusative (a skill as a noun)

Umět can take a direct object in the accusative — typically a language, a subject, or a body of knowledge you've mastered. Here umět means "to have a command of."

Umím angličtinu a trochu němčinu.

I know English and a little German.

Umíš tu básničku zpaměti?

Do you know that little poem by heart?

Naše dcera ještě neumí násobilku.

Our daughter doesn't know the multiplication tables yet.

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This is where English "know" overlaps: Umím angličtinu and Znám angličtinu both translate as "I know English," but umět stresses the active ability to use it, while znát stresses familiarity/acquaintance. For a language you can speak, umět is the natural choice.

Government 2: umět + infinitive (a skill as an activity)

Far more often, umět is followed by an infinitive — the activity you know how to perform. This is the core "know how to do X" pattern.

Umím plavat už od pěti let.

I've known how to swim since I was five.

Neumí lhát, hned se prozradí.

He can't lie — he gives himself away immediately.

Umíte řídit auto s manuální převodovkou?

Do you know how to drive a manual car?

umět vs moci vs smět — three Czech verbs, one English "can"

This is the heart of the matter. All three can be translated "can," but they answer different questions.

Verb	Question it answers	Example
umět	Do you have the skill? (learned ability)	Umím plavat. — I can swim (I learned how).
moci / moct	Is it possible right now? / Are you able?	Můžu plavat. — I can swim (the pool is open, I'm free, nothing stops me).
smět	Are you allowed? (permission)	Smím plavat. — I'm allowed to swim (I have permission).

The classic illustration is the swimmer. Umím plavat says you possess the skill. Můžu plavat says the circumstances permit it (you're not injured, the pool isn't closed). Smím plavat says someone has given you permission. You can possess the skill yet not be permitted (a closed beach) — the verbs are genuinely independent.

Umím plavat, ale dnes nemůžu — bolí mě rameno.

I can swim, but I can't today — my shoulder hurts.

Plavat tu umí každý, ale smí jen členové klubu.

Everyone here knows how to swim, but only club members are allowed to.

Můžeš mi pomoct? — Rád bych, ale neumím to opravit.

Can you help me? — I'd love to, but I don't know how to fix it.

Past tense

The past uses the l-participle uměl / uměla / umělo plus the auxiliary být, dropped in the third person.

Subject	Past form
já (m.) / (f.)	uměl jsem / uměla jsem
ty (m.) / (f.)	uměl jsi / uměla jsi
on / ona / ono	uměl / uměla / umělo
my (m.) / (f.)	uměli jsme / uměly jsme
vy (m.) / (f.)	uměli jste / uměly jste
oni / ony / ona	uměli / uměly / uměla

Jako dítě jsem uměl celý ten film nazpaměť.

As a kid I knew that whole film by heart. (male speaker)

Babička uměla péct nejlepší buchty.

Grandma knew how to bake the best buns. (female speaker)

Future tense

Umět is imperfective, so its future is the analytic budu umět ("will know how to"). It often describes a skill you expect to acquire.

Person	Future
já	budu umět
ty	budeš umět
on / ona / ono	bude umět
my	budeme umět
vy	budete umět
oni / ony / ona	budou umět

Po tom kurzu budu konečně umět česky.

After this course I'll finally know how to speak Czech.

Imperative

The imperative uměj / umějte is grammatically possible but rarely used — you can't really order someone to have a skill. You'll meet it mostly in fixed encouragements.

Umějte si poradit sami.

Learn to manage on your own. (uncommon, advice-giving tone)

Common mistakes

❌ Můžu plavat. (intending: I have the skill)

Wrong: 'moci' is possibility/ability now, not a learned skill.

✅ Umím plavat.

Correct: 'I know how to swim' uses umět.

❌ Smím plavat. (intending: I have the skill)

Wrong: 'smět' means 'be allowed to', not 'know how to'.

✅ Umím plavat.

Correct: the learned skill is umět.

❌ Umím, že to je pravda.

Wrong: 'umět' never takes a 'že'-clause; that's vědět.

✅ Vím, že to je pravda.

Correct: 'I know that it's true' uses vědět.

❌ Oni neuměj anglicky.

Colloquial only: *neuměj is obecná čeština, not standard.

✅ Oni neumí anglicky. / Oni neumějí anglicky.

Correct standard forms: neumí or neumějí.

Key takeaways

umět = "know how to" (a learned skill); Class IV, umím … umí / umějí.
It takes either an accusative noun (umím angličtinu) or an infinitive (umím plavat).
Don't confuse it with moci (possible/able now) or smět (allowed) — all three are "can" in English.
For facts (know that…) use vědět; for acquaintance (know a person/place) use znát. The full map is at moci vs umět vs znát/vědět.

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