When you travel by any vehicle — car, train, bus, tram, bike — Czech swaps the on-foot verbs jít / chodit for the by-vehicle pair jet / jezdit. The split inside the pair is exactly the same determinate / indeterminate distinction: jet is one specific trip, usually right now; jezdit is travelling that is habitual or repeated. Both are imperfective. This page gives both full paradigms and the case that trips up every beginner: the instrumental of means (jet vlakem — to go by train).
The core distinction in one line
Jedu do Brna na pohovor, vrátím se večer.
I'm going to Brno for an interview, I'll be back tonight.
Jezdím do Brna za prací každý týden.
I travel to Brno for work every week.
The first is a single trip happening today; the second is a standing routine that says nothing about today in particular.
jet — determinate (one trip, now)
jet belongs to Class I (-e-), with the present stem jed-. Like its on-foot cousin jít, it builds its future not with budu but with the fused prefix po-, giving pojedu. Its past is regular (no suppletion this time): jel.
| Person | Present | Future |
|---|---|---|
| já | jedu | pojedu |
| ty | jedeš | pojedeš |
| on / ona / ono | jede | pojede |
| my | jedeme | pojedeme |
| vy | jedete | pojedete |
| oni / ony | jedou | pojedou |
| Past (l-participle) | Imperative |
|---|---|
| jel (m), jela (f), jelo (n) | jeď (ty) |
| jeli (m anim.), jely (f), jela (n) | jeďme (let's) / jeďte (vy) |
The future pojedu is the partner of jít's půjdu — but note it has a plain o, no ring: pojedu, not pójedu. The imperative jeď ends in soft ď.
Zrovna jedu domů, zavolám ti za chvíli.
I'm on my way home right now, I'll call you in a bit.
V sobotu pojedeme na chatu, máš čas?
On Saturday we're going to the cottage, are you free?
Loni jsme jeli na dovolenou do Chorvatska.
Last year we went on holiday to Croatia.
Jeď opatrně, venku prší.
Drive carefully, it's raining out.
jezdit — indeterminate (regular, repeated trips)
jezdit is a regular Class IV (-í-) verb, and like every imperfective it forms its future with budu.
| Person | Present | Future |
|---|---|---|
| já | jezdím | budu jezdit |
| ty | jezdíš | budeš jezdit |
| on / ona / ono | jezdí | bude jezdit |
| my | jezdíme | budeme jezdit |
| vy | jezdíte | budete jezdit |
| oni / ony | jezdí | budou jezdit |
| Past (l-participle) | Imperative |
|---|---|
| jezdil (m), jezdila (f), jezdilo (n) | jezdi (ty) |
| jezdili (m anim.), jezdily (f), jezdila (n) | jezděme (let's) / jezděte (vy) |
The frequency cues are the same as for chodit: každý týden, vždycky, často, každé léto. Any of them forces the indeterminate jezdit.
Každé léto jezdíme k babičce na Moravu.
Every summer we go to grandma's in Moravia.
Do práce jezdím autem, manželka jezdí vlakem.
I commute to work by car, my wife by train.
Jako dítě jsem jezdil na tábory.
As a child I used to go to summer camps (male speaker).
The instrumental of means: jet vlakem, jezdit autem
Here is the construction English speakers always get wrong. To say by what means you travel, Czech uses the bare instrumental case — no preposition at all. English "by train" becomes vlakem, "by car" autem, "by bus" autobusem, "by tram" tramvají, "by underground" metrem.
| Vehicle (nom.) | By that means (instrumental) |
|---|---|
| vlak | vlakem |
| auto | autem |
| autobus | autobusem |
| tramvaj | tramvají |
| metro | metrem |
Pojedu do centra metrem, je to rychlejší.
I'll take the metro into the centre, it's quicker.
Jezdíme na hory autem, vlakem je to s lyžemi nepohodlné.
We drive to the mountains; the train is awkward with skis.
The one exception to "no preposition" is the bicycle. A bike (and a horse, and skis) takes na + locative: jet na kole / jezdit na kole "to cycle," jezdit na koni "to ride a horse." Think of it as being on the bike rather than travelling by means of it.
Do školy jezdím na kole, i když prší.
I cycle to school, even when it rains.
Pojeď se mnou na kole k řece.
Come cycling with me down to the river.
Common Mistakes
❌ Každý týden jedu do Prahy.
Incorrect — a weekly routine needs the indeterminate jezdit.
✅ Každý týden jezdím do Prahy.
I go to Prague every week.
❌ Teď jezdím domů.
Incorrect — for one trip happening now, use the determinate jet.
✅ Teď jedu domů.
I'm driving home right now.
❌ Zítra budu jet do Plzně.
Incorrect — jet never forms its future with budu; use pojedu.
✅ Zítra pojedu do Plzně.
Tomorrow I'll go to Plzeň.
❌ Jedu s autem do práce.
Incorrect — the means of transport is bare instrumental, with no preposition.
✅ Jedu autem do práce.
I'm driving to work.
❌ Jezdím na kolo do školy.
Incorrect — na with a bike takes the locative (na kole), not the accusative.
✅ Jezdím na kole do školy.
I cycle to school.
Key Takeaways
- jet = one trip by vehicle, now; jezdit = regular, repeated trips. Both imperfective.
- jet is Class I with the irregular prefixed future pojedu (plain o, soft imperative jeď); jezdit is a regular Class IV verb with a budu jezdit future.
- Means of transport stands in the bare instrumental: vlakem, autem, autobusem — never with a preposition.
- The bicycle is the exception: na kole (na + locative), and likewise na koni.
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Start learning Czech→Related Topics
- jet vs jezdit (Going by Vehicle)B1 — The determinate jet and indeterminate jezdit for travel by vehicle.
- Motion Verbs: Determinate vs IndeterminateA2 — Czech verbs of movement come in pairs that are both imperfective but differ in determinacy — one directed trip in progress versus habitual or multi-directional motion.
- jet — to go (by vehicle)A1 — Full conjugation of jet, the determinate verb for going by vehicle, including its special prefixed future pojedu and the instrumental of means.
- jít / chodit — to go on foot (determinate / indeterminate)A2 — The determinate verb jít (one trip on foot, now) paired with its indeterminate partner chodit (habitual, repeated walking), fully conjugated side by side.
- Choosing Between jít/chodit and jet/jezditB1 — The determinate vs indeterminate motion-verb decision.