nést vs nosit, vést vs vodit (Carrying and Leading) | Czech Grammar

The determinate/indeterminate split is not just about going — it runs through every Czech verb of motion, including the ones where you move something or someone else. This page covers the "transitive" motion pairs: nést / nosit (to carry), vést / vodit (to lead, take a person), and their by-vehicle cousin vézt / vozit (to transport). The same logic from jít / chodit applies — one directed act now (determinate) versus repeated, habitual, or general carrying/leading (indeterminate) — but these pairs add a wrinkle English speakers love: the indeterminate nosit also means to wear.

nést — the determinate verb (carrying right now)

Nést means "to carry" as one directed act, in progress: you have the thing in your hands and you are taking it somewhere. Its present stem is nes- (a -e- class verb), and notice the long é in the infinitive — nést, not nest.

Person	nést — present
já	nesu
ty	neseš
on / ona / ono	nese
my	neseme
vy	nesete
oni / ony	nesou

The thing carried is the direct object in the accusative (accusative direct object).

Nesu nákup nahoru, otevřeš mi dveře?

I'm carrying the shopping upstairs — can you open the door for me? (one directed act)

Co to neseš v té tašce?

What are you carrying in that bag? (right now)

Číšník nesl tác plný skleniček.

The waiter was carrying a tray full of glasses. (one act, past)

nosit — the indeterminate verb (carry habitually… and to wear)

Nosit is the indeterminate partner: repeated or habitual carrying, carrying around with no single destination — and, crucially, to wear (clothes, glasses, a beard). It is a regular -í class verb (prosit).

Person	nosit — present
já	nosím
ty	nosíš
on / ona / ono	nosí
my	nosíme
vy	nosíte
oni / ony	nosí

Habitual or repeated carrying:

Každé ráno nosí dětem snídani do pokoje.

Every morning he brings the children breakfast in their room. (habitual)

Nenos tolik věcí najednou, ublížíš si.

Don't carry so many things at once, you'll hurt yourself. (general advice)

To wear — this is the sense English speakers forget. "To wear" as a habit or general fact is nosit; there is no separate "wear" verb in everyday Czech.

Nosím brýle už od dětství.

I've worn glasses since childhood.

V práci nosíme uniformu.

At work we wear a uniform.

Začala nosit kratší vlasy.

She's started wearing her hair shorter.

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Both meanings of nosit share one logic: a repeated, habitual relationship between you and an object. Carrying the same thing again and again, or having clothes on as your regular state, are the same idea to Czech. The one-off act — putting a coat on this morning, carrying this box now — uses different verbs (obléct si for getting dressed, nést for one carry).

The contrast between nést and nosit makes the determinacy split unusually vivid:

Počkej, nesu ti je z kuchyně.

Wait, I'm bringing them to you from the kitchen. (one trip with the object — nést)

Ty brýle nosím jen na čtení.

I only wear those glasses for reading. (habitual state — nosit)

vést — the determinate verb (leading a person now)

Vést means "to lead / take (a person or animal) somewhere" as one directed act. Present stem ved-, like nést. (Beware the spelling: infinitive vést with long é; do not confuse it with vézt "to transport," below.)

Person	vést — present
já	vedu
ty	vedeš
on / ona / ono	vede
my	vedeme
vy	vedete
oni / ony	vedou

Vedu psa na procházku, za chvíli jsem zpátky.

I'm taking the dog for a walk, I'll be back in a bit. (one act)

Maminka vede dítě za ruku přes ulici.

The mum is leading the child by the hand across the street.

Vést has a rich figurative life too — vést firmu "to run a company," vést dialog "to hold a dialogue," cesta vede "the road leads" — but those are extensions of the same "directed leading" core.

vodit — the indeterminate verb (leading habitually)

Vodit is the indeterminate partner: taking someone places regularly or repeatedly. Regular -í class.

Person	vodit — present
já	vodím
ty	vodíš
on / ona / ono	vodí
my	vodíme
vy	vodíte
oni / ony	vodí

Každé ráno vodím syna do školky.

Every morning I take my son to nursery. (habitual)

Sousedka vodí psa na procházku třikrát denně.

The neighbour walks her dog three times a day.

vézt / vozit — the by-vehicle pair

When the carrying is done by vehicle (transporting goods or people), Czech uses vézt (determinate) and vozit (indeterminate). Vézt (present vez-: vezu, vezeš…) is the one-trip transport; vozit (vozím, vozíš…) is habitual hauling. Watch the spelling once more: vézt with z (transport by vehicle) versus vést with s (lead on foot) — one letter apart, and the long é is in both.

Vezu nábytek do nového bytu, kamion je plný.

I'm transporting furniture to the new flat, the truck is full. (one trip — vézt)

Táta nás vozil každé léto k babičce na Moravu.

Dad used to drive us to grandma's in Moravia every summer. (habitual — vozit)

The pattern across all four pairs

Meaning	Determinate (one act now)	Indeterminate (habitual / general)
carry (in hands)	nést — nesu	nosit — nosím (also "to wear")
lead / take (a person)	vést — vedu	vodit — vodím
transport (by vehicle)	vézt — vezu	vozit — vozím

Why English speakers stumble here

Two transfer errors dominate. First, learners reach for nosit when they should use nést, because nosit is the form they meet in the dictionary — but if you have the bag in your hands and are walking it somewhere now, it is nesu. Second, and more insidiously, English keeps "wear" and "carry" as separate verbs, so learners hunt for a "wear" verb and never find that nosit already covers it. There is no logical bridge here — you simply learn that nosit = "carry habitually / wear," and that one act of putting clothes on is a different verb, obléct (si).

Prefixed forms

As with all motion verbs, prefixing converts the pair into perfective/imperfective aspect. Nést feeds perfectives (přinést "to bring," odnést "to take away," vynést "to carry out"); the indeterminate nosit feeds the imperfectives (přinášet, odnášet, vynášet). Likewise vést → přivést / přivádět and vézt → přivézt / přivážet. The full mechanism is on the prefixed motion verbs page.

Přines mi prosím sklenici vody.

Please bring me a glass of water. (perfective přinést)

Pošťák nám každý den přináší poštu kolem desáté.

The postman brings us the post around ten every day. (imperfective přinášet)

Common Mistakes

❌ Nosím ti kávu, vydrž chvilku.

Incorrect — bringing it on one trip right now is the determinate nést: nesu.

✅ Nesu ti kávu, vydrž chvilku.

I'm bringing you a coffee, hold on a sec.

❌ Dnes mám na sobě brýle celý den.

Incorrect for stating a habit — 'I wear glasses' as a general fact is simply Nosím brýle.

✅ Nosím brýle, bez nich nic nevidím.

I wear glasses, I can't see anything without them.

❌ Každé ráno vedu syna do školky.

Incorrect — a daily habit needs the indeterminate vodit, not the one-act vést.

✅ Každé ráno vodím syna do školky.

Every morning I take my son to nursery.

❌ Vedu nábytek do nového bytu autem.

Incorrect — transport by vehicle is vézt (with z), not vést (lead on foot).

✅ Vezu nábytek do nového bytu.

I'm transporting the furniture to the new flat.

❌ Vozím tě domů, nasedej.

Incorrect — giving you a lift right now is one trip, so the determinate vézt: vezu.

✅ Vezu tě domů, nasedej.

I'm driving you home, hop in.

Key Takeaways

The carry/lead pairs follow the same determinate/indeterminate logic as jít / chodit.
nést / nosit = carry (one act / habitual) — and nosit also means to wear.
vést / vodit = lead a person (one act / habitual); vézt / vozit = transport by vehicle.
Watch the spellings: nést, vést, vézt all have long é; vést (lead, s) ≠ vézt (transport, z).
Prefixing converts each pair into ordinary aspect: nést → přinést / přinášet.

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