Some Czech verbs do not govern a bare case at all. Instead they reach their object through a fixed preposition, and that preposition brings its own fixed case. To wait for the bus is čekat na autobus — not čekat autobus; the na is not optional decoration, it is part of the verb's identity. The hard part for English speakers is that the Czech preposition almost never matches the English one. "Think about" is myslet na (literally "think on"); "look forward to" is těšit se na ("rejoice onto"); "depend on" is záležet na — where the na finally agrees, but only by coincidence. You cannot translate the preposition; you have to learn the whole verb-plus-preposition as a unit.
The principle: verb + preposition + case is one lexical fact
When a verb takes a prepositional object, three things are locked together and must be memorised as a package: the verb, the preposition, and the case that preposition assigns. Change any one and the sentence breaks. The single most reliable mistake is importing the English preposition; the second is dropping the Czech one entirely because English uses a bare object.
na + accusative: čekat, myslet, těšit se, ptát se, bát se o
The preposition na governs the accusative when it marks the target or direction of an action — and a large family of verbs uses exactly this. The accusative (not the locative) is what you want here, because the action is directed at the object.
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| čekat na | to wait for | Čekám na autobus. |
| myslet na | to think about / of | Myslím na tebe. |
| těšit se na | to look forward to | Těším se na víkend. |
| ptát se na | to ask about | Ptal se na cenu. |
| bát se o | to fear for / worry about | Bojím se o tebe. |
| dívat se na | to look at / watch | Dívám se na film. |
Čekám na tebe už půl hodiny, kde vězíš?
I've been waiting for you for half an hour, where on earth are you?
Celý týden se těším na víkend.
All week I look forward to the weekend.
Nemysli na to, stejně se to nedá vrátit.
Don't think about it, it can't be undone anyway.
Two of these deserve a closer look. myslet na "think about" is a perfect example of the preposition mismatch: English "on" would feel natural to a Czech, but English uses "about." And bát se o "worry about / fear for" — note the o + accusative — is the prepositional cousin of plain bát se + genitive "be afraid of"; the same verb takes a different case for a different meaning. Bojím se bouřky (gen) = afraid of the storm; Bojím se o tebe (o + acc) = worried about you. The bare-genitive bát se lives with the genitive-governing verbs.
o + accusative: starat se, prosit, žádat, usilovat
The preposition o + accusative carries a sense of "for / about the benefit of," and several care-and-request verbs use it. starat se o "to take care of / look after," prosit o "to ask for / request," žádat o "to apply for / request (formal)," and usilovat o "to strive for."
Celý víkend se staráme o babiččinu zahradu.
We spend the whole weekend looking after grandma's garden.
Prosím tě o jednu laskavost.
I'm asking you for one favour.
Požádal o ruku své přítelkyně.
He asked for his girlfriend's hand (in marriage).
Note that prosit takes the person asked in the accusative directly (prosím tě "I ask you") and the thing requested via o + accusative (o laskavost "for a favour") — so you can get two accusatives in one clause: prosím tě o radu "I ask you for advice."
o + locative: mluvit, přemýšlet, vědět, slyšet, snít
The same preposition o governs the locative — not the accusative — when it marks the topic of talking, thinking, or knowing. This is the "about" of subject matter. Compare starat se o zahradu (o + acc, "look after the garden") with mluvit o zahradě (o + loc, "talk about the garden"): same preposition, different case, because one is care and the other is a topic.
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mluvit o | to talk about | Mluvíme o práci. |
| přemýšlet o | to think over / ponder | Přemýšlím o tom. |
| vědět o | to know about | Vím o té schůzce. |
| slyšet o | to hear about | Slyšel jsi o tom? |
| snít o | to dream of | Sní o cestování. |
Celý večer jsme mluvili o práci, vůbec jsme si neodpočinuli.
We talked about work all evening, we didn't relax at all.
Přemýšlím o tom, že bych změnil obor.
I'm thinking about changing my field.
A subtle pair worth flagging: myslet na + acc ("have on your mind, think of") versus přemýšlet o + loc ("ponder, mull over"). Myslím na tebe = "I'm thinking of you" (you're on my mind); Přemýšlím o tobě = "I'm pondering you / mulling over you (as a problem)." English blurs both into "think about." For more on o marking a topic, see the topic-marking o.
na + locative: záležet, trvat, podílet se
Confusingly, na also governs the locative in a smaller set of verbs — the "depend on / insist on / take part in" group. The locative here marks a fixed point that something rests on or hinges on.
Záleží na tobě, jak se rozhodneš.
It depends on you how you decide. (záležet na + loc)
Trvám na svém.
I insist on my position / I'm standing my ground. (trvat na + loc)
Podílí se na vedení firmy.
He has a share in running the company. (podílet se na + loc)
záležet na "to depend on / matter" is one of the most useful verbs in the language and a chronic error source: it is na + locative (záleží na tobě), and it is impersonal in the "it depends" sense. Don't confuse it with na + accusative verbs above.
v + accusative: věřit v, doufat v
The preposition v "in" governs the accusative when it marks the object of faith or hope. věřit v "to believe in" (a higher, abstract faith) and doufat v "to hope for."
Věřím v lepší budoucnost.
I believe in a better future.
Stále doufá v zázrak.
She still hopes for a miracle.
Here too there is a meaningful split within one verb. věřit + dative (no preposition) means "to trust / believe a person" — věřím ti "I trust you"; while věřit v + accusative means "to believe in (an abstraction, a cause, a god)" — věřím v Boha "I believe in God." The dative věřit sits with the dative-governing verbs; the v + accusative version is the "faith in" sense.
Věřím ti, ale tomu plánu moc nevěřím.
I trust you, but I don't really believe in that plan. (věřit + dat for both person and thing trusted)
Common Mistakes
❌ Čekám tě před kinem.
Incorrect — čekat needs na + accusative; a bare object is ungrammatical.
✅ Čekám na tebe před kinem.
I'm waiting for you in front of the cinema.
❌ Myslím o tobě.
Incorrect — 'think of/about someone' is myslet na + acc, not myslet o; o + loc is for pondering a topic.
✅ Myslím na tebe.
I'm thinking of you.
❌ Těším se víkend.
Incorrect — těšit se requires na + accusative: těším se na víkend.
✅ Těším se na víkend.
I'm looking forward to the weekend.
❌ Záleží na tebe.
Incorrect — záležet na takes the locative, not the accusative: na tobě, not na tebe.
✅ Záleží na tobě.
It depends on you.
❌ Staráme se o zahradě.
Incorrect — starat se o takes the accusative (care), not the locative: o zahradu.
✅ Staráme se o zahradu.
We take care of the garden.
Key Takeaways
- A prepositional verb is a fixed triple — verb + preposition + case — learned as one unit; the Czech preposition almost never matches the English one.
- na + accusative: čekat na (wait for), myslet na (think of), těšit se na (look forward to), ptát se na (ask about), bát se o / dívat se na.
- o + accusative (care/request): starat se o (look after), prosit o (ask for), žádat o (apply for).
- o + locative (topic): mluvit o (talk about), přemýšlet o (ponder), vědět o (know about), snít o (dream of).
- na + locative (depend/insist): záležet na, trvat na, podílet se na — note záležet na tobě, not na tebe.
- v + accusative (faith): věřit v (believe in), doufat v (hope for) — distinct from věřit + dat "trust a person".
- Watch the same-preposition splits: bát se gen vs bát se o acc; starat se o acc vs mluvit o loc.
Now practice Czech
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Start learning Czech→Related Topics
- Verb Government: Which Case Your Verb NeedsA2 — Every Czech verb fixes the case of its object, and that case is a lexical fact you learn with the verb.
- Prepositions That Take the AccusativeA2 — The prepositions — pro, na, o, za, přes, skrz, mimo — that govern the accusative, and why English 'for' splits across several of them.
- The Locative of Topic with OA2 — Using o + locative to say what you are talking, thinking, reading or writing about — and the high-frequency chunk o tom.
- Verbs Governing the GenitiveB2 — A core set of everyday Czech verbs — fear, asking, noticing, reaching, riddance — whose object stands in the genitive, not the accusative English speakers expect.
- Verbs Governing the InstrumentalB2 — Verbs whose complement stands in the instrumental — becoming and remaining a role (stát se lékařem), occupying oneself with something (zabývat se), and moving, waving, boasting, despising, and suffering.