'Let's' — the First-Person Plural Imperative | Czech Grammar

When English wants to propose a joint action — let's go, let's not forget, let's grab a coffee — it reaches for the little helper let us. Czech does the whole job with one word: the first-person plural imperative, a command form that means "let's." There is no separate word for let; the meaning lives entirely in the verb ending -me / -eme / -ejme. This is one of the most useful forms at A2 because suggestions are the bread and butter of everyday social life — Pojďme! ("Let's go!"), Dejme si kávu! ("Let's have a coffee!").

One ending does the work of "let us"

The 1pl imperative is built exactly like the other imperatives — from the present stem (see forming the imperative) — but with the -me family of endings. It includes the speaker: it always means "I propose that we (you and I) do this."

Verb	2sg imperative	1pl ("let's")	Meaning
jít (go)	pojď	pojďme	let's go
udělat (do)	udělej	udělejme	let's do
začít (begin)	začni	začněme	let's begin
dát (give/put)	dej	dejme	let's give/have
být (be)	buď	buďme	let's be

So the three ending-shapes you already know from the singular carry straight over: a single-consonant stem adds -me (nes → nesme), a cluster stem adds -ěme/-eme (začni → začněme), and the big dělat class adds -ejme (udělej → udělejme).

Pojďme na pivo, mám hroznou žízeň.

Let's go for a beer, I'm terribly thirsty.

Udělejme si přestávku, jsem úplně vyřízený.

Let's take a break, I'm completely wiped out.

Začněme, ať to máme co nejdřív za sebou.

Let's start, so we get it behind us as soon as possible.

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There is no Czech word for the English "let" in this construction. Don't look for a translation of "let us" — the -me ending is the "let's." Trying to render "let us go" word for word produces Nech nás jít, which actually means "allow us to leave" — a request for permission, not a suggestion.

pojďme — the workhorse

By far the most common 1pl imperative you'll hear is pojďme, from the verb of coming/going on foot. It blankets an enormous range of "come on, let's…" situations and often stands alone as a bare "let's go!" or "come on!"

Tak pojďme, nebo nám ujede tramvaj!

Come on then, or we'll miss the tram! (pojďme as a standalone 'let's go')

Pojďme se domluvit jednou provždy.

Let's settle this once and for all. (pojďme + the reflexive verb domluvit se)

Its relative pojeďme (from jet, going by vehicle) does the same for "let's drive / let's ride": Pojeďme autem, bude to rychlejší ("Let's take the car, it'll be faster"). For the underlying verbs see jít.

Reflexive and object clitics ride along

Many suggestions involve reflexive verbs (sednout si, domluvit se) or short pronouns. These clitics attach right after the imperative, exactly as they do elsewhere — the imperative is itself the first stressed word, so the clitic follows it.

Dejme si ještě jednu kávu, nikam nespěcháme.

Let's have one more coffee, we're not in any hurry. (dejme + si)

Posaďme se támhle k oknu.

Let's sit down over there by the window. (posaďme + se)

Sejděme se zítra v sedm před kinem.

Let's meet tomorrow at seven in front of the cinema. (sejděme + se)

Aspect: perfective for a one-off plan

For a concrete, one-time proposal — let's do this particular thing now — Czech strongly prefers the perfective: Udělejme to, Dejme si kávu, Zavřeme okno, Začněme. That mirrors the general logic on the aspect in the imperative page: perfective = a single bounded action you want completed. An imperfective 1pl imperative is unusual and feels either like a general principle or a slightly old-fashioned exhortation (Pomáhejme si — "Let us help one another"). Negative suggestions, by contrast, lean imperfective: Neříkejme to nikomu ("Let's not tell anyone").

Nezapomeňme koupit dárek pro babičku.

Let's not forget to buy a present for grandma. (perfective nezapomeňme for a specific reminder)

Neříkejme to zatím nikomu, ať to nezakřikneme.

Let's not tell anyone for now, so we don't jinx it. (negative → imperfective neříkejme)

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If you're not sure of the perfective 1pl imperative on the spot, you can always fall back on pojďme + an infinitive: Pojďme se najíst ("let's go eat"), Pojďme to dodělat ("let's go finish it"). It's idiomatic, it sidesteps the trickier endings, and it sounds energetic and natural.

The softer alternative: 1pl indicative as a question

Here is a subtlety native speakers use constantly. The 1pl present/future indicative with a rising, questioning intonation works as a gentler, more tentative suggestion — "shall we…?" — where the true imperative is a firmer "let's!". The difference is real and worth feeling:

Imperative (firm "let's!")	Indicative question (tentative "shall we?")
Dejme si kávu! — Let's have a coffee!	Dáme si kávu? — Shall we have a coffee?
Začněme! — Let's begin!	Začneme? — Shall we begin?
Jděme už! — Let's go now!	Půjdeme? — Shall we go?

Dáme si k tomu ještě dezert?

Shall we get a dessert with that too? (1pl indicative as a polite suggestion)

Notice the spelling-and-form trap hiding in that table: začneme (indicative, "we'll begin") and začněme (imperative, "let's begin!") differ by a single háček-bearing vowel, e versus ě. Likewise uděláme ("we'll do") versus udělejme ("let's do"). The indicative keeps the plain present ending; the imperative inserts the imperative vowel.

A third option: ať for "let's" you don't control

There is also a construction with ať + the present tense, but for the 1st-person plural it is marginal; ať mostly forms third-person wishes and commands (Ať žije… — "Long live…", Ať si dělá, co chce — "Let him do as he likes"). For genuine "let's," stick with the -me imperative — it is the standard, neutral choice across all registers.

Common Mistakes

❌ Nech nás jít na pivo.

Incorrect as 'let's' — this means 'allow us to leave for a beer,' a request for permission. Use the 1pl imperative.

✅ Pojďme na pivo.

Let's go for a beer.

❌ Začneme! (intended as 'Let's begin!')

Incorrect — začneme is the indicative 'we will begin'; the imperative needs the -ě- form.

✅ Začněme!

Let's begin!

❌ Dáme kávu si.

Incorrect — the clitic si must follow the verb directly, not trail at the end: dáme si.

✅ Dejme si kávu.

Let's have a coffee.

❌ Pojďme jdeme!

Incorrect — doubling the verb; pojďme already means 'let's go.'

✅ Pojďme!

Let's go!

Key Takeaways

"Let's" is a single verb ending in Czech — the 1pl imperative -me / -eme / -ejme — not a separate word; there is no translation of "let."
pojďme ("let's go / come on") is the highest-frequency example and often stands alone.
Reflexive and object clitics (se, si, to) attach right after the imperative: dejme si, posaďme se.
Prefer the perfective for a concrete one-off proposal; negatives lean imperfective (neříkejme).
The 1pl indicative as a question (Dáme si kávu?) is a softer "shall we?"; watch the e / ě spelling difference from the imperative (začneme vs začněme).

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