Two of the very first verbs you need in Czech are jít and jet — and both of them translate the single English word "to go." That one-to-many mapping is the whole story of this page. English speakers reach for one verb; Czech immediately forces a choice. jít is going on foot, and jet is going by some vehicle. There is no neutral, manner-free "go" that lets you dodge the decision. On top of that, both verbs are slightly irregular in the present tense, so they are worth isolating and drilling until the forms are automatic.
The present of jít (to go on foot)
The infinitive is jít, but the present stem is jd- — that extra d appears in every present form and is the thing to watch.
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| (já) | jdu | I go / I'm going |
| (ty) | jdeš | you go |
| (on / ona / ono) | jde | he / she / it goes |
| (my) | jdeme | we go |
| (vy) | jdete | you (pl./formal) go |
| (oni / ony / ona) | jdou | they go |
The endings themselves (-u, -eš, -e, -eme, -ete, -ou) are exactly the regular -e- class endings you meet in verbs like nést — see Class I: -e- Verbs. What makes jít feel irregular is purely the gap between the infinitive jít and the stem jd-: you cannot predict one from the other, so you simply learn them as a pair.
Jdu domů, jsem unavená.
I'm going home, I'm tired. (said by a woman)
Kam jdeš tak pozdě večer?
Where are you going so late in the evening?
Děti už jdou spát.
The children are going to bed now.
The present of jet (to go by vehicle)
jet covers travel by any vehicle — car, train, bus, tram, bike. The present stem is jed-, and again the endings are the regular -e- class set.
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| (já) | jedu | I go / I'm going (by vehicle) |
| (ty) | jedeš | you go |
| (on / ona / ono) | jede | he / she / it goes |
| (my) | jedeme | we go |
| (vy) | jedete | you (pl./formal) go |
| (oni / ony / ona) | jedou | they go |
The vehicle itself is normally named in the instrumental case (the case of "by means of"): autem (by car), vlakem (by train), autobusem (by bus), tramvají (by tram). The one frequent exception is the bike, which takes na + locative: na kole.
Jedeme do Brna vlakem.
We're going to Brno by train.
Jedu do práce autem, je to rychlejší.
I go to work by car, it's faster.
Jedeš na kole, nebo jdeš pěšky?
Are you going by bike, or walking?
Why Czech splits what English merges
English has exactly one verb for self-propelled travel and lets you add the manner only if you feel like it: "I'm going to Brno" says nothing about how. Czech makes the manner part of the verb itself, so the choice is unavoidable. The rule of thumb is blunt and reliable: if your feet are doing the work, use jít; if a vehicle is carrying you, use jet.
This is why Jdu do Brna sounds odd to a Czech ear — Brno is far enough that nobody walks there, so a native speaker hears it as "I'm walking to Brno," which is almost a joke. For any real journey between towns you want jet. Conversely, popping to the corner shop or the bathroom is jít, and saying jet there would imply you got in a car to do it.
Jdu si koupit rohlíky, hned jsem zpátky.
I'm popping out to buy some rolls, I'll be right back.
O víkendu jedeme k babičce do Plzně.
At the weekend we're going to Grandma's in Pilsen.
A "single trip" right now: determinate motion
There is a second layer here that this page only previews: jít and jet are what Czech calls determinate motion verbs. They describe one specific, directed trip — usually the one happening now or planned for a definite occasion. Their partners chodit (go on foot habitually) and jezdit (go by vehicle habitually) describe repeated or non-directional going.
So Jdu do školy = "I'm on my way to school (right now)," while Chodím do školy = "I go to school (I'm a pupil there)." This determinate/indeterminate split is the heart of the motion verb system and the jet vs jezdit page; for now, just register that jít and jet lean toward the here-and-now single journey.
Teď jdu na oběd, můžeme to probrat potom?
I'm going to lunch right now, can we discuss it later?
Zítra jedeme na výlet do hor.
Tomorrow we're going on a trip to the mountains.
Their futures are special: půjdu, not budu jít
One warning to plant early: jít and jet do not form their future with budu like ordinary imperfective verbs. Instead they take a prefix and use what looks like a present form: půjdu ("I will go on foot"), pojedu ("I will go by vehicle"). Saying budu jít or budu jet is a classic beginner error. These special futures get their own treatment on the půjdu / pojedu page; just know now that the future of these two verbs is not built the regular way.
Zítra půjdu k doktorovi.
Tomorrow I'll go to the doctor's.
V létě pojedeme k moři.
In the summer we'll go to the seaside.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jdu do Prahy vlakem.
Incorrect — a train is a vehicle, so on-foot jít is wrong here.
✅ Jedu do Prahy vlakem.
I'm going to Prague by train.
❌ Jedeme pěšky na nádraží.
Incorrect — pěšky means 'on foot', which clashes with by-vehicle jet.
✅ Jdeme pěšky na nádraží.
We're walking to the station.
❌ Zítra budu jít domů.
Incorrect — jít doesn't take budu for the future.
✅ Zítra půjdu domů.
Tomorrow I'll go home.
❌ Jíme do kina v osm.
Incorrect — jíme means 'we eat'; the motion verb is jdeme.
✅ Jdeme do kina v osm.
We're going to the cinema at eight.
❌ Jedu k sousedovi vedle.
Incorrect — you don't drive to the neighbour right next door; that's on foot.
✅ Jdu k sousedovi vedle.
I'm going round to the neighbour's next door.
The trickiest of these is the jíme / jdeme clash. "We go" is jdeme (stem jd-), while jíme is the present of jíst, "to eat." They are only one letter apart in writing and very close in speech, so slow down and keep the d of jdeme clearly in place.
Key Takeaways
- jít = go on foot (stem jd-): jdu, jdeš, jde, jdeme, jdete, jdou.
- jet = go by vehicle (stem jed-): jedu, jedeš, jede, jedeme, jedete, jedou.
- The vehicle is usually in the instrumental (autem, vlakem) — except na kole for a bike.
- Czech forces the on-foot vs by-vehicle choice that English ignores; match the verb to the real-world manner of travel.
- Their futures are the special půjdu and pojedu, never budu jít / budu jet.
Now practice Czech
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Start learning Czech→Related Topics
- jít vs chodit (Going on Foot)B1 — The determinate jít and indeterminate chodit and when to use each.
- jet vs jezdit (Going by Vehicle)B1 — The determinate jet and indeterminate jezdit for travel by vehicle.
- Special Motion Futures (půjdu, pojedu)B1 — The irregular prefixed futures of jít and jet.
- Class I: -e- Verbs (nést, brát)A2 — The -e- conjugation, where the present stem can look nothing like the infinitive and has to be memorised verb by verb.
- Choosing Between jít/chodit and jet/jezditB1 — The determinate vs indeterminate motion-verb decision.