Prohledali jsme rekvizitu, aniž bychom našli stopu.

In Czech past tense, the auxiliary jsem/jsi/jsme/jste often goes in the second position of the clause.

So in:

Prohledali jsme rekvizitu ...

the first element is Prohledali, and the auxiliary jsme comes right after it.

This is very normal Czech word order. English speakers often expect the equivalent of we searched, but Czech structures it differently.

You can also sometimes hear different word orders for emphasis, but Prohledali jsme ... is the most neutral here.

It is the past tense of prohledat.

Breakdown:

• prohledat = to search through, to examine thoroughly
• prohledali = past participle form for masculine animate plural / mixed group plural
• jsme = we

Together, prohledali jsme = we searched / we searched through

The form prohledali agrees with the subject. If the speakers were all female, it would be:

Prohledaly jsme ...

Because prohledat is more specific.

• hledat = to look for
• prohledat = to search through, inspect thoroughly

So prohledali jsme rekvizitu suggests not just “we were looking,” but “we searched the prop carefully/thoroughly.”

Also, prohledat is perfective, so it presents the action as completed.

Because rekvizita is the direct object of prohledali jsme, so it takes the accusative case.

Singular forms of rekvizita:

• nominative: rekvizita
• accusative: rekvizitu

So:

• rekvizita = a prop / piece of equipment / item
• prohledali jsme rekvizitu = we searched the prop

This -u ending is very common for feminine nouns in -a when they are in the accusative singular.

Aniž is a conjunction meaning something like:

• without
• without the fact that
• while not
• and yet not

In this sentence, it introduces a subordinate clause expressing something that did not happen as a result of, or during, the main action.

So:

Prohledali jsme rekvizitu, aniž bychom našli stopu.

literally works like:

We searched the prop, without finding a clue.

This is a very common formal-written way to express without doing something.

After aniž, Czech very often uses the conditional forms:

• bych
• bys
• by
• bychom
• byste

So aniž bychom našli is a standard pattern.

Here:

• bychom = we would
• našli = found

But together after aniž, it does not usually sound like real conditional “would find.” Instead, it is just the normal Czech way to say:

without finding

So learners should think of aniž + conditional as a set structure.

Because the subject information is already carried by bychom.

In the conditional, Czech uses:

• bychom
  • past participle

So:

• bychom našli = we would find / that we find in this structure

There is no extra jsme because bychom already contains the person/number information.

Compare:

• past tense: našli jsme
• conditional: bychom našli

That is why aniž bychom našli is correct.

Because aniž already contains the negative idea.

So:

• aniž bychom našli stopu = without finding a clue

If you said:

• aniž bychom nenašli stopu

that would be a kind of double negation of meaning, and it would not express the intended idea naturally.

A useful way to remember it:

• English: without finding
• Czech: aniž bychom našli

Even though English often uses a negative-style word like without, Czech does not need to negate the verb here.

Because stopa is the direct object of našli, so it is also in the accusative singular.

Forms:

• nominative: stopa
• accusative: stopu

Here stopa can mean:

• a trace
• a track
• a clue

So najít stopu means to find a trace/clue.

In context, stopu often sounds idiomatic, like a clue or any trace.

Both verbs here are perfective:

• prohledat → prohledali
• najít → našli

Perfective verbs present actions as complete whole events.

So the sentence gives the sense:

• the search was carried out as a completed action
• but it did not result in finding any clue

This is very natural in Czech when reporting a finished event.

If imperfective verbs were used, the sentence would sound more like an ongoing process rather than a completed attempt.

Yes, it is somewhat more formal or written-style than the most everyday spoken alternatives.

It is completely normal Czech, but in casual speech people might also say something like:

• Prohledali jsme rekvizitu, ale nenašli jsme stopu.
• Prohledali jsme rekvizitu, jenže jsme nenašli stopu.

Those mean roughly:

• We searched the prop, but we didn’t find a clue.

The version with aniž bychom... is elegant and compact, and it corresponds closely to English without finding...