Snažím se šetřit elektřinu.

Snažím se is I try or I am trying.

The base verb is snažit se, which means to try or to make an effort.
This is a reflexive verb, so it normally appears with se.

• snažit se = to try
• snažím se = I try / I am trying

So the sentence starts with I’m trying...

Because snažit se is a reflexive verb in Czech. The se is part of the verb.

You cannot normally just say snažím by itself to mean I try. The natural form is snažím se.

This does not necessarily mean a literal reflexive idea like I wash myself. In many Czech verbs, se is simply part of the standard dictionary form.

Examples:

• učit se = to study / learn
• dívat se = to look / watch
• snažit se = to try

Because after snažit se you often use an infinitive to say try to do something.

So the structure is:

snažit se + infinitive

Examples:

• Snažím se spát. = I’m trying to sleep.
• Snažím se pracovat. = I’m trying to work.
• Snažím se šetřit elektřinu. = I’m trying to save electricity.

This works very much like English try to + verb.

Here šetřit means to save, to conserve, or to use sparingly.

So šetřit elektřinu means:

• save electricity
• conserve electricity
• use less electricity

Be careful: šetřit can also mean other related things depending on context, such as:

• šetřit peníze = save money
• šetřit čas = save time
• šetřit někoho = spare someone / go easy on someone

In this sentence, the idea is clearly to conserve electricity.

Because elektřina is the direct object of šetřit, so it goes into the accusative case.

• nominative: elektřina
• accusative: elektřinu

This is very common in Czech: the thing affected by the verb changes form.

Compare:

• Elektřina je drahá. = Electricity is expensive.
  Here it is the subject, so nominative: elektřina
• Šetřím elektřinu. = I save electricity.
  Here it is the object, so accusative: elektřinu

Yes. Elektřina is a feminine noun.

It follows a common feminine pattern where:

• nominative singular ends in -a
• accusative singular changes to -u

So:

• elektřina → nominative
• elektřinu → accusative

The same pattern appears in many other feminine nouns:

• voda → vodu
• káva → kávu
• škola → školu

Yes, snažím se is present tense.

In Czech, the present tense can often correspond to either:

• simple present in English: I try
• present continuous in English: I am trying

Which English version sounds best depends on context.

So:

• Snažím se šetřit elektřinu. can mean I try to save electricity or I’m trying to save electricity.

English often prefers I’m trying because it sounds more natural for an ongoing effort.

Here is the present tense of snažit se:

• já se snažím = I try
• ty se snažíš = you try
• on/ona/ono se snaží = he/she/it tries
• my se snažíme = we try
• vy se snažíte = you try
• oni/ony/ona se snaží = they try

In your sentence, snažím se is the 1st person singular form: I try.

You may also notice that Czech often places se in the second position:

• Snažím se...
• Já se snažím...

Both are possible.

Yes, Czech word order is flexible.

The neutral order here is:

Snažím se šetřit elektřinu.

But you might also hear:

• Já se snažím šetřit elektřinu.
• Elektřinu se snažím šetřit.
  This puts more emphasis on electricity.

Even though the word order can change, the endings still show the grammatical roles, especially elektřinu as the object.

For a learner, the original order is the safest and most natural one to use.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

SNA-zheem seh SHET-rzheet eh-LEK-trzhi-noo

A few important sounds:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• š sounds like sh
• ř is the famous Czech sound; in šetřit, it is difficult for English speakers, something like a rolled r mixed with zh
• stress is normally on the first syllable of each word:
  • SNAžím
  • SE
  • ŠEtřit
  • eLEKtřinu

If ř is hard, don’t worry too much at first. Learners often approximate it until they get more comfortable.

This is about aspect, which is very important in Czech.

• šetřit = imperfective
  Focuses on the process, habit, or ongoing effort of saving/conserving
• ušetřit = perfective
  Focuses on achieving a result, such as saving a certain amount

So in your sentence, šetřit is the natural choice because the meaning is about an ongoing effort:

• Snažím se šetřit elektřinu. = I’m trying to conserve electricity.

If you said ušetřit, it would sound more like trying to achieve a completed result:

• Snažím se ušetřit více elektřiny. = I’m trying to save more electricity.

You negate snažím se by adding ne- to the verb:

Nesnažím se šetřit elektřinu.
= I’m not trying to save electricity.

You could also negate the second verb instead:

Snažím se neplýtvat elektřinou.
= I’m trying not to waste electricity.

Or: Nesnažím se elektřinu šetřit.
= I’m not trying to save electricity.

The most direct negative version of your original sentence is:

Nesnažím se šetřit elektřinu.