Pokud hodíš kostkou, táhni figurkou.

Pokud means if.

In this sentence, pokud is a very natural choice because it sounds clear and rule-like, which fits board-game instructions well.

You could also hear:

• jestli = if, often a bit more conversational
• když = literally when, but it can sometimes mean if too

So these are possible, but the nuance changes a little:

• Pokud hodíš kostkou, táhni figurkou. = a neutral, precise if
• Jestli hodíš kostkou, táhni figurkou. = also possible, slightly more everyday
• Když hodíš kostkou, táhni figurkou. = more like when you roll the die, which can sound more expected or routine

For instructions and rules, pokud is a very good fit.

Hodíš is the 2nd person singular form of the verb hodit.

So it means:

• you throw
• in this context, more naturally you roll

The ending -íš tells you it is you (ty), singular.

So:

• hodím = I throw
• hodíš = you throw
• hodí = he/she/it throws

In a game context, hodit kostkou means to roll a die.

Because Czech usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here:

• hodíš already means you roll
• táhni already means move! addressed to you

So adding ty is normally unnecessary.

You would add ty only for emphasis or contrast, for example:

• Pokud ty hodíš kostkou, táhni figurkou.
  = If you roll the die, move the piece.

That sounds marked or contrastive, not neutral.

Because both words are in the instrumental singular.

Their basic forms are:

• kostka = die, cube
• figurka = figurine, game piece, token

Instrumental singular of feminine nouns ending in -a is often -ou:

• kostka → kostkou
• figurka → figurkou

In this sentence, that case is used because Czech treats these expressions as:

• hodit kostkou = roll / throw the die
• táhnout figurkou = move the piece

This is very idiomatic. English speakers often expect a direct object here, but Czech uses the instrumental in these game expressions.

This is a very common learner question.

There is an important difference:

• hodit kostkou = roll the die / throw the die in the game sense
• hodit kostku = throw the die as an object

So:

• Hodil kostkou na stůl. = He rolled the die onto the table.
• Hodil kostku do koše. = He threw the die into the bin.

In other words, instrumental here gives the usual game meaning, while accusative would more likely mean physically throwing the object somewhere.

Yes, kostka can mean both cube and die.

The exact meaning depends on context.

Here, because the sentence is clearly about a board game, kostka means die.

A few examples:

• ledová kostka = ice cube
• hrací kostka = die / gaming die

In everyday Czech, people often just say kostka when the game context is obvious.

Also, note the English difference:

• die = one
• dice = more than one

So kostkou here is singular: with a die.

Yes, the verb táhnout often literally means to pull or to drag.

But in board-game language, it also means to move a piece.

So here:

• táhni figurkou = move the piece
• more naturally in English: move your token / move your pawn

This is standard game vocabulary.

Also:

• figurka in this context means a game piece, token, or pawn
• it does not necessarily mean a decorative figurine here

So the whole phrase is idiomatic board-game language, not a literal statement about dragging something.

Táhni is the singular imperative.

It is used:

• when speaking to one person informally
• or in instructions, where Czech often addresses the reader/player in the singular

So this sentence sounds like a rule addressed directly to one player.

If you wanted the plural or formal version, you would say:

• Pokud hodíte kostkou, táhněte figurkou.

That means:

• If you roll the die, move the piece.
  addressed to you all or you in a formal sense

Using the singular in instructions is very common in Czech.

Because Pokud hodíš kostkou is a subordinate clause, and Czech separates it from the main clause with a comma.

Structure:

• Pokud hodíš kostkou = if you roll the die
• táhni figurkou = move the piece

So the comma marks the boundary between:

1. the if-clause
2. the main instruction

This is standard Czech punctuation.

Yes, a little.

The verb hodit is perfective. That means it refers to a single completed action: one roll/throw.

So hodíš here means something like:

• when/if you make that one roll

That is why it fits very naturally in a rule.

By contrast, házet is the imperfective partner and would refer more to repeated or ongoing throwing/rolling.

The second verb, táhni, comes from táhnout, which in this kind of instruction is the normal way to say move your piece.

So the sentence is built in a very natural rule-book style:

• first, one completed triggering action: hodíš kostkou
• then, the instruction that follows: táhni figurkou