Dáváme kompost a hnojivo do půdy.

Dáváme is the 1st person plural present tense of dávat. It means we give, but in this kind of sentence it often translates more naturally as we put, we add, or we apply.

So in context, Dáváme kompost a hnojivo do půdy is something like We put/add compost and fertilizer into the soil.

This is a question of aspect, which is very important in Czech.

• dávat = imperfective
• dát = perfective

dáváme suggests an action that is:

• ongoing,
• repeated,
• habitual,
• or described in a general way.

So it fits sentences like:

• We add compost and fertilizer to the soil.
• We are adding compost and fertilizer to the soil.
• We usually add compost and fertilizer to the soil.

By contrast, dáme would mean something more like we will put/add or we’ll do it once as a completed action.

They are objects, and they are in the accusative case. But in this sentence, their accusative forms happen to look the same as their dictionary forms.

• kompost is a masculine inanimate noun, and for many masculine inanimate nouns, nominative = accusative
• hnojivo is a neuter noun, and neuter nouns often also have the same nominative and accusative form

So:

• kompost → accusative kompost
• hnojivo → accusative hnojivo

That is why they do not visibly change here.

Because the preposition do requires the genitive case.

The noun is:

• půda = soil

In the genitive singular:

• půda → půdy

So:

• do půdy = into the soil

This is a very common pattern in Czech:

• do domu = into the house
• do školy = into the school
• do vody = into the water

Do půdy most literally means into the soil.

That is because do usually expresses movement toward the inside of something.

So:

• do půdy = into the soil

Compare:

• v půdě = in the soil
• na půdu = onto the attic / to the attic

That last one is especially important, because půda can also mean attic in some contexts. Here, because of kompost a hnojivo, the meaning is clearly soil.

Czech does not use articles like English a/an and the.

So Czech simply says:

• kompost
• hnojivo
• půda

and the listener understands from context whether the meaning is:

• compost
• the compost
• some compost

The same is true for:

• hnojivo = fertilizer / the fertilizer / some fertilizer
• půda = soil / the soil

No, Czech word order is fairly flexible because case endings show the grammatical roles.

This sentence is a normal, neutral order:

• Dáváme kompost a hnojivo do půdy.

But other orders are also possible, for example:

• Kompost a hnojivo dáváme do půdy.
• Do půdy dáváme kompost a hnojivo.

These versions shift the focus or emphasis, but the basic meaning stays the same.

A means and.

It simply joins the two objects:

• kompost
• hnojivo

Both are things being added to the soil.

It does not cause any special case change here; each noun is still in the accusative because both are direct objects of dáváme.

In this sentence, hnojivo is singular in form.

It often works like a mass noun in English, similar to fertilizer or manure in a general sense. So hnojivo can mean fertilizer as a substance or general material, not necessarily one single item.

If you wanted the plural fertilizers, Czech can use:

• hnojiva

But in ordinary practical sentences, singular hnojivo is very common.

Půdy is pronounced approximately like POO-dih, with a long ů.

A few useful points:

• ů is pronounced like a long oo sound
• dy in Czech is softer than English dee, but not exactly the same as English pronunciation

Very rough pronunciation guide:

• Dáváme kompost a hnojivo do půdy
• DAA-vaa-meh KOM-post a HNOH-yih-vo doh POO-dih

Also note:

• hnojivo begins with hn-, and Czech speakers pronounce both sounds

Yes, sometimes Czech uses more specific verbs depending on the situation.

For example:

• Přidáváme kompost a hnojivo do půdy. = We add compost and fertilizer to the soil.
• Zapravujeme kompost a hnojivo do půdy. = We work/mix compost and fertilizer into the soil.
• Vkládáme kompost a hnojivo do půdy. = We place/insert compost and fertilizer into the soil.

But dáváme is very natural and common as a general everyday verb meaning put/add.

Because the verb ending already tells you.

dáváme ends in -me, which marks 1st person plural:

• I → dávám
• we → dáváme

So Czech usually does not need the pronoun my (we) unless it is being emphasized.

That is why:

• Dáváme kompost a hnojivo do půdy. already clearly means
• We add/put compost and fertilizer into the soil.