Ať už používáš konev, nebo lopatku, dej nářadí do kůlny.

Ať už ... nebo ... is a very common Czech pattern meaning something like whether ... or ..., no matter if ... or ..., or regardless of whether ... or ....

So in this sentence:

Ať už používáš konev, nebo lopatku, ...

the speaker means: regardless of which of those two things you are using, the instruction in the second part still applies.

A very literal breakdown is:

• ať už = whether / no matter whether
• nebo = or

This structure is useful when the result is the same in either case.

Používáš is the 2nd person singular present tense of používat (to use).

That means it matches you when speaking to one person informally:

• já používám = I use
• ty používáš = you use
• on/ona používá = he/she uses

So the sentence is addressing one person directly in an informal way.

If you were speaking formally or to more than one person, Czech would change:

• Ať už používáte konev, nebo lopatku, dejte nářadí do kůlny.

Because Czech nouns change form depending on their case, and here both nouns are the direct object of používáš, so they are in the accusative.

However, different nouns decline differently.

• konev is feminine, and in this noun pattern the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative:

  • konev → konev

• lopatka is also feminine, but its accusative singular changes:

  • lopatka → lopatku

So both are accusative, but they belong to different declension patterns.

Používat normally takes the accusative case, because it takes a direct object:

• používám telefon
• používáš konev
• používá lopatku

So in your sentence, both konev and lopatku are in the accusative.

Dej is the imperative of the verb dát (to put / give in this context). It is a perfective verb, so it sounds like a single completed action:

• dej nářadí do kůlny = put the tools away / put the equipment into the shed

By contrast, dávej comes from the imperfective dávat and often suggests repeated action, ongoing action, or a more process-oriented instruction.

In a simple instruction telling someone to do something once, dej is very natural.

So:

• dej = put it there now / do it once
• dávej = keep putting / be putting / put habitually

Nářadí usually means tools, equipment, or garden tools depending on context.

Grammatically, it is a neuter noun, and very often it works like a collective or mass noun. In many forms, especially singular nominative and accusative, it looks the same:

• nominative: nářadí
• accusative: nářadí

So after dej, it is in the accusative as the direct object, but the form does not change.

That is why you see:

• dej nářadí ...

not because it stayed in the base form by accident, but because nominative and accusative are identical here.

Grammatically, it is usually treated as singular neuter, even though in English it often corresponds to something plural-like such as tools or equipment.

For example:

• To nářadí je nové. = That equipment/tool set is new.

Notice the singular verb je.

So in your sentence, Czech uses a singular noun where English might prefer a plural idea.

Because do means into / to and it requires the genitive case.

The noun is:

• kůlna = shed

After do, it becomes:

• do kůlny

So:

• do kůlny = into the shed

This is one of the prepositions Czech learners quickly get used to: many prepositions always require a specific case, and do takes the genitive.

Because Czech distinguishes between:

• motion into a place → do + genitive
• location in a place → v + locative

So:

• dej nářadí do kůlny = put the tools into the shed
• nářadí je v kůlně = the tools are in the shed

In your sentence, the action involves moving the tools to that location, so do kůlny is correct.

The commas are there because the first part is a kind of introductory clause:

• Ať už používáš konev, nebo lopatku, ...

This whole section sets up the condition or contrast: whether you are using X or Y.

The comma before nebo helps separate the paired items inside this structure, and the comma after lopatku closes the introductory part before the main command:

• dej nářadí do kůlny

Czech punctuation often marks clause structure more clearly than English learners may expect.

Yes, but the nuance changes.

If you say:

• Používáš konev nebo lopatku.

that just states you are using a watering can or a shovel.

If you say:

• Ať už používáš konev, nebo lopatku, ...

it gives the stronger idea of regardless of which one you're using.

So ať už is important if you want that whether X or Y, the same thing applies meaning.

Because the sentence presents an alternative between two items:

• konev = one option
• lopatku = another option

So Czech uses nebo = or.

If you used a, it would mean and, which would change the meaning completely:

• konev a lopatku = a watering can and a shovel

Here the point is not that both are necessarily being used, but that either one could be.

Not completely. Czech word order is fairly flexible, but different orders can sound more or less natural depending on emphasis.

This version is natural and neutral:

• Ať už používáš konev, nebo lopatku, dej nářadí do kůlny.

You could also hear variations, but they may shift emphasis. Czech often puts important or contrastive information in different places for style or focus.

For a learner, this sentence is a very good standard model, so it is best to learn it as it stands.

A few parts may stand out for English speakers:

• ať: the ť is a soft t sound
• používáš: ž sounds like the s in measure
• konev: final v is pronounced clearly
• lopatku: the cluster tk is normal in Czech
• nářadí: ř is the famous Czech sound; learners often approximate it at first
• kůlny: ů is pronounced like a long ú

A rough learner-friendly approximation:

• Ať už používáš konev, nebo lopatku, dej nářadí do kůlny.
• acht oozh po-oo-zhee-vaash ko-nev, ne-bo lo-pat-koo, day na-rzha-dee do kool-nee

That is only approximate, but it can help as a first step.

It is the difference between informal singular and formal/plural command forms.

• dej = tell one person informally
• dejte = tell one person formally or several people

So the original sentence is speaking to one person informally.

Compare:

• Dej nářadí do kůlny. = Put the tools in the shed. (to one friend/child/etc.)
• Dejte nářadí do kůlny. = Put the tools in the shed. (to a group or politely to one person)

Yes. Nářadí is a fairly broad word. Depending on context, Czech speakers might use something more specific, for example:

• zahradní nářadí = garden tools
• nástroje = tools/instruments
• věci = things/stuff (more general and less precise)

In your sentence, nářadí works well because both konev and lopatka belong naturally to the category of tools or garden equipment.

Yes, it sounds natural and clear. It has a very normal structure for giving an instruction that applies in either of two situations.

It is especially natural in contexts like:

• gardening
• tidying up after work
• speaking to a child or family member
• simple written instructions

So as a learner sentence, it is very idiomatic.