Rozhodli jsme se koupit tento telefon.

We decided to buy this phone.

Breakdown of Rozhodli jsme se koupit tento telefon.

• být: to be
• koupit: to buy
• telefon: the phone
• tento: this

Questions & Answers about Rozhodli jsme se koupit tento telefon.

What is the basic structure of Rozhodli jsme se koupit tento telefon?

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Rozhodli jsme se = we decided
• koupit = to buy
• tento telefon = this phone

So the structure is:

[we decided] + [to buy] + [this phone]

A more literal gloss would be:

Decided we REFL to buy this phone.

That sounds odd in English, but it is normal in Czech.

Why is there a se in rozhodli jsme se?

Because the verb is rozhodnout se, which means to decide.

In Czech, many verbs are used with se as part of their normal dictionary form. So here:

• rozhodnout = to determine / to resolve something
• rozhodnout se = to decide

So in this sentence, se is not optional. It belongs with the verb.

A learner should usually memorize this verb as:

rozhodnout se + infinitive = to decide to do something

For example:

• Rozhodl se odejít. = He decided to leave.
• Rozhodli jsme se koupit auto. = We decided to buy a car.

Why is it rozhodli, and not some other form?