Tempo je sice rychlé, ale sestava je krátká.

It creates a contrast, roughly like it is true that ... but ... or admittedly ... but ....

So:

• Tempo je sice rychlé, ale sestava je krátká.
• literally: The tempo is indeed fast, but the routine is short.

A useful way to think about it:

• sice = admittedly / it is true that
• ale = but

In Czech, sice often appears in the first clause and is then answered by ale in the second clause.

Because tempo is a neuter noun.

Czech adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

The adjective rychlý changes like this in the singular nominative:

• rychlý = masculine
• rychlá = feminine
• rychlé = neuter

Since tempo is neuter, you get:

• rychlé tempo
• or here, after je: tempo je rychlé

Because sestava is a feminine noun.

So the adjective must match it:

• krátký = masculine
• krátká = feminine
• krátké = neuter

That is why the sentence says:

• sestava je krátká

If the noun were neuter, you would use krátké instead.

Yes. Both are the subjects of their clauses, so they are in the nominative:

• Tempo je sice rychlé
• sestava je krátká

The adjectives rychlé and krátká are also in the nominative because they are predicate adjectives used with být (to be).

So Czech works like:

• The tempo is fast
• The routine is short

with nominative forms on both sides of je.

In this sentence, using je twice is the normal and clear way:

• Tempo je sice rychlé, ale sestava je krátká.

Czech can sometimes omit words that are understood from context, but here repeating je sounds natural and complete because there are two full clauses joined by ale.

If you removed the second je, the sentence would sound incomplete or awkward in standard Czech.

Yes, Czech word order is flexible, but the original order is the most neutral and natural.

Standard version:

• Tempo je sice rychlé, ale sestava je krátká.

You may also see changes for emphasis, for example:

• Sice je tempo rychlé, ale sestava je krátká.

This still means basically the same thing, but it shifts emphasis a little.

For learners, it is best to remember the common pattern:

• X je sice ..., ale Y je ...

Very often, yes, but not absolutely always.

The most common pattern is:

• sice ... ale ...

However, Czech speakers may sometimes use sice with another contrasting expression, or the second part may be implied by context.

For learners, though, the safest rule is:

• when you use sice, expect a contrast afterwards
• most commonly that contrast is introduced by ale

Ale means but.

It links the two clauses and shows opposition between them:

• the tempo is fast
• but the routine is short

So ale marks the contrast that sice prepares for.

A simple way to remember the structure is:

• sice = opens the concession
• ale = gives the contrasting point

Yes, tempo is used in Czech, and it is one of many words that look international.

Even though it may feel foreign to an English speaker, in Czech it behaves like a normal noun. Importantly, it is neuter, which is why the sentence has:

• tempo je rychlé

So even if the word looks familiar, you still need to learn its grammatical gender in Czech.

Grammatically, sestava is a feminine noun.

Its ending -a is a very common feminine ending in Czech, though not every -a noun is feminine in all cases.

Because it is feminine singular nominative here, the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative:

• sestava je krátká

So even if you already know the meaning, the key grammar point is:

• sestava → feminine
• therefore krátká

The most important thing is to notice the long vowels marked by the accents:

• rychlé → the é is long
• krátká → both á vowels are long

A rough guide:

• rychlé ≈ RIKH-lay
  
  • ch is like the sound in German Bach or Scottish loch
• krátká ≈ KRAAT-kaa

In Czech, vowel length matters, so the accent mark is not just stress—it shows that the vowel is pronounced longer.

No. That would sound wrong in English, even though it reflects the Czech structure too literally.

In Czech, sice ... ale is normal. In natural English, you would usually say something like:

• The tempo is fast, but the routine is short.
• Admittedly, the tempo is fast, but the routine is short.

So when learning the Czech sentence, it is better to understand the grammar of sice ... ale rather than translate each word mechanically.